I haven't been listening to enough lately... and I haven't been discovering any radically different artists lately. My average discovery rate usually hovers around 10-20 new artists every month but the last several months have been musical cesspits, more or less.

I can't stand any vocals in my music nowadays because it ruins the background concentration value. Heavy metal is ruled out for a while (except instrumental versions). Familiar selections of classical music have been getting an inordinate amount of playtime. Maybe it's time to delve into neoclassical and re-interpretations. I wonder if anyone has re-interpreted Chopin, my absolute favourite in romantic piano.


Or classical ballet. For example, I don't think I have ever heard the complete works of Leó Delibes and Ludwig Minkus before or any of their contemporaries who shaped the music of the ballet.

I could totally see why everyone is fascinated with snapping pics of our bike-boom-boxing resident 7 footer.



But I don't get this (e:Paul)-Paranoia-look(TM). What is that about?!

With one day free expedited shipping. No less.

DID IT!

Many thanks go out to (e:Paul) and Andy Grimm from the Fedora Project who messaged me a few days back to say that RTL8191SEvB does work with Fedora15 and offered to help.

For those of you who are stuck with this odd-man-out driver from Realtek: RTL8191SEvB and are ruing the loss of your wireless networks on Fedora15, here's the step by step guide.

1. Download the RTL8191SE driver from Get both RTL8192SE and RTL8191SE-VA2 if you are doubtful of what to get.

2. Extract it to its own directory. Navigate to that directory using the terminal.

cd /directory_you_extracted_the_RTL8191SEvB_driver

3. Try running the make command once you are in the directory:

make

4. You will see this message:

make -C /lib/modules/2.6.38.6-26.rc1.fc15.x86_64/build M=~/Downloads/rtl_92ce_92se_92de_linux_mac80211_0003.0620.2011 modules
make: *** /lib/modules/2.6.38.6-26.rc1.fc15.x86_64/build: No such file or directory. Stop.
make: *** [all] Error 2

5. Note the number in bold: 2.6.38.6-26.rc1.fc15.x86_64. Append it behind the words "kernel-devel-" and key in this command in the terminal:

sudo yum install kernel-devel-2.6.38.6-26.rc1.fc15.x86_64

This will install the tools you need to compile the kernel.

6. Now in the terminal again, key in:

make

This will be followed by a ton of output and jargon mumbo-jumbo from the terminal. Once the cacophony quiets down type:

sudo make install

7. Reboot! Rejoice! Your wireless should be back.

I have finally realized that in the linux world, THIS all you need - a possibility of someone helping you out from the doldrums. If I wanted to go the roses-are-red/sky-is-blue-ad-nauseum rehash-famous-quotes route, I would say:

Making linux work = 78% dare-devilry + 22% possibility of help.

I have switched!

Thanks to some super-human effort by (e:paul), I am finally on planet Fedora and being awed by Gnome 3.

How superawesome is it that you can just start keying in ANYTHING that comes to your mind and if its an application it comes up directly and if not, you can just hit the wiki or google button. It finally re-defines having internet at your fingertips. Now if the browser could simply BE my desktop, that would be the next step to having the net RIGHT there.

LOVING it completely! It is like I have stepped into the next century!

Now, if only I could make this blasted wireless card work and the skype camera brightness light up more and get this flash installed...

Behold, the Birdman Terry!

::DOWNLOAD SOUND::

Quite honestly, I have no idea how (e:Terry) even does that. I thought only birds had the laryngeal apparatus to produce such an elaborate guttural/chirping sound. I also heard (e:Terry)'s operatic take on one of George Clinton band's songs. It was nothing short of amazing. Which, begs the question:

Terry, why aren't you in musical theatre?

anytime now!

I think I want to be an apprentice at a professional origami performance and installation studio...



and try out the million and one teas in the world.

Now if you will excuse me, my teastrings and dissertation are calling.

Grad school can sometimes be painful.

I like discussing papers at journal club. I read most of them and try to contribute something to the discussion. I may not have the wisest thing to contribute but I try to take away something from every paper we discuss because I feel that 1 hour is my chance to get an insight into how people think when they read papers and how they might view things differently than I do (which is often the case). I really like the process of learning in that hour of journal club.

Students are required to be at the journal club even though they might have a million other things to do. Sometimes it feels like a bother, but in the end I think everyone learns something and also contributes something to the discussion if they spoke up even ONCE during the club. It is almost the nature of science. You cannot be in the thick of it and stop yourself from being involved. Every discussion at journal club is valuable because it is the collective sharing of thoughts that you might not get to hear when you are reading alone.

Faculty, perhaps, play an even more significant role in such journal clubs. They bring to our table their significant experience and expertise in the field. Their comments are almost ALWAYS worth hearing and their input is deeply appreciated. It's that rare hour where students can get an insight into how professionals in their field view any paper and research process.

However, all faculty are not mandated to be at journal clubs if they don't have the time. Since many of them are extraordinarily pressed for time, and have several competing interests, they don't come. Which is fine because if they feel like they have the time to make it, they do contribute to the discussion and that is always beneficial to all the students.

So, it hurts like hell when faculty you admire do turn up to the journal club (supposedly because they could make time for the club in their busy schedule), don't pay any attention to the discussion at the club because they were working right through it and then abruptly get up and leave midway without a word of explanation.

It hurts too much.

I guess it's part of growing up in grad school with faculty and other students subbing for your missing family. The lesson perhaps, is that your interests will never match up with everyone else's at the table and you cannot expect everyone you academically admire to make a trial at mentoring at the club, however brief that hour or even part of that hour might be. What I am really struggling with is do I prefer brutal honesty where the faculty tells you that the paper you picked is an utter waste of time or a completely silent cold approach where they do come but they just leave midway perhaps because they don't think it's worth their time to even say anything.

I think I pick honesty. Silence hurts more than I can express.