Chances, up the spout.

Have you ever felt like, "What's my point?"? Really, what is it? Why am I born here, with these abilities and disabilities? This question for me actually is the Welcome sign of my thoughts. When I start thinking about life in general, from education to the name of my first child, it is always the first sign. What I see is "What are you doing?" or "Hey, did you do something finally of importance?". It's the welcome sign that when you pass by it the first time, you think a lot about it until you reach your final destination, the thought that got you into your "subconscious square"in the first place. With time you kind of develop the "I am used to it" situation. You pass by that sign and you think for a while and just continue with other thoughts. We just gave up, and are just waiting for just a couple of chances swinging by so we could hop on and enjoy the ride. Waiting to do, and to give. Anticipating to ultimately have your own light house built in people's thoughts.

The problem always comes when you are waiting, eagerly. To make it more apparent, I am about to be an engineer. Since I started going to engineering college, I have been told "You gotta work practically, and use your hands. Screw something up and fix it.". I am utterly with this sentence and I believe in it, and these are the chances normally and almost-engineer dreams of. For me these chances we at the palm of my hand quite a few times. Some of which are topics I am not even remotely interested in, and others that I would've died for. I had such a privilege some time ago, to work on a project that could've been taken seriously to a whole other level and finally be a worldwide event, like inventing the first I-phone for instance. Anyways, I applied, got interviewed, and got accepted. This got me so intoxicated and ecstatic that I actually started walking the streets full of energy.I enjoyed everything. I used to waving goodbyes to people I don't even know. I, at last, reached the time where I will say "I did that.". Unfortunately, shit happens, and life happens. You start believing all that crap you claim to be true just to make yourself feel better, when such a possibility just gets vanished. One of those things for me is the awful "Jinx". This is something I, unluckily, believe to be true.

The thing is, as a way of expressing my joy, I told the whole world about that opportunity. Therefore, as I believe, weeks later I got a call, "Sorry, but due to recent problems in the company, we will not be funding or managing this project in Egypt. We will keep in touch if something comes up.". This "Jinx" problem, I happen to encounter a lot and on numerous and various occasions. To make my interpretation much more insane, I even used to trying it out with people. Meaning I used to try telling one friend at a time what an amazing chance I have and notice if it got blown away or not. While daydreaming to find the person that will not let the "Jinx" loose, I started to wonder, am I a terrible person to act, or to think in such way. I took an initiative, and just focused for some time with people, and I noticed everything about them. Hey! We all get crazy from time to time, and it turns out it's more common than you can think. There is sometimes the one that over works it, that , if he cans, he wouldn't say "I gonna use the restroom" just to take caution of the "Jinx". Others just let the opportunity for chances to stand stronger and not get blown away by the first blow.

So ... am I still alone on this thought? I am actually uninterrupted with this "Jinx". It seems to me that it is a part of life that I have to just cope with. It is as typical and frequent to encounter as the questioning one gets thinking about culture, traditions, personal beliefs and religion.

Women's Equality, taken seriously.

I initiated writing this topic on facebook.com as a status, but it was kind of long to share as a status. I just continued writing since when you are in the mood of writing you need to just continue and never stop, or else you lose it. I was writing at first about the love of my life, then I deleted everything. Later I tried saying something about women yelling and how it looks very bad when they do that. I thought about criticizing my culture, but there is too much to write and too much for the world to understand. I just started type a story similar to something that happened to me before who changed the way I was treating women. This is just a fictional story to explain why now I treat females differently.

Some time ago, I was paying some bills and a lady, a beautiful lady came in. She ignored the 10 meter long line and she just went right to the payment window. It was my turn, she said in that cute and adorable and soothing voice "Do you mind if I pay first? I would really appreciate it." and I, the way I was before, just let her pay after all she will take just 2 minutes. She paid her phone bill. She paid her other phone bill. She payed her internet bill. She payed her friend's bill. She payed her mother's bill. After all that, she turns to me, "Thank you." Well okay, how many times you get to do a favor to such a glamorous woman, and in reality she says something to you. I didn't get annoyed for the fact that she made me stand there for 20 minutes looking like an ass, her "Thank you" turned my hate to almost love.

Days went by and I just thought what if I bump into her again? What would I do? I thought to myself, "You loser, you will look at her feel that slow motion moment in life and then leave.". Or as I thought so, 2 days later, I was buying a can of PEPSI and she again cut the line and get in front of me. This time I was really in a hurry so I said "Excuse me, I am running late and I need to buy this and leave quick", surprisingly that angel I saw the day before yesterday turned into a monster with just saying "If you are late, why do you even need to by a PEPSI? Leave it and leave, go to your thing", I got annoyed and replied "It's my turn anyway, I am just asking you not to cut in front of me.". The cashier guy just said "Hey, let her pay she's a lady". I just stood there looking at him like I was going to shoot bullets from my eyes into his brain. I was actually stunned that she turned her head in between the cashier and me, cutting that HATE-EYE-CONTACT moment, and just making the matters worse and saying "Right? A gentleman would do so." I didn't want to look like an jerk, so I told her okay. I was expecting her to be having a whole cart with the whole supermarket in it, on the contrary, she just had a 7UP and couple bags of chips. She finished quick, payed, bagged her stuff, thanked the cashier and left. As soon as she finished bagging her stuff I was already out and started drinking the PEPSI, I heard "Sir!". I was handed a can of 7UP with that part to open it broken so no way to open it, told the guy "Sorry I don't know how to open that when that part is broken."

I was in a rush, I paid no thought to the matter that the guy had a 7UP and didn't focus to see that she was standing behind him on his left. Just hours later I started "Boiling", I was in a mood that I wanted to break something. Days passed and as usual I forgot everything about it. I just lived the days, just the way I normally live them. I wanted to go out one day, and I did. I wanted to run in the morning, and I did. My family needed me with some help, and I helped. My sister wanted some aid with her her, and she was thankful for the hard work I did. Meetings and presentations went by and I enjoyed everything, even the huge problems and fights I get myself into with my family and friends. I live in Alexandria, Egypt,  and people usually ride buses and minibuses for transportation, but when there is none with room some people including me just choose to get a taxi and pay 10 times as much, but hey it's easier and much more room. On a Friday, Prayers were already finished, I rushed to get into a minibus to get to the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, had a seminar there. I got in the seat at the back next to the window, noticed there is another guy at the other window. We started moving and he stopped for customers on his way.

On the way, I was hoping to see that woman again, How pathetic, right? Anyways, that woman till this day I saw her only once. He stopped for customers, and an older woman got in and the only possible seat is between my and that guy on the other side, so paying her some respect I moved in the middle and let her have the seat next to the window so that she is not in between two guys. She say down, looked at me and just moved away from me like I'm some kind of pervert turned on by an old woman, older than my mother, and she put her bag in between her and me. To make it even worse, she ,before getting out at her stop, checked her bag to make sure I didn't steal anything. Frustration again? I ignored her, maybe she just got robbed or something, Newton said "For each action, there's a reaction", maybe that's her reaction. Before my stop, three other women got in and out of the minibus and each time, I have to make room and let them sit next to the window, it's some kind of cultural obligation or something.

The day the the crowd stood still, also the one who made me change the way I am with women, came when a woman was fighting with a guy from government services, I didn't understand what she wanted. From what I understood of what I heard, he somehow made a sentence that she couldn't do something because she is a woman. I kind of wanted to go and tell him "How could you?", I just left and knew that problem isn't just going to end. After all, women do have the rights to do things they want, and to be EQUAL towards the law, and NO DIFFERENCE between women and men. Notice, the capitalized letters, it's heading for something. I just went on and on and till I heard this discussed between guys and girls on a mall elevator, about military service. In Egypt, everyone, to be more specific every MALE, is obligated to do military service for 3 years, and luckily 1 year. Of course there are some exceptions, but that's not the point. Anyways, those group were talking about obligation and wasted years doing nothing and some girl did a mistake, She said "Hey did you hear some guys want military service to be obligatory for women too, aahahahaha". They laughed, except one who was looking in the mirror doing his hair like he's Tom Cruise or something. He just said " Hey, Ronnie, You used to send Jane to get you things right? ", I looked up from the text message I was reading, and there he is the guy with the ruined 7UP can, wierdly getting a phone call as we get out of the elevator I paid attention, he just handed the phone to Yasmine and she talked to Jane on the phone because I heard her say "Hey you are a girl, people are nicer with you, just smile say that 'Hi', it's easier if you use that ". Suddenly it's like a series of nuclear bombs exploded in my head. I started questioning myself, Why aren't women obligated for military status? I am obligated to waste three years of my life. Why do women always say "I AM A WOMAN" for things that are benefit for them and when it turns back with bad consequences, they say "HEY I AM WOMAN, I CAN'T DO THAT". Since then and I am giving women what they want, I am doing my part, I am treating them exactly the same way I treat men. When there's a line and some woman is there trying to cut infront of me, I make a huge deal and I do my business first. When I am at my turn at doing something, I make a big deal about anyone, woman or man trying to steal my turn. When some girl or woman asks me something or a favor, I think first, "Will I do that for my best friend? No? Will I do it for a guy? No?", then F*** NO. Since that day, when I am in a minibus, I never slide for that stupid old culture thing about women in minibuses. If you don't want to sit there, GET LOST. I am totally equally treating women they way they want. Women are all wanting it, I am generously giving that to them. No woman will be special case, no woman will be an exception. Only three will be regarded as such, my Mother, Sister, and ....

Synchronous generator, One year later.

As I hopefully started this blog, I thought it could be scientific, funny, and helpful blog. Since then and till now, I've never added anything helpful, maybe something odd, and natural, but helpful? ... I don't think so. This is why as I started my seventh term in Electromechanical Engineering, I started to re-read and re-understand some things that I studied before. This blog will contain a brief explanation of what some of you might've heard of as a generator, or as I will discuss "Synchronous Generator".

A synchronous generator is an energy conversion "something". It converts mechanical energy to electrical, no matter what the mechanical energy is e.g: Wind, Waterfalls, Steam turbine power... etc . Lets start by dividing the generator into two main parts, the Stator, and the rotor. The stator is that stationary part and the rotor is the rotating part, DUH! The thing is there must be something as a stator and something as a rotor. The rotor in this type of generators is always the DC current carrying windings, and the stator is what is called the ARMATURE where voltage is generated. So why is that then? It's because when there is electricity transferred from a rotating "thing"  to a stationary "thing" it's hard to use wires and we end up with some things called carbon brushes and slip rings. Again, WHY is that then? Alright, now the armature is used to transfer the generated voltage to "someplace", this voltage is usually very high. Therefore it is much easier to deal with carbon brushes and slip rings with lower DC voltage that high AC voltages, there's your reason HAPPY now? Anyhow, now we reached the point that ROTOR = DC current and STATOR = induced AC voltage.

Coming to Main Theory of Operation:

Now we manufacture the synchronous generator, so we decide everything. Up until now we settled that ARMATURE=STATOR and DC=ROTOR. When DC current is passed through the Stator, magnetic flux is created. This generator will never work until it's ROTOR is rotated. Okay, it's rotating now, windings or armature are now cutting the magnetic flow lines created by the ROTOR. This magnetic flux induce EMF in the armature, represented by:
             E = 4.44 ɸ  f  Tph Kp Kd (RMS and for one phase)
As you probably can vaguely see now that the generator achieved it's purpose, GENERATING ELECTRIC POWER FROM MECHANICAL POWER. This is the main theory of operation of a generator used to just produce voltage and not using it and imagining it's a piece of heaven that is 100% efficient.

When dealing with a generator we must take into consideration the unexpected bull-crap the always makes us go "How the hell did he/she think of that?". He/She referring to the scientist who started all this. Some of these effects or “unexpected bull-crap" are:

1. Winding effects: The fact that the same wire is cutting the magnetic flux at different times due to being in different positions. (More will be more understandable if you got into Electrical Machines).
2. Chording factor: That sometimes some engineers (ironically that's our goal, torturing ourselves) want to pay less so but shorter wires, leading to a change in the winding.
3. Electrical losses.
4. Mechanical losses.
5. And the biggest bite of the ass, HARMONICS.

Coming up next, the "Generator on load". Right now, and since the first time I was learning about this, I always respond "Ouh, maan". Generally, when you have a generator, generating voltage and it's output terminals are an open circuit there is nothing to worry about, the problem arises when you use this generator to feed a load (The whole point of a generator, DUH!). Now you have a closed circuit when a load is connected with current flow, voltage change and power flow, so what's the problem? The problem is that a generator rated at 100 V output magically changes to 90 V, 80 V or even 20 V when loaded. It's not the value what's bothering, it's the fact that it changed in the first place. In a nut shell, when current is flowing through the load, it is also flowing through the armature and so creating an opposing magnetic field to the one that generated the voltage at the beginning, so reducing the induced voltage, aka 100 volts. Moreover, armature resistance and inductance are neglected. This finally leads to generator efficiency and couple of other annoying terms as Voltage Regulation ... etc.

Basically, you know now how a generator works. You might not fully understand how it works and the details that took me 8 lectures to understand, but hey it's good to know something after all. Just for more stuffing of information, there is some other machine known as Synchronous motor. Easy, work backwards! Instead of using mechanical energy to rotate the rotor, use electrical input energy to rotate the rotor. Instead of giving mechanical to get electrical, give it electrical to get mechanical. Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed the preface about synchronous motors. If you are actually and engineer and more understanding of this than me and would like to comment, feedback me or correct something in this "essay", Please! I made this for the world to benefit and for me too. :). Thanks for your time.