Mad Scientist

Don't back down

2010-12-06T21:46:00.003-05:00

My new mantra: "Don't back down."

It is easy to say "gee, I don't know if I'll have time", "I'm not sure if that's something I really want to do" and so many variations of this when deep down you know that saying yes is what you should do (maybe it's an extra project with a colleague, one more student than you were planning to supervise, a talk to give, an invitation to review, or even an invitation to an event). I've been busy. So. busy. in my first semester as an assistant prof. Most of the time I resisted the temptation to back down, but a few times I let things slide until it was too late to do them anyway. The things I took on despite some lingering reservations I'm mostly glad I did even though it meant some extra hectic times. Don't get me wrong, I'll say no when I need to say no, but there are those times when you'd rather say no because you know it will be tough but you know the answer ought to be yes.

So next time I'm on the edge of a task precipice? "Don't back down, it's time to dive in."

Visual Information

2010-11-03T23:19:00.002-04:00

I just got totally pulled in by this:

Really, in this visual world we live in, and with so much information overload, how can this not be the way of the future.

I've always tried to find visual ways to present my data, in large part because I understand it better that way, but I have to say this inspires me to do more.

I think you might want to rethink your ad there...

2009-11-23T15:02:00.005-05:00

So, this may not be the great return to blogging I had in mind, but I simply couldn't help but post this when I saw it today on an academic newsletter I receive:

"Kill harmful bacteria including H1N1."

Really? Kills bacteria? Even H1N1 bacteria? That's special since H1N1 is a virus. If you can't get that right for the ad, do you really think I'm going to trust that it works? Ha!

Moral of the story? General science literacy is IMPORTANT. For consumers who might get sucked in and Ad Execs who majorly FUBAR.

(Oh, and the (*) there which I thought might redeem it? if you look really carefully it says "When used as directed" not something along the lines of "yes, yes, we know H1N1 is a virus, we were just trying to play off the general panic of the public about swine flu".)

still here

2009-04-04T14:43:00.001-04:00

bokeh blossoms, originally uploaded by physics*chick.

I'm still here. I'm still planning to blog again.

I'm trying to decide what I want this space to be. I don't feel like I have time to maintain multiple blogs (ha! maintain? you mean like this one?), but I don't like how scattered this one is. For now, posts will remain scattered and sparse.

Take care, enjoy life! I'm going to go enjoy some sun.

science... always harder than you thought it would be...

2008-11-26T15:39:00.002-05:00

Quote of the day:

Every problem is like an infinite goldmine of hard.
~hubby

And so I continue to muddle though, working on this thing that was just supposed to be quick and easy, but turned into a way bigger thing than I wanted right now. Thankfully hubby can help!

Il Neige

2008-11-25T13:39:00.002-05:00

Yes. It is snowing. Did we just get rid of this stuff? Ugh.

Lest we forget...

2008-11-11T10:28:00.002-05:00

Today is Remembrance day (Veteran's day in the US).

I have always taken a moment to mark Remembrance day. This comes primarily as a result of growing up in a military family, but also because my grandfather fought in World war II. I typically attended Remembrance day ceremonies with my parents, and of course it was a day of reflection on what so many sacrificed in war for us.

However, regardless of your feelings about war and military, I hope you will take a moment today to reflect on the many sacrifices our parents, grandparents and many more before them have made to give us the lives we have today. The world is as it is today because of those decisions and efforts, and it's really not such a bad place. We also have a long way to go and that is our responsibility now.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

~Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918) Canadian Army

CO2 eating rocks? Cool... but wait a minute...

2008-11-07T13:10:00.002-05:00

So, now that I have a PhD, I should probably try to say intelligent things more often. Or maybe I should do my corrections... nah.

Anyway, I saw this article: Scientists say a rock can soak up carbon dioxide, and I thought "Cool! I mean, we should still stop burning around in giant unnecessary vehicles, but in the meantime, this sounds interesting. I'm going to blog this!"

But then my critical faculties came online again (I guess I'm not hung-over enough), and it occurred to me that this is about equivalent to burying your garbage/nuclear waste/toxic shizz-nizzle. So, let's see if everyone is with me here... If a rock absorbs CO2... at some point it has to release it again, right?

So, maybe burning coal and just shoving those emissions away in a rock for someone to deal with later... not such a good idea?

Many companies are hoping to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by siphoning off large amounts of carbon dioxide from coal-fired power plants and storing it underground.

Because I'm pretty sure we should check into this...

That method could require thousands of miles of pipelines and nobody is sure whether the potentially dangerous gas would leak back out into the atmosphere in the future.

before we smother our future progeny with our procrastination regarding fossil fuels rather than just getting on with doing things better. :(

That's Dr. to you.

2008-11-06T16:47:00.001-05:00

I am done. That will be Dr. physics*chick from now on.

Must go drink now. Details maybe later... maybe fuzzy...

Defending your thesis... to study? or not to study?

2008-10-31T14:51:00.003-04:00

So, I'm t-6 days to D-day (yes, it took them 3 months to get me a defence date... no, I do not want to talk about it yet.. there is a big post on the mess of all that brewing), and the question I keep getting is "what are you doing to prepare for your defence?". My answer so far has been mostly "Um, I have some slides?" with a subtext in my head of "I wrote the damn thesis, I think I know what's in there". But it's started to freak me out. I guess I'll re-read a little about a few peripheral topics, but beyond that and checking my talk for timing, I don't think I'm going to do anything besides set an alarm to make sure I get up. I hate studying (reading & learning things, that's different), it makes me nervous, and nervous is the last thing I want to be.

So here's my question to you internet scientists out there:

What (did you/will you/think you will/see others) do to prepare?

Some really high productivity procrastination...

2008-10-23T14:42:00.003-04:00

So, I should be working on a paper, but I'm having trouble decyphering "good data" (ie. that was acquired under the intended conditions) from "bad data" (ie. that may not have been acquired under the intended conditions and is therefore really freakin' wonky). I'll leave the debate about distinguishing "good data" from "bad data" and the validity of so doing for another time... maybe this paper isn't going anywhere...

Anyhow, in my preoccupied state (come on Canadian dollar... go up... go UUUUP!!!) I decided to look at Science Careers to see if I could find hubby a job (totally related to the whole dollar issue... more on that and my many bureaucratic frustrations another time...) and got side tracked looking at some of the career articles. In particular, Maximizing Productivity and Recognition, Part 3: Developing a Research Plan, which is actually something I've been thinking about since I wrote my applications for postdoctoral scholarships. The article is well-written and well-structured, so I won't repeat it here. Go check it out. I'm going to read the other two later. We can all use a publication productivity boost, and well, I've tried collaborations a few times and have certainly learned a few things about what can go awry... but I think I could use the help in making a successful link.

Meme-time: 6 random things about me

2008-10-06T16:55:00.006-04:00

Tagged a while back by the lovely but disgruntled Julie...

The rules:

At long last and in no particular order:

I am deathly afraid of anything that stings. Bees, wasps, hornets, jellyfish (which are gross anyway), and probably scorpions though I've never met one. This deep seated phobia most likely results from the fact that I have never been stung combined with all those awful reports about killer bees and too many bee segments on sesame street when I was but a wee lass. Now, at the ripe old age of 28, I leap up and run away, usually flailing and screaming like an imbecile at the sight of such a creature. It is incredibly embarrassing. ... and now I have shared it with the entire internet...
A list within a list: 6 places I love and would run off to in a heart-beat, again in no particular order because that would require too much thought and not be very random. Halifax, Chamonix-Mont Blanc, Bermuda, Paris, San Gimignano, San Sebastian. I would like to see: Rome, Kyoto, all of New Zealand, Hawaii, New York (no! never been!), Crete.
I very seriously considered doing a degree in Music. I started playing violin when I was 8 years old "because my friends were doing it" and played seriously all through school and undergrad. I still play occasionally, though not enough to keep my skills up. I told myself that I could always pick it up again later, but that I wasn't likely to go back to physics if I stopped.
I very seriously considered not doing a PhD. In fact I moved all my stuff across the country... and then moved it back when I changed my mind. I hated grad school. Then I realized that was normal, and actually I did like research (just not grad school).
I learned to knit when I was about 9. I wanted to learn when I saw my grandmother knitting in her chair once when we were visiting when I was very small. I have a vague fuzzy memory of sitting on the floor looking up at what she was doing while watching her soaps and realizing she was making something real out of yarn, and as with everything at that age, well, I wanted to do it too. She said I was too young but promised to teach me when I was older. Unfortunately she didn't get the chance as she passed away not too long after, but my mother kept the bargain a few years later and I knit a scarf for my Dad for Christmas as my first real project. I was pretty proud of myself (for making it and managing to keep it a surprise!), and pretty sure my Nanny would approve. :) I didn't keep up knitting then, but the skills returned quickly when I picked up again a few years ago to pass the sometimes long waiting times in the lab.*
I cannot eat tomatoes. I'm not allergic, but I have such a strong dislike that I cannot swallow them. This causes problems as most people, like my husband who went ahead and cooked a whole lasagne for me without asking first, assume that everyone likes tomatoes. I once even had a tomato nightmare: I dreamed that I was eating raw potatoes out of a sack (don't ask where that came from... no I don't eat raw potatoes either), and then I pulled out a tomato and *shudder* took a giant chomp out of it! blaegh.

And now to pass it on:

Styleygeek@Fumbling towards geekdom
Connie@physicsknits
Dr. Brazen Hussy@What the hell is wrong with you? (best blog title ever)
Dr. Isis@On becoming a domestic and laboratory goddess
Twigs@Gathering Twigs
you!!!

*ah, yes, this is how a lot of my knitting projects get completed, sitting in front of the computer as data is being acquired. it is a great way to pass time when you need to do something requiring little to no thought every 8 min. *knit, knit, knit, click, click, save, click knit, knit...* this is an excellent strategy for passing the time and getting knitting done, even if it is somewhat awkward when your supervisor walks in with an important visitor and starts to ask if you are making a whole sweater. sadly, since writing, my knitting productivity has drastically decreased.

what we do every night pinky... try to take over the world!

2008-10-01T17:08:00.002-04:00

more lol celebs!

Who'd a thunk it, right?

BTW, I used to love Pinky and the Brain

Post-doc loc: hint #3

2008-09-30T11:46:00.001-04:00

Campanile, originally uploaded by physics*chick.

Ok, so it was already guessed, but for the rest of you, this probably does it. :)

I'm a-movin' ta California!

Quotes of the day

2008-09-29T22:07:00.002-04:00

Fitting with the events of the day:
Me: "The days of everybody's dog having 3 iPods is over"
Hubby: "Yup. The last thing an economist wants to hear: 'I can do without it'"

Totally random:
ISS: worst apartment ever. 3 1/2 without gravity, "cozy", limited access to transit.

random bullets of travel...

2008-09-29T14:50:00.004-04:00

I am just returned and still in a jet lag fogged haze from a week and a half in Europe for a conference and a little vacay. Since travel tends to bring up some of the oddest things, I present random bullets of travel (with hubby):

Hubby looks around and says to me: "Madrid is a going concern." ... Really? I think it probably has been for centuries now.
To airlines (especially StupidJet... I mean EasyJet): Either have a system or don't. Preferably have one. "Free seating" is not a "feature".
It is possible to survive for 12 days on only 45min of internet (that cost 7.50 Euros)... but you don't blog, and don't get much work done.
"Platos Combinatos" was the new theme for travel in Spain this year (last year was "sacacorchos"... it's a good story).
Unlike most restaurant meals in Spain, you can get a "Platos Combinatos" before 9pm, and it more resembles a meal than Tapas.
Finishing dinner at 11:30pm and getting up for talks that start at 9am does not help with jet lag.
I actually kind of like calamari.
If you have a conference posse (of people you like), you could rent an apartment for the week and have a grand old time. Of course we thought of this after we arrived.
When transferring from plane to train in Lyons, you will likely need to take a long bus ride into the main station... even though there is a train station in the airport and it is closer to where you are going... really, you can go ask the guy at the desk there, he'll tell you where to catch the bus and possibly that you are much older than he thought (a compliment, I think).
Glaciers are tricky things to get to (more on that later).
Stay to the inside of the trail when hiking.
2200m altitude will kick your arse even if you think you are in shape.
European hotels do not provide wash clothes.
Has anyone ever followed those signs in hotels asking you to hang the towels if you wish to use them again and returned to find that the same towels are actually there? Every time I hang them up neatly and I come back to fresh towels.
"ensoleillement" is a word which means "chance of sun"... it is predicted daily in Chamonix, but appears to have no actual correlation with the amount of sun appearing on a given day.
Do not say "hey, why don't we take a different route back" after hiking for 4-5 hours already when you are not sure where you are going and it will get dark soon.

To Disgruntled Julie: I will post the meme soon... unfortunately I have work rather than knitting to do today. ;)

Word... sigh.

2008-09-12T17:22:00.001-04:00

Oh hai, just thought I'd share this:

more music charts

Yes, I do try to avoid using Word. No, that is not always possible. Why yes, it does make me want to throw my otherwise lovely computer out the window.

Post-doc loc: hint #2

2008-08-20T14:44:00.001-04:00

rest stop, originally uploaded by physics*chick.

Time for another hint in the guess the campus game...

Guess where I'm going for a post-doc?

Once again, *No cheating by going to Flickr to see the other pictures.*

Piled Higher and Deeper... they weren't kidding

2008-08-19T11:27:00.004-04:00

My desk as it stands today:

Piles upon piles... stacks upon stacks... books and notes and files everywhere. I guess that's where PhD comics got the "Piled higher and Deeper" moniker from.

But wait... what is that sitting at the edge of my desk...

... could that be seven thesis copies bound and labelled in acco press binders? forms all signed and ready for submission?? Why yes, that's exactly what those are, and submit it is exactly what I did first thing this morning.

Whoah.

Post-doc loc: hint #1

2008-08-15T16:26:00.001-04:00

evergreen, originally uploaded by physics*chick.

Since I'm still waiting for my supervisor's thesis comments, let's play a game!

Guess where I'm going for a post-doc?

*No cheating by going to Flickr to see the other pictures.*

OMG, they're back...

2008-08-15T15:39:00.005-04:00

Fluevog has brought back my favourite boots... the boots that had me ready to break my budget last year until I discovered I couldn't get my size.

What do I do??? :O

ps: if I find out you all went and bought up the 7.5's I'll be a very unhappy girl! dats a bad internetz!

pps: Fluevog is also having a great SALE! Check it out, fun for the whole family!! I mean, I'm not not wearing new Fluevog sandals!

Like a lemur....

2008-08-15T10:43:00.001-04:00

manga me, originally uploaded by physics*chick.

Here I am in manga form, because everybody was doing it.

Peer pressure...

excuse me while i melt into a pool of blubbering grad student

2008-08-12T14:43:00.003-04:00

So, I gave a "final" draft of my thesis to my supervisor on Friday. I'm sure he will have a few suggestions, but I don't expect major revisions as he's seen the bulk of it already and we discussed the sections he hasn't on several occasions. The last few days I've been puttering around, tidying up a few little things here and there, buying the stupid acco press binders I have to submit my thesis in, finding all the forms and figuring out the oddities of submitting a partially manuscript-based thesis. That last bit was stressful, though for once they were actually nice to me at grad studies, and there isn't really a problem except I can't find my copyright agreements anywhere. Note to self: make a folder for that.

So everything is fine. I'm almost done! But I feel all shaky and like I'm going to burst into tears. I think I've been under a bit too much stress. Maybe the giant thunderstorm outside is not helping. Maybe waking up at 4am and mentally outlining a review article I could write is not helping.

I have to say, I've done this thesis writing thing all wrong. Since April, I've attended 5 conferences/workshops, organized an "informal" summer school lunch series, given 5 talks and 2 posters, travelled to 6 cities, cut 2 pseudo-vacations short, submitted 1 paper and helped with corrections/preparation for two more, submitted two more abstracts for conference presentations, had my SIL visiting, had my hubby go to Japan for a month (while SIL was visiting), helped my best friend get married... oh, and wrote a thesis. I had, at most, two week stretches to write, and most of those got broken up with other little things. The majority of my thesis was written in bits and pieces of a day or two here and there. Some of it on planes, trains and busses. I can't say I really enjoyed the process.

Contrast this with how I wrote my MSc thesis, which I actually really enjoyed doing (ok, I missed the lab, but still I enjoyed it): one 7 week stretch, removed from my department by 5000km. No distractions, no conferences, no travelling. One move, and then time at a desk. I got really focused and into it, I learned things about my data I hadn't seen before, I thought of new interpretations, and things started to come together in a more consistent way. I had time to pick at the writing, the presentation, the ordering of the story and make it all flow.

I'm happy enough with the thesis I have in front of me now, I think it flows ok (given the circumstance under which I wrote it, I'm a little surprised), there are generalizations from the data that I'm just thrilled about, and I think it presents a nice consistent story. I hope it won't be painful to read. But I didn't have the time (or energy) to put a real polish on it this time. I'm sure it's good enough, but it's my usual "best". I'm proud of the science, but the document is just ok. There are things I thought of doing, that I just passed over in the end. It's bugging me. Maybe this is why I keep waking up at 4am thinking about these things. On the other hand, there is a voice in my head pleading "for the love of god, please just hand it in" because I can't bear the thought of dealing with it any longer. I need a real vacation. ;)

So, for those of you embarking on writing a thesis, I have this advice to offer: don't book yourself into dozens of obligations while you are writing. Set aside a real block of time to focus. Tell your colleagues they will have to get along without you (run away if you can!). Then, maybe, just maybe, you will enjoy it and learn something new from yourself.

I learned that I have limits. *sigh*

I'm still here...

2008-07-30T10:16:00.001-04:00

bursting with blooms, originally uploaded by physics*chick.

... still writing, finished with conferences for the time being, papers are out of the way for now, dreaming of a bit of vacation when my thesis is submitted.

I have lots of things to post, but all writing energy is going elsewhere.

Meanwhile, look at the pretty flowers...

(taken in May with my film SLR Olympus OM-1 with my new-to-me 135mm f2.8 lens... dreamy bokeh)

Alberta

2008-07-04T17:17:00.001-04:00

Alberta::summer 2008, originally uploaded by physics*chick.

Two weeks ago, my best friend got married in the Rockies. Beautiful mountains, beautiful wedding.

I love this country, there are some incredible places and we had a great time out west. I just wish it weren't so big so I could have my friends and family closer.

der iz kitteh in mah computah?

2008-06-11T14:45:00.003-04:00

more cat pictures

real post someday... mahbe aftur dissertashun dun. that reminds me... maybe i should backup...

right now about lolcats is about as much as i have energy for. *sigh*

i guess i'd do ok if whisked back to the 1930's...

2008-06-07T10:21:00.003-04:00

I don't know how this came out so positive, but apparently I'd be an average housewife of the 1930's. Honestly, one look around this apartment would cause you to beg to differ, but when are internet quizzes accurate anyway.

Derived from an actual document (which you can view here) that gives some interesting insight into how things have changed over the years, it has now been put into the form of an internet quiz.

As a 1930s wife, I am
Average

Take the test!

Seen over at Dr. Brazen Hussy's who didn't fare so well (but has a roomba so likely doesn't have a dust bunny colony threatening her existance).

(Addendum, apparently hubby is "very superior"... I didn't believe him so I rated him too and it came out even higher... lucky me! Interesting that we noted the wife is expected to fulfill a societal role and maintain the status quo, but the husband gets extra points for going outside his expected role... perhaps the biggest difference between the 1930's and now?)

things I've learned this week

2008-05-16T16:06:00.000-04:00

Stress is a state of mind, it's how we respond to the pressure. This has worked for me to help with feeling stressed a lot over the last year. But then there are times where there is really too much...

Working creates more work and that's how I got myself into this jam. If I hadn't worked so hard earlier, I wouldn't be giving 5 presentations in the next 2 months (2 in the next 2 weeks!) and submitting 2 more abstracts this week. If I would just learn to be mediocre I could just be happily writing my thesis in peace. Sometimes I need to leave well enough alone...

So now that I'm here...

The answer is not working harder, it's beer, because working harder will just lead to more work, right? and I seriously need to relax.

i can haz kitteh?

2008-05-16T10:04:00.002-04:00

Oh sorry... another one, I know... but cute and funny at the same time? Teeheehee...

more cat pictures

I mahbe wants kitteh...

i really need to do something with my hair...

2008-05-13T11:21:00.006-04:00

ok, so I should be madly writing away, preparing talks etc, not obsessing over my hair but really... look... I really need to do something with this. I thought bangs would be cute at Christmas and got them cut. Um. Yeah. I thought I could handle "styling" bangs... but apparently not. Not only am I not responsible enough with my time to do it, I'm not even sure what to do with them to make them work. So now they are growing out and I've just always got all these straggly pieces around. Meanwhile the rest of my hair's grown like a bad weed and is out of control. Again me+hairdryer? not happening. I'm tired of looking like a slob.

Anyone have suggestions for easy, professional-looking hair, that's still feminine (ie. not my old habit of pulling it all back into a sloppy bun)?

new favourite afternoon tea

2008-05-12T16:15:00.002-04:00

So I go through phases with tea, and I'm in a tea phase right now. By mid-afternoon I'm usually needing a little pick-me-up, but coffee seems to get me going too much to be able to sit and write. I like earl-grey ("Tea, earl grey, hot!" ... I'm such a dork... *snort*) but I picked up this new Lipton tea the other day which is a blend of white tea, green tea, blueberry and pommegranate. I'm ashamed to say I think I was attracted to the packaging, but I don't really care, because it turns out to be quite good. And they say antioxidants/flavinoids/whatevers are good for you right?

Cherrio then! Tea time!

i ♥ threadless tees!

2008-05-06T11:48:00.004-04:00

How cute is this? I just ordered it. Now if only I could get a labcoat with this on it...

Threadless rocks. I may have also ordered this cute little onesie for a pregnant friend... *whistles innocently* So cute! So funny! That kid's gonna be the coolest babe on the playground. :D

To be or not to be... a prof

2008-04-30T13:38:00.002-04:00

I'm supposed to be writing things, but I keep stumbling across interesting articles...

This one is about what it takes to be a science professor... at least some of the many aspects... with emphasis on the many. Certainly being academically strong is not the only requirement for the job.

University Affairs: So you want to be a science professor?

I think that piece of advice regarding asking someone you respect who is already there whether they think you have what it takes (and listening to them) is a good one... a reality check both for those suffering from impostor syndrome (they might say you'll be great!) and those on the other end of the spectrum (maybe it's important to consider other options). I had a conversation like this with my supervisor a few months ago, and while I got the impression he's confident I could get and do (maybe even excel) at the job, he brought up the issue that it might take longer than I'd like to find a professorship in the right area, both academically and geographically, and encouraged me to think about alternate plans should I get to the point I'm not willing to wait longer for a "real job". He knows I have other life goals/plans, and well, I guess reality is that a professorship *might* not work out for me. Not what I wanted to hear, but something I think I needed to hear... not that I'm giving up or anything!

So...

2008-04-29T11:23:00.002-04:00

Of course science has it's vocabulary, the euphemisms for "well, actually we don't know" and "we have found that these other folks were completely wrong", and there are the "um"s and "uh"s of talks when we need a pause to collect our thoughts again. But then there are the "so"s. I hadn't really thought about it, being such a little unassuming word, but it carries many meanings, and potentially great weight.

So, without further ado, click over to Seed magazine's article on "so":

Seed: "So"

sigh...

2008-04-28T11:31:00.004-04:00

... i think it's going to be another one of those days. somehow, i can't get my thermos open, which contains the life-giving coffee i so desperately need at the moment. oh, and i put the lid on, so... how does that work??

huh, it was the same side of the bed as every other morning...

2008-04-25T15:30:00.003-04:00

I'm in a foul mood today. I've decided to just finally admit it to myself. Absolutely everything is getting to me today. It's kind of like being really itchy. I'm just plain cranky, and it doesn't help that everything is taking longer than I think it should today.

In fact some things I thought would be relatively simple have turned out to be a major pain in the arse due to a gnome infested computer that likes to change parameters without recording them anywhere accessible. So I'm guessing a calibration. It's 50-50 (there are only two options), and they're different enough I'm pretty sure I know it used the wrong one, but I don't like guessing.

So instead of writing the paper I'm supposed to be writing, I spent the last 5 hours trying to figure out what the heck is going on with my stupid images. Nothing seems to read the header fully enough to find out which calibration was used... if that is recorded at all (there's nm/pixel, but I need to know which nm/V was used to determine that).

Also, it is 30 C in my office. The university switches from heating to air conditioning on May 1 regardless of the actual weather.

I don't like heat.

My computer is overheating and burning my hands.

Gah.

Can I go home now?

haiku for you

2008-04-10T09:55:00.001-04:00

Haiku² for mad-sci
education but i also knew cheating was wrong fast forward 5
@

Created by Grahame

seen over at Brazen Hussy's.

you've got to be frackin' kidding me... snow???

2008-04-04T14:44:00.001-04:00

you've got to be frackin' kidding me... snow???, originally uploaded by physics*chick.

yup. it's still snowing.

Ironically, I'm waiting for a phone call from someone who might have a post-doc opportunity for me in California.

Geee... let me think... snow? beaches? snow? ... beaches.

wha??

2008-04-04T12:51:00.001-04:00

It's snowing out.

Not a little bit either.

It is April 4th. April... 4th...

Spring supposedly started two weeks ago.

What the frack?

Scientists just aren't that exciting...

2008-03-18T17:51:00.001-04:00

einstein grafitti, originally uploaded by physics*chick.

See, this is what happens when you make scientists into action heros. He's holding a piece of chalk. What can you do with a piece of chalk?!

It's not about technology, it's about academic integrity

2008-03-14T10:20:00.005-04:00

By now, I think pretty much everyone has heard about it: the Ryerson student facing expulsion for his facebook exploits. Headlines like: Toronto student in Facebook fiasco, Online 'scapegoat' hailed, and Look, technology ... hide!.

Is it a huge PR nightmare for Ryerson? For sure, everyone's jumped on the facebook bandwagon and is accusing the university of being in the dark ages. Wake up and smell the virtual coffee. Is Chris Avenir unfortunate enough to be caught in the middle of something bigger than a facebook group? Yeah, probably. But the issue isn't the use of technology, it's the intent to circumvent academic integrity.

Universities have embraced technology, I'd say rather rapidly. My first email account was with the university, I'd never even had internet before. Today, most universities provide online registration, grades, course tools, testing, and yes, even discussion boards through tools like WebCT. I don't think universities are technophobes. So why the attack on this facebook "study" group?

"If you request to join, please use the forms to discuss/post solutions to the chemistry assignments. Please input your solutions if they are not already posted."

I'm not sure one can argue very effectively that this statement was not intended encourage the sharing of answers. Obviously Mr. Avenir was not the only one involved, but this doesn't really sound like students trying to use an online tool for open conceptual discussion. And what about the use of facebook, rather than one of those tools provided by the university? If everything was on the up-and-up why not use a discussion board for the course? I'm sure the professor would not have minded constructive discussion... in fact he/she would probably have been very pleased... unless there was cheating going on. In my experience (as a web-based TA) students turn to facebook and other places they think they are "safe" online when they know they are crossing that line. This is not about technology. The university provides that. This is about academic integrity.

Academic integrity. When I started university, not that long ago, I think I heard it mentioned once or twice. I knew there was a policy somewhere, and my handbook/agenda might have given the link for where to find it. I also knew cheating was wrong. Fast-forward 5 years, and TA's are practically reciting it to every class. Why? Because it's needed. Those same TA's are grading identical papers, and having conniptions about what to do. Is a first year lab worth reporting? What if it damages this person's academic career? University policy for cheating is strict, but rightly so, especially as it becomes increasingly prevalent. Somehow, despite how often academic integrity is hounded into students these days, they often don't even seem to realize what they are doing is wrong, and undermining their very own education. I don't know when or why this became such a problem, but it is.

So, is an online study group, where answers get shared, any different than the study group I worked with in the computer lab in 1st year to get my online physics assignments done? Yes and no. Obviously, we "shared" a little too much at times. There was a deadline, there was panic, Cindy-loo-who had the answer! But the distinction comes in the need for two-way interaction. In a face-to-face study group, people are more likely to take the time to explain how they got to an answer, and people are less likely to only take from the group. It starts to become obvious if Joe isn't pulling his weight. If Joe's lucky, someone will give him a hand if he's just having trouble. This kind of study group speaks to effective educational techniques like peer-teaching and probably offsets the degree of illegitimate "sharing". The worry is that this isn't necessarily the case for an online study group, especially one as large as Avenir's. People post answers, other people come and read those answers. There is less impetus for two-way sharing, and it is both more difficult and less likely that people will have full discussion to understand the background.

I'm all for using online tools for learning. I think it's great that these extra resources are out there, and online discussions allow students who might not otherwise be able to participate in a "real-world" study group (due to living situations, distance from the university, etc.) the chance to interact with their peers. But students have to realize that the the same rules apply in online world that apply in the real world. Facebook, or any other site is not a virtual shelter. (In fact, it leaves a digital trail.)

I don't know that it's entirely fair to Chris Avenir for the University to expel him, and not the other participants in the group, but I do think they have every right to enforce academic policy in any forum that students attempt to use to circumvent it.

truffled potatoes au gratin

2008-03-10T15:01:00.001-04:00

truffled potatoes au gratin, originally uploaded by physics*chick.

Last night we made Truffled Potatoes au gratin, made by (more or less) this recipe from epicuious.com.

We skipped the truffles for truffle oil, made a little less than half of the recipe, and added some parmesan cheese for extra flavour and crispiness. We used the slicer on our food processor for the potatoes cutting down the prep time dramatically. :) I'm loving the "robot culinaire" now that we have it.

Sadly, we were too excited to dig in, so I don't have a photo after baking. Trust me, it looked delicious and tasted even better! Maybe we'll spring for some truffles next time... Yum!

wishing for summer to return

2008-02-27T13:49:00.001-05:00

wishing for summer to return, originally uploaded by physics*chick.

It's just one of those days, where I wish summer would hurry up and come back. Don't get me wrong, I've been enjoying this winter (hockey! snowshoeing! lots to knit!), but it's a gloomy stormy day and I'm gloomy and stormy today, and I'd like the weather to fix my mood a little. *sigh* Unfortunately, I don't think the seasons take orders from the likes of me.

In the meantime, a picture from last summer to warm things up a little.

sunday afternoon musings about productivity

2008-02-24T16:57:00.002-05:00

it has become clear to me on this sunday afternoon, that if i am ever going to get a thesis written, i am going to need a supply of chocolate in my office.

Imposter syndrome... a real thing

2008-02-19T11:39:00.007-05:00

A few times when I've mentioned "Imposter syndrome" I've been met with a reaction of disbelief. Of course, most people in academia know it all too well (I could theorize on why this is*, but have no substantiation for my beliefs other than my personal experience).

There is an article over at Science Careers right now: Getting over the feeling that you're not a phoney takes accurate self-appraisal (found via "On being a scientist and a woman", thanks for the heads up!) that I found a good read (it even has references! see it's real!). Sometimes it helps just to be aware of the problem, that it is real, and that you are far from alone.

I have struggled with Imposter syndrome myself. I have always been a good student, I've won scholarships and received recognition from people in my field at conferences, I've got papers published that people seem to read and cite, by all measures I seem to be doing relatively well... but then the doubt creeps in. Am I working as hard as my peers? Do I understand and know as much as they do? Are my publications as good as theirs? Did I just get lucky with this project I'm on? Could I have done as well with something else? Will I be able to produce successful results and publications somewhere else working on something different? Yipes! Why the hell do I not feel confident about my own success?? And yet, people seem to see me as successful, confident and knowledgeable, and I think at times I foster Imposter syndrome in my peers. On the one hand, I know it is important to project confidence in order for others to take you seriously and believe what you have to say, but on the other hand, it seems ridiculous for my peers to see me this way when at times I don't feel confident and am questioning whether I really know what I know. What an imposter I am!

I went through a particularly bad spell after writing the PhD preliminary or qualifying exam here. After all the stress of the exam I was sure I would fail it and that maybe it was for the best because I didn't belong here anyway. At the same time I was awarded a top scholarship and my brain just couldn't wrap itself around this apparent disparity between what I thought of my ability, and what was being validated externally. Which was correct? Was I an Imposter who didn't deserve said scholarship? Or was I just crazy? It has taken a long time to get over this (err... mostly over it) despite lots of other successes along the way. I told one of the professors in our department when he asked about the prelim exam that I found it a "soul-crushing, confidence-destroying experience" and he looked at me strangely and inquired how that could be for such a good student?

While I agree with the article that accurate self-appraisal is key to knocking down Imposter syndrome, afterall, it comes from within, how does one develop an accurate (and I guess un-biased) view of one's own success? The article makes some suggestions that I will try. Mostly though, I think it is good to talk about it, and perhaps it would help too to hear it from people who have made it already. A friend of mine's father is a professor in the same general field in which she is doing a PhD and she talked about a conversation she had with her dad about Imposter syndrome. She was mystified to discover that after all these years he too still feels somewhat like a "fraud" from time to time, despite a long successful career as evidence to the contrary. I hold onto that as an indication that these waverings and feelings of being an imposter are in my head, and that they can be overcome... though they may also be with me for the long run!

* I think it has to do with two aspects of being an academic. The first is the long period of time spent in school and under constant evaluation and comparison with peers. The second is the difficulty of comparing ones performance to ones peers once in a research intensive environment due to the diversity of work at the level. Due to our training, we may try even harder to determine our success (give ourselves a grade), but it becomes increasingly difficult to compare even different sub-fields as the nature of the research may mean more/less publications, more/less attention, more/less funding support... As such we end up as a bunch of over-achievers starved for evaluation and turn inward allowing our insecurities to compound, surmising that of course our colleges, who outwardly appear confident and competent, must be smarter, harder-working, and just plain better than us. These may at least be contributing factors to the prevalence of Imposter syndrome in academia... in my humble opinion. How to change this? I have no idea. Maybe there is a way to foster accurate self-evaluation earlier in our education, but I don't have any idea how to accomplish that.

Physics Phun over at physicsknits!

2008-02-14T12:42:00.002-05:00

You must all run over to physicsknits and watch the Physics Phun with Conan O'Brien.

Much hilarity.

Geeky girly girl

2008-02-12T18:10:00.000-05:00

If pressed, I would probably have to categorize myself as a geek or a nerd, after all I am in physics and I enjoy playing with computers and other technodorky things (I once asked for a graphing calculator for Christmas... I really, really wanted it). But I also like pretty dresses and shoes, I wear makeup and occasionally paint my nails just because they will be pretty for a few days (maybe... if I'm lucky and don't wreck them in the lab) and that makes me happy. I wouldn't give up either part of myself for anything.

To me, there is nothing wrong with the statement that "I am a geeky girly girl".

So I thought it was interesting to see this article on Wired about a collection of stories written by self-proclaimed "she-geeks". While I think it's great the sentiment is out there, and that the dad of two little girls was intrigued by it and is now armed with a new perspective, my reaction is kind of "so?". Are we so new? The "she-geek"?

Sure, I've met with resistance to my girlieness in this male-dominated kingdom of dorkdom such as comments about the uselessness of my nailpolish, the impracticality of my shoes, or "what's the occasion" if I wear a skirt. I've always chalked this up to misunderstanding... after all, there aren't really enough other gals around here to make a reasonable sample of what a she-physicist should look/act like, but to me there's no reason I should look or act any different than any other woman... well, except I can wear jeans and a t-shirt to work with no objection from anyone, which is nice, at times.

So, while some may look at me and think I'm a dichotomy, I will continue to get just as hot under the collar for those cute little vintage heels as I will for a sweet RAM upgrade (today I have an extra 1GB woot!).

... and really, I don't think I'm very rare.

bootiful

2008-01-28T16:17:00.000-05:00

Now that we are half-way through winter, my yearning for a dressier pair of boots has intensified as my chances of finding what I want in my (very common) size diminish.

After lusting after several different pairs of Fluevogs particularly "babycake" which I can't even seem to find an image of anymore (a beautiful pair of mid calf boots with a small heel and rubber sole, in vintage style with brogue detailing and fake leather covered buttons up the side), I have finally found a pair that whet my appetite. Except... I can't find them online in my size or a colour I would wear (the bright red is simply not "me")... so what are the odds of walking into a store that has any stock left?

Sigh... for the best right? ... right?

disclaimer: i haz maybe lost mind

2008-01-25T12:46:00.000-05:00

moar funny pictures

ohhhh... sorry for the groaner... couldn't help it... too funny to my tired brain today...

I learned a new word today...

2008-01-24T16:52:00.000-05:00

STET.

Courtesy of the (very funny) Yarn Harlot's blog today.

stet |stet|
verb ( stetted , stetting ) [ intrans. ]
let it stand (used as an instruction on a printed proof to indicate that a correction or alteration should be ignored).

It is an editing term, derived from latin, that means "let it stand", as in put it back the way I wrote it, as in stop trying to ruin the greatness that I crafted in words.

Today, I am trying to finalize the edits for an article manuscript I just got back from a journal with some comments I swear indicate that the referees only looked at the figures and read every third paragraph. To be fair I get a little overly attached to my writing, and have a tendency to take it rather personally when a referee suggests changes. Ok fine, so sometimes I want to cry and just revoke my submission and say "fine, then the world will just NEVER KNOW!"... possibly including a "nah na-nah na-nah naaahhh". Of course I realize that is just silly, and then go about trying not to sound too defensive and like I am a reasonable being that is at least considering what has been suggested. Sigh.

I wish I could just reply with a giant "STET". No "please" attached.

Seriously.

ps- in all honesty, there are some good suggestions, and I suppose the paper will be better for it, except that now it will be too long. I just hate the revision process, and there are a few really odd comments I just don't know how to respond to besides to say "read it again!".

toasty toes

2008-01-21T13:31:00.001-05:00

finished Tyrolean stockings!, originally uploaded by physics*chick.

Warning: knitting post.

Details:

Pattern: Tyrolean stockings from Interweave Knits, Fall 2007
Yarn: Patons Classic Wool Merino, antique rose (~1.75 balls)
Ravelry link

I finally finished my Tyrolean stockings. I started these right after I got the magazine as I was enthralled by the pattern, seduced by the thought of having some great knee socks, and justified yet another WIP by the fact that I was using stash yarn. I worked away at them here and there, but set them aside for the Christmas knitting, and interrupted them for a sweater. Over Christmas I finished the first one and was so thrilled I got the second done within a couple of weeks.

The pattern is actually relatively easy. I didn't think it possible, but by about half way down the first I had the chart memorized, and the second one flew by. I honestly never thought I would make it through a pair of cabled socks, but here they are.

One note on the pattern that wasn't clear to me was that the last row before starting the heel flap should contain the twists and small cables. I didn't do it on the first sock and by the time I'd finished the heel I realized that I should have done it, but was too lazy to rip out the whole heel to fix it. So they are fraternal twins, as I knit the second as I thought they should be.

A note on my yarn selection: this isn't an ideal yarn for the pattern. I used it because it was in my stash and I loved the colour. I forced it to gauge (though in hindsight I could have gone up a needle size and made them roomier anyway), which made for some very tight cable knitting that gave me shoulder knots. The resulting fabric is pretty tight (not so much stretch) and very, very warm. This is perfect for the -20 degC we have today, but I'm afraid these won't see too much use. It also isn't superwash, which means these are handwash socks. Yuk. However, Patons Classic wool is quite soft, and relatively cheap. If you have it in your stash, all the better.

Final verdict? Love. :)

(ps- don't worry, I wore pants with them today. my knees are quite safe from frostbite!)

identity crisis

2008-01-21T12:08:00.000-05:00

No, no, I'm not the one having trouble with my identity, it's the internet.

Something that's bugged me for awhile is that, due to my very common name compounded with the fact that I usually publish with my given initials only, when I search for my own papers in web of science or inspec, or any other of the publication databases, it is next to impossible to find my papers through the hundreds of others with the same moniker. It is especially problematic as it seems there is someone at my institution with the same first initial and same last name that publishes on many, many super multi-author publications, thus totally drowning out my (meager) contributions to science.

Let's just completely ignore the fact that when you google my name you get a freestyle skier that likes to pose skantily clad for magazines.

So back to the indexes... I've often thought that in today's age of electronic databases that we could have some kind of online association such that if a person found ONE of your papers, or maybe knew some topics you had already published on, could associate you with you repertoire. I also thought this could be useful if say, you got married and decided to change your name. One quick click to associate the two names, and that issue would be taken out of the dilemma. Easy-peasy right? Seems like it should be. A little while ago ISI web of science introduced an author search and I thought I'd finally be able to find myself, but it wasn't really flexible enough to deal with a somewhat varied set of research papers associated with different institutions. Just not there yet...

Well, a couple of days ago I got an email from ISI to try something they're introducing called ResearcherID.com. Basically it lets you input your information, including institution, full name(s!), research area, etc, etc. Then you can search, though web of science, for your papers and add them to your profile. It then keeps track of the citation information for your papers, and people can search ResearcherID for your name and whatever other info they might know about you to find your unique profile. I think it's great! I hope it catches on.

Now I can stop calculating my own h-index and just look it up. Oh, stop looking at me like that... as if you've never kept track of your citations. The whole thing gave me a little confidence boost on a somewhat low day as well since I discovered that my 8 papers have been cited a total of 73 times! Whoah... However, my h-index is sitting at 3, which according to Wikipedia's article isn't stupendous for a physicist:

In physics, a moderately productive scientist should have an h equal to the number of years of service...

Ok, that statement probably doesn't apply well to the beginning of one's career (if we count from my first publication date of 2002 even though I was still an undergrad at the time, that makes 6 years.), but still, I would like to see it get closer.

... but I digress...

For those of you who are interested in this ResearcherID thing, it seems to be by invitation only right now, but there is a sign-up sheet to be informed of developments (I think I got invited because I evaluated the author search feature at one point and got on ISI's spam list).

2007: in the yarn

2008-01-19T14:53:00.001-05:00

2007: in the yarn, originally uploaded by physics*chick.

2007 was actually a pretty big year of knitting for me, but somehow not much of it really made it to the blog. To summarize:

3 pairs of socks completed, plus baby booties
first cable project (fetching)
2 pairs of mittens
my first garment ("Tank Top" from Erika Knight's "Classic Knits")
my first attempted and frogged sweater... ugh
my first successful sweater!
2 dish cloths
1 cat toy
2 warm hats
1 big scarf
some stash usage
some stash enhancement (don't ask the net balance... please!)
8 gifted items
the introduction of Ravelry into my life!

Not bad! I'd still like to get around to blogging a few (especially my sweater!). I've already got one FO for 2008 I want to share, and was making rapid progress on another I'm in love with until I got derailed by my knitterly ADD.

RSS feed reader...

2008-01-16T11:23:00.000-05:00

Ok, ok, I know, I'm supposed to be working... but I just had to share...

I've been using RSS feeds to look really smart for awhile now. Most journals have RSS feeds of their tables of contents which update with all the new articles. Sooo... to "stay on top of the literature" I've been using the RSS feeds of the most relevant journals in my field (and the biggies... Science and Nature with their associated "news-y" segments) in combination with saved searches in Safari. This actually works fine, except that the search criterion are a bit primitive and getting logical statements in there is somewhere between a pain and impossible (I recall trying at some point... but I gave up). The other issue is that to check the feeds I end up opening my web browser and well, this snapshot of my bookmarks bar might give you a hint as to where that often leads...

uh-huh... so while in principle this saves me time and makes me look really on the ball, I end up reading your blogs or comics or... you get the point. Also note that the total unread feeds for all the journals I'd like to survey is a whopping 4821. Searching or filtering these with relevant terms is essential to this process being of any help at all.

Also, many dedicated feed readers out there have nice features that Safari does not (because it's primary purpose is to be a web browser... ) so I had looked and looked for a good *free* feed reader some time ago and basically hit the wall when none of the free version had the ability to search.

Until today my friends. Today I stumbled upon the fact that NetNewsWire (for Mac) is now free (the full version, not some "lite" version like before), and it can do all I want it to do.

Now my feeds are in there, organized and filtering out what I really need to know. It's fantastic. And I won't have to open a browser, so as long as I leave the blogs, and comics, and everything else distracting out of there, we are looking at a new era of productivity.

Yipee! :)

Another carnival of GRADual progress up

2008-01-16T10:42:00.000-05:00

... and it's a good one. Go check it out.

I particularly enjoyed the bit about a good powerpoint presentation from academhack. Excellent stuff, really.

That is all.

Note to self: self, wake up.

2008-01-14T13:25:00.000-05:00

Dear Physics*chick,

You performance so far this semester has been somewhat underwhelming. While you have accomplished several necessary tasks since your return after the holidays you have seemed generally unmotivated and somewhat disorganized. As you anticipate publishing several papers and getting started on writing your dissertation over the next few months I feel it necessary to encourage you to improve your performance as it will take a great deal more effort to accomplish these tasks than you appear to be applying. This is not meant to be a criticism, but merely a check between your goals and your current output.

Sincerely,

Physics*chick

Thank-you for your concern, Physics*chick. I recognize that I will need to apply myself more intensely if I wish to accomplish my goals. I have already taken your advice and taken action to get going.

Physics*chick

Ok, maybe it's a bad sign that I'm talking to myself, but really, I do seem to be having trouble getting motivated and finding my way through the immense piles of stuff that ought to get done (but has no guiding deadlines). Since I really need to do a bunch of reading and am having most trouble motivating myself to do that I've decided to start with some papers that are of some general interest (ie. outside my field, but of peripheral interest to my field) to me. Maybe then I can get back into the swing of things.

2008: Year of the Potato

2008-01-08T16:59:00.001-05:00

Yup, according the CBC News, 2008 is the International Year of the Potato (among other things).

It's the International Year of the Potato, of sanitation, of languages, and of planet Earth. The potato year, designed to raise awareness of the lowly tuber, already has its own website complete with glowing images of spuds.

Now, potatoes, those humble vegetables, are really one of my favourite foods. I guess this comes from growing up near one of the largest potato producing regions (Prince Edward Islands), securing a constant supply of high quality potatoes throughout my childhood. In fact, one of the things that bugs me the most about living in a large city, is that somehow it seems to be damn hard to get a good potato around here. Black beans? No prob. Potatoes that aren't gone soft? Enhh... maybe.

Here's hoping that the International Year of the Potato will bring it greater prestige and will bring to light the plight of us poor potato-starved city dwellers.

Glory to the Potato!

We interrupt this celebration for a brief announcement...

2008-01-06T19:37:00.001-05:00

i got a goal!!! my very first hockey goal!!!

that will be all. :D

Happy New Year!

2008-01-04T10:22:00.001-05:00

Cheers!, originally uploaded by physics*chick.

2008

The year of the THESIS.

Eek. I actually worked out the LaTeX template yesterday and looked over my outline yesterday.

I wonder how it will go? I generally feel good about it. I'm confident in the collection of stuff I have to put into it. The data is solid, much of it is at least preliminarily analysed. Much of it is published or at least submitted. But what else will I learn? I came up with so many new ideas and interpretations while writing my MSc thesis, I'm kind of curious to see what will fall out this time.

And of course I can't wait to wear the floppy hat. THAT is a bold fashion statement.

And then there is the "I wonder where I'll be next year at this time?" California? Germany? Freezing my arse off in Edmonton? Will I follow the project I can't stop thinking about? Or go for a big name place? It's all exciting, but I'm not so good with uncertainty.

Why does every year seem like a BIG year these days.

Here we go.... Wheeeeeeee!

Quote of the day: caterpillar blood

2007-12-12T17:13:00.001-05:00

Girl I work with says today: "Caterpillars have the weirdest coloured blood of any animal I've squished and looked at."

Lexan: MEC pulls water bottles

2007-12-07T14:33:00.000-05:00

I posted about plastic water bottles a little while ago as it seemed like I was running across more and more information indicating that the Bisphenol-A in Lexan plastic (a common hard, clear, and easily coloured plastic) could be leeching into the water. Lately (in Canada at least) there has been a lot of press about this, in particular with respect to the use of this plastic in baby's bottles.

Today I see that Mountain Equipment Co-op has responded to concerns over Lexan by pulling food storage products made with the plastic until the government provides guidance regarding possible health risks.

While I'm glad to see a company that prides itself on social and environmental responsibility taking some action given the uncertainty about this product, I hope this isn't an example of an over-reaction in the absence of proper information.

I love film

2007-12-07T14:04:00.001-05:00

L'Amour embrassant l'Amitie, originally uploaded by physics*chick.

I finally got around to getting my film from Europe developed and actually managed to go pick up the prints. These rolls, especially the black and white, have reminded me again why I love film so much. There is grain, but it is unobtrusive. Really, it only shows up in the very bokeh-y backgrounds of the shallow focal depth shots, the sharp detail is never obscured. The balance of light and shadow is so much stronger. I photograph light, really I do. I think this is why I don't care that I don't have a good flash. I'm rarely moved to take a shot unless I have great light. The sculpture gallery of the Louvre has the most fantastic light. I could have stayed for hours just there sitting in the warm sun and watching the shadows dance off the walls and sculptures.

If you're interested, head over to my Flickr photostream, or directly to my Olympus OM-1 set for just the film photos.

why i hate computers...

2007-12-03T19:35:00.000-05:00

... because they *should* help you automate things, but it never seems to work out that way.

I've been doing data analysis on large batches of data files (100's, not 10's, not 1000's) lately, and while I've written an IDL program to do the fitting, plotting, and output of parameters I need, there remained a few tasks that I couldn't figure out how to automate:

prepare the batch file (unfortunately, the files are not entirely sequential, so it's not that easy to automate... I could pull some trick with getting a file list and going from there... but...)
convert all of the .eps files that IDL outputs to .pdf so that I can actually use/view/print them

I decided not to bother about the batch file, it didn't really take that long, and once made I save it and never touch it again. BUT the only way I seemed to be able to convert the eps to pdf was to open all the eps files in Preview (it converts them on opening) and then save each of them. This is fine for a few eps (or ps) files... but when you have a 136 staring you in the face and know there are more to come... and that each one involves pressing command-w, enter, enter, you want to find a way that avoids causing tendonitis. Seriously.

First I turned to Automator (I'm a Mac user... unfortunately my solutions will be less than helpful for Linux users, and nearly useless for Windows users... sorry!). To be fair, I have actually managed to get Automator to do some useful things recently, but usually my encounters with the cute little robot leave me feeling rather let down. A quick perusal turned up what I thought was true anyhow, that Automator has no built in way to convert eps (or ps) to pdf. I also checked the Apple Automator downloads and Automator World to no avail.

So I thought, hey, I've got unix commands up the wazoo on here, there *must* be one that can convert eps to pdf...

pstopdf

excellent. So I pull up the man page, figure out how to use it, test it on a couple of files, and merrily enter:

pstopdf *.eps

uuh... geeee... that was fast. A quick "ls" showed me why... it only did the first file. Bugger. A bit of frigging around later, it was determined that pstopdf does not take multiple file arguments.

Ok. That stinks, but maybe now Automator can do something for me using the action "Run Shell Script". Yes, that's it, I'll grab the filenames with a "Find Finder Items" input it to "Run Shell Script" to run the pstopdf command, and voila, there will be 136 pdf's waiting for me. Right? Well not so simple, but yes, eventually. The two main quirks I had to overcome were:

Apparently at some point the file output and file input of "Find Finder Items" and "Run Shell Script" became mismatched. Oddly this can be solved by inserting a "Label Finder Items" between (you can select none, so it appears to do nothing) which mysteriously does indeed change the file listing in the correct manner.
When using the "Run Shell Script" action: do not enter anything into the script box until after you selected how you wish to pass the input from the previous action. That little drop down will insert the necessary script fragments you need to work with, but only if the box is empty. Since I tend to dive in, I of course immediately put my command in before selecting this, and got very frustrated very quickly.
Also, since the pstopdf command only takes one input at a time (and I couldn't get it to work with stdin, though the man page claims it should function) I used the "Pass input: as arguments" option and placed the pstopdf command inside the loop with "$f" as the argument where the input file should go. If you have a command that takes multiple inputs, you *should* be able to use "$@" outside the loop.

Long story short, I'll make available to you, the fruits of my frustration, all for the low, low price of *FREE* (err, uhh, and listening to my rant)... better yet, I'll include my other workflows that I've been using:

Automator workflow to convert eps (or ps) to pdf (can also be saved as a Finder action)
Automator workflow to take all pdf files in a folder and merge them into a single pdf
Automator workflow to take text files, cut out the header and combine them into a single text file (this one will take some tweaking of the inputs the actions have... easy stuff, just change the drop downs and fields you need)

Since some people were having trouble downloading the workflows above, I've put the workflow to convert eps to pdf and to combine pdfs into a zip file for download: PDFworkflows.zip

Is that all? Oh no... no, no, my friends. I started many hours ago, this morning, with IDL opening into an xterm completely UNCONFIGURED for my needs. Let's look at my "needs":

Something more readable for my not yet caffinated eyes than black on white (I like a nice soothing green on charcoal... reminds me of that old Apple//c we had when I was a kid)
More pressing: a bigger window (ok, I can drag and resize, but sometimes funky things happen when I do that)
And pure luxury would be a SCROLLBAR... yes I like to scroll, especially when I'm running batches of 136 files and I'd like to look at some of that output.

Is that too much to ask? I have my X11 configured to open an xterm that is more pleasing on the eyes, but since IDL launches it's own xterm from a mini-app, and I couldn't find where it actually did that anywhere I was stuck with what it gave me. Until today people, until today. All one needs to do is create a default xterm style you are happy with and then any program launching it's own xterm will use this default style. The trick is simple: create a .Xdefaults file in your home directory. The bits of code I used were:

XTerm*background:grey15
XTerm*foreground:PaleGreen
XTerm*vt100*geometry:160x48
XTerm*scrollBar:on
XTerm*scrollKey:on
XTerm*jumpScroll:on
XTerm*saveLines:500
XTerm*cursorColorBackground:DimGray
XTerm*cursorColor:DarkSeaGreen3
XTerm*highlight:LemonChiffon
XTerm*borderColor:SlateGrey

I got most of the commands from here and there is an xterm color table here. Now it looks like this:

Now go make a beautiful, scrollable xterm and make me proud... I have to believe I didn't waste my day in vain.

And convert some eps files to pdf while you're at it. Hell, convert a whole bunch of them and put them together into one gigantic pdf!

Because today, I got my computer to do what I wanted it to do... It just took a really long time.

PhD comics at McGill

2007-10-11T14:10:00.001-04:00

the puckwhacker 2000(TM), originally uploaded by physics*chick.

So, two weeks ago I got an email from another member of our group who had just realized that the ticket he had for Jorge Cham's "Power of Procrastination" talk was at the same time as he had to teach a lab. Lucky me I got his ticket!

Excited as I was, this was also at a time when I had a ton of work to do (more on that later). I went, but as I sat there I started figetting and thinking about all the things I had to do, Jorge started into his (anti?)-motivational talk. He got some laughs with wikifacts about Mcgill (hockey was in there, as were Rutherford and the illustrious Mr. Shatner) and started talking about graduate student life. He talked about graduate student salaries, the emotional states of graduate students (some really sobering statistics there), and other such issues.

But then he started talking about procrastination, and moreover the GUILT of procrastination. That nagging feeling that gee-whiz, I really should be working, that is oh so hard to escape, because there's always something more to do, to read, to think about. And I sat there laughing half-heartedly, and wondering if it was really a good idea to have taken 2 hours out of the middle of the afternoon to go see a cartoonist talk about procrastination... guilt. Doh. This is why phd comics is so good... it's funny because it's true.

He ended though by talking about "the thesis" and actually getting to that day where you finally get to play through the "doctor" "doctor" jokes, and the reality that most people aren't actually that happy with their PhD theses, and usually "finishing" a PhD has a lot less to do with being done, and a lot more to do with external factors. Having just made the mental transition from being "in the middle" to "finishing", and having undergone somewhat of an existential crisis over what it "means" to get a PhD this was reassuring for me, and probably has helped keep me on the "finishing" track over the last two hellish weeks of post-doc fellowship applications, paper submission, and conference preparation.

So, naturally, after the talk, I had to get something signed. I bought one of the books of course, but I wanted something else, something special. I got back to the lab and took a look around and spied my hockey stick sitting in the corner waiting for our first game that night. Of COURSE! My labmates thought I was a total weirdo, but whatever. I brought my stick over, and not only did he sign, no, he made it funny. My stick shall henceforth be known to all as "the PUCKWHACKER 2000(TM)". Best procrastination ever!

ps- I'd like to say we won our the game that night, and that I scored a zillion goals with the puckwhacker, but sadly, no, we lost. We lose all our games. Never name a team "Absolut Zero" if you are likely to live up to it!

Where did I go?

2007-10-01T14:01:00.001-04:00

Eurotrip Summary, originally uploaded by physics*chick.

Litterally? Well here you go, a summary in pictures. Conferences in beach towns are awesome.

Since I've been back I've been recovering from a cold, going to PhD comics guy's talk (more on that later), and trying to complete a lot of big things. Blogging's been kind of low on the prioity list lately.

Oh yeah, and for you knitting readers out there? I'm finally on Ravelry, so if you're there look for "thenerdynitter" (sorry if anyone out there is theknerdyknitter, or thenirdynitter or some such combination of mispelled words, I didn't know how to check if you were already in there!)

where i've been... under a rock

2007-08-23T15:28:00.001-04:00

under a rock, originally uploaded by physics*chick.

Lack of intelligble blog posts due to a general lack of intelligibleness. Instead I present you with a photo I took months ago, made new again with dumpr.net's turn-my-photo-old tool. Makes me kinda want a Holga... but then my obsession with cameras is a whole other issue, and we don't need to go there today.

In other news, I'm chipping away at that to do list for August. However, now that things have settled down a bit compared to the rest of the summer, and most of the key items are either done or mostly done, I'm starting to slow down and relax more.

Quotes of the day: life in Montreal

2007-08-14T22:06:00.000-04:00

Hammer rats: a breed of rats which are not seen and infest apartment buildings hammering on the walls, floors and ceilings.
***
hubby: "Living in Montreal is like having a roommate you don't like... that follows you everywhere."
***
hubby: "I need to buy a Land Rover, so I can rove the land."

what's it to you?

2007-08-14T22:05:00.001-04:00

what's it to you?, originally uploaded by physics*chick.

Yesterday morning, barely awake, I looked out the window and spotted a little furry creature jotting across the balcony ledge. This "little" guy stopped to sniff the trellis of morning glories to determine if there was anything worth eating and then dissappeared down the side of the building.

If I hadn't taken pictures I'm not sure I'd have believed it once awake.

quick motivational progress update

2007-08-10T10:55:00.001-04:00

I feel like I'm doing pretty good with my August sidebar to-do list. I've got 6 things knocked off already, and 3 more in process in other people's hands, I just need to hear back. That's over half of my original to-do list, and not everything on there was small.

But why is the list growing faster than I can get stuff scratched off??? boo.

Quiz me: Mac or PC?

2007-08-09T18:40:00.001-04:00

You Are a Mac

You are creative, stylish, and super trendy.
You demand the best - even if it costs an arm and a leg.

Are You a Mac or a PC?

Well, I just had to take this quiz... clearly as an Apple fanatic since 1984, I am a Mac. :)

water is good, but "bisphenol-a" is bad?

2007-08-09T10:59:00.000-04:00

A few months ago, my parents sent me a somewhat alarmist email about plastic. The concern? They ran across an article on the internet stating that hard plastic water bottles marked with recycle symbol #7 contained Bisphenol A and that this could cause all sorts of health problems.

So I did a little research of my own. A little browsing around the internet and journal searches turned up a few things...

First of all "#7" plastic doesn't mean a whole heck of a lot. This label means "other". 1-6 are all specific types of plastic, everything else is 7. Ok. So just because my two water bottles are labelled #7 doesn't mean I'm doing any harm.

However, Lexan (a GE brand), also polycarbonate, plastic, which I do know at least one of my water bottles is made from, does contain Bisphenol A. *Most* clear hard colourful plastics marked #7 are Lexan.

Searching around some journals, I found a few articles expressing some degree of concern about the effects of Bisphenol A in rats. Nothing terribly conclusive as far as I can tell (I am not a biologist, I know very little about physiology, or the kinds of methods used in those studies), but the authors consistantly called for further study, and advised caution.

While this is a whole other issue, it should be noted that whether you absorb enough Bisphenol A to do yourself damage, in the kinds of large doses which can be released into the environment during manufacturing, humans and other organisms in the area can be affected significantly. That in mind, it is up to you whether you choose to buy a new Lexan bottle or avoid doing so for environmental and social reasons. I bought mine years ago now and was unaware of any of this at the time. I might have considered choosing something else had I known, though I suspect most plastics manufacturing has similar consequences.

Back to the health issues... Being uncertain, I have more or less left my water bottles in the kitchen cupboard for the past few months. Usually, a lack of conclusive data leads me to ignore the cries of the internet and carry on whatever I was doing before. However, given the small amount of data indicating reason for concern, and consequences like birth defects, infertility, and breast cancer, I decided that drinking city water in a mug at work is a reasonable alternative to taking a water bottle of Brita filtered water from home. If I'm heading into the wilderness (a rare occasion) or a long day around the city, I'll take one of my bottles.

But today I read this: ScienceNOW: Common Plastic Ingredient May Be Cause for Concern

A federal advisory panel meeting here today concluded that a hormonelike chemical found widely in food containers, bisphenol A, could potentially be causing neurological effects in fetuses and children. Although the group's conclusion, based on a wealth of animal and human studies, falls short of supporting any kind of ban, the panel expressed "some concern" about the chemical and noted that people may want to reduce their exposure.

...

Still, critics accused the panel of ignoring many other relevant studies. They point out that 38 bisphenol A experts and other scientists who met at a workshop last November concluded that people are exposed to doses that cause many other effects in animals, such as enlarged prostate and larger body size. The consensus statement of the November group, which is in press at Reproductive Toxicology, describes "a great cause for concern with regard to the potential for similar adverse effects in humans."

I think I'll be leaving those bottles on the shelf awhile longer. Maybe it's time to replace them with an HDPE or aluminum bottle.

Here are some other references:

Nalgene product specifications - find out which plastic is which

American Chemistry Council: Plastic packaging Resin codes [PDF], or get them from Wikipedia: Resin identification code

Wikipedia: Lexan

Wikipedia: Bisphenol A

Some of the kinds of articles that are bringing out concern and muddying the waters, so to speak: Bottle Racket: On plastic water bottles, CityTV news: Water Bottles, The Bisphenol-A Debate: A Suspect Chemical in Plastic Bottles and Cans

What language am I?

2007-07-30T12:19:00.000-04:00

Like the lemmings, I leap off where others do in my procrastination...

Your Score: Hieroglyphics

You scored

You are Egyptian Hieroglyphics! Monumental, ornate and even in technicolour! Your users contributed virtually all ancient knowledge on inks, dyes and writing surfaces - to the point where the popular reed of Papyrus became the universal name for organic, manufactured writing surfaces in the western hemisphere for thousands of years. Proud, upstanding and dignified.

Link: The Which Ancient Language Are You Test written by imipak on OkCupid, home of the The Dating Persona Test

seen here, there, and everywhere

time to try some motivational techniques again

2007-07-30T11:23:00.000-04:00

Inspired by the (attempted) motivational techniques being implemented over at Dr. Brazen Hussy's place I've attached a list of things that ought to be done in August to my sidebar. I'm trying to keep it realistic (ok, so maybe even some of that isn't), so it's only 14 items long (for now) rather than 50!

Don't know if this kind of public accountability thing will help this time around, but at least Dr. Hussy can be amused and spy on my to do list!

Ravelry... because I need more internet communities to distract me

2007-07-29T16:30:00.001-04:00

yarn diet?, originally uploaded by physics*chick.

So, I've signed up for Ravelry, a knit and crochet online community thing, that looks like just so much fun. You can show off your projects, browse around other peoples' projects, list your stash yarns (stash? what stash? i don't have a stash... achem), search for patterns to match yarns and see what other people have done... why, it's going to be like Flickr, but for knitting, maybe even better! :0

The catch is they're still in beta, so they are sending out invites as fast as they can handle new users. I waited too long to sign up:

Found you!

You signed up on July 20, 2007

You are #19118 on the list.

11687 people are ahead of you in line.

2401 people are behind you in line.

33% of the list has been invited so far

*sigh*

My first sweater experience... to be continued...

2007-07-29T13:41:00.001-04:00

riiiip it?, originally uploaded by physics*chick.

So there it is, the beginings of my first sweater. I'm starting to wonder if my sweater attmepts are to be forever cursed. I set out to make this design by drops my first sweater. I got the yarn (drops alpaca in a lovely burgundy colour). I finished other projects before starting this exciting venture. I swatched. Oy. My gauge was completely off, I changed needle sizes, and well, I was just dismayed by the fabric created when I actually got gauge. I packed the yarn up and shoved it to the bottom of my stash (I'm starting to consider other ideas for this yarn now, maybe Arisaig which I've had my eye on since picking up knitting again), and set out to knit this instead. After such a success (bulky yarns are great for confidence aren't they?), I set out after another first sweater attempt...

The details:

"Cable cardigan" from instant expert: Knitting (I'm still on the fence as to whether this book is good or not. The patterns don't have "sizes" persay, but rather suggest changing gauge, which is strange, and not so good, and I've found several errors already, but the patterns are good for inspiration and there is a nice stitch library and some decent how-to for beginners...)
Plymouth yarns Galway Highland Heather in colour 705 (a nice navy) and it is lovely and soft and springy (bought from kpixie, a quick and pleasant experience ;) )
now using 4.5mm needles (less than the recommended for the yarn), 4mm for ribbing

So, now to explain why the heck Pistachio Frog is sitting contemplating my sweater progress. Well you see, the sweater the back piece is sitting on top of is my very smallest sweater. Infact, that sweater is almost too small when worn over anything of any bulk. So as I headed into the arm shaping, I started to contemplate frogging the whole damn thing and starting over. Oh sure, it sounds extreme and reactionary... but I did set it aside for two months and think about the consequences of finishing a sweater that I couldn't wear and would be too small to give to anyone either. Ripping it out and starting over didn't sound like a bad option in comparison.

But did I mention that this is my very first sweater, and that actually I don't know what I'm doing? And the pattern doesn't have sizes? That would mean having the time to sit down with a calculator and rework all the increases and decreases required including the neck shaping which is something that terrifies me because I just don't understand it. So I finished some socks instead (more on that later).

Finally, I posted this photo to Flickr, where there are many supportive knitters, and I experimented with blocking my swatch (oh yeah, I swatched baby), and so deciding that blocking can solve anything (well, at least with this yarn) I am plowing ahead. Hopefully there will be no more catastrophies. Right? Somehow I doubt it...

At least for now, I have some knitting to do.

more film, life in colour this time

2007-07-24T12:42:00.001-04:00

lone sailboat, not lonely, originally uploaded by physics*chick.

More photos from out west and trip home, this time taken with the Olympus. First colour roll of film. I chose a pro film that was supposed to have high saturation and cool tones which worked out well for the Ferry. Unfortunately many of the scans lacked the saturation and good tone depth that the prints had, so I tinkered with them in iPhoto. Anything that looks a bit strange is likely a result of my over processing the scans... except for the japanese maple, that one looks just as trippy in the print! :)

Specs:

Olympus OM-1
Zuiko OM 50mm/f1.8 lens
Fujicolor pro 160C color negative film (ISO 160)

I ♥ this camera.

my iPod deserves the best, right?

2007-07-20T13:10:00.000-04:00

I've been eyeing these iPod cases for awhile now. Handcrafted leather by Vaja. They actually make beautiful handcrafted cases and bags for many things besides iPods, and if I won the lottery, my laptop, and any other electronic gizmos I had or desired would probably be outfitted with slick, beautiful and functional homes as well. But maybe possibly I could splurge on my iPod and get it one of these customizable beauties to replace that little black faux-suede case it came with....

drool.

one talented cat

2007-07-19T14:24:00.000-04:00

No, I haven't been hanging out at Jazzfest too much and started calling everyone a "cool cat". No, I mean an actual feline with musical talent. For a laugh, and a bit of amazement check out Nora the piano playing cat.

My violin teacher had a cat who knew scales and studies and used to meow when students made mistakes, but nothing matching this kind of musical aptitude.

vacay is a good thing

2007-07-13T11:03:00.001-04:00

big BC sky, originally uploaded by physics*chick (aka saburke).

So we recently went out west (to what I often call the "wrong side"... being a east coast sort) for a summer school, a wedding, and a wee little vacation.

Some comments about Victoria BC:

People drive 35km/hr. No joke. We were almost late for the wedding. 35 people!!! THIRTY-FIVE!
The weather is adjusted for optimal comfort in the summer. Warm, but not too warm. Dry, not muggy, but not too dry either. Everyday as we exited the hotel and I wondered if I'd dressed appropriately for the weather, a giant smile just crept up onto my face as I realized that it didn't matter, because I was just going to be comfortable all day.
Downtown gets pretty empty in the evening. Don't try to find something to eat after 9pm. It will be difficult.
J.J. Wonton Noodle House is still amazing. And according to their fortune cookie I will have "good money-luck next month". Here's hoping for that.

We had fun just relaxing and wondering around for a few days in a place we both briefly called home.

Vacation is good.

Best of digital photos are up on Flickr now, and my film should be ready, I just have to pick it up and post those.

I'm still alive

2007-06-02T19:56:00.001-04:00

over here, originally uploaded by physics*chick (aka saburke).

...and I will blog again. Really... maybe not soon? but someday.

I've posted my 2nd roll of photos from my Olympus OM-1. More black and white. I'm even more thrilled with this roll than the first.

Specs: Olympus OM-1, Zuiko 50mm f1.8 lens, Ilford black & white ISO 125.

... and now for something different

2007-05-23T14:16:00.000-04:00

I've decided to start a new section of "Mad Scientist" here I will call: "covet". Yes, I want things. I want lots of things. I'm betting you all do too and will drool over things with me here.

Today I want these:

Aren't they beautiful? The other colours are gorgeous too... really I'm not sure if I could decide. Fluevog makes the most interesting pretty, pretty shoes (and he's canadian... so I'd be supporting the economy... right? right??). I aspire to own a pair someday. I nearly bought boots last fall... a moment of weakness shopping with a friend... thank goodness they didn't have my size.

is this just a vain attempt to pull myself out of my blogging slump? is it really just that i don't feel like working today because i need something to be delivered and just found out it hasn't even been shipped and the alternative isn't fun at all? maybe... li'l column a, li'l column b...

happy spring

2007-05-21T17:49:00.001-04:00

cosmic sky, originally uploaded by physics*chick (aka saburke).

spring/summer has arrived in Montreal... I hope for real this time after flip-flopping on the matter several times and almost landing snow on us last week.

busy these days, work, visitors, parents, friends. all's well. enjoying the nice weather.

took this as part of a set of photos of some of the flowers i planted on the balcony. the rest are on flickr.

oh, poor neglected blog...

2007-04-09T12:47:00.000-04:00

i've been really busy... and since i've sworn off complaining about how busy i am (because it is oh so unproductive in so many ways), i just haven't been able to post. but lots soon! promise!

for now, enjoy this annimated version of my life... there was no "lab" background (like no one has those! sheesh!) we'll call this my office...

hee hee...

thanks to styleygeek for the fantastic procrastination suggestion! tah-tah for now!

edit: ok, weirdness, but it looks like somehow the image changed as I continued to umm procrastinate on the meez site. should be me at my desk!

Cool kid gets cool shot...

2007-03-13T13:47:00.000-04:00

This story in the Toronto Star just has to make you smile. This kid gets a new shot on life, and a great shot in net, getting to practice with the Leafs after receiving a double lung transplant to treat his cystic fibrosis. He must be feeling on top of the world right now, and rightly so.

Way to go kiddo... keep it up. Hope to see you in nets for the ol' Maple "buds" for real someday! (a lot of times it seems they could use the help...)

The first roll...

2007-03-06T17:54:00.001-05:00

the couple, originally uploaded by physics*chick (aka saburke).

... from the OM-1 I got for Christmas!

Specs:

Olympus OM-1 body
50mm f1.8 Zuiko lens
Kodak 200 ISO Black & White film
Developed and scanned at a shop here in Montreal (not developing anything myself just yet)

The rest of the roll can be found in this photoset (minus two that were poorly exposed, 1 of hubby, and 1 pretty out of focus dog).

Now it's loaded with 125 ISO Ilford Black & White. I've already taken a few, but it's a 36 exposure roll, so it might be a little while before I go through it and get them developed. I can't wait to play with it more though!

people must be disappointed...

2007-03-01T14:00:00.000-05:00

Inspired by StyleyGeek's Tuesday space-filling post on search terms bringing readers by...

Here are the last 21 search terms that directed to this blog:

mad scientist quotes
knit blog erika knight classic military
a story of something good happening when someone kept a exotic pet
funny mad scientist
mad scientist cake
jule' malet-veale flickr
knitted hockey washcloths
mad science birthday show
bart simpson grad student
mad thumbs
mac mad flickr
graduate students terrible life choices
jule malet-veale
mad scientist quotes
kelly cardigan knitting
nova scotian who had a hit with testing 1-2-3
texshop photographs
you might be a nova scotian if
mad about stitching
organizing pdf papers bibtex freeware endnote
funny crossed eyeglasses

Granted the oddity of this list speaks somewhat to the eclectic (ie. scattered) nature of this blog, but I can't help but think that many people must be disappointed when they get to my blog and there are no tips on giving "mad science birthday shows" or recipies for "mad scientsist cakes".

Oh, and for those of you looking for our wedding photographer: Jule Malet-Veale's website (if you're actually looking for a wedding photographer in Halifax, she was very good by the way! ... um, if perhaps a tad slow with the prints).

And if you are a knitterly type and don't care about the sciency stuff, or the grad school stuff, click knitting in the sidebar under "filing system".

If you want Bart making fun of grad students go here.

If you're looking for exotic pets, I can't help you!

Je Vote

2007-02-26T12:41:00.000-05:00

As it's election time around here there have been signs going up saying "Je Vote"... an encouragement I guess for all of us to get out to the polls on election day.

That has nothing to do with this post.

I want you to head over to Jim Gibbon.com to vote on the Haiku contest. You can vote for my contriubtion under physical sciences (I'd be thrilled!)... or not.

Just go vote.

Why?

Because.

photographic lull... old pics to keep you amused!

2007-02-22T15:20:00.001-05:00

curiosity, originally uploaded by saburke.

I've been in a bit of a photography lull these days. Mostly because it's been so cold outside; I just can't imagine pulling my fingers out of warm mitts to take pictures... even after a beautiful fresh snowfall. I also need to get over to the place I get film developped to submit my first roll from the Olympus OM-1, and pick up some more film. I'm still really excited about it, just haven't had a chance to do anything with it.

Anyway, to keep you all amused, I've posted some of the pictures I took last year in Germany when I went to the Duisburg Zoo to Flickr. I like the way a few turned out, and animals are generally amusing anyway!

new and improved blog! new features!

2007-02-22T12:18:00.000-05:00

Ok, well, one new feature. I added a weather box to my sidebar. Now you can see how cold it is in winter (ok, not very cold today) here, and how freakin' hot it gets in summer!

As hubby said the other day: "You know you live in a crappy climate when it makes you uglier."

No, that wasn't directed at me, or he would have gotten a pretty ugly stare down rather than a chuckle. Though... *sigh* ... no amount of special soaps, or "potions", water, or vitamins can save my skin and hair from this climate. Thank goodness spring is around the corner! *fingers crosed* Meanwhile, I need to work on getting us out of here and into healthier climes! California sounds good, no?? ;)

where am i?

2007-02-22T12:02:00.000-05:00

I guess I haven't posted in awhile. I had planned to put up a birthday post on Sunday, and possibly even do a birthday self-portrait photo shoot... but since I spent most of the day in the lab I was cranky. So no post for you! Sorry... not your fault, I'll try to behave.

Anyway, I'm tired of complaining about work here, so I'm trying a new policy akin to the "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" advice. I'm going to make a concerted effort to avoid the "waaahhh, everything sucks" post. That may mean a sparser blog for awhile, but I don't want my blog to become a negativity feedback mechanism, and honestly, who wants to read a whiney blog?!

Related cute, anecdote: When I was still just a little tot, my mother claims she tried to sit me down and talk to me about "whining". Knowing my Mom, I'm sure she sat with me and tried to reason that there was no purpose in mere whineing, and tried to make sure I understood as she went. At the end she asked once more if I understood, and I apparently nodded knowingly and with a big smile on my face said "No wine, apple juice!"... a reference to getting apple juice in a wine glass at dinner parties where the "grown-ups" were having wine. Clearly I had missed the entire point... I guess she just laughed and accepted that I might just be a bit young to grasp that one.

So, turning a new leaf here. Mad Scientist will (hopefully) no longer be Whiney Mad Scientist.

No whine, apple juice!

Academia!Entertainment is Haiku:participate you.

2007-02-15T13:20:00.000-05:00

Check out this fun contest over at Jim Gibbon.com, challenging the academic blog-o-sphere to write their research in Haiku.

Here's my contribution:

Buckminsterful|erene on KBr studied by High Res'n NC-AFM: Molecu|ar nucleation and growth on an insulator*

C₆₀ islands.
molecules do not like salt;
strange shapes resulting.

Yup. Acutally that's pretty much it in a nutshell. Sad that it boils down to 17 syllables...

*(Excuse the "typos"; I deliberately messed with the title a bit to make it not appear when googled...)

Knitting: first article of real clothing!

2007-02-13T21:32:00.001-05:00

My new vest... made by me!, originally uploaded by saburke.

Ok, so it's a chunky knit vest (hahaha... take that sleeves!), that took me less than two weeks to complete despite being insano busy. Here's the run-down on the details:

Pattern: "Tank Top" from "Classic Knits" by Erika Knight

Yarn: Substituted suggested Rowan Big wool for Araucania Limari, a hand-dyed bulky weight wool/alpaca/silk blend, in "black" which is actually more like a charcoal grey. 2.5-3 skeins, each 100gr/56m.

Needles: 10mm and 12mm.

Gauge: pretty close to the specified 8sts/4in on 12mm (ahem, there is an error in the pattern gauge, it reads 18sts when it should read 8sts). I was going to knit a size up with this yarn, but since the gauge was reasonably close and the garment meant to fit snugly I stuck with my original size.

The pattern is written in a reasonably understandable manner for someone who has done a bit of knitting. That said, I got a bit confused with the neck shaping, and I have some suggestions for the decreases.

In particular, the pattern for the front of the vest is written out for only one side of the v-neck. The other side is stated merely as "complete to match first side, reversing all shaping". Ok, I'm decent at geometry and all, so this isn't so hard. However, the decreases for the first side (right side as you look at it) read k2tog tbl (knit 2 together through the back loops) to make a left slanting decrease. Naievly, I assumed that I could just use k2tog on the other side to make a right slanting decrease. Except these two decreases bare no resemblance to eachother but in name! k2tog tbl creates loops that cross the stitches knit together, this doesn't happen with k2tog at all. I stared in horror (ok, so I was being a little over-dramatic, but this is my first garment ever, I wanted to love it!) at my totally completely asymetrical vest. I took out the row. I knit it again. I stared in horror again. Repeat. On the third attempt I started looking for alternatives as I'd determined at this point I was decreasing quite properly, but using the wrong one. Upon consulting the great internet I came across: the great life-saving visual chart of decrease techniques (there's one for increases too). Thank-you Amy Finlay. Thank-you for explaning knitting in ways I understand, and sharing with the world through the power of the internet.

I used the "crossed right slanting decrease" on the second side of the front, which matches k2tog tbl satisfactorily.

Alternatively, I might have used an ssk on the first side and merrily k2tog on the second to match.

Interestingly, the photograph in the book appears to have the garment knit as I started to do, with k2tog tbl and k2tog... but it really seems strange for me to have two sides of a vest not be mirror images of each other!? Maybe I'm too much of a perfectionist...

The other note I have is that the armhole shaping suffers the same mismatch, and I'd suggest using ssk rather than the k2tog tbl as it won't be loopy... I don't really care that I didn't notice at that stage however as this more or less ends up in your armpits... so, as you wish. ;)

Anyway, I enjoyed making this, and I've already enjoyed wearing it. The bulky yarn is super-warm, so even without sleeves I was toasty. Ok, so I wore a thin cotton jacket over it...

As for the rest of the book, I've got my eye on both the "military cardigan" and the "kelly cardigan" (I like cardigans...). But I'm really excited to try the "Bardot sweater" which is a rolled top, sortof off the shoulder sweater in a less bulky, but still fairly chunky gauge.

More photos (L-R: yarn ::"knitting with pylons" aka, orange, plastic, 12mm needles :: in progress :: finished!):

click image to view on flickr

too many monkeys

2007-02-10T21:01:00.000-05:00

Lately, for both hubby and I, work has primarily been a case of too many monkeys on our backs. You know the feeling? Like there are always a bunch of little things naggling at you, and you can't get any real work done becuase you are carting around a bunch of hairpulling, noisy, little monkeys? To add to it, we've both got home monkeys as well as work monkeys on our minds... little stuff like appointments that need to be made, projects around the apartment, etc. Of course the work monkeys have taken priority for the most part... meanwhile, I still need a haircut, a doctor's appointment, new eyeglasses, and a trip to the dentist. At what point is it reasonable to say, no, I need to look after myself?

Anyway, Hubby brought up the monkeys analogy this morning (as he was sorting through online optics catalogues for work.. on a Saturday morning), and so all day as we've dealt with various assortments of them, we've peered over our shoulders at the imaginary monkeys and made little monkey noises. Sometimes I think we are losing our sanity...

The whole thing reminded me that my Dad got quite a kick out of the phrase "Please check your monkeys at the door", to the point in fact where I made him a sign for his office. Not sure if people really stopped passing off their monkeys to him... but humourous none-the-less.

I wonder if I made a sign, or added it to the signature line of my email if people would get the hint??

(Note: Graphic shamelessly stolen from Telus Mobility site)

Le point de craquer*

2007-02-09T12:33:00.000-05:00

I think I need to read this in detail: Six steps to a stress-free career (seen at: YoungFemaleScientist).

Of course, not everything (or much) is really under one's own control on that list...

Create a good space: Mm-hmm... mm-hmm... I hear you there. I hate working in the sunless, cold, noisy (pumps), uncomfortable chair lab environment unless I'm doing an experiment and actually have to be in this environment. But I'm also not to keen on working in my overly warm, moth-infested, noisy-neighbour, bad creaky chair environment of my office either. Except... I don't think anyone would take kindly to my demanding a sunny corner office with no noisy co-workers, and a light pipe for the lab so we don't feel so much like Doozers (Fraggle Rock? Anyone?).
Raise your status: Mm-HMM... yes, being the boss would alevieate stressful incidents like last night, what a great solution, dang-nabit, why didn't I think of that?!? Except... I don't think anyone is going to hire me until I've jumped the hoops... and even then it will be a while before I can start pawning off responsibilities and get that nice corner office complete with real sunshine.
Be social: Uhhh... lost me here. I mean sure, a little chit-chat might feel good at the time, but it's like a sugar hit. Get back to your desk and realize your to do list is just as long as when you left? Crash... sugar-low. A little socializing... ok, but I think it's rare for grad students anyway, in shared offices and lab spaces to be lacking in social contact.
Don't be too social (aka: too many interruption): Yup. They say the average worker has 3 minutes to focus between interruptions. Yipes. You see this is what happened yesterday... everytime I turned around another task popped up making it virtually impossible to complete tasks. I just ended up with a to-do list in constant flux.
Learn to switch off: This is exactly what I didn't do last night. It started out well, Hubby and I had dinner, watched some TV (yay, Grey's Anatomy! except... they won't kill off Merideth will they??? they can't... right??), I did some knitting. Then I picked up my computer to do some aimless web-browsing or possibly play a few turns of Civ before bed, and somehow I automatically clicked on email immediately after turning on Airport. Ok... sure... whatever, might as well confirm there's nothing there, or maybe a message from a friend? No harm? Right? Email from boss... bad idea. If I'd just left it alone, I wouldn't have worried about it until the morning when it likely would have been too late to do anything about it. And so be it. It wasn't like I stopped work early (~6:30-7pm... right around when the email was sent). It would have been perfectly reasonable for a normal person to have simply just not gotten the message. Dang. No more email at home. Not unless there's a reason.
Modern stress-busting (yoga and other trendy things): Sure whatever. I'm going to hockey class in an hour and a half and have a game on Sunday. Maybe slapping some pucks around will help with my stress. It's also social, being a team sport and all.

Moral of the story? Probably the worst stressor of all for grad students is having the majority of these things out of our control. So take a deep breath, pound down some coffee, find a way to get your aggression out, and wait for that glorious moment when you get to the top and can demand that perfect office.

* title taken from a grade school french text I had: "le point de craquer" was at the top of the "stress-o-metre"... "je suis a le point de craquer!!!!" became a silly expression amongst my friends and I.

i ♥ PhD

2007-02-08T22:40:00.000-05:00

"Piled Higher and Deeper" that is... the comic.

I just lost it... I just went officially batty.

Two days ago, I submitted a paper I worked on for ~6 months. It is 9+ journal pages long. Anyone who's written a paper of that length, I'm sure knows what pain, oh what pain that is. That damned paper also represents work I've done... no, committed to for the last 4 years of my life. 4 years → 9 pages.

Normally, I think that would warrent a bit of a break.

Except... I can't really rest on my laurels because there is another to write, and word on the street is someone else has observed something similar in a really similar system. I think it's okay... I won't exactly be scooped, but the shine will be taken off of it a bit if I don't get to it first. So I've got to get this sample done next week to prove (enh... maybe disprove, but I'm pretty sure of this one) a biggo hypothesis I've got and get right back to writing.

On top of this...

Yesterday Hubby and I had to go to this politico conference/buisness schmooze thing and put up the posters that we've been dragging around to conferences to show how awesome nano is here. No one cared... but we added to the statistics of the number of "great posters by students". Super...

Today, I had just gotten to work set up my laptop and was about to head to the little girl's room after being out in the cold (you know, morning coffee + cold air = trip to little girl's room?) when Supervisor pops by with the job candidate for today for a lab tour.

Once that was done (and I made my trip to the little girl's room), I check email. Re: submitted paper, problems with manuscript (wha????). Re: TIME SENSITIVE: scholarship app I asked about over a month ago... due IN ONE WEEK. Re: theory collaboration, put some results together can you look 'em over? Re: slides from pizza lunch talk for new undergrad project. Re: job talk at 11:30. Re: regular seminar at 4:00.

Somehow in the intervening spaces between talks and lab visits I actually dealt with the scholarship app (except transcript), looked over the theory stuff, though didn't reply yet. Went to BOTH talks. Found and sent the slides. And knocked 1 1/2 things off my existing to do list that I was OH SO LOOKING FORWARD to eliminating in these two last days of the week before I have to start a sample which will KILL next week (if I'm lucky!).

no... dice...

And then I got an email from Supervisor. Tonight. At 10:30pm. Can you take the speaker tomorrow morning? I have a meeting. Oh, and maybe have Hubby show him his stuff too. Hubby says "too bad, I've got stuff to do". Note: Hubby was not emailed about this... only me.

I nearly cried.

Last week it was publicity materials for this schmooze-fest we went to yesterday (in addition to the scientific poster). It seems I'm becoming go-to-girl. Although in a way I appreciate the respect, and the recognition that if I'm asked, it will get done... I'm tired. I need a nice long nap... maybe on a tropical beach.

Hubby told me to drink my beer. My beer that was supposed to celebrate submitting the paper, because I didn't drink it on Tuesday because we had to get up at 6am. I think I'm going to have to pour it down the drain again. Waaaa...

So when I went to PhD comics and saw this... I just laughed... and laughed... and laughed... not that I really feel it's particularly relavent (actually Supervisor doesn't usually come to see demos... perhaps because of group legend that this used to happen?) but... just... so... funny.... PhD comics: brightening the bleak and dreary lives of grad student everywhere.

I'm going to go cry myself to sleep now, so I can get up and to meet with Mr. Speaker bright and early tomorrow morning.

Science News: Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun...

2007-01-31T12:08:00.000-05:00

... won't ya please shine down on me! To make my skin healthy? Wait, aren't we supposed to stay out of the sun these days?

This recent study, featured in ScienceNOW: The Good Sun talks about how getting a bit of sun may trigger immune cells to be more active near the skin's surface eating up damaged and infected cells.

Oddly, I've always gotten the impression that a moderate amount of sun makes my skin (especially my face) feel and look healthier and less prone to break-outs. Of course, I'm careful to keep the amount of sun I get low and try to keep out of mid-day sun for fear of damage, and just plain old sunburns (which I get stupidly easily), but it does seem to me, especially in the winter when it's difficult to get much sun at all, that completely hiding from the sun not only makes me almost blindingly white, but my skin just doesn't look or feel very good and I'm constantly battling with it. I wonder if it's really this effect going on? Curious. Guess I'll try to poke my head outside while there's still daylight!

Friday Funnies with Flickr

2007-01-26T12:37:00.000-05:00

So, while browsing around on Flickr:Explore for some lunch eating entertainment, I came across this group:

Flickr: Stick Figures in Peril

Now, personally, being a huge fan of stick figures I LOVE IT. Excuse me while I go look through all my photos for something to contribute...

What I think a lot of us know to some extent...

2007-01-23T17:12:00.000-05:00

news@nature: Science blogger Bora Zivkovic/The editor of a new book, an anthology of science blogs, talks about how his blog saved his career in science.

How blogging brought him back to science, back to writing his thesis, why blog... interesting. Also touches on where Science Blogging may go in the future.

You can also check out his blog here: A Blog Around The Clock, though he claims there will be less posting now that he is working on his diss again... hmm... can anyone say procrastination mechanism?? Best of luck Bora!

Quote of the day

2007-01-23T15:54:00.000-05:00

PC: "Keyboard error: press F1 to resume"

Science news roundup: Where the mind wanders, More than the sniffles, Setting a good example

2007-01-23T11:16:00.000-05:00

Ever wonder where your mind goes when it wanders? This news item features a study examining what parts of the brain are active when the mind wanders... it suggests we have a sort of "default" setting which helps to generate spontaneous thought. Does this mean daydreaming might lead to that next great Eureka moment? Maybe someday it will be a good thing when the boss comes in and catches you off on a cloud?!?

ScienceNOW: Peering Inside the Wandering Mind

Mounting evidence that the 1918 flu pandemic turned us against ourselves; meaning our own immune systems did the dirty work putting the young and healthy in greater danger.

ScienceNOW: Portrait of a Killer

Editorial addressing issues of scientific misconduct on both the grand and seemingly minor scale:

news@nature: Leading by example

The article makes a few points I think are of note:

"No aircraft are going to fall out of the sky because somebody fudged a graph in a materials-science journal. Rather, the problem is the time wasted by other scientists chasing up minor and not-so-minor infractions in pursuit of their own research."

This is quite true... most pure research never directly makes it to the public, so it isn't going to be the public at risk, but rather the "front line scientists" (mostly graduate students, post-docs, and junior researchers) who will have to wade through the crap, puzzling over this equation, or that graph, and trying to make sense of what may have been fudged, or even just not checked thoroughly.

"But most important of all, as the first scientific studies of the factors behind good conduct confirm, is the example set by senior researchers themselves. It is here in the laboratory — not in the law courts or the offices of a university administrator — that the trajectory of research conduct for the twenty-first century is being set."

Here's where I like to make the analogy of research groups to families... a professor in my department once told me about meeting up with his "scientific sister"; they had done their PhD's together, and the analogy made so much sense to me. Your supervisor(s) and other senior researchers that you interact with are like scientific parents: they are your role models in everything from measures of success to ethics to how you conduct yourself on a day-to-day basis. You "grow up" scientifically during these impressonable years and learn how to conduct yourself in research and in communication, and it is natural to look up to those people near you with more experience. I think that last statement of the article is critically important. Perhaps today when problems with cheating in schools, and "padding" resumes has become almost acceptable, it will become increasingly important to be aware of the example being set for the next generation of "science kids".