Bill Pragnell wrote:

> I'll add my voice to this and third it. I don't know if anyone has 
> already said this, but the UK *is* the same - most PhDs in the sciences 
> and engineering (including CS) are fully funded, and I highly recommend 
> following this path if you're interested.

I'm always interested in geeking out over obscure algorithms and such. 
But I rather doubt that's what a PhD is actually about. And you say you 
get paid, but how much? Not a lot, I'd expect. I'm always on very low 
money - that's why I'm trying to get hold of a job that pays real money.

> And despite what you say, you *can* write technical documents. You keep 
> posting them here, and they are well-written.

Well, at least somebody has something nice to say about me. :-}

> Style and structure is 
> something you pick up whilst reading around the subject, and most 
> institutions will offer formal training for students and staff.

My college and my uni *did* offer (indeed, require) formal training. I 
still suck at it!

> The holiday allowance isn't too shabby either ;-)

I'll bet... ;-)

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Invisible wrote:
>>> I have an electronics kit with TTL in it. (A 7400LS, no less.) All 
>>> the diagrams drive the LEDs directly from it.
>>>
>>
>> That's TTL - it can source current, i.e. drive a LED
>> CMOS usually cannot source as much current.
> 
> Well, since TTL is what I'm using, TTL is what I'll worry about.


In the logic sense, CMOS and TTL are basically the same.  They even have 
the same 7400 series part numbers that are pin-pin compatible - just 
take note that hooking CMOS chips to TTL chips can be a bit tricky.

Otherwise, the TTL Cookbook is the cheaper one ;-)



Tom

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Invisible wrote:
> Jim Henderson wrote:
> 
>> So, you want to keep up with the tech industry?
> 
> Not *especially*, but...
> 
>> Subscribe to a slashdot RSS feed.
> 
> Two questions:
> 
> 1. What's RSS?

... GIYF

> 2. What actually *is* Slashdot? I keep hearing about it, but I'm still 
> unclear on what it's supposed to "be".

That tears it! Your geek license is officially revoked. :P

It's a tech news site. The comments section is famous for "First Post" 
type posts and disguised links to disgusting pictures. You think 
rickrolling is bad? Try a goatse. It was born on slashdot.

Shame, shame. You don't know what slashdot is...
-- 
~Mike

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Mike Raiford wrote:

>> 2. What actually *is* Slashdot? I keep hearing about it, but I'm still 
>> unclear on what it's supposed to "be".
> 
> That tears it! Your geek license is officially revoked. :P

What, *again*? o_O

> It's a tech news site.

Oh, is *that* what it's supposed to be?

> The comments section is famous for "First Post" 
> type posts and disguised links to disgusting pictures. You think 
> rickrolling is bad? Try a goatse. It was born on slashdot.

And trolls and endless flamewars and apparently clueless people and 
arguments about text editors and... Yes, this is well documented. I 
wasn't aware that the site has actual *benefits* though. I just avoid it.

> Shame, shame. You don't know what slashdot is...

Now I'm left wondering what the hell rickrolling is...

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Invisible wrote:

> 
> Now I'm left wondering what the hell rickrolling is...

Use the Goo ...
-- 
~Mike

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Invisible <voi### [at] devnull> wrote:
> I'm always interested in geeking out over obscure algorithms and such.
> But I rather doubt that's what a PhD is actually about.

We-ell, depends on the project, depends on the subject. The important thing of
course is to find something that interests you sufficiently to spend three+
years on it. And you don't have to be limited to subjects you already know;
ideally you want to be learning continuously as well as applying previous
know-how.

> And you say you
> get paid, but how much? Not a lot, I'd expect. I'm always on very low
> money - that's why I'm trying to get hold of a job that pays real money.

Last I heard, PhD students in my old department were getting upwards of 15k a
year - that was the standard EPSRC stipend that any engineering PhD student
could expect, which won't vary much between universities. And that's tax-free.
I imagine it's similar or better in mainland Europe or the US.

> > And despite what you say, you *can* write technical documents. You keep
> > posting them here, and they are well-written.
>
> Well, at least somebody has something nice to say about me. :-}

Everyone says it, if they're sufficiently interested to read it!

> > Style and structure is
> > something you pick up whilst reading around the subject, and most
> > institutions will offer formal training for students and staff.
>
> My college and my uni *did* offer (indeed, require) formal training. I
> still suck at it!

I didn't do it myself. I had good supervisors and colleagues.

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> Last I heard, PhD students in my old department were getting upwards of 
> 15k a
> year - that was the standard EPSRC stipend that any engineering PhD 
> student
> could expect, which won't vary much between universities. And that's 
> tax-free.
> I imagine it's similar or better in mainland Europe or the US.

Yeh, when I was at Universtiy (5 years ago) it seemed that 12-14k tax free 
was the norm.  15k tax free is equivalent to about 19k gross, so it's not at 
all that bad.

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Bill Pragnell wrote:
> Invisible <voi### [at] devnull> wrote:
>> I'm always interested in geeking out over obscure algorithms and such.
>> But I rather doubt that's what a PhD is actually about.
> 
> We-ell, depends on the project, depends on the subject. The important thing of
> course is to find something that interests you sufficiently to spend three+
> years on it. And you don't have to be limited to subjects you already know;
> ideally you want to be learning continuously as well as applying previous
> know-how.

Yeah. "Nerding out over the latest algorithms" isn't terribly specific, eh?

>> And you say you
>> get paid, but how much? Not a lot, I'd expect. I'm always on very low
>> money - that's why I'm trying to get hold of a job that pays real money.
> 
> Last I heard, PhD students in my old department were getting upwards of 15k a
> year.



> And that's tax-free.

OK, that's somewhat better...

>>> And despite what you say, you *can* write technical documents. You keep
>>> posting them here, and they are well-written.
>> Well, at least somebody has something nice to say about me. :-}
> 
> Everyone says it, if they're sufficiently interested to read it!

Heh. If there's one thing I've learned, it has to be this: Nobody gives 
a **** about Haskell. Seriously. Nobody cares.

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Mike Raiford wrote:
> rickrolling is bad? Try a goatse. It was born on slashdot.

Goatse was around long before HTTP, let alone slashdot.

-- 
Darren New / San Diego, CA, USA (PST)

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Mike Raiford wrote:
>> Now I'm left wondering what the hell rickrolling is...
> Use the Goo ...

Heh. Now *that* would be something for google to implement as a joke, 
wouldn't it?  You know what I'm talking about...

-- 
Darren New / San Diego, CA, USA (PST)

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