Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Discrepencies in data analysis
I feel like my brain is going to start exploding soon as I have been doing so much reading and trying to sort out what's going on with my data. I have good data, I know that as I did all the experiments myself! My problem is that my data doesn't fit nicely to any typical models, which is OK and there are many likely reasons for this, but just means lots of work to explain and justify why this is and that it's not that I have a rubbish or pointless experimental system.
One of my main problems is that there are lots of ways to plot out the data, and mostly that's fine and standard undergraduate stuff. What is really getting to me is the fact that one particular way of presenting the data is particularly bad yet half the text books I have been going through plot the majority of examples using this representation (after first pointing out its serious inadequacies in earlier chapters) and all the background papers I have been reading relating to my experiment also use this particular projection. Gah! I guess it's most annoying for me as my data definitely shows its deviations from typical using this particular representation, and it makes it really hard to evaluate other peoples research when shown this way.
Another problem I am finding as I try to really analyse my data is just how complicated my system really is. Individually each part is quite straightforward and well characterised and understood. But put all together it actually tends to brain melting complexity. One of the things I have a lot of trouble with is adequately explaining by research in detail to other people. I can explain stuff and justify it at quite a simple level, and it all works out and makes sense in my head at more detailed and complicated levels, but actually getting that across to people in my own words I find is a nightmare. Still practise practise practise and one day I might be perfect!
One of my main problems is that there are lots of ways to plot out the data, and mostly that's fine and standard undergraduate stuff. What is really getting to me is the fact that one particular way of presenting the data is particularly bad yet half the text books I have been going through plot the majority of examples using this representation (after first pointing out its serious inadequacies in earlier chapters) and all the background papers I have been reading relating to my experiment also use this particular projection. Gah! I guess it's most annoying for me as my data definitely shows its deviations from typical using this particular representation, and it makes it really hard to evaluate other peoples research when shown this way.
Another problem I am finding as I try to really analyse my data is just how complicated my system really is. Individually each part is quite straightforward and well characterised and understood. But put all together it actually tends to brain melting complexity. One of the things I have a lot of trouble with is adequately explaining by research in detail to other people. I can explain stuff and justify it at quite a simple level, and it all works out and makes sense in my head at more detailed and complicated levels, but actually getting that across to people in my own words I find is a nightmare. Still practise practise practise and one day I might be perfect!
Labels: data analysis
Friday, January 18, 2008
Researcher Refreshments
On the whole catering on campus is quite improved since I first started here. My only gripe is that it's pretty much impossible to get anything except a pint and packet of crisps in the bar, a stale sandwich from the shop or take away from the skanky fast food places up the road after about 3:30pm. This is really annoying to me as I'm not really a morning person and prefer to stay and work quite late. This means mid afternoon (3.30-5ish) is when I get my second wind and really get going with work. I'm reasonably productive late morning/early afternoon but as I know I'll be staying late and so generally need a mid afternoon coffee and biscuit break to keep me going late enough to get a decent amount of work done.
I don't expect to have five star catering from early until very late but I don't think I work especially strange hours and just get very frustrated that the only coffee available from pretty early on is skanky canteen machine coffee or instant in one of the coffee rooms and has to be drunk in the canteen or at my desk. Technically there are departmental coffee rooms but I have never liked unserviced coffee rooms (ones where there are only machines and chairs, no actual tea person dishing it out) as they always seem to have their own cliques in and routines which I can never really get a part of as I am never in the same place for any length of time.
I don't expect to have five star catering from early until very late but I don't think I work especially strange hours and just get very frustrated that the only coffee available from pretty early on is skanky canteen machine coffee or instant in one of the coffee rooms and has to be drunk in the canteen or at my desk. Technically there are departmental coffee rooms but I have never liked unserviced coffee rooms (ones where there are only machines and chairs, no actual tea person dishing it out) as they always seem to have their own cliques in and routines which I can never really get a part of as I am never in the same place for any length of time.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Meh! Mondays
Definitely back into the usual routines now and mondays are horrible. Especially ones like yesterday where it is cold wet grey and wetter. I generally don't mind wet weather, as long as it stops at some point in the day. What I do mind is getting soggy walking to work and then being cold and damp all day in the office. The other thing that really infuriates me in wet weather is all the people who decide to drive to work. Why? It's not like a bit of rain does any harm, and if it's that bad it's easy enough to wear proper waterproof clothing or take a dry set of clothes and shoes to wear once at work. I still cannot get past the number of cars I see on my walk to work with just 1 occupant. They just sit there in their little metal boxes looking bored out their tiny minds. I just don't get it.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Update
Ooops it's been an age since I put anything on here. I had a pretty good stint in the lab just before christmas, in amongst a million christmas parties. It was really good to be out and about socialising with lots of people but I was glad when it was actually christmas and I had a period to totally laze about far away from work and everything. I kept feeling like I was coming down with a cold over christmas so kept everything quite gentle, but I never actually got a cold, I have possibly the worlds best immune system at the moment. I haven't been ill for ages.
I got some top presents for christmas (mostly stuff I wanted) and didn't see much in the sales so I'm feeling fairly flush and have decided that this is the year I'm going to try and sort out my finances. I was always careful with money as a child and have never been in serious debt (I was really fortunate that I got a good job in the holidays at university and got extra funds off my parents so I didn't get stuck with huge student loans to pay back) but these days I seem to be spending all I get and not actually saving sensibly at the moment.
I need to get back on track with all things health and fitness related as well. Although I seem to have the worlds most robust immune system I still need to keep up the good work I was doing by going to the gym regularly and not eating crazy huge food portions all the time. Everything went a bit to pot over christmas what with non stop socialising and big style boozing and all the lovely lardy christmas food. I've been forcing myself to the gym this week and have been finding it really hard going although was pleased with myself for managing 2 km on the treadmill in about 15mins. I have always hated running but I'm trying to get better at it as it's such a cheap and easy thing to do. I've also discovered the joys of the student canteen, especially the soup they do which is cheap and hand made (not just bland concentrate or cup-a-soup style) and perfect for the dismal weather round here at the moment. Once I've finished off all the millions of chocolates I aquired over christmas I should hopefully start to see a re-reduction in my waistline.
Work is going OK so far. I've finally got all my experiments completed enough to start writing up a paper. Hopefully I can crack on with it and get it written nice and quickly and get on with some new exciting stuff in the lab. Best of all is that Billy is working from home this week so it is all calm and lovely in the office at the moment. There was some serious Billy bashing going on over christmas, the man really does annoy everyone. And it's interesting to see that the people who get most annoyed with him are usually the most laid back, friendly and normal people in the department.
I've not really got any resolutions this year. I think January is such a miserable month it's hard to motivate yourself to do anything, let alone get all puritanical about stuff. I would like to write more on this blog, so hopefully by actually writing that down here for everyone to see I will get around to actually writing a bit more from time to time.
I got some top presents for christmas (mostly stuff I wanted) and didn't see much in the sales so I'm feeling fairly flush and have decided that this is the year I'm going to try and sort out my finances. I was always careful with money as a child and have never been in serious debt (I was really fortunate that I got a good job in the holidays at university and got extra funds off my parents so I didn't get stuck with huge student loans to pay back) but these days I seem to be spending all I get and not actually saving sensibly at the moment.
I need to get back on track with all things health and fitness related as well. Although I seem to have the worlds most robust immune system I still need to keep up the good work I was doing by going to the gym regularly and not eating crazy huge food portions all the time. Everything went a bit to pot over christmas what with non stop socialising and big style boozing and all the lovely lardy christmas food. I've been forcing myself to the gym this week and have been finding it really hard going although was pleased with myself for managing 2 km on the treadmill in about 15mins. I have always hated running but I'm trying to get better at it as it's such a cheap and easy thing to do. I've also discovered the joys of the student canteen, especially the soup they do which is cheap and hand made (not just bland concentrate or cup-a-soup style) and perfect for the dismal weather round here at the moment. Once I've finished off all the millions of chocolates I aquired over christmas I should hopefully start to see a re-reduction in my waistline.
Work is going OK so far. I've finally got all my experiments completed enough to start writing up a paper. Hopefully I can crack on with it and get it written nice and quickly and get on with some new exciting stuff in the lab. Best of all is that Billy is working from home this week so it is all calm and lovely in the office at the moment. There was some serious Billy bashing going on over christmas, the man really does annoy everyone. And it's interesting to see that the people who get most annoyed with him are usually the most laid back, friendly and normal people in the department.
I've not really got any resolutions this year. I think January is such a miserable month it's hard to motivate yourself to do anything, let alone get all puritanical about stuff. I would like to write more on this blog, so hopefully by actually writing that down here for everyone to see I will get around to actually writing a bit more from time to time.
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