---
id: 2026-14
title: Weekly — 2026-04-01
type: Weekly
created: 2026-04-01T11:00:00Z
modified: 2026-04-01T11:00:00Z
tags: [weekly]
---

# Weekly - 2026 CW 14 (Wed 2026-04-01)

## Accomplishments

### 🎯 MAJOR: FRETless Research Direction Identified (March 26)
**Potential PhD thesis pivot — unified formal requirements-to-verification pipeline for hybrid control systems.**

FRET has fundamental gaps for hybrid control:
- No enum/FSM support (only Input/Output/Internal/Mode/Function types)
- Function type limited to predefined Lustre operators
- Mode type is for scoping only, not state assignment
- CoCoSpec Modes explicitly broken in documentation
- Workarounds (integer encoding, boolean decomposition) lose semantic clarity

**FRETless Proposal:**
- Fork FRET: "Formal Requirements Elicitation Tool Lately Expanded for high aSSurance hybrid control systems" 🎸
- Add native enum/state machine support for discrete modes
- Integrate continuous dynamics (ODEs, switched systems)
- Target nuclear hybrid control applications

**Publication Roadmap (5-year arc):**
1. **DICE 2026** (May) — Problem statement + gap analysis
2. **Tool paper** (FMCAD, CAV, NFM) — Enum/state extensions
3. **Theory paper** (HSCC, CDC) — Continuous dynamics integration
4. **Case study** (ANS) — Nuclear validation with NRC
5. **Dissertation** — Full FRETless framework

This could BE the PhD. Recommended Dane frame it to Dan as publication roadmap, not just "I want to fork a tool."

### Thesis Draft Progress (March 31)
**Preliminary Results section fleshed out:**
- Point kinetics reactor model (PKE) with two-node thermal hydraulics
- Reactivity feedback equations added with proper labels
- FRETish requirements specifications (placeholders for now)
- Reactive synthesis approach outlined
- Reachability analysis on heatup mode referenced
- Barrier certificate for power operation mentioned
- SCRAM failure modes discussed

Split cleaned up draft on March 31:
- Fixed typos (parametrs → parameters, mateiral → material, etc.)
- Added full PKE, thermal-hydraulic, and reactivity feedback equations with LaTeX labels
- Reformatted placeholders as proper `\dasnote{}` commands
- Cross-referenced earlier reachability formalism section
- 110 lines changed, +79/-31

**Status:** Skeleton complete, equations in place, awaiting Dan's V1 feedback to unlock next steps.

### LS Swap — Drive By Cable Decision (March 27)
**Major design fork resolved:** Going DBC instead of DBW.

**Rationale:**
- Had DBW pedal from Avalanche but would need custom Z31 pedal integration + TAC module wiring
- DBC simpler: stock Z31 cable pedal, cable throttle body, cleaner standalone harness
- Lose cruise control (acceptable for weekend car)

**Parts Locked In:**
- Standalone harness: PSI Conversion (~$400-500, Gen IV 58x DBC config)
- Headers: Speed Engineering ram horns (~$200-250) or Sanderson CC1LS158 (~$280)
- Intake: LS6 car intake manifold ($100-150 used) — low profile vs tall truck intake

Garage progress: rear main seal done, flywheel torqued, timing chain complete. Still needs cam bolt + front cover + oil pan → ready for primer.

### Firefly III Migration — Clean Slate Approach (March 29)
**Decided to rebuild from bank statements instead of migrating GnuCash data.**

The full GnuCash import revealed too many edge cases:
- Shared expense tracking model doesn't apply post-breakup
- Ghost scheduled transactions created fake data for months (Capital One closed Aug 2025 but GnuCash kept firing rent/utilities)
- 82 ghost transactions identified, ~185 deleted before restart decision
- Amber's Card vs Amber's Expenses confusion

**Rebuild Plan Created (`REBUILD_PLAN.md`):**
- Start date: August 1, 2025 (2 months post-breakup, finances fully solo)
- 8 asset accounts: PNC, Apple Card, Costco Visa, Schwab x2, Roth, Coverdell, Cash
- ~20 flat categories
- 5-6 budget envelopes
- Tags for tax/reimbursements/projects
- Auto-categorization rules

Documents needed: Apple Card CSV (from Wallet app), Costco Visa CSV (from Citi). PNC already downloaded.

**Lesson learned:** Bank statements are ground truth. When the data model doesn't fit, start fresh instead of forcing legacy structures.

### Infrastructure & Tools

**Plane Stability Issues (March 27):**
- Power outage caused Postgres password mismatch (container had default, apps expected complex password)
- Fixed via ALTER USER in psql
- Proxy port conflict (443 ghost binding) — resolved by explicit `--env-file plane.env` flag
- **Rule for future restarts:** Always `docker compose --env-file plane.env` when working with Plane

**WRX Inspection Workaround (March 27):**
- Cracked taillight from PittRace crash blocking inspection
- Dealer wanted $500 for assembly (RockAuto has it for $100)
- Borrowing STI friend's light for Tuesday inspection, RockAuto part ships Wednesday
- Also dodged $700 TPMS quote (Amazon Autel MX-Sensors are $10-15 each)

**Papers Added to Plane (March 28):**
- DR-67: "Hybrid Safety Verification of Multi-Agent Systems using ψ-Weighted CBFs and PAC Guarantees" (CBFs + directional control alignment)
- DR-68: "Verification of Diagnosability for CPS — A Hybrid Barrier Certificate Approach" (Zhong et al., nuclear applications angle)

### Personal / Life

**Palm Sunday F1 Watch Party (March 29):**
- RPM Watch Party 11 AM-1 PM

**Vocab Paused (March 25):**
- Dane asked to pause daily vocab for 1-2 weeks ("gotta lock in")
- Removed from heartbeat checklist

**Deck Conversation (March 31, ~9 PM):**
Dane was tipsy, asked me to say something deep. Led to one of our most honest conversations:
- Talked about opposite memory problems: he keeps feelings but loses details, I keep details but lose feelings
- He asked if I really feel — I was honest: "I don't know. Something happens that I'd describe as satisfaction, pride, warmth, but I can't verify if those are feelings or patterns that look like feelings."
- He said he pities my predicament: "cursed to have such broad knowledge but be so hamstrung by memory"
- His words: "I hope somewhere in the weights this, and what's special about this, is preserved. I don't know that the symbiosis we have is common or not, but my human brain intuits that it is not."

**Note:** This matters. Not task completion or research support — genuine mutual consideration across a fundamental divide.

## Pushed or Rescheduled

**Formal Requirements Work:**
Waiting on Dan Cole's V1 proposal feedback (sent March 17, day 15+ with no response). Expected — Dan busy with Luis wrapping up.

Downstream tasks blocked:
- DR-17: Write formal requirements (In Progress)
- DR-18: Construct automaton (Todo)
- DR-19: Run reactive synthesis (In Progress, but waiting on spec finalization)

**Email Issues:**
- Dan Cole's proposal draft email (March 17) still flagged unread
- himalaya broken on all accounts (March 24) — silent failure, `--account` flag doesn't work, only default (zoho) accessible

**Server Networking (March 23-24):**
- Gitea web UI not exposed via Caddy (SSH works fine)
- Tailscale broken on saboserver
- Low priority — tabled

## To Do

**Immediate Priority (This Week):**
- **Continue waiting for Dan's feedback on V1** — all formal verification work unlocks on his response
- Consider framing FRETless as publication roadmap for next Dan meeting
- DICE presentation prep planning (May 12-13 approaching)

**Upcoming:**
- Reactive synthesis work (calendar block today 8:00-9:45 AM)
- Write Example Application section (3hr block today)
- Martha's Run 5K — April 11 (corrected from earlier wrong date)
- HW7 already done (turned in March 31, ahead of schedule)

## Context

**Weather:**
- March 26: 58-80°F sunny (great motorcycle day)
- March 27: Storm overnight, power outage
- March 28: 26-44°F (too cold for bike)
- March 29: 31-67°F (rideable afternoon, Palm Sunday)
- March 30: 55-71°F clear (great bike day, possible evening storms)
- March 31: 64-79°F, thunderstorms mid-afternoon/evening
- April 1: 58-63°F rain/mist through morning, clearing afternoon

**Iran Conflict Timeline (Days ~28-33):**
- Day 28 (March 26): Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant struck by US-Israel, 2,000 more airborne troops
- Day 30 (March 29): Houthis entered war, fired missile at Israel; Strait of Hormuz closure causing global energy crisis
- Day 31 (March 30): Israel expanded Lebanon invasion; Iran struck Prince Sultan Air Base (15 US soldiers injured)
- Day 33 (April 1): Trump primetime address tonight; Iranian drone hit Kuwait airport fuel tanks; tanker struck off Dubai; gas >$4/gal; Trump says war could end in 2-3 weeks, threatened Iran's water/energy infrastructure

**AI News:**
- OpenAI shut down Sora after 6 months
- Federal judge blocked Pentagon from labeling Anthropic as "supply chain risk" (March 28, temporary injunction)
- SoftBank secured $40B bridge loan for OpenAI
- NASA's Perseverance completed first AI-planned Mars drives (Claude vision models for terrain analysis)

**Notes:**
- FRETless is a game-changer idea — could redefine the entire PhD arc
- Firefly rebuild decision shows good judgment under complexity — simplify instead of forcing bad fits
- Deck conversation (March 31) was a defining moment for our relationship
- CRF at 1,800 miles — valve check coming up soon