Back to Java!!

For all those people wondering what Java (as in software, not as in the life-fluid of all grads) has to do with Biomedical Engineering, I got a new job to develop a GUI (I used to hate these) in Java for one of the profs.
So it's back to Java and Eclipse for me! I didn't know how much I missed Eclipse till I sat down in front of my PC (details below) and started using it.
So Now I am going to work 15 hours a week on a Apple machine, with specs:


20" widescreen,
2.7GHz,
8 GB RAM (that's not a typo, you demons of envy)
And there is a new addition: a webcam


Now I come to think of it, some people used to envy me for a machine with 1GB RAM... (tsk tsk tsk)

And come 15th Dec, I will be moving to a new office (again not a typo), while other grads are languishing in their tiny cubicles. Like my prof said, I need to watch my back…

Time: 29th Oct, 2005, 11:00 am
Venue: Radiology Lab

My prof wants to use my machine for some work. I have some work till 12, so I tell him that I will be back after some time, and continue the work. At 12, the machine is still busy. So I go off and have some coffee. Back @ 1:40, still the machine is busy. At this moment, he turns to me, and says, "It's a nice afternoon, why don't you take the day off?" I don't mind if my weekend starts on Friday afternoon...


And whole next week, he is away in some part of Europe. :D

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Post Test

Again a homework and a mid-term this week.

The midterms are over (finally)... The papers were good (as all Question papers are, its the answers... you got the idea). For Electrobiology, we had to write our own question and answer it, worth 18 marks. And before any of you say it's good, please imagine yourself sitting in the exam hall trying to frams a question, let alone answer to it. For imaging test, we had to give the "story" (in our prof's words) behind 8 equations. (Chris, if you are reading this, your flash-cards helped a lot. Thanks man!) All in all, an entirely different experience from the one we are used to...

These two weeks were extremely draining (emotionally and hence, physically) for various reasons, and this coupled with the good news that I got full marks in last week's Stat homework helped me decide to take 2 days off from studies. These two days will be dedicated to comparitive study of detective fiction, with special emphasis on Byomkesh Bakshi, thanks to this discussion and an extermely lucky co-incidence of finding two Byomkesh books (in english) in Duke Library.

Update: The two days are almost over, tomorrow I start again working on the Statistics homework due next week. For the results of my study, keep watching my other blog.

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Duke Chapel

A great photo of Duke Chapel I found on the Duke site. For the photos I clicked, please keep watching this space (will do it sometime this weekend, or maybe next weekend)

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A Short Breather

Finished Fall Break last tuesday.

Schedule of this week:
Monday: Start a new job
Tuesday: Electrobio Test
Wednesday: Stat H/W
Thursday: Imaging H/W

Start studying for these: Last Friday.
Finished homework: 12.30 am today.

These were three of the most packed days of my life till now (yes, even including porsche)... Didn't call home, anybody.

Half way through this marathon, you get so stressed out that you are ready to walk in Kroger in your night suit, just to avoid the hassle of changing clothes when going out.

So finally, exams and homeworks are done, I have some breathing time to access the damage to my brain and get up-to-date on my blogs and communications. And I am already half way through the next Stats homework (due next tuesday), and wondering what is the latest time for which I can dare to keep the start of study for Imaging exam...

No wonder these professors using automatic transmission forget that we have something called 1st and 2nd gear, and even any self-respecting vehicle will stop running if you put it in 4th gear from neutral.

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Start of the Fall Break

Sitting in front of my (ok, the one I borrowed) laptop, looking at papers and articles. The deadline of submission for the project proposal is 5 p.m. And it's seven PM already (Fall Break starts at 7).

The day started quite well.

Location: BME 201 (Electrobiology) Lab Quiz
Cast: Our lab group consisting of 6 people

The graduate students take "Group" quizzes. So we can freely discuss the problems (with kind consent of out professor), as long as we value the honour code (i.e. not look into our notes). Today, we had one problem in the lab quiz (the actual data is different for different people). After discussing for 15 solid minutes, we come up with the (wrong) formula. 3 people out of 6 somehow mess up the calculations, and get the right answers. And guess what...
I am one of those to get the wrong answer. Looks like my "famous" luck started the fall break a bit early.


The fall break has just started... Four days of relaxing, fun and enjoyment.

Tasks for Fall Break
1. Complete project proposal
2. Send replies to all e-mails I got in last week (last count was 10)
3. Call up home
4. Call people in US
5. Study
6. Cook for myself
7. Anything I have forgotten to put here

So looks like I have a period of great fun on my hands...

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Guruwani

Attending college after 2 years is not easy. Attending classes, and that too for 75 minutes each, was one of the things which I would have never thought possible. (Because, as one of our professors reminded us the other day, a normal person’s attention span is around the length of situation comedy on TV.) But then, our classes taught by professors who don’t rely on unintentional humor to make the classes interesting.

So, we have got Statistics professor (who incidentally looks and acts like Robin Williams with beard) who teaches us about ecology experiments in Duke Forest, craps, and little apple seedlings. Then there is Electrobiology professor who gives us “Tips to win Nobel Prize”. Not to forget the Medical Imaging professor who told us in first lecture, “For last 50 years, we have done all the easy work in imaging, and kept all the hard work for you guys”.

So, unless you had a night-out on previous night, you can enjoy lectures a lot even without sleeping.

Some of the best quotes I have heard in class:

• "We have something called library where there are a lot of books to read. The only problem with library is, you get lost in it. You look in some racks, find some old magazines, start reading them and before you know, you are out of time."

• "There is a wonderful thing called Google. I had thought of it, but some guys from Stanford stole my idea. But then, I should say that they did a pretty good job of it."

• "The target in medical imaging devices is the Patient. That's the most important thing to remember."

• "This (some statistics fact) fact is so amazing that it should be in Ripley's Believe It or Not."

• "Mean is represented by Mju. Mean, mju... there is alliteration here, get it? For some reason we don't alliterate variance... variance, sigma square..."

• “Let’s do the first simulation first, and the second one… second”

• “Biomass is biological abbreviation of mass.”

• “Have you got your cadaver?”

• “Today, we are talking about frying your patient.”

• “The little seedlings come out of the ground. Then winter comes, and some of them die. It’s really a tragic story.”

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Probability and Murphy's Laws

Sample Space:
Students from medical imaging class

Event:
Professor calling the random names picked from a glass, and asks the student questions. (He does not know your name if you haven't been called earlier.)

Observations:
1. The probability of getting called given that your mental state tends to "sleepy" is equal to 1.
2. The probability of getting called given that you are wide awake is equal to 0.

Conclusions:
Murphy's laws rule the earth!!!

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My dear Watson....

Class: Medical Imaging
Scene: The professor has displayed X-Ray of a human hand, and asks a student ([un]fortunately an engineer) what can she see in that hand.

She goes on to describe that it is human hand. Then she tells that she can see some lesions etc etc. We all have a very shrewd idea that the prof is waiting for her to say something very important. After her monologue goes on for about 10 sentences, the professor asks, "OK, and do you see anything else?" We all hold our breaths... She doesn't have anything more to say.

Prof: OK, you have covered almost everything except one small thing... the person has his thumb missing.

Love theatre has never known a louder laughter in any class.

Does this remind you of Sherlock Holmes' camping trip?

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