I have been busy picking my college, barely living through high school, and getting myself hooked up with a laptop.
For $1800 US I am now the proud owner of an AlienWare laptop.

Alien Lord, New Species

ALNS,,,
My mandibles flare with envy dude!!!
WOW
Green with jealousy!!
You rock

AlienWare is just

does it live up to the buzz ????

Pardon me for saying so, but what is the hitch with Alien Ware rigs? Is it purly the custom cases...? Because I know you can custom build a rig here in Melbourne to the same if not better specs as theirs for less money...

Mar.

Hey everyone!

I have been trying to find a new job

I had an interview arrainged so I tried to read up on the subject as much as I could, soon after I got told they wanted my to start ASAP !!!!

Then I had loads of paperwork to do...

Read more on the subject area ...

And now is my second week at an european aircraft manufacturer, so I am putting loadsof hours in to learn my job...

Hopefully, I will be able to respond to your emails in the next day or two...

Sorry for the delay

I've been busy with my PhD. I moved to a new city, a new school, got a new apartment 5 minutes from campus, and that has taken up pretty much all my time. I got through the first year well enough. I passed my first qual on my first try. My lab rotations went well enough. One had me design my own research project and carry it out, which went well. Turns out the experiment I came up with was one they were already working on, so it fit right in (although it hadn't been publicly announced so I didn't know that). In my next lab I made a computer model they needed to test a hypothesis they had developed to explain some unusual results that did not fit with current understanding of the system. The model was meant to test whether an alternative explanation could account for the results. My third was to make a data anaysis program, their current software was not sufficient to analyze the data they had collected in the way they wanted so they had me write a new software package. I also got to see some experiments from both those labs.

Unfortunately I could not get involved in the experiments in the second and third lab since they required I be trained and approved for animal experimentation. Unfortunately I have only been approved for human experimentation, meaning I could not be directly involved in the animal experiments. I did get to watch them, though, which was interesting.

I have one more rotation to go. Luckily it is a "wet lab", not working with live subjects. There are not really any approval I need to get to work with animal body parts.

I ended up going with the first lab as my ultimate lab for my thesis, for a variety of reasons I won't go into. Interestingly, the professor already had a thesis topic lined up for me, involves making a major new model (the 4 current models on the topic have some serious difficiencies) as well as doing experiments to collect the parameters for the model and test it against human subjects. Apparently he was impressed with my experiment I did for him and the model I did for the second rotation. I am good with both computers and live experiments so I wanted a lab that did both, and I made that clear to him from the beginning. It turns out that was a good thing, because that is what he was looking for. Two of his students are graduating so he has two openings, one going to me and another going to another guy I don't know very well (yet). Coincidentally, I ended up being assigned to this professor as a TA for one of his undergraduate courses. Also coincidentally, my best friend here got assigned as a TA to the same course. We have had most of our courses together (a coincidence), and did our third lab rotation together (also a coincidence), and generally study together (not a coincidence).

I am currently studying for my second qualifying exam, taking place at the beginning of July. It covers my two required courses and the two technical electives I took and expects me to be able to combine what I learned from multiple courses in a single question (my specialty, luckily).

I am pretty lucky, I got a special grant that gives me some special privelages. These include an office for my first year (first years don't normally get an office), I get to go to a special conference in a few weeks that first years aren't supposed to get to go to. I also get $1000 a year to spend on anything I want as long as I can justify it being remotely related to school. I got a 250 GB external LaCie hard drive, 2 gigs of RAM, and a 19 inch widescreen flat-panel monitor/TV for my laptop (giving me a dual monitor setup). Dual monitors are awesome, definitely worth it. I got this one because it matches the aspect ratio of my laptop's monitor. Switching between my external monitor and my TV-out is pain, though. My 2x DVD+RW drive broke, so Dell replaced it with an 8x double-layer DVD+/-RW drive. It takes about 3 minutes to burn a disc that took an hour on my old drive.

In other news, my little sister just got back from her semester abroad in London and her month-long tour through Europe. I haven't seen her yet, considering she as at home with my parents who live at the opposite end of the country from me. She is now busy with her summer job and looking for grad schools herself (although masters, not PhD, it seems my field is one of the few with post-bachelors PhD's). She is also supposed to start studying for the GRE's, although I don't think she has yet.

In yet other news, I learned my father is going to have to get his knees replaced. They are putting it off as long as they can since it is a major procedure and artificial knees have a finite life span. I talked to one of my friends, who does his research in that area. Apparently in the 3 years since I have taken biomaterials and biomechanics the life span of artifical leg joints has increased from 15 years to more along the lines of 30-40, so that is good news. The bad news is that his lab is working on a product that would greatly increase the amount of time they can wait before they have to put in artifical knees. This is bad news because it looks like it is going to be about a year late to help my father. We also just learned that my mother has asthma. Kind of odd for someone to develop asthma at that age, but apparently not unheard-of. Kind of unsettling because I had just studied asthma in one of my courses. Such courses usually talk about worst-case scenarios and my mother's is pretty mild, so I probably shouldn't be that worried.

TheBlackCat > that sounds really interesting. So what are your research areas?


Me? Been working loads of hours, leave easrly to avoid the traffic, then stay later to miss the afternoon traffic.
By the time I get home, I eat watch an hour of TV and off to bed.

The only time I get to do something are the weekends, which just fly by and then another week. Last weekend, I attended my friends Wedding. And now been helping a friend with his house renovations...

My research is in neural engineering. Basically neuroscience research, but using engineering principles and techniques to help the analysis. Many engineering principles such as circuit theory and computer modelling are extremely useful to neuroscience research, not to mention being able to design and program equipment. A lot can be learned about the human body by looking at it as a machine. All of my research so far has been on the sensory systems and how they interact with the brain. Mostly hearing, but I have also done some work in both balance and vision. My thesis project is on a new computer model of binaural hearing. I am sure you are aware having two ears is what allows you to identify where a sound is coming from. Less well-known is that it also allows you to hear better period. By being able to identify where sounds are coming from and just from simply being able to tell which sounds are the same in both ears and which aren't, you are able to greatly increase your ability to identify sounds over noise (for most people, I personally have some problems with that myself). Current models of this ability (there are 4) cannot deal with changing noise stimuli. My job is to make one that can. Apparently everyone else is avoiding the issue, no other labs in the world that my advisor is aware of are willing to deal with it. This means that I probably won't be beaten and have my project suddenly rendered useless. I also get to test human subjects to determine the parameters for the model (nothing invasive, I just need to give them certian stimuli and see whether they can identify the target sound or not).

Other research projects I have done involved a computer model of auditory brainstem responses (basically electrical signals detected on the scalp due to neurons firing in your brain after you hear a sound), a project trying to see how a 3D virtual reality moving environment alters someone's response when you trip them (I was given the problem and had to develop my own experiment and build some of my own equipment), a reseach project on whether lights that distract you will make it harder for your to hear (I developed that one completely on my own), a more advanced computer model of single-neuron sound discrimination in birds brains that a lab hoped would explain some weird data they were getting, and a more advanced data analysis function set needed to test whether analyzing data in a new way could answer some questions a lab had about information transmission rates in the cat optic nerve (would probably apply to humans, mammalian visual systems are all pretty similar).

Was the wedding any fun Prez?

That sounds such a cool area of topic (at least to me)

I was always fascinated with vision and hearing in the human brain. So I studied Psychology, but the University I ended up at did teach me anything in Psychology (nor the area I went to study). So I moved to pure sciences to finish my studies and get out.

There were some good point when I did “Brain, Function & Disorder” module, but that was about it. (taught by one exceptional lecturer)

There rest of the staff was incompetent and I sat there often correcting them instead of learning anything….


Re: Wedding > it was great. I can’t believe I am old enough to start seeing my friends get married !


Re: my recent days/weeks > This is very cheesy so bare with me on this one.
I have been a blood donor for about 3 years now, however recently I have been asked to donate my bone marrow (I signed up for the registrar when I started donating blood). So I have been busy getting to grips with what is asked of me as well as going for all the tests and consultation sessions…
So I almost caught up on all my emails and now I’m flooded again ! Sorry for the delay everyone .

I thought it would be best to air my moans in this thread....

as you might have picked up from some of my posts around the forums, I work for a large European company.

Work in a loose end... I am a sub-contractor. It's not great money (actually very bad). There are some very stupid reasons why this was done.

And you all probably have heard about the trouble the above mentioned employer has had. So we all have been rather scared of loosing our jobs (it's the wrong time of the year to look for a new one). So most of us have been putting extra hours in for free, keeping our heads down waiting for the axe to fall.

what really p*****d may us off what that we got more information from the press that our employer.

So, here I am doing 2 jobs at work and getting paid like a cheap secretary... hopefully I might be able to blackmail myself a pay rise, of will be forced to find a new job within the next 6 months.

What I am getting to is that I need to appologise for my scarcity over the last 8 or so weeks.

I am faced with a server migration issue as well that I will try and resolve ASAP (not getting much support from the current data centre owners, so need to find a new one)

Just because you are not around does not mean you are not coming back boss. I would expect you to deal with the most pressing issue first which I take it, you have done. In short, there is no need to apologize as far as I am concerned. And unemployment, damn, do I remember that, the hardest thing I have ever done is unemployment, its not so much the money thing, though it is a major issue. The killer is the stress...
"Where is the cash going to come from....?"
"I can't do any more to impress these employers...!"
and the worst: "How long does it take for them to make a decision and tell me?!"

Mar.

Hey everyone,

At the end of July, I started my new job. I am now a full time employee for Airbus, rather that working through agencies or external "prefered suppliers".

So, doing some extra hours in the week to get a head of things and sort out issues. My new roles places me as a go-to guy to sort out problems, as well as ensuring the process are followed.

I am also in the process of buying a house !!! My offer was accepted 6 weeks ago, still waiting for the stuppid solicitors to actually do something. :x

 

What has everyone else been upto?

Don't everyone speak at once now!

I am days from finally returning from Iraq, with a fantastic hand wound to remember it by.
On top of that I'm almost free of the military.

Over 6 years ago Mark and I created a name for the predator species for our fan fics. Yautja.
I've now heard and seen it used dozens of time, It's even in wikipedia!
Well Theres my 15 min of fame. What a shame no one knows I made the word after the sound wicket makes toward the end of Star Wars VI.

Awesome!

:/ you need some avertising for this site or somthin bro.
It's quiet in here.

I'm glad to hear you are back, I hope your hand injury is not too serious. Which part of the services do you serve in?

And yes, time flies by. I can also remember the first days of getting involved in all of this stuff, and now so many years... this silence is rather frustrating :(

So, I've moved into my new place. (still got loads of stuff at my parents place, free storage ;) ).

However.....

as SKY is soo slow, and appears not to really care about setting up it's customer with actual services, it might take upto 4 weeks for me to get an internet connection !!! (i moved in 2 weeks ago !)

So to right this post, I have to visit mum & dad !!! It's like being a teenager again ! :S

HOWDY!

It's been awhile, just taking a peek

Mar, if you want some serious metal, check out my youtube page

www.youtube.com/SlaytanicPOWER

how have yall been?

Yeap, I'm still here.

My computer has been acting up over the last few months 9it will not start) so can't always log in.

I got some content I need post up over the next week or  ;)

Good to see people still pop in from time to time.

So I was feeling nostalgic and decided to see if I couldn't find this site again (ah all the memories).
Nice to see its still up, if not so busy as it once was (I guess without me spamming and all :P )
Anyway just thought I'd drop by, say hi guys/girls! How's it going? Things on my end are a little up and down but overall pretty good :D

Hey!
I was thinking the same, as it's Xmas and all :)

I spent the last few days upgrading the server, few more patches to go, as I have been trying to make my mind up if I should pay for another year of keeping these site running or not

good god...it's been years but it seems alot of the old users are deciding to pop back and check up including me! It's nice seeing some faces i recognise from my younger days!