Watch it on Imax.

That is all.

Hello again.

I'm currently browsing through the book 'Control of Induction Motors.' It contains some seriously evil/cunning (I'm undecided) mathematics...

( Evil mathematics )

Bye for now.

Hello all.

I'm currently engaged in what the academic world calls a 'literature search' and I call 'a gi-f***cking-normous pile of reading.' Fortunately, a lot of the stuff I'm reading is electronic, which lets me save copies and use EndNote to handle the bibliography. At some point I will have to convert the EndNote library file into BibTeX format so that I can use it with LaTeX, which is an interesting program that compiles a marked-up input text file into really nice typesetting. Yes, compiles.

My Christmas shopping is almost done, and miratio and I have sorted out an apartment to move into next year, and I had a nice wee family Christmas dinner with my brother and sister and their partners.

On a sad note, I received word the university that I'd missed out on the Doctoral Scholarship ($25,000 per year for 3 years). This is despite having First Class Honors. Suck.

Hello all.

Today I bring shocking news: I actually enjoyed a Monday.

This is, I feel, a good thing. I am currently doing a lot of hideously technical reading and it's very interesting (well, to me, at least). I will also be getting to build a Doubly Fed Induction Generator (DFIG) test jig over the next couple of months, which will be very interesting.

I also have a somewhat sore wrist, so I won't be boring you with the cunningness of State Vector Pulse-Width Modulation (SVPWM) just yet.

Bye

Hello again all.

The first week of the PhD has come and gone.

Current victories:

• I now have a desk, with my own computer and locker
• I haven't completely forgotten how to handle unruly vector mathematics
• I will have equipment to play with!

Current issues:

• Having worked as a consultant for a couple of years, I have developed a 'you pose, I crush' approach to problems. This isn't really compatible with a PhD
• I've only picked up one name out of the postgrad students so far

In other news, ladym and I are heading off to some friends' place tonight for gaming.

Those adept in the use of apostrophes will note that the word friends' above is, indeed, genitive plural. Correct punctuation for your reading pleasure.

Well, today is the first day of my PhD.

Current victories:

• I can log in on the computers.
• I'm getting a desk of my very own. I haven't had one of those since intermediate school.
• I now have student grade bank accounts. No fees!!!

Current challenges:

• I need to get my access card programmed for the bike lock up.
• I kind of know most of the existing postgrad guys. But I can't remember anyone's name.
• I've gotten so used to work being done in a hurry that this whole 'take a fews days to think about which project you'd like' business is quite a foreign concept.
• I don't know everyone. Nor do they know me. I actually have to carry ID. This is something of a surprise.

I am beginning a collection of reverse acronyms for PhD. Current efforts:

• Philosophiæ Doctor (the official meaning).
• Piled Higher and Deeper.
• Permanent Head Damage.
• Particularly Hideous Duties.

Go nuts, people. But please keep it fairly clean. I suggest the judicious use of symbols from the top row of the keyboard...

So, I started with nothing and ended up with a whole bunch of friends. News travels fast around here.

( The speed of link )

Caution: there will be incomprehensible geekery in this journal. And possibly mathematical jokes. Or worse yet, puns. You have been warned.

Also, if I say "don't try this at home," I of course mean "don't try this at home unless you are:

1. really sure you know what you're doing, and
2. consider 'mad scientist' a valid career path

A little bird has also told me that my user name could be interpreted in two ways - 'their reverent' or 'the irreverent'. Those of you who know me personally probably never even noticed that there was an alternate interpretation. For those of you who don't, the decision of which is the intended meaning is left as an exercise to the reader.
( The speed of link )

On the plus side this damn cold is going away.

So (because the best stories begin with so) a few months ago I went in to the University (of Auckland) to talk to an old lecturer of mine about signing up for a Masters of Engineering.

His response was to sell me a PhD when I wasn't expecting it. Devious.

Well, my PhD officially begins on the 1st of December, but that's a a Saturday, so I will actually be starting on the 3rd. In two and a bit weeks. For those who've ever really cared about their Uni work, remember that feeling you get in the first week of semester? You've got a pretty good idea of what you're going to be doing, the deadlines seem to be tolerably far away, but you know that things are soon going to become a lot more interesting.

Now multiply that feeling by 3 (for full time - equivalent of 3 semesters per year) and by 3 again (for 3 years) and by your current salary (which you will not be seeing again for 3 years) to arrive at a large number.

Oh course, there are a few benefits:

• Student discounts.
• Student hours (sort of).
• The opportunity to play with medium sized rotating machinery.
• Access to university electronics equipment.
• Juicy, juicy scholarships.

Things at work are a little crazy - I have 11 working days left. During that time I've got projects to close / hand over / embezzle the budget out of, a training session to run, an annoying billing irregularity to sort out, an embarrassing billing f**k up to sort out (not my fault and I have the paper to prove it!) and a technology project to sort out.