This is my last post for November 2024. I will fail the NaBloPoMo one-post-a-day challenge. Or perhaps I will pass with 90%, or an A-, for 27 posts (including today) out of 30 days. Either way, there's nothing to prove. Time to focus on quality, not quantity. Thanksgiving is tomorrow in the United States. Or … Continue reading See You in December
Category: Random Bits
OpenSees Tom Swifties
According to its Wikipedia page, a Tom Swifty is "a phrase in which a quoted sentence is linked by a pun to the manner in which it [the quoted sentence] is attributed". For example, here is a Tow Swifty to which OpenSees users can relate: "I completed my first nonlinear frame analysis!", Tom beamed. This phrase uses "beamed" to … Continue reading OpenSees Tom Swifties
OpenSees Mandela Effect
The Mandela Effect refers to a belief that is widely held, but completely false. Examples, some of which are admittedly a stretch, range from common misspellings to frequently misquoted movie lines. The Mandela Effect applies to OpenSees as well. Along the lines of misspellings, there is a widely held belief that OpenSees is capitalized OpenSEES. … Continue reading OpenSees Mandela Effect
The Sound of “OpenSees”
The term "OpenSees" appears throughout this blog. Usually as a noun, referring to the Open System for Earthquake Engineering Simulation, and sometimes as a verb. Although an OpenSees homophone is rare for the blog, you may see sentences like the following in other contexts. I enjoy sailing the open seas. The open sea's calling my … Continue reading The Sound of “OpenSees”
OpenSees Every Day
Using OpenSees as a direct object is common, e.g., "We used OpenSees to perform incremental dynamic analysis of reinforced concrete shear walls." That sentence was declarative and OpenSees was a noun. But OpenSees can also be a verb, in declarative and other types of sentences. Declarative I like to OpenSees every day. Interrogative Do you … Continue reading OpenSees Every Day
A Post from ChatGPT
In the last month or so, the blog has received about a dozen referrals from ChatGPT. Responses to user prompts--probably about modal damping--must contain a link to the blog, a link the user clicks. I tried a few prompts to see if I could generate a link to the blog, but no luck. Even "What … Continue reading A Post from ChatGPT
Wrapper’s Delight
What is the output produced by this analysis? Sure, you can copy and paste the script to get the answer. But that's no fun. Think about the model and analysis. Can you explain what's going on before getting the answer? import openseespy.opensees as ops ops.wipe() ops.model('basic','-ndm',1,'-ndf',1) N = 365 ops.uniaxialMaterial('Elastic',0,1.0) for i in range(N): ops.uniaxialMaterial('Multiplier',i+1,i,1.01) … Continue reading Wrapper’s Delight
It Hides in Plain Sight
It's no secret that engineers write technical documents in a style that no one would actually speak. Like, if I'm explaining plastic hinge integration to you in person, it would sound nothing like what's written in the journal article. It's difficult to measure the amount of nonsense in technical writing, but qualitatively, you know it … Continue reading It Hides in Plain Sight
2023 In Review
WordPress put together a year-in-review summary of blog statistics, but the automated report had a couple errors--namely reporting that April 24, 2023 accounted for 817% of all blog visits for the year and that the high number of referrals from Facebook was "a nod to our [WordPress's] targeted SEO and marketing efforts." Despite the error … Continue reading 2023 In Review
Good Scotch
In the "I believe..." monologue from Bull Durham, Crash Davis (Kevin Costner) states his beliefs on various subjects, many of which prove the movie was about more than baseball. In fact, some of the beliefs refer to OpenSees. With "high fiber", Davis reveals his preference for fiber sections. And "hanging curve ball" clearly describes IDA … Continue reading Good Scotch
Portwood Digital 