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 →

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 →

Major League

I refer to Bull Durham in more posts than in any other blog about OpenSees. I own up to that. After all, Bull Durham was an excellent movie--favorably-reviewed by critics and a box office success, grossing well more than its budget. The movie also won a few awards and was nominated for Best Original Screenplay … Continue reading Major League →

Work on Your Cliches

Before you tell your supervisor what you've done with OpenSees, you gotta work on your cliches. Cliches don't come from nowhere. For instance, Nuke learned his cliches from Crash before he used them in The Show. https://youtu.be/SB_LjL0lUJ4 Cliches for baseball, OpenSees, and life: Play them one day at a timeI'm just happy to be hereHope … Continue reading Work on Your Cliches →

One Citation at a Time

Within the last day or two, I tripped 1000 citations for 2021 according to Google Scholar. Thank you, OpenSees! A colleague in Eastchester asked if the blog has helped my citation count. I don't think it has, except for reminding a couple people to cite OpenSees somehow instead of simply writing "We used OpenSees" somewhere … Continue reading One Citation at a Time →

Don’t Think, Just Throw

The uncertainty of an OpenSees analysis often stops people in their tracks. What will happen if I use this input for that model? Will I be able to simulate this behavior? What if the analysis fails to converge? Don't think. Just throw. https://youtu.be/qa3EseH3Hgc Nothing bad is going to happen if you have an incorrect input … Continue reading Don’t Think, Just Throw →

OpenSees Is Simple

OpenSees, and nonlinear structural analysis in general, is a simple endeavor. It is not complicated. It does not need to be complex. Although this clip from Bull Durham, the best baseball movie of all time, refers to throwing, hitting, and catching the ball, the simplicity translates to nonlinear structural analysis. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhML1WAGkCs You build the model. … Continue reading OpenSees Is Simple →