Yup getting colder up here in Edinburgh - Gonna get a new thicker duvet this week in preparation for it getting really cold!!

Panic over someone in the office had access so I have it now

Thanks anyway :)

Since I have submitted I have lost my access rights from the uni so I can no longer get papers etc.. can anyone get me this paper:-

'Mechanisms controlling pathogen colonization of the gut' Stecher B 2010 in Current Opinion in Microbiology

Thank you :)

I've never been old cat - but I agree kids seem to be a lot ruder these days

When kids are rude or say things trying to be 'funny and cool' I just tend to roll my eyes and laugh at them - that usually shows them that you aren't bothered and they have failed to get a rise out of you.

One of the problems with emails is that it is very easy to just ignore them - Maybe you should try calling him or speaking to him face to face with reference to your last email to see what the progress is? You could always have a few suggestions of potential examiners and take them to him?

Another option would be to give him a week and email him again about your last email and cc the secretary and the head of the grad school about it? that might spur him into action?

Haha yes she totally had the secret service thing going on! Maybe she is the real M?!?!

I think the idea here is to come up with your own topic as it is your own project - it's all part of the process.

If you get asked the question 'How did you come up with this idea?' by your supervisor, saying 'I'm not really sure as I got it off an internet forum' isn't really going to get you any brownie points.

So think about what areas you find interesting in IT and build from that. What do you like doign in terms of IT? Are there any areas were there could be improvements or new ways of doing things? Is there a new area in which IT could be utilised to make things easier or more efficient?

Nah not at all

I did some sales repping straight after my undergrad - I am rubbish at it.  I don't have the mentality to be a sales person.. in the words of Melissa 'it is out of my comfortability zone'. Plus I found it to be a very unrewarding and boring job.

Yeah the fat hobbit (as I have dubbed stuart) or big eyes should go next week..

I heard on the radio that that melissa had come across better in the after show thing

Winning every week is onething but in the real world you actually have to have a good relationship with your team - alot of the contestants have terrible social skills and are all very bitchy and snide.. I would hate to work with or for some like that.

Yeah that blondie girl actually seems to know what she is doing.. I love your names for them!

Haha that would be fun if she was on here... Come on Margaret.. show yourself :oP

Haha or having Alan as an external (I would refuse to call him Lord Sugar - I find that a bit ridiculous)

I just started watching the new series of the apprentice last night - it never ceases to amaze me that the 'wannabes' continually make the same mistakes.. do they never learn!? There have been a few series now and you'd think that anyone worth their salt would use those as research material before going into the new series. And that lass who got fired last night - she was just awful! Especially with her made up words like 'Karmically', 'Comfortability' and 'Professionality'.. She made me cringe!!

Oh and I miss Margaret!

The BBSRC do courses for BBSRC funded students - so perhaps approach your research council if you have one. Or google search for academic writing courses.

I don't think you are wasiting your time

I think you need your supervisor to be more constructive with their feed back "bad" and "it will come." are really not sufficient they should be giving you help where you need it - that is what they are there for.

Yes you can learn to write - it just takes practice..

Does your uni not have any writing courses? I know they had some where I was at...

It's not uncommon for multiple groups to be investigating the same topic, but with a different approach.  I have read papers where two groups have looked at the same cellular process to reveal two different hypotheses for the mechanism of how the process works. If you are looking at mechanisms of gene expression regulation then it is possible they are looking at it from a different angle to you.

As for affecting future prospects, don't worry. The main problem of carrying out similar work to another research group is that they can scoop you - i.e. find out the answer to your question and publish the results before you do meaning that you cant publish the results in a journal (it would still be fine for a phd chapter).  This is frustrating but science is a competitive arena and it does happen, but if your supervisor has a new concept to try out then focus on that concept and build on it.

Don't be disheartened - Ph.D. research is flexible and you are in your early stages, so if needs be you can change the direction of your work to make it more novel. 8-)

I'll have a passed viva for xmas (hopefully).. other than that nice warm socks are good to have during the long colds nights sat at a computer!

I have thought about a trade with Santa this year.. if he gives me an x box he can have justin bieber as one of his elves.