I will have a glass of Cava and orange juice.

Actually I was referring to a number of members but it is not for the advice or the disagreeing opinions. Those are all part of the freedom to express and I welcome them. However there is a difference between saying "I don't agree with you" and saying "You are **** for not agreeing with me". I am quite new here but I have read threads and they seem rather sarcastic and discouraging sometimes.

However in your case - Stu, I think it has to be said that you have personally attempted to insult me by calling in members of my family. That was uncalled for but I think you know that. Perhaps it was a bad day? Since later on you yourself got attacked and went on to say that people shouldn't try and assume they know who you are or what you stand for. Unless ofcourse you don't practise what you preach. Generally I don't find you offensive or crude.

I agree... People do tend to jump down your throats in here (some very crudely).

PS: I did get four grey hairs (one for each year of my PhD!) and I am only 25! I now make sure these white buggers are tucked away at the bottom of my head of black hair. I am also glad this is my last year!

The decision is up to you really... Do you enjoy what you do now? Will it get you to where you want to be at in a few years time?

A PhD can be rewarding but it is focused towards life in academia and research positions in industry. If that is what you want to do, then jump. However they do not give you a parachute so once you jump you will just have to cross your fingers and hope you make a soft landing! There is no gurantee about what happens after the PhD.

However if you are sure you want to do a PhD and you are just nervous about how it will go and whether you can cope and all the rest of it? Don't worry. Everyone has those doubts at the start. I suggest you read this book:

How to Get a PhD: A Handbook for Students and Their Supervisors by Estelle Phillips and Derek S. Pugh

Buy it at Amazon

My word of the day: Joss-Stick

A thin wooden stick covered with a substance which burns slowly and produces a pleasant smell that fills the air.

I knew them as incense sticks but I guess they are the smaller ones. Reading post in the forum can be both fun and educational! Who knew.

So I developed an algorithm to do some visual stuff in 3D space and tested it out on participants as you do. I have some good quatitative results but I should really triangulate my results with some qualitative ones which I collected through post-experimental semi-structured interviews.

I have been going through these interviews and coding, recoding and drawing networks to estabilish how some codes are related to others. It is not as complicated as grounded theory but maybe it is a form of latent content analysis. It just seems like this form of analysis would have been established elsewhere like in the social sciences or psychology. I am not certain what it is called. I have looked it up on google and some books but the descriptions don't seem to quite fit.

Can someone in this forum with the know-how help me find a name to the types of analysis I am doing? I can provide more details on the analysis I did. Just ask the questions.

I agree... you don't deserve a holiday if you have not started and suffered on the PhD!!! :)

They really ought to put smileys in here... I can't make a jocular comment without it looking like a serious statement.

Don't fret too much. It is not all doctoral students who behave in this way. It is just that some warped individuals can not be helped to develop tolerance even through education. It is a shame but their twisted opinions and disregard for other peoples' research is not your problem, it is theirs. Unfortunately you can't make everyone in the world love you.

You might win the jackpot after the PhD, Mia!

and can I go with Neil to Peru. I have been to Eygpt - great place. I might go again at some point since I only spent 3 days there and it was incredibly rushed

- 1st day: Cairo
- 2nd day: Luxor
- 3rd day: Cairo and the river Nile.

:)

Writing your first paper is rather daunting but it does get easier as time goes by. The way I tackle it is to write out the structure of the paper followed by bullet points under each section and then...

Read papers written by your supervisor and peers to get an idea of how to write. Also perhaps you can start with a poster or a short paper first.

Definitely look for other options in other universities as well. You need to have backups incase this one falls through.

This is only a suggestion... what do you think of maybe arranging an informal visit to the lab to see their work and perhaps meet the supervisor in person?

Where would people like to go on holidays after the PhD? For a well-deserved and extended vacation?

Mine: Prague, Far East, Srilanka

Yours?

big bird was my fav.

Sesame St. when I was a wee toddler!