Veronica's still looking for a new job. She has an interview Monday.
I have finished my Master's and only the administrative process remains.
A side discussion generated by the previous post: Do we create time or do we live in it?
Friday, July 27, 2007
Friday, July 6, 2007
24 Hours - Just not enough
I'm a strong believer in sleep, and once accounted for, 24 hours is just not enough. Needless to say, Veronica and I have been busy.
Veronica's new job
Most financial institutions are the same - illogical micro-managed companies missing commonsense people skills (Jon-Jon, you'd agree, right?). Not surprisingly, Veronica is going crazy working for unintelligent debt collectors. We're both hoping that Veronica will get the job as resource assistant for the GSS at UVic. This results in the same amount of cash (actually little more once you consider the benefits like dental) and she only has to work from 9 until 2. This is where I commit Veronica to her aspirations. She plans to volunteer after 2 o'clock to help children with disabilities; she wants to discover if working with disabled children (such as myself) is something she wants to do as a "career". If Veronica does not change jobs, or if she does and then does not profit from this (permanent) part time position to further her career, then everyone can dump buckets of shame on her for dreaming, and only dreaming.
My research
My PhD work-life is grand. Jens, my current supervisor, is great. I simply have no complaints!
But... (There's always a "but".) But, my master's sucks. My topic was never properly constrained, nor was it properly thought out. This is my fault; although many others feel that these errors can be attributed to poor supervision. The consequence of these errors is twofold: one, I did too much work for a Master's in roughly the same period as one would normally do a Master's, which translates into poor research. Second, I completed an experiment, I had results, and I did not know what question I was trying to answer or why, exactly, I did the research.
I never constructed a simple question that I could have answered in depth; answered properly. The reviewers saw through my facade of a thesis, but took pity on me and approuved it anyway. These reviewers rightfully pointed out many of my worst mistakes. It was clear that the thesis was bad science - something that one burns. I am now stuck trying to fix these mistakes to Ed's, my Master's supervisor's, satisfaction. I think he lives under the illusion that my corrections are actually improving the thesis. You can't sculpt shit into gold. You can't fix a house of cards. Ed, all of this work is pointless. My thesis is crap. Ed, sign the damn paper; let me finish my master's and move on. As a professor at UVIc said, "A Master's, who cares?".
I taught myself how to do research from my mistakes; but once it was too late. Hindsight is indeed 20/20.
Quadra
I saw my brother and his family in Quadra this past weekend. Quadra is an island between Vancouver island and the mainland. I also met some family that live here - out west. Veronica and I had a great time.
Etc
The Universe can be seen as a computational device. It simulates in real-time the Universe, itself, and is arguably self-computing. But, is this possible? Isn't something required to start the computation - the big bang. Did the big-bang start itself? Or, perhaps there is a machine computing the Universe.
On a related note, we should be able to go back in "time" (the past has been computed), but we can't go forward in time because we need to compute the future of the entire Universe. The only device that can compute the Universe is itself.
On the other hand, scientific models may be wrong. I guess time will tell.
Veronica's new job
Most financial institutions are the same - illogical micro-managed companies missing commonsense people skills (Jon-Jon, you'd agree, right?). Not surprisingly, Veronica is going crazy working for unintelligent debt collectors. We're both hoping that Veronica will get the job as resource assistant for the GSS at UVic. This results in the same amount of cash (actually little more once you consider the benefits like dental) and she only has to work from 9 until 2. This is where I commit Veronica to her aspirations. She plans to volunteer after 2 o'clock to help children with disabilities; she wants to discover if working with disabled children (such as myself) is something she wants to do as a "career". If Veronica does not change jobs, or if she does and then does not profit from this (permanent) part time position to further her career, then everyone can dump buckets of shame on her for dreaming, and only dreaming.
My research
My PhD work-life is grand. Jens, my current supervisor, is great. I simply have no complaints!
But... (There's always a "but".) But, my master's sucks. My topic was never properly constrained, nor was it properly thought out. This is my fault; although many others feel that these errors can be attributed to poor supervision. The consequence of these errors is twofold: one, I did too much work for a Master's in roughly the same period as one would normally do a Master's, which translates into poor research. Second, I completed an experiment, I had results, and I did not know what question I was trying to answer or why, exactly, I did the research.
I never constructed a simple question that I could have answered in depth; answered properly. The reviewers saw through my facade of a thesis, but took pity on me and approuved it anyway. These reviewers rightfully pointed out many of my worst mistakes. It was clear that the thesis was bad science - something that one burns. I am now stuck trying to fix these mistakes to Ed's, my Master's supervisor's, satisfaction. I think he lives under the illusion that my corrections are actually improving the thesis. You can't sculpt shit into gold. You can't fix a house of cards. Ed, all of this work is pointless. My thesis is crap. Ed, sign the damn paper; let me finish my master's and move on. As a professor at UVIc said, "A Master's, who cares?".
I taught myself how to do research from my mistakes; but once it was too late. Hindsight is indeed 20/20.
Quadra
I saw my brother and his family in Quadra this past weekend. Quadra is an island between Vancouver island and the mainland. I also met some family that live here - out west. Veronica and I had a great time.
Etc
The Universe can be seen as a computational device. It simulates in real-time the Universe, itself, and is arguably self-computing. But, is this possible? Isn't something required to start the computation - the big bang. Did the big-bang start itself? Or, perhaps there is a machine computing the Universe.
On a related note, we should be able to go back in "time" (the past has been computed), but we can't go forward in time because we need to compute the future of the entire Universe. The only device that can compute the Universe is itself.
On the other hand, scientific models may be wrong. I guess time will tell.
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