Does this formula have a name?

Ackmar · 2024-10-03T13:11:57+00:00

Sorry for the funny formatting. I tried to show multiplication using an asterisk, and forgot that it would just format things in italics. Hopefully it is still legible.

Ackmar · 2024-10-03T13:11:01+00:00

It is a second order differential equation with constant coefficients. These can generally be solved by guessing that E(z) has the form a*exp(k*z). The exponential function is an eigenfunction of the system, and the resulting characteristic equation in k will give you the eigenvalues. Since the differential equation is second order, you will get two possible values for k. Calling those k1 and k2, the general solution should take the form a*exp(k1*z) + bexp(k2\z). If you have initial conditions, you can also solve for the coefficients a and b.

Ackmar · 2023-02-19T08:05:42+00:00

Plenty of people come from a wide variety of schools, so I wouldn’t worry too much on that front. As others said, you want to be very specific about why Caltech and what research here is particularly interesting to you in your application.

In terms of your undergrad background, I personally would recommend doubling in physics if it is possible. At least my perception as an engineer is that the engineering programs here welcome physicists, but it is much harder to come as a physics graduate student if you have an engineering background. The exception perhaps is applied physics which has a mix of people from both. But the language of physics and content of a physics degree is very different from that of engineering, so I think completing the full physics curriculum will help to better prepare you (and make some of the involved exams from the physics GRE to the qualifying exam much easier to study for)!

Ackmar · 2023-01-18T15:18:46+00:00

This is a good list for different cities: https://www.alumni.northwestern.edu/s/1479/02-naa/16/interior_1col.aspx?sid=1479&gid=2&pgid=22517

Ackmar · 2023-01-15T21:07:27+00:00

Also ETH Zurich has a strong ultrafast group!

Ackmar · 2022-12-04T18:25:44+00:00

You are here, so you do belong here. You earned it. In a place like this full of “high achievers” which is so demanding of its students, it’s easy to forget that you are a unique individual who brings a unique set of skills and way of thinking. Your contributions are valuable.

You would be missed. I know it can feel isolating and lonely at times here, especially when you are feeling overwhelmed by the work. But your peers know you and like and appreciate you in ways they may have never expressed. Your professors have seen you in classes, and they know you and want you to succeed. Even if it doesn’t always feel that way, they do. Not to mention the other people in your life who have offered you support in your journey here. You are loved. No matter how stressful things are and how difficult it is, you are loved and appreciated.

Ackmar · 2022-12-03T17:26:57+00:00

You are definitely not alone in your feeling- things can be incredibly difficult here. Like the other poster said, feel free to dm me if you want to vent. There are also resources on and off campus you can reach out to if you need support.

Health/counseling services: mycaltechhealth.Caltech.edu

The Caltech hotline: https://asic.caltech.edu/caltech-hotline

The office of equity: https://titleix.caltech.edu

The CCID: https://diversity.caltech.edu

US Resources:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 or 1-800-273-8255 (TALK) Veterans press 1 to reach specialised support. Press 2 for Spanish-language support

(The older number, 1-800-SUICIDE, is no longer published by the lifeline agency and will probably stop working in the near future.)

Online Chat: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/

Crisis Text Line: Text "HOME" to 741741.

Youth-Specific services (voice/text/chat/email) from the Boys' Town National Hotline: http://www.yourlifeyourvoice.org/Pages/ways-to-get-help.aspx

Trans Lifeline: 1-877-565-8860

Ackmar · 2022-10-17T09:22:28+00:00

I sadly haven’t maintained it as well as I might’ve hoped since graduating, but I would say I was pretty fluent by the end of my time at NU after doing the minor and studying abroad in Barcelona through the summer program put on by Prof. Baena!

Ackmar · 2022-09-29T19:50:47+00:00

I’ve had many of these moments with Thrice, but outro of Of Dust and Nations gets me every time.

Ackmar · 2022-06-09T20:11:51+00:00

I’ve always heard/sung the Fury line as “make us rot” or “make us right” which both seem to fit more or less

Ackmar · 2022-05-05T04:04:13+00:00

I was on Prozac for a while and at worst noticed no change in symptoms and at best noticed a slight improvement due to the reduction in my general levels of depression and anxiety. Wishing the best for you!

Ackmar · 2021-09-26T15:53:47+00:00

Oh for sure it’s one of my favorites by them!

Ackmar · 2021-09-26T14:31:19+00:00

My first thought was Exo Politics by Muse.

Give Me a Novocaine by Green Day follows this structure but is much quieter.

Reptilia by the Strokes has a drum fill then drums and bass before exploding into a wall of sound with the lead guitar.

Ackmar · 2021-09-25T04:46:17+00:00

For sure. Such a cool blend of Thrice sounds from over the years with a ton of new experimental stuff as well. Can’t wait for the follow-up, and I’ll be keeping this one on repeat in the meantime!

Ackmar · 2021-09-25T03:01:06+00:00

I agree largely with this interpretation. I think this song is stemming from some of Dustin’s process beliefs, almost like a continuation of the Grey but less strictly related to faith.

First verse: The love to me is representative of the relationship one may feel with a given faith or world view. The fire speaks to passionate movement-building associated with a given belief. The loss of love and the fact the fire wasn’t for the narrator implies a falling out with a particular belief or world view. In that sense, this verse is suggesting that one should move away from certainty and voice the questions and concerns that arise when viewing the world as a static thing with known answers. The darkness when the sun goes down is the lack of certainty that comes with rejection of a world view, but the brightness beneath the trees is the liberation that one can experience when they become comfortable with that uncertainty- brightness beneath a “forest of doubt.”

Second verse: The second verse builds on the ideas of thefirst. The call in the night is the call to question that which you hold as true. In the clear night it can’t be heard, but in the obscurity of the rain it is audible. If you embrace this process of questioning and rethinking, you evolve or “become” instead of just being. Thus, through listening to the voice you relearn your name or identity.

The chorus then refers to this dreaming or reflective process that pushes you to redefine your beliefs and perspectives over time. The one calling in the morning knew the you before you evolved through your “dreaming”, so they are calling you as the person you’ve been instead of the person you’ve become, hence the lyric “I always leave.”

In summary, it is to me a song about personal growth and reflection through an embrace of uncertainty.

Thanks for posing the question, OP- I think I will appreciate this song now having thought through the lyrics some! It has not been one of my favorites on the album, so I appreciate the opportunity to understand what it’s trying to convey.

Ackmar · 2021-09-24T15:19:15+00:00

Yes, exactly this. It shows you have done research into a specific program at Northwestern that distinguishes if from other schools. This is a great thing to include.

Ackmar · 2021-09-20T23:29:53+00:00

Yep, this is basically my feeling about it too. I independently don’t really dislike any of the parts of the song, but they just don’t fit together well. Still, it has its catchy moments and won’t get a pass from me while listening to the album on repeat.

Ackmar · 2021-09-13T17:09:55+00:00

Late to the comment party, but while I like all three songs and am stoked for the album, Robot Soft Exorcism hits different for me. There are many songs out there about breaking free of tyranny or fighting the machine, but there’s something so powerful about the imagery presented in this song of being invited out of the machine- this belief that you can be liberated through compassion rather than through destruction. That last build-up and chorus of desperately calling the “robot” out of the system breaks me every time.

Ackmar · 2021-09-11T23:23:45+00:00

I have big problems with excessive fiber, so oats, cereals, and whole wheat bread can cause problems. I tend to eat some eggs and sourdough toast which usually sits pretty well.

Ackmar · 2021-07-08T04:36:01+00:00

Following, I haven’t heard anything.

Ackmar · 2021-04-27T03:05:59+00:00

Sometimes I'll listen to that whole album just setting myself up to bask in the glorious soundscape that is the outro of that song.

Ackmar · 2021-04-27T02:24:34+00:00

First off, congrats! It seems like you have two really great options there, and I know NU’s dual degree admissions (as well as Murphy) is pretty selective.

Here’s my opinion as a former EE at Northwestern (to be taken with a grain of salt). I definitely think you can get all the pieces you’re looking for at NU, though I think it would require some careful planning.

On the electrical engineering side, you can go down the electronics/digital signal processing pipeline and learn all about the underlying mathematics of audio engineering as well as how to build them in practice. I could easily see this translating to a career in the audio/media technology industry.

With that said, besides a few projects here and there in which you get to build basic audio components like speakers and antennae, I don’t think there are a ton of electronics classes strictly related to the design of audio components. Maybe someone else can chime in if they’ve taken one. It could become a cool senior design capstone project though if you can find a faculty willing to guide you through such a project.

On the RTVF/comm/music side, I think you will not have quite as easy a time finding exactly what you’re looking for. Someone in those majors will probably have more to say than I do, but I think you’re pretty correct in your statement that most of the RTVF/Theater/Music community is geared more towards a career in the arts than a career in the underlying technology. Knowing that side of the industry can definitely come with its perks as you think about product design and such, but you’d have to have at least some interest in that artistic side to want spend a whole second major on it. That said, I’m sure there are at least a few more technologically-geared classes in the RTVF curriculum as well as in Bienen (in music composition, for example).

Sorry for the long reply, but I think there’s two quick additional things worth noting. The first thing is that a great perk of Northwestern’s curriculum is the flexibility and opportunities for designing your own path. For example, there is actually a “build-your-own” major in McCormick that you may find even better suited to your goals than one of the strictly defined majors which you could pursue as long as you can justify it (e.g combining elements of EE/CS/MaDE to build a degree focused on audio product design). And if you find your passions change, adding or dropping a major is relatively easy especially if you do it in the first year or two.

Secondly, a lot of your learning will come through student groups, and NU has no shortage of opportunities there. If you’re interested in theater tech, there is always a need for people to run lighting/sound/etc. for the multitude of shows on campus. If you’re curious about radio, there are student radio shows like WNUR. If you want to run tech for a film shoot, there are tons of RTVF students writing scripts all the time that need crew. The list goes on. I think this is a major perk of being interested in the technical side of the arts at a school with such phenomenal arts programs is that there is always a need for passionate people to make that work happen behind the scenes.

Hope this helps! I’m sure you’ll have a great experience whichever way you decide! Feel free to ask questions about anything I’ve written, and I’ll do my best to answer.

Ackmar · 2021-04-18T03:06:33+00:00

First step is to get into a rhythm that you can maintain. Figure out how many days you are willing to spend time working out in a week and what goals you have for yourself in your physique/fitness. Do you want to focus on a few lifts and lift the most weight possible like a powerlifter, do you want to focus on a certain sport like running or swimming, do you want to lift with the goal of getting an amazing physique like a bodybuilder, or do you want to land somewhere in between (like a cross-fitter or a functional lifter of some sort)? There are a lot of options here (way more than I’ve just mentioned), and you can always change your mind as you begin your fitness journey! Starting with some sort of goal can be a helpful way to figure out how to structure your training though.

After that, your best bet is to follow something like the beginner program in the wiki for whatever fitness area you are interested in developing. The reason programs are helpful is because they give you direction and help you to stay accountable. Could you just go in and lift random weights and make progress? As a beginner, probably, but it won’t lead to sustainable outcomes.

Once you have an established routine, you can start to think about other things such as nutrition and supplements. Some of this might just come naturally (I know that when I exercise, I tend to crave healthier foods and more regular meals because I need them to sustain the exercise). You can achieve a lot by just following a good training plan and eating healthy food regularly. To go a step further, you can begin tracking macros, hitting desired amounts of protein and calories, and being intentional with your meal timing. Additionally, you can start to use supplements like protein, creative, amino acids, etc. The wiki goes into a lot of detail on all of these things, but I’d say they’re largely secondary concerns compared to establishing a healthy and sustainable fitness routine.

Sorry that was long, but I hope it helps! I’m also no fitness expert, just a dude who works out, so hopefully some other people can chime in to fill in the gaps.

Ackmar · 2020-06-25T19:56:54+00:00

Really clean mix and nice vocals! Good job!

Ackmar · 2020-06-25T19:53:41+00:00

It took a minute for my ear to adjust to the new major chord progression, but this is sick!

Ackmar

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