Default

Researcher at a board: "Any questions?" "..." from the audience. The researcher: "Okay, I'll assume everything was clear." Caption: I think we need a new default assumption.

The trick for engagement: “Whoever didn’t understand anything of what I said, please say nothing.”

08 Oct 2021

Programming

Three panels. First panel (Caption: Hours of debugging): A researcher writing code at their computer. Second panel (Caption: One satisfying second for launching it): The researcher clicks a key on the laptop. Third panel (Caption: Hours of staring at the job while it runs): "Well, it's 0.01% done."

I have some weird obsession checking the progress of code as it runs, even when I know that it’s going to be a while.

06 Oct 2021

Autodidact

A graph showing the amount of self-learning over time. The curve remains at zero for a long time, until the spiking up at the start of graduate school.

Where do you think those school fees go, anyway? Teachers?

04 Oct 2021

Magical Ingredient

A graph showing the proportion of time spent in the different parts of writing a paper. A small part is the initial draft, most of the line is revision, and then at the very end is publication. An arrow points to the revision section, noting: The not-so-magical ingredient to good writing.

Unless you hit on an amazing concept in the first draft, you shouldn’t be surprised to see changes between the initial and final product.

01 Oct 2021

Focus

Left panel: A scientist climbs a hill towards the top of a New Project, pulling their brain along the way. They say, "Almost there..." Right panel: The scientist turns around and points to something in the distance, letting go of their brain. "Hey, look at that random object!"

Doing research is putting this temptation aside over and over again.

29 Sep 2021

Polish

Left panel (Caption: Drafting): A scientist writing, with a huge stack of papers on their desk. "I'm on fire!" Right panel (Caption: Editing): The scientist holds one paper, while the rest are in the bin. "This is the only good page?!"

Actually, it’s only one line on that page.

27 Sep 2021

Subparts

Left panel (A girl and a boy talking about their assignments): The boy: "I'm happy the assignment looks short. Only two questions." The girl: "Short? Ha!" Right panel: The girl: "By the time you finish the subparts, you will understand the Latin, Greek, and Hebrew alphabets."

I’m not joking when I tell you that I once had a statistical physics assignment which had parts lasting until around part s).

24 Sep 2021

Mess

A plot of messiness of a board versus time. There are three regimes. The first (the steepest) is for someone that rewrites equations constantly and erases the board with their fingers. The second (moderate steepness) is for someone who has trouble erasing well. And the third (the shallow slope) is for someone with very clean writing.

There are many other variations. See Board Work.

22 Sep 2021

Recovery

A plot of effort versus time. There are successive highs, followed by long lows, showing the necessity of recovery. Caption: Why vacations are necessary.

Vacations are on my mind as I get back into the PhD life.

20 Sep 2021

Complete

Left panel (Caption: What we imagine): First researcher to the other one: "We did it! We achieved our research goal!" Right panel (Caption: What happens): First researcher to the other one: "Well, I can't think of anything else for us to look at, so we're done!"

This has not turned out to be a job for a person who likes clear objectives.

17 Sep 2021

To the past To the present