Comments on: Pamela on being a graduate vampire

By: Drwla

Drwla — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:33:53 +0000

The guys who talk about how graduate work is/was a pain in the ass shouldn’t be doing it. If what you’re doing for the degree isn’t fun (and quite possibly hard work as well), chances are you should be pursuing some other area of endeavor. The payoff is in your sense of achievement, and in the pride you feel in your results!

By: Dave Hall

Dave Hall — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 02:41:59 +0000

Quiet Desperation Says:
Hey, the folks who recorded audio on clay pots never got to hear it.

Now don’t go sassin’ me boy! My grandpa had a great collection of clay pot recordin’s!
He had all of the greats; Hamurabi and the Lawyers; the Gilgamesh Trio; Not to mention Sargon’s famous “Tigris Rag”–the long version with the lyre solo!
Can still play ‘em too ifn I can knap a new point on the needle fer the player–but they don’t make flint like the old days–just this cheap obsidian stuff!

By: King Aardvark

King Aardvark — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 19:28:56 +0000

I was like that during my Masters, except I’m not an astronomer; I’m an engineer. I only stayed up through the night because during the day my office was filled with other grad students loudly talking about poker. Not a great work environment.

By: CanadianLeigh

CanadianLeigh — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 19:10:05 +0000

Whoops, I should have proof read that last post. Pardon my spelling.

By: CanadianLeigh

CanadianLeigh — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 19:08:25 +0000

@Cdn Skeptic,
I had read in our local rag that a couple of astronomers that live in Whistler were trying to raise cash to buy the Dunlop and move it to Whistler as a tourist attraction.
As much as I like promoting astronomy for the regular public (which I qualify as), I thought this was a stupid idea. Locating a telescope of that caliber in a steap mountain valley in a rainforest is just plain dumb. Others I have spoken to at a local astronomy meat agreed and also added that moving anything other that the mirror would be a waist of money. Much better finding a new use for it where it is. I know that the U of T has some funding issues, but could this all be part of the anti-science that seems to be building up in various government bodies in our country?

By: Quiet Desperation

Quiet Desperation — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 18:47:34 +0000

We had to record our videos on wax cylinders–then wait 50 years for the TV to be invented so we could play them back!

Hey, the folks who recorded audio on clay pots never got to hear it.

Actually, I don’t think anyone has recovered any audio from a clay pot yet. Didn’t Mythbusters cover that?

By: Dave Hall

Dave Hall — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 18:10:15 +0000

Quiet Desperation Says:

Nope. My employer had a satellite video link to USC. I only had to be on campus for exams. Viva la space age! Or is it le? Who thought applying genders to things was a good idea? Pft! Everyone should speak English, the open source language.

Oh, and they even had VCRs you could program so we could watch the lectures on tape at home the next day.

Slacker! I would have wished for such technology–if it existed back then! VCRs?? Bah!! We had to record our videos on wax cylinders–then wait 50 years for the TV to be invented so we could play them back! You young ‘uns got it tooo easy–Now1 Getthehelloffmylawn!!!