Stanford: Stop Hiring Me (Aaron Swartz: The Weblog)

Stanford: Stop Hiring Me (Aaron Swartz: The Weblog)

Holy crap! I wish people would throw jobs like that at me. On the other hand, if they did, I'd probably be even further behind on my course work and research.

Past the First Post

Well, I'm past the first post (even if I'm not the first past it): my project description and literature review has been submitted to the Honours convenor. If anyone is interested in reading about counter-model construction in the context of modal tableau systems, leave a comment and I'll post a PDF of it.

The next milestone in the Honours program is the introductory seminar I'll have to give on the 29th (IIRC). I'm going to have to start thinking about that soon.

In the coursework stakes, we've got our first assignment for COMP4100 (Software Quality Management) which is proving some theorems in HOL. It's in pairs, so I'll be doing it with the other Honours student Raj is supervising. I've also got a stack of reading to do to catch up with COMP4710 (AI) and COMP4100 (SQM) and I've got to at least look at the available papers for COMP4200 (Milestone Papers in Computing) before I choose one.

I'm going to be very busy for the rest of this year, I think. If the rest is as fun as this last week has been, I'm going to have a good year.

Nostalgia (A Sneak Preview)

For some reason, I got the urge to look up some of the people I went to high school with. So far, I haven't been able find a trace of any of them. It's a bit strange when you think about it: some of them have extremely distinctive names and Google doesn't know them. I went back to Bunbury for a few weeks a couple of years ago and caught up with some old friends there, but I only managed to meet a couple of people from my grade at school (and those by chance).

I was surprised by the number of my friends that didn't go to university after high school and I can't help but wonder what my class mates (especially the interesting ones I didn't know very well) are up to now...

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If anyone who went to Bunbury Senior High School in the graduating class of 2001 reads this, drop me a comment.

The Bank, Redux

Today, the ATM ate my card. I'm not sure why the banks expire bank cards, but I'm sure that there is a good reason. I just wish that they would wait until the new card is activated until they do so. Now I am without a bank card until next week some time, when the new new one arrives. (The old new one appears to have disappeared somewhere on the path from the bank to me via my old residence in Tasmania and my families home.)

On the plus side, the person I spoke to was more than happy to tell me that although the Commonwealth Bank doesn't offer a debit card one can use on the Visa/Mastercard networks, St. George do. It was nice to get helpful advice for a change. I've heard good things about St. George a number of times now. Perhaps I'll look at switching...

Music and the Purchase Thereof

Less Than Jake: B is for B-Sides
4 Strings: Believe

I posted my brother his birthday present the other day (only a week late) which was good to get out of the way. Since I was skipping my first tutorial for the year, I thought I'd better do something useful done, hence the posting.

I'd asked him what he wanted and his reply was something along the lines of "I dunno" followed, after some prompting, by "a Less than Jake CD, but not the one with the cardboard cover". Armed with that information, I got him B is for B-Sides, the limited edition version that comes with a t-shirt.

I, personally don't have much time for punk, or ska, or whatever genre they classify themselves as, but it is his present I suppose.

On the more self-fulfilling side, I also got myself 4 Strings' Believe. For some reason, I've been leaning more toward dance music for the last month or so. It is quite strange as I usually prefer classical music (especially anything involving lots of strings) and metal. I'd really like to know why I've started liking, or at least tolerating, music with a more mainstream bent lately, but I don't imaging it'll last too long. I do need to get some more classical CD's though.

Laundry: The Bane of Existence

I've come to a realisation: doing laundry is the bane of all that is good and right in the world. This epiphany came after spending quite a bit of time doing, or attempting to do, my laundry last weekend. I prefer to hang my clothes on a washing-line rather than tumble dry but, as I don't know everyone in that lives in the hall, I'd rather not expose my clothes to that risk (as my washing usually includes almost all of my clothes, few though they may be). As hanging them to dry in their own time is not an option with which I am comfortable, I am reduced to wasting energy by using a drying machine.

For some reason the dryers at B&G seem to hate me. On my first attempt to dry my clothes (on Saturday), the only drier free, wouldn't work. I don't know if this was because it knew the lint filter was missing (gone to I don't know where) or if it was suffering from some other mysterious malady, but it refused to work. After going away for a while, I returned to find two dryers empty and, splitting my load, claimed them for myself. Unfortunately, one of them had decided, for whatever reason, that it wasn't going to heat, and so I ended up with one load of dry clothes and another of damp, though will-aired, clothes.

Transferring them to the other dryer, I put them on over night, but the time I put the first load on wasn't enough, so they were STILL damp. At which point, I had my epiphany. Laundry is the bane of existence.

Now with 10% extra!

So my first week of classes as an Honours student is well underway and I can't help but feel that it was just a little anti-climactic. Classes, as far as I can tell, won't be too much better than they were doing a Bachelor degree. On the plus side, COMP4100 Managing Software Quality looks like it'll be interesting. The AI unit (COMP4710) looks like it will be interesting: my previous studies in AI had a more symbol processing oriented approach, whereas COMP4710 is going to be taking an agent-systems oriented approach.

The other courses I'll be doing include "Milestone Papers in Computing" (COMP4200) and "Advanced Algorithms" (COMP4700). I haven't had a lecture for either of these units as COMP4700 doesn't start until next week and I have a feeling that I missed the first lecture of COMP4200.

On top of that lot, I had to buy some clip-on sunglasses today because I went to the Union courtyard to grab some lunch and it was painful to have my eyes open due to the glare and general brightness. On the good side, I got two new books today (the texts for AI and Algorithms) which was good, even though they cost nearly $200, even with the Co-op members discount.

I've also started reading up on my Honours topic. I've written a little bit about it on my reading 'blog.

Orientation and O-Week

The SRs and the B&G Members Association and Co seem to be gearing up for O-Week. As I write they are busy painting signs about the weeks events, decorating their floors and buildings, and what have you.

It's going to be strange. At UTas, O-Week was, for me at least, the first week. Nothing more, nothing less. Burgmann college (where I stayed over summer) is supposed to have a party (probably several) that usually gets noise complaints. To the police. From the other side of the lake.

I'll either love it, or hate it.

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On the "here and now" side, I went and saw Weifa Liang (the Honours Convenor) today after getting enrolled, getting my logon and password (the reason for the lack of posts this last week) and all the rest of it. So now I have a desk at the DCS (in honours room, a.k.a. "The Zoo") and I had an email from Rajeev Gore (my supervisor) about getting some office space at the RSISE as well.

I'm not sure which I'll prefer: both Raj and Pietro (the PhD student whose software I'll be working with and modifying) are at the RSISE, but the environment there is professional. The "Zoo", I imagine, will be a little more relaxed. I'm not sure which will be the more productive environment, but I suspect having more contact with my supervisor will be of significant import, in that it'll encourage me to actually do work before my deadlines.

Viper Comics

Viper Comics: Dead@17: The Complete First Series
Aria Volume One
Remote Volume One

I've just been to the comic shop spending the money I should be saving for kitchenware and next weeks food (I'll have to cook my own meals after I move into B&G tomorrow). I got Dead@17: The Complete First Series, Aria Volume One and Remote Volume One.

I got Aria as the cover art reminded me a little of Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou (English Scanlation) as did the cover text. I've not read it yet, but a quick flick through has made me want to go back (though the shop'll be closed now) and buy the other two volumes although, now that I think about it, they only had the third on the shelf. If this book turns out to be anywhere near as good as YKK, I'll have to try an get some more of his work.

I haven't read Remote yet, but I chose it due primarily to the cover text and the colour section at the front (though a quick flick through the book cemented the decision). I usually like detective and police related anime and manga (series such as Spiral, Saint Tail and the various Patlabor films, books and series come to mind) so I don't think this is much of a gamble.

I have just finished reading Dead@17 and it has once again reminded me that the Japanese do not have a monopoly on great comics. I'm definitely going to be getting the rest of Dead@17 and sooner rather than later.

It looks like Impact are going to be getting hold of a large chunk of my disposable income in the immediate future.

Public Speaking

I used to hate public speaking, now I just dislike it. I've had to give presentations on a number of occasions and, normally, my mind goes blank, I forget to so much as look at my notes and I manage to muddle through whatever I was supposed to say without screwing up too badly, but without the level of technical detail I should be able to impart.

This morning (11:00AM Canberra time) I gave my presentation about my summer research project and, as a result I can't help but feel I'm gradually getting over my hatred of public speaking. This is probably a good thing as I expect to have to give a number of presentations this year during Honours.