I found this great website where you can write up an article, and it makes it look like a scanned newspaper. (link) Check out this article I wrote:

Online BMW Community Connects Drives Around the World
For centuries BMW automobiles have been known for their luxury and prestige, but only recently are they beginning to get recognized for their community. Using internet bulletin boards, enthusiasts freely chat about their cars and organize real-life events, commonly referred to as “meet-ups”. We have met and interviewed Harry Maugans, founder of a thriving online BMW community called United Bimmer. He explains the growing fascination with web-based communities: “United Bimmer brings those passionate about BMWs together in a place where color or gender has no weight- the only requirement is a interest in BMWs. Owners can freely discuss their latest modifications and get feedback from the community, then participate in our innovative Rate-My-Car system. They’re allowed to drool over Edwin’s sick e46 m3, or poke fun at Witeshark for being Apple-obsessed. They can read comprehensive DIYs written up by Dudesky, or watch heated debates between headlight vendors (popcorn recommended). There are limitless ideas, so hop on, register, and post away!” Harry also mentioned that if you make fun of him for kicking a mailbox’s ass, he’ll ban you. So there you have it, a global movement using forums as a method of connecting enthusiasts, all united under a single obsession. Check out United Bimmer’s website at www.unitedbimmer.com.

And this is what it looks like:

Well, the M3 problems were solved by changing the fuel pump. Replaced that and it started right up. I’ll try to write up a DIY article on it later (I took pics). That was the sweet part.

The bitter part of this (bittersweet) article, is today my 328 sold. I posted a tribute to it on United Bimmer, haha. Link

Some of you guys know my luck with cars… those of you who don’t… you will soon. heh

You know how sometimes on manual cars if they’re started wrong, they shake violently forward and backwards? Well yesterday I was driving along yesterday going about 30, and it randomly started doing that. I thought maybe it didn’t get into gear correctly or something, so I shifted and it smoothed out. Weird.

About 500 feet later I got to a stop sign. As soon as I stopped, I stalled. Weird. I started the car back up, and the revs jumped and struggled to stay up it looked like, but eventually they dropped too low and I stalled again. Weird. I turned the car on again, and the RPMs dropped straight to zero and stalled. Weird. I then tried to start the car again, and it wouldn’t turn over. I could hear it trying with the “reur reur reur reur reur” sound, but it wouldn’t start.

Luckily I have some amazing friends who are pretty savvy with a wrench (since I’m not). I called them up, and half an hour later there was a line of BMWs up and down my street (yes, I ended up having to buy pizza for everyone who came out, hah).

Rob was the most knowledgeable (as usual) and ended up going down the list of things to scratch off. We were first thinking maybe it was a vacuum leak and the engine was starving, and each additional time I tried it, the hose got more loose or something. No visible hoses were detatched or loose. Airflow was fine, and even removed the intake to allow direct air suction, to no avail.

We then thought maybe it was the fuel, so took off the backseat and listened for the fuel pump clicking on when the key was moved to the ON position. It clicked on, and upon removing the cover in the engine, we think could hear fuel moving through the fuel rail. Okay, another one off the list.

We tried disconnecting a few things, and forgot we left the TPS (throttle position sensor) off when we tried starting the car, so that threw a CEL that confused us for a while. But we soon realized our mistake and went on to the next thing.

The next CEL it threw (checked via the pedal trick) was 1281, something about the DME’s memory retention. We tried unplugging the ECU (battery first of course) for 15 minutes to let it reset. We plugged it back in, and the car started!…. for about 4 seconds. It did the same RPM struggle, and stalled again. Start again, stall. Tried to start again, and it wouldn’t turn over. Same thing as last time.

Seems like a ECU problem. No signs of wetness, and it hasn’t really been in the rain recently, so I’m ruling out the older e36 problem of flooding because of the drain plug. We tried plugging the ECU into Rob’s 93 325i (also a DME 413), and his car did the exact same thing, the engine wouldn’t turn over.

I thought that meant it was the ECU for sure, but alas wrong again. I spoke with a local BMW tuning shop (strictly german) and they explained the two types of ECUs in 1995 m3’s… burgundy label vs clear label. I’m pretty sure the label on my DME was white (if I remember right), and thus clear label, meaning it has the early stages of EWS, and without the microchip setup, it wouldn’t start Rob’s car anyway, regardless of if it was good or bad. So currently I don’t know if my DME is good or bad.

I checked the thread this morning in United Bimmer’s lounge, and Rob mentioned he was onto an idea regarding the HFM/MAF. He’s still sleeping now though, so I don’t know what he was talking about.

Anyway, right now my car isn’t drivable. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions? What would be the next step for troubleshooting it? Thanks!

Thread link on United Bimmer, with other’s suggestions and discussion: Car stalled and now engine won’t turn over

Update 5/14 - We’ve pretty much narrowed it down to the fuel pump or fuel pressure relay. I’ll probably just change out the fuel pump and see if it works. Follow the thread on United Bimmer for more frequent updates.

In the past ten years, technology in business has exploded to astronomical proportions. While there are security vulnerabilities through dependence on technology, many companies are switching toward technologically oriented solutions in their marketplace due to overwhelming advantages in efficiency, productivity, and scalability.

The twentieth century was a booming technological decade. Thousands of multimillion dollar companies sprouted, offering corporations choices to thrive and expand. Many companies began investing heavily in technologies such as CRM (Customer Relationship Management) applications, which help organize a company’s prospects and clientele. The CRM industry is estimated to reach $2.8 billion in yearly revenue by the year 2006, mostly distributed across three leading companies: SAP, Seibel, and SalesForce. Every industry from doctor’s offices to automobile manufactures need to maintain a form of internal organization, and they are beginning to move from paper and filing cabinets toward a more flexible digital solution.

Ten years ago, before companies such as Seibel were founded, almost all organization was done manually. Every contact was in an address book and every record was in a file. Since then, many companies have sought after the high ROI (Return on Investments) that technology brings. If a client called a support center with a question on the product they ordered, the representative had no way of tracking the package or seeing the status of the shipment. Today nearly every enterprise level company in existence has programs to track tickets and merchandise through their infrastructure. This greatly boosts the customer’s satisfaction and improves the chances of repeat business- thus the technology having an excellent ROI.

While the good greatly outweighs the evil of utilizing technology in businesses, the evils do exist. By maintaining all records and information in a digital form, companies often allow accessibility from remote locations, such as sharing client information between different offices. This is great for scaling businesses, but opens a new danger for illegal intrusion and hacking. On February 13th, 2003, a computer hacker broke into Data Processors International, a large merchant credit card handling company, and gained access to over 80 million credit cards. The Secret Services and FBI spent two weeks tracking down the hacker costing millions of dollars. Another large problem occurred in keeping digital records is the constant threat of a virus. One malicious program unleashed on the server could potentially cause billions of dollars in data loss. These are the occurrences heard about in news broadcasts about once every few months. While proper security and server maintenance can prevent such catastrophes, the threat exists- a threat non-existent in hard copy control.

Business technology extends beyond computer software programs and into robotics. Upon entering a doctor’s office, patients are surrounded by technology from x-ray machines to heart monitors- high level technology that didn’t exist ten years ago. This technology allows doctors to more accurately diagnose the problem in less time, allowing the offices to handle more patients per day, and turning out more satisfied people. The investment in this equipment was quickly reimbursed through a greater flow of people through the office.

Technology is a necessity in the modern world- existing everywhere, driving everything. It automates the most tedious task and facilitates the most difficult calculations. Every single enterprise level company, without exception, drives an infrastructure powered by technology. In today’s civilization, technology is a necessity to corporate success.

One scene in the film October Sky that is not included in the novel Rocket Boys (later published as October Sky) is the scene in which the “œrocket boys” intentionally burn the blockhouse and destroy their rocket launch site. This scene is not included in the novel and serves to change the focus of the piece. Where the novel is focused on the rocket boys and their attempt to break free of society and get out of Coalwood, West Virginia, the movie is primarily focused on the conflict between Homer Hickam, Jr., the leader of the rocket boys, and his father, who works at the coal mine in a management position and expects his son to follow in his footsteps.

In the film, the rocket boys decide to destroy their launch site when Homer”™s father tells him to stop building rockets. This helps to set up the main conflict in the movie, which is between Homer and his father. His father fully expects his son to become a coal miner in the mines of Coalwood, a small town built, owned, and maintained by the Olga Coal Company. However, Homer and his mother, have other plans. They see that the town will eventually be destroyed when there is no longer any coal to mines. The entire town is based on the mines, and if there is no coal left in the mines, the town dies. For this reason, Homer is insistent on leaving the town to pursue his dreams of working at Cape Canaveral. His father does not approve of his son”™s rocket building, most notably when Homer borrows company materials and labor through Mr. Bykovski, his friend who works at the company machine shop.

Although the same conflict arises between Homer and his father when he borrows materials from the machine shop in the novel, the overall conflict in the novel is between the rocket boys and society. When the group of boys decides to shoot for the moon, almost literally, by building their rockets, they are made outcasts in their society. It is the belief of most Coalwood residents that the sons of coal miners will always be coal miners, since that has been their way of life for years and years. At one point, Homer”™s brother and his football player friends, begin to tear down the blockhouse and launch pad out of jealousy. Later, the company bulldozes the site, claiming that launching rockets on company land, which encompasses all of Coalwood, is against company policy. In the novel the boys never destroy their own launch pad because of Homer”™s father”™s request. However, society destroys the site for them, but they persevere and rebuild their beloved “œCape Coalwood.” Also, when the rocket boys decide to build their rockets, they know little about the science of what they are dealing with, and thus the people of the town consider them lost teens who do not yet know that they will work in the mines for the rest of their lives. The only people that believe in them are Homer”™s mom, who offers the advice “œJust don”™t blow yourself up,” along with other words of encouragement, and Ms. Riley, their science teacher, who contributes a book on the science of rockets, including material on how to build an appropriate nozzle for the most thrust.

The end result of both the novel and film is the same. All of the rocket boys go to college, something uncommon of boys from Coalwood, and Homer very nearly misses being able to work with his idol, Werhner Von Braun, at Cape Canaveral, as he retires just a few years before Homer arrives. However, the way each piece approaches the end result is different. The novel, written by Homer Hickam, Jr. himself, is of course more accurate to the true story, as the rocket boys are able to overcome their upbringing as sons of coal miners to become college graduates, and, in the process, winning over Homer”™s father, who decides to look the other way whenever the boys need materials from the machine shop. In this way, there is a sense of resolution and understanding between Homer and his father. However, in the film, Homer”™s father is never truly understanding of his son until he witnesses the launch of the boys”™ last rocket, which flies to an astounding 31,000 feet, and even then it seems as though he only feels a hint of understanding.

The last 100 years have been a time of great progress for Physicists. The turn of the nineteenth century brought the end of the traditional deterministic view of the universe, bringing with it the birth of something new and radical: uncertainty. With the coming of such a counter-intuitive view, many preconceived ideas about reality were forever skewed. For over 200 years, it was believed that one knew the momentum and position of every particle in the universe, one could infer exactly where every single particle would be a million years from then, or, because the arrow of time has no hold on Newtonian physics, where it was a million years ago. Certainty may seem like a very abstract thing to lose due to a theory of physics, and may not even affect many individuals who learn about it’s demise, but there are far greater implications of these new Quantum Physics. In Search of Schrodinger’s Cat explains to the reader some of the old theories of light and matter, and then proceeds to explain how they were changed forever by the new physics.

The beginning of quantum mechanics came about over a simple paradox that physicists had been trying to figure out for some time: how much energy was available in an oven at a particular time and at a particular electromagnetic wavelength. Intuitively, the amount of energy available in a black body (such as the sun, or an electric stove), can be seen (roughly estimated) by the amount of radiation that it emits (the “color” of the electromagnetic spectrum that is manifest in the emitting body). Classical physics says that this amount of energy should increase without limit as the wavelength of the electromagnetic waves approaches zero. This aspect of classical physics was predicted by the law of Rayleigh-Jeans, and henceforth came to be known as the “ultraviolet catastrophe”. However, Max Planck proved (though without tangible physical evidence) that there was no way that this could be possible. In order to prove this, he assumed that all of the things that are “being waved” can only absorb and release energy in small, discrete packets called quanta. His hypothesis is quantified by the equation E = hf, where h is Planck’s constant, and f is the frequency. The results of this assumption can be seen below:

By simply assuming that energy came in only discrete packets, Plack resolved one of the main conflicts in physics during the early twentieth century. His results, however effective for the moment, went on to change the face of physics as it was known.

What is light? For centuries, scientists had speculated about the nature of light. Newton believed that light was a stream of particles (then called ‘corpuscles’, or ’small packets of light’). One of his contemporaries, Christiaan Huygens, believed that light was a wave. Many of the great minds of science, including Einstein himself (who wondered what it a beam of light would look like if only he could run fast enough to catch up with it) contributed to this speculation, but not much came of it, until a certain experiment revealed something that no one could have foreseen. When light is shined through an opaque object with two parallel slits in it, the phenomenon predicted by classical physics is that there will be two bands of light showing on the paper behind the opaque surface. Experiment, however, has shown that what results behind the object is an interference pattern. This result is not so strange- one of the theories was bound to be true. The strange thing is that if you are to turn down the frequency of the light so that only one photon is emitted from the source every ten seconds, the interference pattern still appears after enough photons have hit the wall behind the emitter. This means that light is both a wave and a particle, and that light particles can interfere with each other even after they’ve collided with a surface.

This strange finding can be applied to all subatomic particles. Price Louis de Broglie found that all matter can be described by waves with infinitesimally small frequencies, and that all bodies of matter wave to a certain extent. The concept of a matter wave is one that is not well explained by classical physics; in fact, it is impossible to explain matter waves in such a manner. In the early 1900s, physicists concluded that the waves of matter that they were finding didn’t show the matter at all- it showed where the matter might be. Given the new condition of uncertainty that physicists were just beginning to come to grips with, quantum physicists showed that the wave found emitted from a particle covered the entire universe, and the crests of the wave showed where the particle was most likely to be at a given time. Since it is impossible to know both the location and the momentum of a particle to infinite precision (even a macroscopic object), these wave functions fit perfectly into the newly defined architecture of quantum mechanics.

The book talks about not only these issues, but several other key ideas in the quantum world. Although this book is a bit dated, it still offers a comprehensive beginner’s look into the established world of quantum mechanics and the subatomic world of uncertainty that surrounds us.

The following is a story I wrote a while back about when I got lost in Mykonos, Greece.

Every summer my family and I try to go on one major vacation. During the summer of 2000, it happened to be a ten day cruise through the Greek Isles. Beginning as a relaxing trip, we toured Rhodes, Santorini, Melos, Crete, and Ios”¦ but then arrived at Mykonos. While docking, Mykonos looked absolutely beautiful; the entire city was constructed on the edge of a cliff. Sparkling white rooftops glimmered in the Mediterranean sunlight and Greek architecture spotted the skyline. I couldn”™t have chosen a more beautiful city to get lost in.

Mykonos was built many years ago as a coastal city designed for protection. After you get past the entrance, every building looks identical, forged together with concrete, creating endless catacombs of houses and shops. This design was intentionally confusing in an attempt to secure the city”™s valuables against pirates and raiders of the time. Upon walking down one path, you could take a turn, and everything looked identical to where you came from. This is fun while you”™re only a few streets from the entrance, but of course that wasn”™t the case.

I was with my parents looking in a small gift shop about half a mile inland from the dock. I found a necklace there, unique to the island. It was intricately woven with rare shells from the local beaches, and I immediately wanted it. I approached my dad to purchase it, and he suggested we look around at other stores and maybe I”™d find something I liked more. I agreed, put the necklace back, and we continued on our way.

About an hour later we came across a local jewelry store. My mom immediately fell in love with a style of ring sold there, and as a result my parents ended up spending what seemed like hours looking at every ring in the store- determined to buy one. After patiently waiting for so long, I finally pleaded to go back to the first gift store we found and buy that shell necklace I wanted. My dad must have felt sorry for dragging me into the jewelry store and taking so long, so he handed me some cash and off I ran. I zipped down the narrow walkway between residential houses (5 feet wide maybe, enclosed by concrete on every side) and through 5 way intersections. I knew every twist and every turn- exactly where to go to get back to that gift shop. Or so I thought.

After five or ten minutes of running, I started to notice the tourist shops grew scarcer and the residential housing became more rundown and neglected. I definitely hadn”™t noticed this on the way in, and a slight chill ran down my spine as the idea of being lost crept into the back of my mind. I climbed one of the wooden ladders often found besides the houses, and looked as far as I could see. I could faintly see the ocean over miles and miles of paths and buildings”¦ all perfectly identical. My heart skipped a beat as I realized how far from the ship I had gotten, and fear of being left behind overtook my mind. I knew the disembarking was not far off, and the sun was starting to get fairly low in the horizon. I climbed down and frantically started searching for people to ask directions, but I was out of the tourist area and I could not find anyone who spoke any English. When I asked how to get back to the dock, their answers all sounded Greek to me. I knew I was on my own.

Gaining a boost of courage, I started sprinting in the general direction of the ocean. Paths seemed to wind in every direction except where I wanted to go. Dusk was rapidly approaching and my fear was growing rapidly. I just kept running for what seemed like hours. The paint started to get more fresh, the houses seemed to get better kept, and I knew I was heading the right direction. Suddenly I came around a corner and nearly ran into someone standing in the middle of the walkway, locking the door to their shop. I came to a quick halt and then realized who he was It was the man from the jewelry store my parents were in! I explained how I got lost in the catacombs of buildings, and he just stood there and laughed a hearty laugh that did nothing but anger me inside. Finally he told me my parents were a few shops down looking at something else. They bought the gold ring and stayed in the same area until I got back. I immediately ran up to my mom and jumped into her arms. They were worried, but decided it”™d be best to remain in the area where they last saw me (my mom saw this as an opportunity to continue shopping), hoping I”™d find my way back. We immediately left for the dock, and made boarding only a few minutes before sail.

I”™m sure I slept well in our cabin that night, and from that point on I”™ve always known not to wonder off or go anywhere without a cell phone. I was very lucky to have found my way back that evening without incident, and hopefully I”™ll never have to try again.

Two of Jack London’s novels, White Fang and The Call of the Wild are remarkably similar in theme. Both novels revolve around a wolf facing internal and external conflict. While so many similarities exist, the time setting is perfect for The Call of the Wild to be a sequel to White Fang, yet it is apparent that London did not intend this by his sharply shifted view point and differing characters.

White Fang begins with an awkward and hardly related piece describing two men and a sled team of six dogs attempting to flee from a wolf pack. After a brilliantly written description of the fear within the last man standing, he is rescued and the book commences in a way of being told that will continue throughout the course of the novel. One of the wolves of the pack has a litter of cubs, one of which is White Fang. The novel progresses through White Fang’s birth and development, through it’s learning to hunt and survive. All the other cubs of the litter die except White Fang, which introduces the novel’s theme of survival of the fittest. White Fang gets abducted by an Indian child and sold a few times, eventually becoming a fierce fighting dog. As it almost faces death one day in a fight, it is saved by Weedon Scott. From here White Fang is domesticated and lives through the end of the novel.

The irony in Call of the Wild is the story begins with Buck, the part husky, part wolf, exactly like White Fang, living on a nice mansion under the care of Judge Miller. White Fang concluded with the dog living on a mansion property owned by Judge Scott, both judges. This is where it seems both novels could be sequential in order, though character names are changed, the ending setting of White Fang is near identical to the opening scene of The Call of the Wild.

The most noticeable difference between the novels is the point of view. Call of the Wild is written from an objective point of view, where White Fang is written from a third person point of view, following White Fang. White Fang goes from birth to domestication, while The Call of the Wild begins with domestication and goes to instinctual and free.

The novels examine two aspects of the wolves. The Call of the Wild focuses more on the dog’s life with people- the treatment, care, and behavior of humans to and around dogs. White Fang was more of an inside look into the dog’s mind. The reader watched White Fang kill by instinct in the woods and the fear from being captive by humans. It shows the feelings of the dog, rather than an objective sense of how the humans treated it.

In writing these novels, it almost seems that Jack London was experimenting. He obviously had a deep passion for wolves, and through writing two novels of similar caliber, as well as doing immense research to be able to scribe these books, Jack London dedicated a large chunk of his life towards this infatuation. After writing Call of the Wild, he received rave reviews and decided to write White Fang. Most authors would immediately seek to write a sequel or prequel to a successful novel, not a “companion” such as was done here. This adds to the uniqueness of these books and respect for Jack London’s style.