Chasely

I just got the Nexus 7 and love it for reading PDFs. I had the same question about PDFs and found my answer through trial and error. I use ezPDF for reading/annotation, and use DropSync as a companion app to sync PDFs between the app and Dropbox. As far as note taking, I'm not so sure. Most tablets can't be used with fine-point styluses (like the WACOM tablet ones) so they're not the greatest for jotting down notes. I've heard good things about Papyrus, but haven't used it myself.

Just so you know, if your stipend is part of a fellowship, it might not be "earned" income for tax purposes, and therefore would be unavailable for contributions into a Roth IRA. Chances are, if you don't pay social security or medicare taxes, you don't have "earned" income. I'll also note that the amount of stipend depends a lot on your area of study. My stipend in engineering may be 50% higher than someone in say, history.

Holy smokes, you all live in cheap areas. Jealous over here. I would only save $200/month by owning instead of renting. Not worth the risk for me.

There's nothing wrong with it, but I would be sure to contribute financially to the household (pay your share of rent/utilities) so you don't seem dependent on them. Just make sure the they will be okay with any form of social or romantic life you plan to have.

I'm assuming that your getting out with your MS? A PhD isn't for everyone and I'm pretty sure your PI knows that. Explain your situation and your decision to your PI and department first, then your peers. The sooner the better so that they can make alternate plans. You should have a plan in place though for your departure since you never know how someone might react to the news. I'd imagine this isn't the first or last time that your PI will have seen this happen.

Thanks, the twelve week practicum is a one-time event, correct? You don't have to do that every year you have the fellowship, I hope. EDIT: Found the answer. It's a one-time requirement, to be completed in the first two years of the fellowship.

I'm in the process of applying. Intirb, you noted about the "obligations" in the program. If I read the materials correctly the only "obligation" is the 12-week research practicum, correct? I saw that fellows should "seriously consider" job offers from the DOE and their partners after completion of the fellowship, but you're not required to work somewhere specific upon completion of your PhD. Oh, and there's also the conferences each year. But that's it, right? I couldn't tell if you're then tied to your proposed research topic, or if you can change your research and still receive the fellowship (contingent upon you still doing computational science relevant work). Let me know if there is anything else.

I'm dealing with this right now too. My advisor asked for my CV so he could write me a letter of rec for a small scholarship. Gotta figure out what to do today! I'm going to ask around and I'll report back here with what I find.

Title says it all. I've used Mendeley and it works for a small library, but I'm wondering how it will do as my library continues to grow. Anyone have experience with both, and what are your thoughts?

I've done it as well. But be sure to check the professor's website (if they have one) first. Some choose to put up syllabi and other course materials from previous semesters.

The nice thing I find about grad courses (in the sciences at least) is that as the material gets more concentrated, the likelihood of there being a suitable textbook diminishes. In my experience, this leads to professors copying the appropriate material from other sources and putting them together in a course packet (free of charge, of course). Of the 6 or so grad courses I've had so far, only two of them had a required textbook. On a more unrelated note, to those who use SAS/SPSS: why do departments choose to use that software instead

Friday was my last day at work. I was rueing the job a few times this summer, but left with good feelings for the work and the people. That being said, I'm glad that I'm going to grad school. I start my program in a couple weeks. In the mean time, I'll likely be doing a whole lot of nothing

+1 for this tomato soup recipe, it's fantastic: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/michael-chiarello/homemade-tomato-soup-recipe/index.html

My partner and I spend a lot on groceries, almost $700/month (how did that happen?). Since my income is about to go down by 40%, we need to start spending less money, and groceries are an easy target. Since we eat well (grass fed meat a majority of the time, organic when it matters, etc) and don't want to compromise that, we're trying to go vegetarian ~3 times a week. Another problem is that my partner is hypoglycemic, so cheap foods like rice/pasta can't be eaten in large portions. Our garden is starting to kick in now, which really decreases the amount of produce that we need to buy. It's amazing how much food $3 in seeds can provide. A Costco recently opened up near us. We're debating getting a membership. We'll likely go in there one day to compare the prices on what we usually buy to our other options. We have a house with plenty of storage though, I imagine things would get pretty cramped if we tried storing all that stuff in our old apartment.

Why not read something light/fun? Two more weeks and then the grind is on! I've got a two week break after work ends and school begins. I plan to do a lot of nothing to "get it out of my system."