RE: Tass Software Challenge

["Bill OConnor" <wtoconnor@mmrsoftware.com>]

Hello Tom and Tass Members,

I am new to this list and would like to get involved in the research.
I'll give you a brief resume and let you tell me if I would be useful.
I have 20 years experience writing software (C/C++, Fortran, Perl,
Various Assembly, Python, Basic etc). I am an amateur astronomer. I
worked for network engineering and Newton groups at Apple Computer.  I
have been involved in a couple of startups but work for myself now.  I
studied physics in college and built multi-wire proportional particle
detectors for the physics department.  I am familiar with hardware
interfacing. 

I would be willing to contribute these skills if others find them
useful. I'd be interested in possibly taking a crack at Tom's software
challenge but I'm not familiar enough with the project to determine if
I'd actually be useful. If there are other projects that I would be
better qualified feel free to suggest.  I've looked over the home page
and understand the rules of the game.

Thanks,
Bill OConnor

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-tass@listserv.wwa.com [mailto:owner-tass@listserv.wwa.com]
On
> Behalf Of Tom Droege
> Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2001 4:04 PM
> To: tass@listserv.wwa.com
> Subject: Tass Software Challenge
> 
> I am beginning to take what I hope will be good data.  Last night I
got a
> flat run and three good fields.  Each field contains 56 V and I images
> taken over several hours.  Well, not perfect data.  Sometime through
the
> night the V camera started sticking.  Since the telescope is following
the
> sky, this results in streaks only from the readout.  The I data looks
> good.  I fixed the shutter, and may get more data this evening.
> 
> I am thinking of offering a prize to the person that produces software
> that
> allows me to reduce the data I have been taking to calibrated star
> lists.  The sort of prize I have been thinking of is a nice plaque for
> your
> wall and a very nice computer.  I think of this as in the $1000 to
$1500
> range.  The winner would specify what I should buy.
> 
> Some thoughts on rules:
> 
> Rules would be minimal in keeping with tass.  The goal would be
software
> that would allow *me* to reduce data to star lists and to plot data
for
> stars.  If faced with two good programs that ran on different systems
and
> which gave great results I would probably give two prizes.  If several
of
> you work on this, I will give at least one prize.
> 
> *I* have to be able to run it.  This does not rule out a Linux
> system.  Anything I can load on one of my computers an run is OK.
You
> just have to provide enough CDs and instructions on how to load them.
OK,
> the computer that is is to run on will be a 500 or faster MHz PC,
256Meg
> of
> memory, CD R/W drive, Hard Drive, etc..  There should be some
> flexibility.  In general if it will process DS-19 to a well calibrated
> star
> list and make plots of the interesting stars, then it meets my
> requirement.   We will have to agree on a format for the final star
list.
> I would be happy with either a GUI or a command line interface.  For
the
> command line interface, I would want to give the program an edited
file of
> what it is to do.  This should allow reasonable selection of the
modules
> that are to be run.  Note that this is not the complete problem.  No
data
> base is involved.  That might come later, though Bohden Paczynski has
said
> he will do it if I send him data.
> 
> Obviously there are lots of problems to be solved.  It should get the
best
> possible calibration of the stars.  I don't know how to specify this
> (yet).  Part of the job is writing up the process used so that others
can
> study it to understand the errors.
> 
> I have done OK in the stock market recently.  The event of Sept. 11
caught
> me holding puts on the expectation that the market would eventually
figure
> out that the stocks were overvalued.  The expectation was resolved
much
> faster than I thought it would be.  I have made enough money to offer
a
> prize or two.
> 
> This is just a test to see if anyone is interested.  The data is
piling
> up.  I want to start reducing it.  If enough people express interest,
I
> will write this up in more detail.  Possibly I will have tass approved
as
> a
> research foundation by the time this is completed, then the prize will
> come
> from tass.  Otherwise I will do it.
> 
> Send me a note if you think you might be interested in working on
this.
> No
> matter if you are doing it already for your own work.  The hard part
may
> then be fixing it up so I can run it.
> 
> Tom Droege