The personal blog of Raphael Sammut
When I was at Warrior Camp earlier this year, one of our goals was to discover what 100% effort meant for us, naturally by being pushed to do incredibly intense activities of which I will not speak. Here’s a video clip from the movie “Facing the Giants” that is very inspirational and follows this same theme:
Often times, your greatest limit to success is your own mind. Never cease to push yourself, and never cease to grow.
I got an e-mail today regarding an incredible social experiment that was performed just over 2 years ago, and thought I would share it for anyone who hasn’t heard of it yet.
If one of the best violin players in the world was dressed incognito in a busy metro station during rush hour, playing an instrument worth millions of dollars, would you notice? Joshua Bell did just that in April of 2007 in Washington D.C., and not surprisingly, was noticed by perhaps only one or two of the people on their way to work out of over a thousand people who passed by in the hour he played.
Just watching the video of him play sent shivers running down my spine, but had I been on my way to work or school I can’t be certain that I would have stuck around for very long. Check out the article published in the Washington Post the next day, it’s an excellent read.
This past summer, I had the opportunity to work with a prominent Civil Engineering professor at the University of Toronto. Professor Evan C. Bentz specializes in structural engineering, and his work focuses on developing software to aid in the analysis and simulation of structures. Professor Bentz has an incredible personality, great sense of humour, and can talk about almost anything to almost anyone for as long as he is able to talk and someone is able to listen. Some of the most interesting and random conversations of my entire life were had last summer in Professor Bentz’s office. This was my first research position, and I really lucked out because I got to work with some incredible people, and ended up doing something I found enjoyable.
My main projects this summer were centred around making Professor Bentz’s software run more efficiently and accurately. The software suite includes Membrane-2000 and Response-2000 for modelling walls, beams, and columns, and Augustus for assembling elements into a structure and running tests on them.
One particular project involved writing a Visual Basic script to accept data from a large spreadsheet database of experimental test results for beams and convert individual tests into a series of input files that could be read by the software. This allowed for an automated way of verifying the simulation test results with real data. Once completed, the macro generated all necessary files in under a minute for over 2000 entries, whereas it probably would have taken a year to do them all by hand.
My next project was meant to push Augustus to its limits by designing and testing a model of a 20-storey apartment building in the Greater Toronto Area that Professor Bentz had previously done some analysis for. After three weeks of interpreting design drawings, mapping out the geometry of the structure, and defining all the structural elements, I excitedly pushed the button to run the tests and the software crashed. While it was disappointing not to get any results, it ended up leading to my most interesting and challenging project.
The core issue, or so we believe, with the Augustus software not being able to run the tests on the building was that the data that the software reads in is not stored efficiently. The software performs its analysis using the “Stiffness Method”, which is an easy way for a computer to calculate displacements on large structures. Every node, or point of interest, in the structure is represented by a number stored in a matrix. The matrix contains all the information about how each node has displaced as the tests run.
This issue lead to the development of a Genetic Algorithm (based on this blog post) to try and optimize the matrix before any calculations were run. After banging my head on a desk for about a week, things started to click, and the development began to progress fairly rapidly. By the end of the third week working on the project, we started getting some positive results that the Genetic Algorithm we implemented performed better than more traditional methods, but took significantly longer to execute (especially for matrices greater than 100×100 in size).
After spending a week on optimizing the algorithms used thanks to MATLAB’s handy profiler, the operation time was cut down significantly and our program could compute matrices up to 500×500 in size within a minute, even on a slow (1.86 GHz) processor.
The Genetic Algorithm project was the focus of a presentation I made at the Undergraduate Engineering Research Day at U of T, mainly since the use of genetic algorithms was such a novel and interesting approach to solving the matrix bandwidth reduction problem. The presentation, which was developed from 10pm – 3am the night before (since we only got results the same day) went very well and I was awarded the prize of a top presenter.
Overall my research experience was fun, challenging, and a great way to spend my summer. While I was paid roughly the same as when I was the Site Director for an entire YMCA camp, I had far less responsibility, got to work with some brilliant and dynamic people, and enjoyed the great flexibility in working hours that the academia world offers. My research team had very little supervision, and the vast majority of our work was all self-driven. The best part of the position was that I was constantly challenged. Whenever I began feeling comfortable and in control of a project, I was thrown something else that seemed impossible in the beginning, but was always successfully accomplished in the end. Furthermore, this project will serve as an excellent lead-in to my PEY work term in Spain with CYPE Ingenieros, and has opened the doors to future thesis work when I return to Canada in 2010 to finish my degree.
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That doesn’t mean I’m not around though! I’ll be in Spain for an engineering internship until September 2010, but until then you can keep in touch with me via e-mail and skype!
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It’s about time I made a post about my recent trip to Vancouver from July 24-26. In a following post, you can look for my experiences at the Enlightened Warrior Training Camp in Squamish, BC. Now, this was my first solo trip ever. I usually always travel with friends or family, so I wasn’t quite sure how things would work out…
First off, the flight there was amazing! It was my very first flight with WestJet and I was very impressed. The efficiency of their scheduling and on-time performance is incredible. About 10 minutes before the first boarding call, the ground crews assembled ready to load luggage, clean the plane, and stock it with food. 5 minutes before the boarding call, the plane rolled into the gate, unloaded and was ready to accept my flight’s passengers on-time. The crew was very friendly and were happy to be there! In-flight service was amazing: the crew came by twice to offer free drinks and snacks, and they had no problem providing multiple drinks and snacks each time, if asked. To cap it all off, our flight departed the gate 5 minutes early and landed 10 minutes early. I am very proud, as a Canadian, to have such an incredible national airline.
Amazingly, both flights (there and back), I sat beside someone really nice and we talked for the whole flight! Since I was on my own, I found I was far more open to new friendships, so I ended up talking to just about everyone I met!
While I was in Vancouver, I stayed at the University of British Columbia. During the summer months they run the Pacific Spirit Hostel out of one of their residences. It has super-cheap rates ($30/night with an ISIC card, $33/night otherwise), is fairly clean, offers private and secure rooms, and is surrounded by natural beauty. It is outside of the city, however, so you have to take a 20 minute bus ride into the city, which really is not that bad at all.
Public Transit in Vancouver was really efficient, and will be greatly improved once the Canada Line opens in September. It will offer a direct SkyTrain link from the airport and Richmond to downtown Vancouver. The public transit system, operated by TransLink, consists of SkyTrain (light rail), the B-Lines (express bus routes), an extesnive bus network (both diesel and electric trolley buses), and the SeaBus (a catamaran ferry connecting downtown Vancouver to North Vancouver). Furthermore, if you have internet-enabled mobile, you can access on-demand transit routing via the Google Maps Mobile application, or you can download a TransLink application for your iPhone.
I started my day by taking an hour jog along the coast. It was a sunny Saturday morning, and the streets and paths were teeming with cyclists, dog-walkers, and fellow runners. It seems like a morning ride or run along the beach is the thing to do in Vancouver! Thanks to my handy Frommer’s Vancouver & Victoria 2009 travel guide, I found a great place to stop for breakfast close to Jericho Beach where I had the best Eggs Benedict of my life. After exploring the beaches a bit, I walked down to Granville Island (a public market similar to St. Jacobs and St. Lawrence Market for those of you from Toronto). It was sunny, and the Fraser River was sparkling when I arrived. The market was very busy, and was host to a number of some of the most colourful and talented buskers I’ve ever seen. The food inside the market was far too tempting, so I stopped and bought an apple cinnamon crepe for snack.
After leaving Granville Island, I decided to catch the next SeaBus to North Vancouver and visit Grouse Mountain. I had heard about a particular trail that most Vancouverites fondly know as the “Grouse Grind”. The grind is a 3km trail that consists of essentially climbing stairs and steep slopes for an hour straight. Some people call it the natural StairMaster 😉 I had the pleasure of meeting Pat Akey on the bus there, a recent finance grad from McGill, and we kept each other going as we journeyed upwards. He was nice enough to invite me to drinks that night with some other friends he met at a conference.
Next, I visited the Capilano suspension bridge, which is one of the most advertised attractions in Vancouver. It was pretty neat to cross a man-made suspension bridge (like the ones you often see in movies), but felt the admission was too high and would classify it as more of a tourist trap. I would recommend visiting Grouse Mountain instead.
Although I wanted to rent a bike and ride around Stanley Park, which everyone told me I should do, it had started to rain by the time I got there, so I decided to search for a place to eat instead. After consulting my travel guide, I discovered a fairly new and hip seafood restaurant called Coast. I called the restaurant, made a reservation and hopped on the next bus to take me over there. Unfortunately, I had their old address as they had just moved a few weeks before, so I had to hop on another bus and find the new place. When I got there, It was totally worth the long journey. The atmosphere was amazing, the staff were friendly, and the restaurant was buzzing with life. I sat at the bar which was a round island in the middle of the restaurant and was served by the bartender. There was fresh fish, shrip, and oysters on ice in the centre of the bar, as well as an extensive collection of vodka, whisky, and other spirits.
I ordered the Haddock Fish and Chips and a cool Rickards Red Beer. It was one of the most delicious meals I’ve ever had. The fish was so tender I swear it must have been caught that same day. On my right were two thirty-year old women celebrating a birthday. Just past them were two men who were knocking back Vodka Red Bulls, and trying to pick up the women. To my left was a couple who were making bets on whether or not the men would succeed. All in all, a really great time 😉 After dinner, I ordered a shot of the restaurant’s finest Vodka, which turned out to be Exquisite, a premium Wyborowa Vodka from Poland. The restaurant even called me the next morning to ask how my meal was!
I was about to head home when I got a call from Pat Akey telling me that he and his friends were heading out to a night club. I gladly accepted and joined them as we danced the night away (thanks for the drinks, guys!).
My experience in Vancouver was incredible. I could not believe that I was still in Canada. The people are so different there. They are all very active, very friendly, and very laid-back, which was a pleasant change to the people I’m used to in Toronto. I think this Bud-Light advertisement put it the best:
I will definitely have to visit Vancouver again. It is an absolutely beautiful city, and is located in the most beautiful part of Canada. If you have never been, I recommend you buy yourself a round-trip ticket when you visit, because you might be tempted to never come back!
In a few hours I’ll be off to Vancouver, and then onwards to Squamish, for a 5-day intensive training camp entitled “The Enlightened Warrior Traing Camp” organized by Peak Potentials Training. Through an incredible five day journey, I will discover who I really am and learn how to succeed in spite of any obstacle. This camp is truly a “roughing it” experience. I’ll sleep in a tent in the beautiful Squamish valley with glacier-capped mountains all around me. The camp is extremely physically and mentally intense as it runs from 7am-11pm every single day.
Stay tuned for stories and pictures upon my return!
It was two summers ago when visiting my family in Europe that I first got the travel bug. At the time, I had just finished my first year of Engineering Science and dreamed of working in Europe for a summer. The prospect of learning a new language, being immersed in another culture, and having the freedom to travel to many fascinating places has always excited me.
When it came time to decide if I was going to do a Professional Experience Year (PEY) term in third year, I came to the conclusion that I would either find a rewarding international experience to pursue or continue on to fourth year and complete my degree. As a student of the Infrastructure Engineering program, there were great opportunities to work in different countries and I applied to jobs in the both the United States and Europe.
Last December, I was hired to complete a 12-month work term in Alicante, Spain starting in September 2009. I’ll be working with a local Spanish engineering firm called CYPE Ingenieros, S.A.. My main focus will be on the expansion of a CAD software that can automatically verify if the designs for a structure meet the building code in the country where it will be constructed. I’ll be succeeding another Engineering Science Infrastructure student, Geoff Frost (0T9+PEY), who has worked at CYPE since September 2008. While I can’t share my PEY experiences yet, you can follow me on my journey by visiting my blog at http://raphsammut.ca/.
In addition to finding work abroad, I was able to fulfill my appetite for travelling during the school year as well. This past winter, I competed in the University of Toronto Engineering Kompetitions (UTEK) and won first place in the Engineering Communication division for my presentation on emerging applications of RFID technology. This led me to compete in the Ontario Engineering Competitions (OEC) in Guelph where I won second place and qualified for the national level of competitions. At the Canadian Engineering Competitions (CEC), held in Fredericton, New Brunswick, I built upon all the feedback received from the earlier competitions and won first place along with a sponsorship to attend the first National Engineering Summit in Montreal held last May.
Currently, I am working with Professor Evan Bentz as a summer research student. My main projects have been related to the development of Augustus, a software suite that acts as a post-processor for the Finite Element Method (FEM) analysis of structural elements. Augustus has recently been expanded to allow easy modelling and simulation of entire structures.
Just got back from seeing Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. My previous favourite in the series was Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, but the new film has clinched my vote. The cinematography was excellent, the acting has improved, and the overall feel of the movie was true to the novel. If you get a chance to see it in theatres, I’d definitely say it’s worth it.
One detail remains fresh in my memory, and I feel like I must do it some justice. The movie opens (don’t worry, I’m not spoiling anything important) right were it left off with Harry and Dumbledore facing a barrage of photographers in the Ministry of Magic following the official return of the Dark Lord. Shortly after, three death eaters streak across London (no, this is a PG film, I’m referring to how they fly around and leave a trail of black smoke behind them) and kidnap Olivander, the wandmaker from Diagon Alley. As they’re flying back from their mission they pass by a very remarkable and unique structure: The Millennium Bridge. Shortly after whizzing past the bridge, it begins to shake uncontrollably, its load-bearing cables snap, and the entire bridge collapses into the Thames river.
So, what’s so special about this bridge? If you’re from the UK, or happened to be around when the bridge was officially opened, you probably would have found its collapse in the movie ironic, amusing, and incredibly brilliant. Continue reading “It Was the Death Eaters!”
Are you getting this error? It seems to be pretty standard for most hosting services to set their default php settings to 32M when it comes to the memory limit for php scripts. For some users of the most recent versions of popular CMS software like Drupal and WordPress, 32 megs is cutting it quite close, especially if many plug-ins are activated. This post is a solution directed to the problem of NGG users running WordPress 2.8 +, but of course, fixes any php memory issue.
Continue reading “So, Your Host Didn't Give You Enough Memory?”
If you’re in Toronto this weekend, you might want to stop by Exhibition Place and check out the Honda Indy. The cars are already on the track, prepping for the big race.
More info here: http://www.hondaindytoronto.com/