I apologise to loyal followers of my monotonous life for a lack of recent updates. This is because I have not worked that much since my last post. Social mingling and last-time dinners have occupied my long weekend until today.
Today has been spent polishing my paper before dispatch to AVSH. I have just spent the last 7 continuous hours manipulating figures and pictures on Adobe photoshop. It has been without parallel the most uninteresting activity I have undertaken for some time.
Have added a couple more figures to my paper and need to spend a little bit of time writing that up tonight. Tomorrow necessitates a lab trip, half day doing my last ELISPOT and the other half searching for parasites in thousands of blood films.
Wednesday- mother arrives and I can look forward to a decent meal without having to venture out or making house-calls in Headington. My brain is too fried and dead to write anything more interesting and I am watching Anaconda(yes,the J Lo movie) like a true zombie.
Showing posts with label thesis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label thesis. Show all posts
Monday, May 28
Thursday, May 24
Scrivening Day 9
Having received critical emails from SG like"Put page numbers" in a rather exasperated tone and an even scarier "I cant send you the corrections in an email. I need to talk to you about it", my mood has slowly been deflated through the day. However, I think I have possibly figured out my next paper and only need to find the data to fit the figures. I sort of know what I want to write but have to critically analyse the data to allow me to write the paper.
Hopefully, my written paper forms Ch.3 and 6 of thesis and this second paper should cover Ch.4,5,7 and half of 8. So, I reckon if I can get this done then my thesis is half way there. The main difficulty in any paper is to get the figures just right. Having spent so much time writing, I sometimes look at words and wonder how they came about.
For example, the word "also", almost looks like a random mix of four letters. Etymology: [Middle English, from Old English ealsw
: eall, all; see al-3 in Indo-European roots + sw , so; see so1.] I sometimes forget how to spell words when I am in a fugue like state and "also" is one of those words which I often stare at wondering...
Another good example is "figure". Break it up fig + ure doesn't really make sense. fi+gu+re doesn't make sense. I was incessantly writing the word today and suddenly it appeared rather odd. So, I tried to look for its roots. It turns out that it is not a very old word. It comes from the Latin meaning shape or form and its other meanings like figurehead come from sailing terminology for figure on the bow of a ship. Interestingly, its scientific use as I seem to be using it often, is a Latin translation of the Greek word "skhema".
My google home page has a word a day from Merriam Webster dictionary and Dictionary.com. Merriam Webster usually has interesting, less commonly used words and gives a etymological history of the word while Dictionary.com seems to be educating those among us who have not done Barron's GRE word list.I still have to check out Wiktionary and the Free Online Dictionary which seem much better sources to improve my vocabulary and satisfy my curiosity.
What I find most annoying in my quest for arcane and antiquated vocabulary is a good online thesaurus. If anyone finds one other than the difficult Roget's online Thesaurus,let me know.
Hopefully, my written paper forms Ch.3 and 6 of thesis and this second paper should cover Ch.4,5,7 and half of 8. So, I reckon if I can get this done then my thesis is half way there. The main difficulty in any paper is to get the figures just right. Having spent so much time writing, I sometimes look at words and wonder how they came about.
For example, the word "also", almost looks like a random mix of four letters. Etymology: [Middle English, from Old English ealsw
: eall, all; see al-3 in Indo-European roots + sw , so; see so1.] I sometimes forget how to spell words when I am in a fugue like state and "also" is one of those words which I often stare at wondering...Another good example is "figure". Break it up fig + ure doesn't really make sense. fi+gu+re doesn't make sense. I was incessantly writing the word today and suddenly it appeared rather odd. So, I tried to look for its roots. It turns out that it is not a very old word. It comes from the Latin meaning shape or form and its other meanings like figurehead come from sailing terminology for figure on the bow of a ship. Interestingly, its scientific use as I seem to be using it often, is a Latin translation of the Greek word "skhema".
My google home page has a word a day from Merriam Webster dictionary and Dictionary.com. Merriam Webster usually has interesting, less commonly used words and gives a etymological history of the word while Dictionary.com seems to be educating those among us who have not done Barron's GRE word list.I still have to check out Wiktionary and the Free Online Dictionary which seem much better sources to improve my vocabulary and satisfy my curiosity.
What I find most annoying in my quest for arcane and antiquated vocabulary is a good online thesaurus. If anyone finds one other than the difficult Roget's online Thesaurus,let me know.
Scrivening Day 9
Just finished draft of paper and have sent it to ARS,SG and AM for corrections. Hopefully, by next week to AVSH. Now, to get back to analysing data.
Day 8 was a six hour working day. Spent till 2pm working and then played a cricket match at the Magdalen ground. DT scored a lovely 120 with Aussie NL playing a solid supporting innings of 50 odd. Amazing partnership of 187 which is probably the highest for any wicket at Linacre but also for any wicket against Magdalen.
My meager contribution was a 10 run - 5 ball slog of the penultimate over. What frightened me was how unfit I was. After taking a brace of couples, I was gasping for breath and got out to a rank bad ball simply because I had no intention of running.
Must remind myself to write a post about English chat on a cricket field. The two best you tube videos on sledging are both from wicketkeepers. Shall post them soon.
Day 8 was a six hour working day. Spent till 2pm working and then played a cricket match at the Magdalen ground. DT scored a lovely 120 with Aussie NL playing a solid supporting innings of 50 odd. Amazing partnership of 187 which is probably the highest for any wicket at Linacre but also for any wicket against Magdalen.
My meager contribution was a 10 run - 5 ball slog of the penultimate over. What frightened me was how unfit I was. After taking a brace of couples, I was gasping for breath and got out to a rank bad ball simply because I had no intention of running.
Must remind myself to write a post about English chat on a cricket field. The two best you tube videos on sledging are both from wicketkeepers. Shall post them soon.
Wednesday, May 23
Scrivening Day 8
Follow this link to learn the meaning of a scrivener. Day 7 was a washout because I went to the lab, met ARS and then came back home dog tired. So, have been bad boy and didn't do much work yesterday.
Shall update about today in another few hours.
Shall update about today in another few hours.
Monday, May 21
Scrivening Day 6
Have finished my discussion and almost all the writing and referencing for my paper. Am off to the lab to attend LA's lab talk. Its probably the last time that I shall attend one of her lab talks...and I do feel terribly sad about that. I love her lab talks because usually its something reasonably technical and useful unlike most of mine which are hypothesis based and therefore of no practical use.
POA for today - 1. Dont follow RM's chocolate rewarding rules (Mother seems scared that I shall begin to resemble a Smarties). However, do follow the reward system..sounds like a good plan. It obviously worked for RM so should work for me.
2. Lab - immunise,run errands and then finish figures in the evening and send paper to SG,AVSH and ARS.
3. Night - ?visit the "little terror" in headington and then back to lab to try and sort out next paper.
I am finding it very hard to think of my next paper because it is not really very positive data. I dont really know what to do about that? The general maxim in science publishing is never publish a negative result unless it refutes someone else's positive result. In fact, that is why science funding is so poorly managed. Invariably, a group is replicating unpublished negative findings done over three or four years ago by someone across the world from them. Lack of information of negative results leads to duplicate funding for previously failed projects. Of course, it is quite possible that different groups interpret negative results in different ways and sometimes groups often find alternative and successful directions from the same negative results. In any case, you do lose time and money if you spend a year getting results that have already been arrived at elsewhere.
In my case, I am a bit stuck and need to think of a way out of the problem. I might have to chat with people to get a better idea about how to present the data - which is my other area of disgruntlement in science publishing. Perhaps another rant on another day.
POA for today - 1. Dont follow RM's chocolate rewarding rules (Mother seems scared that I shall begin to resemble a Smarties). However, do follow the reward system..sounds like a good plan. It obviously worked for RM so should work for me.
2. Lab - immunise,run errands and then finish figures in the evening and send paper to SG,AVSH and ARS.
3. Night - ?visit the "little terror" in headington and then back to lab to try and sort out next paper.
I am finding it very hard to think of my next paper because it is not really very positive data. I dont really know what to do about that? The general maxim in science publishing is never publish a negative result unless it refutes someone else's positive result. In fact, that is why science funding is so poorly managed. Invariably, a group is replicating unpublished negative findings done over three or four years ago by someone across the world from them. Lack of information of negative results leads to duplicate funding for previously failed projects. Of course, it is quite possible that different groups interpret negative results in different ways and sometimes groups often find alternative and successful directions from the same negative results. In any case, you do lose time and money if you spend a year getting results that have already been arrived at elsewhere.
In my case, I am a bit stuck and need to think of a way out of the problem. I might have to chat with people to get a better idea about how to present the data - which is my other area of disgruntlement in science publishing. Perhaps another rant on another day.
Saturday, May 19
Scrivening Day 4
Went to sleep early yesterday and woke up late again today. I seem to be getting tired quite easily recently. Perhaps its the fact that my laziness enforces a diet of fruit,tomatoes,toast and honey with copious amounts of caffeine.
Anyway, was not able to finish introduction yesterday, so will finish article today. I might have to go into the lab tomorrow to apply some finishing touches to the figures, but otherwise want it all done by tonight.
I did spend an inordinate amount of time blog surfing yesterday. Its quite revealing what the internet supports. Apart from the not so uncommon solicitous bloggers, what surprised me were the number of Asian and Spanish bloggers. This is one blog which I know some readers of my blog will find interesting.
Being a lab rat, I have always wondered how life would be to spend the whole day in front of a computer answering emails within seconds of receiving it,internet surfing and obsessively checking BBC news. I now know. My breaks from writing usually entail me doing one of these three activities and sometimes I find myself spending more time reading about why Paris Hilton should not be jailed or whether Supernaturals is going to be aired again rather than adenovirus immunology.
Its about 11am and I am ready to start my writing day.
Anyway, was not able to finish introduction yesterday, so will finish article today. I might have to go into the lab tomorrow to apply some finishing touches to the figures, but otherwise want it all done by tonight.
I did spend an inordinate amount of time blog surfing yesterday. Its quite revealing what the internet supports. Apart from the not so uncommon solicitous bloggers, what surprised me were the number of Asian and Spanish bloggers. This is one blog which I know some readers of my blog will find interesting.
Being a lab rat, I have always wondered how life would be to spend the whole day in front of a computer answering emails within seconds of receiving it,internet surfing and obsessively checking BBC news. I now know. My breaks from writing usually entail me doing one of these three activities and sometimes I find myself spending more time reading about why Paris Hilton should not be jailed or whether Supernaturals is going to be aired again rather than adenovirus immunology.
Its about 11am and I am ready to start my writing day.
Friday, May 18
Scrivening Day 3
My new Thesis writing log. Day 3 began by waking up later than planned. Trip to lab was cancelled and the computer started.
Caffeine infusion brewed and position at table was taken up. One and a half hours later, nothing much was written but emails were sent.
The plan for the day was to finish the paper I am working on. I had a little bit of the results and M&M section to complete. After which I was to do the Discussion.
So far, I have completed the results section and am halfway through the Discussion. Had to go out into the park with coffee and three papers to think about my discussion plan. I noticed that it really helps if you can think of a structure to write or find some place to copy it from. I find that good papers are those with very good structure. I am using my second author paper as structure, which surely can only be classified as flattery and not plagiarism.
Should have the discussion down in another two hours or so after which jog in park. Then introduction followed by the difficult bit. References I need and then modify my discussion and results. Hopefully, by the end of the day I should have first draft of the whole thing done.
Tomorrow will be figure perfecting day and then writing the same results up for thesis.
Caffeine infusion brewed and position at table was taken up. One and a half hours later, nothing much was written but emails were sent.
The plan for the day was to finish the paper I am working on. I had a little bit of the results and M&M section to complete. After which I was to do the Discussion.
So far, I have completed the results section and am halfway through the Discussion. Had to go out into the park with coffee and three papers to think about my discussion plan. I noticed that it really helps if you can think of a structure to write or find some place to copy it from. I find that good papers are those with very good structure. I am using my second author paper as structure, which surely can only be classified as flattery and not plagiarism.
Should have the discussion down in another two hours or so after which jog in park. Then introduction followed by the difficult bit. References I need and then modify my discussion and results. Hopefully, by the end of the day I should have first draft of the whole thing done.
Tomorrow will be figure perfecting day and then writing the same results up for thesis.
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