spectastic

I listen to this whenever I feel down https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kffacxfA7G4

Boise is in Idaho. And their football team is overrated. (and blue turf? b* please) But anyway, my background is in chemical engineering, so I'm not educated on semiconductors. However, I've worked on polymers throughout college, and am interested in working with organic semi conductors and conducting polymers, which will be a merge between the two. Anyone have a good perspective on where this field is going? I've heard that the field of OPV's is pretty saturated right now, and that flexible electronics is in the same boat. Perhaps those of you in Cali can shed some light on this.

When pizza hut used to have the built your own pizza for 10 dollars deal, I would like once a week order a large pizza and shamelessly select every possible topping that would fit on one pizza. too bad they got rid of that.

I wasted a lot of time recently revisiting dragon ball z, for the nostalgia. (I remember this kid who tried to turn super sayan at the bus stop, and almost shit his pants) I also like survivor and action movies, and ice cream.

I would be looking for them like right now.. TA/RA's don't always get passed out like free candy. People will be fighting for those

I get that research is number one, and I agree. But I know I'd be totally burnt out if I didn't anything else to do. That's just me. I think this is different for everybody.

ucla wouldn't give me any funding. they won't even waive the tuition for me.

it matters a lot to me. snow and the cold makes me depressed during winter. and small flat towns make me bored to death, and I need good means of outlet other than alcohol.

Do you guys get messages from time to time from recruiters? For me, a lot of times, I get requests for referrals for an open position that they have. I'm just curious if you guys treat these messages as spam, or legit networking opportunities. Any stories?

coming from a person who's been waitlisted, I can see where the professor's coming from. even though she might have been rude, I wouldn't really hold it against her. first impressions don't always tell you everything. and working in a place where the work flow process frequently suffers bottlenecks due to individual hold ups, I can understand why the professor may be fixed on getting shit done and move forward. Friend of mine took two months to accept his offer from MIT. I'm happy for him, but fucking really?

you're in good shape... the only thing I might change is ease up on the course load a little.

yea, location was probably my second highest priority in the schools that I've selected. I didn't pick UCSD because they had a small chem e faculty. proly should've looked up their mse faculty too....

who would've known that disparity of wealth exists in graduate admissions too.

the demon always finds a way out.

I'd like to figure out my summer plans, but I can't do that until my grad school plans are finalized.

how about my least favorite? off the top of my head safety permits: RATA - relative accuracy test audit TS104 - technical standard 104. (don't ask me what it entails, but apparently it's important) SIL - safety integrity level operating limits: environmental limits (from the EPA) SOC (safety operating limits) KPRP (key production ... shit I forgot what the other two stand for) project related: MOC - management of change LDAR - leak detection and repair PMP - preventative maintenance plan P&ID - piping and instruments diagram PFD - process flow diagram BPF - forgot what it stands for, but it's like a blueprint DMF - decision making frame work positions: OE - operations engineer SOE - senior operations engineer RDL - reliability day leader RSL - reliability shift leader MLO - ??? RCC - resources ? coordinator PL - production leader and about 100 more... *SIGH* industrial standards totally suck. I miss the days where things are simple, and there isn't 100 pages of paperwork that has to go through 100 people every time I do something. and as a side note, we have this chemical - adiponitrile - or ADN, and auto correct always changes that to AND.. So it's like whenever I'm on a different computer, I have to hit backspace allll the way back to the typo, change it, hit spacebar, and it changes again! GOD

I asked a question to one of our R&D guys, asking for insight on degree recommendations for industrial research, and he ended up setting me up in a meeting with the R&D manager, who basically told me that you don't need a doctorate degree to do real research in industry (academia is another story). He said that the intrinsic drive to innovate and one's capabilities are valued above one's credentials. He shared with me his nontraditional route in R&D and how he made his mark in the company by coming up with ideas that eventually led to more projects and innovation (without a graduate degree). And the whole kicker of the meeting was to inform me of the plans of expansion within our R&D department, and how he's looking for curious individuals (basically encouraging me to apply). I didn't tell him that process development doesn't really interest me. Our company uses a well known reaction to make a well known product, and while there's still a lot of room for technological growth, I'm interested in working with the science more than the process. And although he told me that he was preaching from a neutral unbiased perspective, most of his information was geared towards how a PhD is just a title that does not necessarily mean success, and that he has experienced personal success by applying himself on the job, with a bachelors. I'm wondering if there are seasoned PhD's or engineers here who can offer a different perspective.

holy cow that's a lot of good information. digdeep, what about the possibility that some of these studies are outdated?

enhanced chicken see how it's bloated up like a balloon? and I think the meat industry is getting worse about this. 90% the meat you eat are probably packaged at 1 of like 3-4 companies in the whole country, whose whole incentive is to make money, and their monopoly allow them to pretty much do whatever the hell they want with their product. the good stuff from the farms, where chickens are raised humanely (eg. allowed to live on a farm as opposed to getting jammed into cages and forced to sleep in their own shit), are slowly disappearing. I don't work in the industry, but I think what you see in the news isn't that far off from reality. but nevermind that, I'll leave the advocacy role to someone else. I'm more worried about what they put into the food I buy. and yes, I try to stay away from processed food too. But that's hard to do nowadays, due to the aforementioned points.,

I think we're all inclined to buy the cheaper ingredients while grocery shopping, but I feel like there are certain products that nobody should buy, even if they have low prices. on the other hand there are ingredients that are both great for your health and wallet. for instance, I've never had good luck with those bloated up chicken breasts. I think the "broth" solution that soakes them during processing allows them to be stored for a longer period of time, and every time I cook it, there's a putrid smell. I don't know the details, but my better senses are telling me to stay away from these meats. another example is frozen vegetables. there are probably studies out there proving that frozen vegetables are actually fresher than the produce section, because their enzymes aren't 'active', so they don't age like thawed vegetables. there are also those bagged greens that have been prewashed, and pretty much good to eat out of the bag. I'm wondering if others have input on my examples (particularly the enhanced chicken) or other examples that they can share.

you won't but she will and we all get tattoos for different reasons, and not all of them are good ones. I think that settles the differences. no need to argue

would Justin beiber generally be considered an unpopular thing you love or a popular thing you hate?

I would care a little about what others think if I were to get a tattoo, not a lot, just a little. ymmv

I didn't mean to be judgy, but I see where you're coming from. Yes, a tattoo can be an expression of your passion, but I would want my tattoo to have some visual appeal, considering it'll be permanent. (and I can be cranky on Mondays)

it makes sense. taste is complemented by smell, and vice versa. (on a side note, I've heard of a story of a guy recovering from hydrogen cyanide poisoning, who said he was able to taste the HCN)