I used to have it on a docking station (when in uni) which was good as in a nice big screen and proper keyboard but not so good as in the end it took up too much space on the desk. I now have it propped up on a hardback copy of Alice in Wonderland :$ as I need to have the keyboard at a tilt. At home I have it on an 'e-pad' thing I got in the US. It's running pretty slow lately, just as I come to the end of my PhD - word overload I think, and not just the laptop :-(

They can get hot - but you should try and keep them as cool as possible.  Are the vents blocked? Most laptops have them on the bottom, which of course gets blocked all the time.  You can make little 'legs' for your laptop out of bits of cork or, as I've read elsewhere, beer bottle tops - anything to let the vents do their job. You can also get cans of pressurised air to clean the vents/fans out - they're probably pretty dusty.

Speedfan will help your laptop run its fans more efficiently.  You can also buy cooling pads for beneath your laptop.

Mine was getting to the stage where it was simply turning itself off due to overheating - speedfan and cleaning the fans saved it.

My hubs' thesis was shutting down word when he put it all together. I think anything over about 100 pages and word does a flip out and decides to spend ages thinking about stuff and then shutting down :-s

That gives me serious chills. My Zotero played up badly at the weekend, and I hadn't made a back-up. I think my life passed before my eyes :-)

right - feeling motivated now after speaking to a friend about vivas. I need to go for a dog walk, and then I'll come back and read through my findings section - I've written it for publication so it needs to be extended and pulled together a bit (messing about with it basically).

Snowe - make sure you use dropbox and back it up to an external hard drive.

Had dinner, so my next goal is to complete 1/5 of my findings section.

Afternoon- how is everyone doing today?

I am feeling positive after some meetings this morning, one with the careers advisor about applying for a lectureship in my department. My first goal is to email a colleague in the department who is handling it all, and then to go back to my discussion chapter which I have been pretending doesn't have to be drafted out in 2 weeks time!

Good afternoon! :-) I made it into the university today and am now sitting in my office procrastinating ... :$ So far I have sent two emails, made one change to a document and ... written a to do list. :$ So I'd better get on with it... (sprout)

First goal: check through two books & take notes etc before returning them to the library.

(robin)

Afternoon everyone!

I really can't be arsed today, but know I need to get some stuff done. Already been swimming and to a supervision meeting. Need to build myself up to have the strength of will required to speak to the two organisations hosting my study without falling on my knees and begging them through tears of frustration to please just get on with the stuff they promised to do for me.... Oh well, it'll all work out.

Goals for today:
1.) Go swimming - DONE
2.) Go to supervision meeting and write up notes afterwards - DONE
3.) Contact first organisation to see whether I can put their survey 'live' yet
4.) Try to contact second organisation to see what they're playing at....
5.) Print out lots of documents I need to take with me to Summer School next week

My discussion chapter is going OK. I am very happy with what I have got, but I'm not sure there is enough of it. :p I have a feeling I'll be sending my sup a short version and will have to add things in as I redraft it.

My final goal is to read through the comments my sup has sent me on my literature review and method chapter. There are no drastic rewrites required, which is a relief!

First goal done, next goal: read two papers.

Afternoon all, I really need to be productive with my viva prep, 13 days left to go. Currently, have thesis review done, equations deciphered, a little extra knowledge on my externals pet area so now it is potential questions to answer/revise. Unfortunately I feel like pants with a head cold from my twins and now the childminder has called to say the eldest (2 1/2 yrs) has chicken pox. I can just see a house full of spotty kids right up to viva day :-(

Ok so I WILL get some questions done later today!

Oh Dear Dunni, chicken pox is rotten luck for you and the kiddies. Once the spots 'die' the itch goes so hopefully it won't be too long. Some children can get them really badly; one of mine had them in his nose, ears etc. Plenty of calamine lotion should help soothe them.

I think you're ready for your viva now so just keep tipping away with it and keep in touch with your thesis but you're there :-)

oh dear, chicken pox isn't fun. I'd fill the bath with cammomile lotion. I think my parents said they painted it on me with a paint brush when I got chicken pox!

Anyway, I'm faffing about with quotes today - I'd really like to get the findings section done tonight as I'm basically losing tomorrow doing ironing and packing to go away, although I have managed to shave the dog today, which has cut down one thing to do tomorrow :-)