Does your laptop "click" incessantly when you are doing even mildly intensive work such as opening documents or running a small software?
Does your laptop "beep" every minute or two when it's idle (This problem might be exclusive to dell laptops).
Well this problem has got to do with your hard-drive's power saving features (unless your os starts to crash - Then it might be a mother board problem). If your computer's pretty ok except for the "incessant clicking and ocassional beeps", do visit this forumpage.
It gives you a step by step procedure to minimize the noise due to those "clicks".
To summarize the solution in the forum page:
1) Install Microsoft .net 2.0 version from here. If you have an earlier version of .net, uninstall it before installing version 2.
2) Install NHC (Network Hardware Control) from here. Note: users of Dell laptops such as Dell Vostro, Dell Inspiron, etc use the Dell bug fix version on the same page. The other version would give you an error when you try to install it.
3) Run the installed NHC 2.0.
4) You should see an icon to the left of your desktop icons that looks like a big battery.
5) Double click the icon.
6) In the window that just appeared select the Settings tab
7) Click Show all NHC options and settings
8) Now select the Hard Disk tab, and under Advanced Power Management select the highest setting: Max. Peformance Mode
Voila ~ you are done!
Now you can enjoy blissful sleep when your laptop is idle(a.k.a those painful beeps vanish). Also, if you want to work in a very quiet place, the "incessant clickings" would become incessant whispers that are hardly noticeable.
Enjoy the peace and be peaceful :-)
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Becoming a successful researcher
The following articles address the following questions:
1) What does it mean to do good research?
2) What are the important factors in doing good research?
3) How does one successfully and confidently do a Phd?
4) How important is it to have a good and compatible advisor?
Article1
Article2
Article3
Article4
Other articles on becoming a successful researcher (including problems faced by junior faculty)here.
1) What does it mean to do good research?
2) What are the important factors in doing good research?
3) How does one successfully and confidently do a Phd?
4) How important is it to have a good and compatible advisor?
Article1
Article2
Article3
Article4
Other articles on becoming a successful researcher (including problems faced by junior faculty)here.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
What makes a phd life tick?
This is something that I have been thinking about for quite sometime. Phd life is life lived in 4-5 years. Its been just 1 year so for me in my program and I have had numerous ups and downs. What I have understood is that to come out successfully out of the Phd program there are a few things in non-academic life that need to be taken care off.
Phd life = Academic life (research + a few courses) + Social life (friends) + Some other passion (books/physical activity/music/...). These three components need to be well-balanced for a Phd life to tick. Lets look at these components in detail:
i) If you lose interest in your area of research, its very difficult to continue through a Phd. You may lose interest because you might have had a different concept about what a Phd might be before you began the program. You may lose interest because its a relative thing... you are more interested in working in some other area. You might lose interest because you are tired of the rigors of a Phd program.
ii) You got to have a few close friends you can count on when you need them. It has been my experience that I am immersed in research for one or two weeks, and when I come out of the research world, I am craving for social interaction.
iii) Many times doing research could be frustrating , so you would be looking for some change in your life. This is where an already existing habit or hobby such as book reading or physical activity such as running might prove very useful.
Balance is the key word. All the three components need to be balanced for a smooth ride through the Phd life. Imbalance could lead to minor frustrations or even major episodes (depression, etc).
Phd life = Academic life (research + a few courses) + Social life (friends) + Some other passion (books/physical activity/music/...). These three components need to be well-balanced for a Phd life to tick. Lets look at these components in detail:
i) If you lose interest in your area of research, its very difficult to continue through a Phd. You may lose interest because you might have had a different concept about what a Phd might be before you began the program. You may lose interest because its a relative thing... you are more interested in working in some other area. You might lose interest because you are tired of the rigors of a Phd program.
ii) You got to have a few close friends you can count on when you need them. It has been my experience that I am immersed in research for one or two weeks, and when I come out of the research world, I am craving for social interaction.
iii) Many times doing research could be frustrating , so you would be looking for some change in your life. This is where an already existing habit or hobby such as book reading or physical activity such as running might prove very useful.
Balance is the key word. All the three components need to be balanced for a smooth ride through the Phd life. Imbalance could lead to minor frustrations or even major episodes (depression, etc).
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Motivation
What motivates one to do research. Researchers don't usually see their research or work as 'work'.
I had rather call my research as creative work, since that is actually what I am doing. The motivation in doing research, in being able to stay in the lab throughout the day even during weekends is basically the idea that what you are doing is fun. If something is fun, wouldn't you want to do it all the time.
But even during work, there are periods when you are slumpy and not getting much work done and other periods when you are really really productive. Now, what is the reason for this?
People may call this the 'cycle'. But looked into a little more deeply, it may become clear that productivity is either motivated by deadlines, either set by your advisor or yourself or because you have suddenly entered an interesting phase of research.
Interest in the research area in general is a must, but that alone may not be sufficient, since there is a tendency to get lazy. What's needed is a vision, a vision that is both short-term and long-term. A vision of how you think your research should be unfolding as the time progresses. This vision is essentially a way to set deadlines for yourself, but a vision is something more than that. A vision is a dream that gets lived as time passes by. A vision when 'well-visualised' can be really motivating, since your vision shows you doing great things in the future and you can't wait to get started towards that path. Living a vision or a dream is the best thing that can happen. That's why visions are so powerful and form the basis for a long-term motivation in research.
I had rather call my research as creative work, since that is actually what I am doing. The motivation in doing research, in being able to stay in the lab throughout the day even during weekends is basically the idea that what you are doing is fun. If something is fun, wouldn't you want to do it all the time.
But even during work, there are periods when you are slumpy and not getting much work done and other periods when you are really really productive. Now, what is the reason for this?
People may call this the 'cycle'. But looked into a little more deeply, it may become clear that productivity is either motivated by deadlines, either set by your advisor or yourself or because you have suddenly entered an interesting phase of research.
Interest in the research area in general is a must, but that alone may not be sufficient, since there is a tendency to get lazy. What's needed is a vision, a vision that is both short-term and long-term. A vision of how you think your research should be unfolding as the time progresses. This vision is essentially a way to set deadlines for yourself, but a vision is something more than that. A vision is a dream that gets lived as time passes by. A vision when 'well-visualised' can be really motivating, since your vision shows you doing great things in the future and you can't wait to get started towards that path. Living a vision or a dream is the best thing that can happen. That's why visions are so powerful and form the basis for a long-term motivation in research.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Playing on reality
What is reality? Is it something that is perceived to be real or is it something that is real no matter what?
The question being asked here is whether reality is a function of perception and perspective or is it something that is real whether you look at it or not.
Quantum reality is a reality based on perception, based on an observer and the observed. In quantum reality the observer effects the observed and vice versa. Quantum reality has been found to hold good in the microscopic world, the matter within an atom for example but it has not yet been verified to hold good in the macroscopic world we see and experience.
The reality of the macro-scopic world that we see is based in duality. Duality is the nature of our perceived reality.
There is another reality that can potentially exist. It's called the ultimate reality and ultimate reality is a singularity. The moment just before the big bang would be an example of a singularity.
So when do these realities, namely the quantum reality, the duality based reality and the singularity manifest in our perception and why are we even bothered about these realities? Why is the nature of our world based in duality and what does it mean to experience singularity. To answer these questions, duality must be properly understood.
What is duality? Duality usually refers to pairs of opposites that coexist in a single reality. The good and the bad, the tall and the short, the sweet and the sour, peace and war all exist in the world we see. Why is duality necessary in our world and why can't the world be more singular? That is to say why can't life be always sweet, free of tensions, free of anger and resentment, free of rejection, etc. Well let's say life was more singular in nature. Let's say life was one happy and smooth journey from birth to death. No ups and downs, no crisis, no pressing problems, etc. That is to say life was one happy period. How would you experience your happiness 10 years down the line? It would become mundane.
Someone asks you, how are you? You would say, "Ah.. the same old. I am happy...and it sucks". That is to say, to enjoy happiness, you must first know what it means to be sad and depressed. Only then will the joy of happiness be fully felt and experienced.
We all like dramas don't we. The good and bad, the happiness and sorrow all in one big drama.
Life and dramas have many things in common including their basis in duality. Life has also been described by many as a magnificent and never-ending drama. Only that, you are a part of that drama along with your co-actors that include your family, friends and others you interact with during your life.
So that sort of gives a hypothesis on the need for duality in our present reality. Now moving on to ultimate reality. What is it and what does it look like?
The question being asked here is whether reality is a function of perception and perspective or is it something that is real whether you look at it or not.
Quantum reality is a reality based on perception, based on an observer and the observed. In quantum reality the observer effects the observed and vice versa. Quantum reality has been found to hold good in the microscopic world, the matter within an atom for example but it has not yet been verified to hold good in the macroscopic world we see and experience.
The reality of the macro-scopic world that we see is based in duality. Duality is the nature of our perceived reality.
There is another reality that can potentially exist. It's called the ultimate reality and ultimate reality is a singularity. The moment just before the big bang would be an example of a singularity.
So when do these realities, namely the quantum reality, the duality based reality and the singularity manifest in our perception and why are we even bothered about these realities? Why is the nature of our world based in duality and what does it mean to experience singularity. To answer these questions, duality must be properly understood.
What is duality? Duality usually refers to pairs of opposites that coexist in a single reality. The good and the bad, the tall and the short, the sweet and the sour, peace and war all exist in the world we see. Why is duality necessary in our world and why can't the world be more singular? That is to say why can't life be always sweet, free of tensions, free of anger and resentment, free of rejection, etc. Well let's say life was more singular in nature. Let's say life was one happy and smooth journey from birth to death. No ups and downs, no crisis, no pressing problems, etc. That is to say life was one happy period. How would you experience your happiness 10 years down the line? It would become mundane.
Someone asks you, how are you? You would say, "Ah.. the same old. I am happy...and it sucks". That is to say, to enjoy happiness, you must first know what it means to be sad and depressed. Only then will the joy of happiness be fully felt and experienced.
We all like dramas don't we. The good and bad, the happiness and sorrow all in one big drama.
Life and dramas have many things in common including their basis in duality. Life has also been described by many as a magnificent and never-ending drama. Only that, you are a part of that drama along with your co-actors that include your family, friends and others you interact with during your life.
So that sort of gives a hypothesis on the need for duality in our present reality. Now moving on to ultimate reality. What is it and what does it look like?
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Frustration
I know what to do. How to do it is not a problem, atleast not a big problem. But am I doing it? That is the whole problem. The coming two months are really crucial to my career and am I doing anything about it. Its all well to say that things are really fuzzy, its all well to blame others, blame the situation, etc. But the least productive thing that can be done is to be productive in work. Amidst all the chaos, if I can bring about some consistent and concerted work, that should see me through this mess, through any mess actually. Because that's the only way out.
Focus on the essential things and leave the details to work it out by themselves, or work on it once the essentials are out of the way. This is to be done because a man's perspective is always limited, so it needs to be focussed on things that are of concern, lest he/she gets lost in the details.
Focus on the essential things and leave the details to work it out by themselves, or work on it once the essentials are out of the way. This is to be done because a man's perspective is always limited, so it needs to be focussed on things that are of concern, lest he/she gets lost in the details.
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