Random Musings

I have started to compile some (unsanctioned) recommendations for ECE undergrads.

Do you have the knack?

A short overview of undergraduate research and graduate studies opportunities for ECE sophomores in 18-200. Undergraduates, from CMU and elsewhere, interested in summer research at CMU/ECE should apply here.

A short overview of ECE for pre-college students attending CMU's "Sleeping Bag Weekend" events.

I am worried about my grade

I have started to compile some (unsanctioned) recommendations for ECE MS students.

I do not have any specific recommendations to offer to PhD students because (1) if they are not my students, my recommendations have no bearing on what they should do; and (2) if they are my students, they shouldn't be browsing the web.

An unsanctioned talk about graduate schools I used gave to ECE undergrads annually (hosted by the CMU IEEE student chapter). Since 2010, it has been integrated into an 18-200 lecture.

At the start of each semester I give a pep talk to the ECE TAs.

This is an unexpected good source of information about life as a PhD student.

The illustrated guide to a Ph.D.

Don't let these change your mind

Your research should not remind you of

Cargo Cult Science (Transcript of a talk by Richard Feynman on the importance of integrity and honesty when doing research) (See also Pathological Science)

Taking too long to finish your PhD thesis? This may be your ticket out. (For a second and third opinion.) (Don't misunderstand, I mean this as a joke not an endorsement. Stop looking for a “thesis formula”; talk more to your advisor and work harder.)

Can't bear the thought of leaving graduate school, change your thesis topic. (Just in case: this is also a joke.)

About Pittsburgh

Google Translate for those of us who are language limited.

The Wayback Machine

The Mechanical Universe at Annenberg

Feynman Lectures at Microsoft

Do you suffer from Wikipediholism? If you read enough random pages daily, you may one day encounter the following rare gems of codified human knowledge.

“A hundred prisoners are each locked in a room with three pirates, one of whom will walk the plank in the morning. Each prisoner has 10 bottles of wine, one of which has been poisoned; and each pirate has 12 coins, one of which is counterfeit and weighs either more or less than a genuine coin. In the room is a single switch, which the prisoner may either leave as it is, or flip. Before being led into the rooms, the prisoners are all made to wear either a red hat or a blue hat; they can see all the other prisoners' hats, but not their own. Meanwhile, a six-digit prime number of monkeys multiply until their digits reverse, then all have to get across a river using a canoe that can hold at most two monkeys at a time. But half the monkeys always lie and the other half always tell the truth. Given that the Nth prisoner knows that one of the monkeys doesn't know that a pirate doesn't know the product of two numbers between 1 and 100 without knowing that the N+1th prisoner has flipped the switch in his room or not after having determined which bottle of wine was poisoned and what colour his hat is, what is the solution to this puzzle?” – heard on Car Talk

Too lazy to even read Cliff Notes?

Patent trolls beware

Negative Information