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jcchin41

jcchin41 on Hacker News

Re:Elon Musk is launching a tunnel digging company to reduce traffic i... on Saturday December 17, 2016 @02:35PM (#13202061)
This could also be a stepping stone to reducing Hyperloop tunneling costs
Re:NASA confirms yet again that the 'impossible' EMdrive thruster works on Monday November 02, 2015 @08:59PM (#10496877)
"EagleWorks" is not a recognized lab of NASA. Despite the title, this announcement comes from a (somewhat rogue) group of individuals, not the agency.
Re:SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition on Monday June 15, 2015 @05:42PM (#9722307)
For those interested in getting a better handle on the vehicle thermodynamics, see[1]. Feel free to play around with the open-source python model here[2]

[1] https://mdao.grc.nasa.gov/publications/AIAA-2015-1587.pdf

[2] https://github.com/OpenMDAO-Plugins/Hyperloop

[3] http://www.popsci.com/hyped-up-startups-race-hyperloop-life

Re:Why PowerPoint should be banned on Wednesday May 27, 2015 @12:56AM (#9609423)
Following Jean Luc Doumont's simple advice on creating powerpoints has dramatically helped me create more effective presentations that hold people's attention. I highly recommend his book [1] and presentations [2] on reducing noise in slides to maximize the effectiveness of key-takeaways.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBXuTIPJQk [2] http://www.treesmapsandtheorems.com/

Re:I Am Eric Ries, Author of the Lean Startup. AMA on Monday April 13, 2015 @03:55PM (#9370013)
I work for a large aerospace company. How can we adopt lean startup ideas for hardware projects where the design iterations are much more expensive and lead times more severe?
Re:Google Makani – Wind Energy Kites on Tuesday March 17, 2015 @09:42PM (#9223049)
http://kitepowercoop.org/

Looks like there is an open-source community around energy kites. They're largely focused soft form kites, rather than fast moving rigid wings.

And another rigid wing competitor: http://www.ampyxpower.com/

Re:In Defense of the Midwest on Monday March 09, 2015 @01:01AM (#9169198)
1 MILLION people aren't enough to see network effects?? Is 3M [1] closer to the magic number? I moved from Boston(4M) to Cleveland(1.7M) and although the lifestyle is different, there is still way more opportunities, culture, entertainment, etc..., than anyone could absorb in a single lifetime in either place.

I visit my friends in SF every year and although they make more than double my salary, they can't even come close to matching my apartment situation. There is an infinite number of things to do in any city, and I can already afford things (like a house, or an acre of land even!) that aren't even fathomable to them. I won't stay in Cleveland forever, simply because I'd like to experience other cities, but I can't say SF is even in my top three. SF is a great place, but I'd like to find one of the still relatively "undiscovered" great places that isn't completely saturated.

[1]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_urban_are...

Re:Ask HN: What alternative presentation formats to PowerPoint are there? on Saturday December 13, 2014 @05:30PM (#8746709)
My favorite alternative: Reveal.js http://lab.hakim.se/reveal-js/#/ Simple HTML slides with snazzy transitions

Warning: A common pitfall of "flashy" presentations is that even if you can avoid making it look gimmicky, the audience is too busy watching the effects and not listening to you. Is your intention to dazzle people, or optimize the amount of information your audience absorbs? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meBXuTIPJQk

Re:Why Airships Will Never Be Part of Our Transportation Infrastructure on Monday October 13, 2014 @10:17PM (#8451634)
Hybrid Airships might not fair well on the particular log/log plot shown, but there are other figures of merit to be considered: Emissions, noise, necessary landing infrastructure, flight-time, fuel consumption vs. aircraft productivity (payload x distance / hr)
Re:NASA code from years of projects on Friday May 02, 2014 @01:46PM (#7687066)
Many projects at NASA are just starting to ramp up open-source efforts, and it can be very challenging to publicly release aerospace toolsets. Give it some time to build up momentum.
Re:Hyperloop: Not so fast on Thursday January 02, 2014 @11:35AM (#7000412)
NASA engineers have also released an optimization framework for the Hyperloop concept as well. It's completely open-source and written in Python. Docs here: http://openmdao-plugins.github.io/Hyperloop/

Their baseline optimization focuses on 5 subsystems: Compressor Cycle Analysis, Pod Geometry, Tube Flow Limitations, Tube Wall Temperature, and Mission Analysis

Initial results indicate that the concept is still very viable. However, due to very tight coupling between the tube and vehicle size, the tube size will need to be around twice as large as originally proposed by the Tesla/SpaceX team to reach the proposed speeds.

Feel free to download the entire analysis and play with it yourself, without purchasing several expensive toolboxes from MATLAB!

Re:Ask HN: What did you make this year? on Tuesday December 31, 2013 @12:43AM (#6989235)
Working on my very first web app! I'm an aerospace engineer looking to get into web development.

-PushPlan, a group decision making app: https://pushplan.meteor.com/huddles/pBpn7KJ7jtAqNbNrJ

(A better way for groups to brainstorm ideas and schedule events.)