Not Socially Optimal

I'm sure I've put this lil comic on here before, but I do love it terribly. I think this may have been one of the first ones from xkcd.com that I read, but I've pretty much read every single one since. I would estimate about 30% of them go somewhat over my head (unfortunately my geekiness stops at the engineering side of programming), but for the most part I think its hilarity is pretty much univeral.

This week, I am in Newcastle on a training course. The topic: Optimisation. So far, it appears to be something I really genuinely love - I'd like to see if I can get some work in the area (particular optimisation for process control) to see how I go. It's got that just-right ratio of engineering:maths that keeps me interested. Each day this week is 11 hours of the course (lectures, labs) and this is absolutely solidly packed with material. It's been quite a while since I concentrated for this long to this extent (this stuff is pretty rigorously explored). I'd forgotten how much I loved university..

*little tear*

My oh My

Haven't I been away a long time!

Many things have happened since I last blogged -

*pause*

No, actually for the most part, anything that has happened in the last few months has been related to things unpleasant to a normal human being, such as activated sludge (a mixture of raw sewage, bacterial flocs and lil ole me ankle deep in the darn stuff).

I'm sure it sounds neither exciting nor interesting to you, but it has been quite a bit of fun for someone as odd as my self.

I found out recently, I have tiny feet (I mean tinier than I even thought!), especially in safety boots. I don't know why I'm particularly surprised by this. I suppose I thought I'd look all butchy and engineer-like in these things, but it actually amplifies how not-male I am. Sigh.

On the topic of my gender, the people at this particular plant (at which I am wearing these shoes) have obviously been raised to believe 'women are always right'. They're polite, quick to help and are constantly apologising for their tendency to swear at a frequency I've never before seen. Even more unusual is the fact that they actually listen to what I say and (astoundingly) don't just ignore the little-woman-telling-them-what-to-do. I've not really experienced this before (engineers aren't really known for being open to change, particularly in the form of female engineers), so it's very refreshing!

In other aesthetic news, my hair is vastly longer than it has been for years. And I'm also paler than I have been for many many moons - which I thought was impossible, but apparently not.

There was a while there where I looked like my skin was pretty much entirely white, but with a little hint of blue. I've now increased back up to a yellow-ish white, I hope to get that to tinge-of-pink perhaps this summer. I can only assume it's the lack of natural light has done this to me.

I'm sure there are many resolutions I should make - perhaps actually getting fresh air (not the air with sewer vapours in it) and sunlight would help. I'd imagine that seeing the countryside now and again would also have it's benefits.

The hair growth has been down to a few reasons, but mostly it's that I couldn't be arsed. I loved my hair up short but it was way way too much hassle and I ain't a beauty-regime type of gal.

*****************************

Dear god,

Please stop making it snow on top of me when I'm standing ankle deep in human waste. Also, I prefer not to be terrified on the M6 with high winds battering my tiny tiny Ford Ka, if you don't mind.

Marie.

*****************************

I just looked out the window and saw a group of people struggling against gale force winds, with hailstones hitting them in the face. And I laughed. Because I'm cruel. I'm sure I won't be laughing however when I'm trying to get home tonight. Karma will probably make sure some birds also make my car even dirtier than it already is.

I have been mostly laughing at this today:

Offset Schmoffset

There's been a lot of talk (and a fair amount of it just a whole load of nonsense) about global warming, carbon emissions and so forth. I won't get into a debate about it here, I don't know enough to do so!

However, anything that reduces my impact on my surroundings is, to me, a good thing. I do believe in the notion that humans are rather destructive by nature, so I like when a good idea comes along to compensate for that.

http://www.terrapass.com/

Terrapass. So you've reduced your household waste, saved by reducing domestic energy usage, recycled, composted but you just don't want to get rid of that nice car you have, and you can't avoid the plane journeys. Well, the idea behind Terrapass is this: you fund research into renewable and green energy sources/reduction of carbon emissions/etcetera, with an amount of money proportional to the size of your personal carbon footprint. If you're greener, you don't need to help as much. If you're a big dirty capitalist energy wasting person like me, you pay more.

Nice idea.
Pity I don't have the money ;)

Speech Accent Archive http://accent.gmu.edu/index.php

This is a lovely little site giving you access to examples of various accents from around the world. The same paragraph is read out by each person and so it allows you to compare speakers. They give a little bit of information on the background of the speaker (geographically, linguistically, etcetera).

Why indeed I would be interested in this is a matter for a debate (probably between the little people in my head), but it grabbed my attention this morning.

Dr. Kylie

My two favourite things: Doctor Who and Kylie. In one place. Could it be?

http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,,2117159,00.html

Apparently it can be! What a wonderfully amazing idea! I *heart* Russell T. Davies for making Doctor Who just that bit more gay (who thought that was even possible, considering we already have Captain Jack!)

How Things Change

Greetings,

I've just returned from my graduation last Monday and am finally starting to feel the effects of the completion of my university education. I was quite schocked to find that a considerable weight had been lifted from me, and not only that but a feeling of genuine contentment.

That is it, I feel free - no more panic about the looming thesis deadlines and the even more terrifying viva, none of that backstabbing that invariably accompanies competitive research environments. Were I back at the start of the PhD however, with the knowledge of how difficult it was, would I do it again?

Absolutely. The difficulty of the PhD, the stress of the bullying situation I was in, the financial issues, all of them together can't outweigh that feeling of acheivement that the experience gave me. I am by nature a very lazy person and will, if at all possible, avoid work - procrastination has become an art form for me. So I believe I have the right to feel proud - I have worked very hard for something I really wanted. It went against all my tendencies and urges to commit to something to that extent. I am very glad I did, I truly do love my work.

For those of you who still have no clue whatsoever what it is I actually work on, here's a quick explanation in the form of an everyday task:

• You're in the shower, the waters a bit on the cold side, so you decide to turn it up. Round goes the dial, but you're still thinking it's a bit cold, so you turn it further..
• OUCH! Too hot. You forgot that it takes some time for the hotter water to reach you.
• Quickly, you turn it down, making it a bit too cold, though not too far off, so you turn the dial much less.
• After a few little turns back and forth you get that *just right* temperature.
• OWWWWWWWWW....*&*$"£&($...what the %^&$ was that!?!
• Someone flushed the toilet ;)

This little story basically boils (harhar) down to this system:

1. The process (the shower) to be considered
2. The variable (the temperature) to be controlled
3. The variable (the dial) to be manipulated
4. The disturbance (the loo flushing)
5. The controller (here this is you!)

Now, say for example, you'd prefer this system to be like this:

1. You don't want to boil the skin off yourself
2. You want to set a temperature for the water, not have to find that temperature yourself
3. You want to make sure that the shower isn't affected by some div flushin the loo

This is where automatic control comes in. Automatic (a lil electronic chip, a few valves, etcetera) as opposed manual (you!). It can allow you to specify what you want (temperature in degrees Celsius for example), what you want to avoid (scalding water because of a change in water pressure for example) and how quickly or slowly you want to do it.

The simple answer would be a system of changes made that are similar to those of your own (i.e. move up to a temperature, realise it's too high and move back down, etcetera until you reach your target).

The better answer would be to know the system (for example, the range of temperature, or the delay of the delivery of hotter water) and be able to predict what you need to do..

And this is where I am - Predictive Control!

Good Afternoon

...and welcome to the wonderful world of Od.

I've been keen to find new tv shows to watch, having recently viewed Series 1 and 2 (i.e. all) of Life on Mars. Surprisingly good, with a satisfying story arc, it's the best BBC sci-fi programme since the (new) Doctor Who series. It couldn't have lasted for more than 2 series, I think in fact it was struggling to fill those, but I'll miss it now. It was the first time in a long time that a series dealt with time-travel (ish) and a weekly-mystery without seeming too Quantum Leap or Time Cop about it. [Am I way too geeky for liking Time Cop - The Series? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118492/ The main character was far more likeable than the meaty VanDamme]

So, in an attempt to become as ridiculously addicted to another series I've rented/will rent:

1. Dead Like Me - a refreshingly funny take on the after-life. A world populated by (grim) 'Reapers' whose job it is to make the passage from this life to the next as painless as possible.

2. Weeds - I've missed out on this so far. Several friends have pointed this out as a very 'Od' series, so I'll give it a whirl.

3. South of Nowhere - crappy teen aftershowspecial-esque series about teenage lesbians. I'm currently watching it a) for the cuteness - nowt as adorable as lil lesbians finding themselves and b) for a particular cute character (who thankfully is a 22 yr old actor and makes me feel less guilty for admirin her)

4. Lost - I have to get back into this. It's ridiculously difficult to follow things on the actual tv (as opposed to dvd boxsets) when you lead a fairly busy life. So I'll be downloading/buying the recent series of this soon.

5. Doctor Who - I was an avid viewer of DW during the Rose years (my irishness restricted me from viewing any thing previous to that). Beginning this recently hectic schedule in my life has unfortunately meant I haven't followed the recent series and its new assistant. Note to self: buy old DW boxsets and educate self.

6. BSG 3: BSG series 1 and 2 were amazing (new series I mean), they have a special place in my heart. BSG 3 is on my to-do list (as is Starbuck, heh heh)

7. Charmed - oh i know, Spelling productions are ridiculously bad. But I appear to have a soft spot for them (as I recently discovered when I could name the other Spelling series that various bit actors in Charmed episodes were in. Why is that information in my head?) - currently watching Series 1 (again, many years later), will be buying each season as I can afford it.

So, it appears I'm slowly but surely building up a vast and scarily-nerdy DVD collection. Shall I sign over my soul now?