Imperial College, Day One (A Short Retrospective)

First day on the new job went well. There are pros and cons to the switch, but overall I think that this is going to be a good thing.

Main disadvantage, of course, is the commute -- I just barely got back to Oxford in time for my ice skating lesson tonight! However, I have some ideas for helping with that. Tomorrow I bring my bicycle on the Oxford Tube, which should make the London side of the journey shorter. The eventual relocation to east Oxford should shorten the overall commute somewhat. And there are a couple of purchases that I could make to enhance the productivity of the journey.

As for the new job itself... well, that requires a longer post than I want to make tonight. Something to really go into the physics that I will be working on. Can't do that now, as I am particularly knackered and about to go collapse into bed with my dear cheshcati

Before I do, though, I want to publicly thank cheshcat and tawneypup and Darelle... all of whom were quite encouraging today. On my [sleepy] way to work this morning, Darelle sent a very sweet text message for my first day. If I had not been on the bus when I received it, I might have even started skipping! tawneypup sent multiple cheery e-mails to bolster my spirits. And those spirits weren't even low -- so that is saying something about the bouncy and beautiful goodness that is tawneypup! Sometime in the afternoon, cheshcat sent me a "first day" e-card that nearly brought a tear to my eye. It reminded me that this woman has shared my life since I was a mere slip of an undergraduate, scarcely a year after I decided that I had wanted to pursue a career in physics. She has been here for the trials and tribulations of my early courses, the insane stress of my first year in graduate school, and watched me in each and every experiment that I have collaborated on. Plus she (and resourceress edited my doctoral disseration -- all two hundred pages of it[*]! If all that weren't enough... she had dinner waiting when I got home from my first day.

Pardon the incoherency, gentle readers. I did warn that I was knackered. However, eloquent or no, I felt it important to write this entry and acknowledge that I am lucky enough to have some very special people in my life!

---

[*] Indeed, the dedication in my PhD -- crafted back in 2003 -- is to cheshcat.

Imperial College, Day One (A Short Retrospective)

First day on the new job went well. There are pros and cons to the switch, but overall I think that this is going to be a good thing.

Main disadvantage, of course, is the commute -- I just barely got back to Oxford in time for my ice skating lesson tonight! However, I have some ideas for helping with that. Tomorrow I bring my bicycle on the Oxford Tube, which should make the London side of the journey shorter. The eventual relocation to east Oxford should shorten the overall commute somewhat. And there are a couple of purchases that I could make to enhance the productivity of the journey.

As for the new job itself... well, that requires a longer post than I want to make tonight. Something to really go into the physics that I will be working on. Can't do that now, as I am particularly knackered and about to go collapse into bed with my dear cheshcati

Before I do, though, I want to publicly thank cheshcat and tawneypup and Darelle... all of whom were quite encouraging today. On my [sleepy] way to work this morning, Darelle sent a very sweet text message for my first day. If I had not been on the bus when I received it, I might have even started skipping! tawneypup sent multiple cheery e-mails to bolster my spirits. And those spirits weren't even low -- so that is saying something about the bouncy and beautiful goodness that is tawneypup! Sometime in the afternoon, cheshcat sent me a "first day" e-card that nearly brought a tear to my eye. It reminded me that this woman has shared my life since I was a mere slip of an undergraduate, scarcely a year after I decided that I had wanted to pursue a career in physics. She has been here for the trials and tribulations of my early courses, the insane stress of my first year in graduate school, and watched me in each and every experiment that I have collaborated on. Plus she (and resourceress edited my doctoral disseration -- all two hundred pages of it[*]! If all that weren't enough... she had dinner waiting when I got home from my first day.

Pardon the incoherency, gentle readers. I did warn that I was knackered. However, eloquent or no, I felt it important to write this entry and acknowledge that I am lucky enough to have some very special people in my life!

---

[*] Indeed, the dedication in my PhD -- crafted back in 2003 -- is to cheshcat.

Technology Is The Answer!

I am writing this entry from the Oxford Tube, on my way home after my second day of work in the Imperial College High Energy Physics group.

Day two, and this commute is already getting on my nerves. This morning, I brought my bicycle with me to see how that would help save time on the London end of things. It shaves off somewhere between ten and fifteen minutes. Good. However, the coach this morning was devoid of WiFi. Not so good. I slept instead, but I really could have used the time to be productive[*].

This evening, I ended up waiting nearly forty-five minutes for the coach... despite the fact that it is supposed to run every fifteen minutes at this time of day. Not being known for my patience, this did not make me a happy camper. Now I am on the bus, and the WiFi is working... but just barely. It is slow enough to be akin to breathing through a straw. It was like this yesterday, too. Not the sort of thing that I want to spend an hour and change fighting with for a couple of hours a day, five days a week, for the next year or two.

Obviously, I cannot change the fact that a bus broke down and made me wait tonight. That's fine. It was irksome, but I do not expect it to be a regular occurrence. I am more concerned about the pathetic nature of the WiFi -- I accepted this hellacious commute with the understanding that I could be productive on the long coach ride. Since I cannot expect the bus company to improve their service, I think that the time has come to seriously consider mobile broadband.

That's where the technical question comes in.

I took some time today to research my options. I could get a mobile broadband adapter for my Arkham-3[**] -- either a USB stick or a PCMCIA card -- and have access for about fifteen pounds a month. I could also switch my mobile phone from pay-as-you-go service and get a phone with mobile internet capability. I can get a free phone with enough minutes and texts to suit my needs (plus unlimited internet and e-mail access) for about thirty-five pounds per month. The phone can also interface with my laptop, acting as a mobile modem. These days, I already spend about ten pounds a month on my pay-as-you-go phone, so the total if I purchase a mobile broadband card would be twenty-five quid. Thus, I am leaning toward a new phone -- for the extra ten quid per month, I would get access to e-mail and the net when I am away from my computer, plus possible other perks like a GPS unit.

Still, before I commit to spending thirty-five pounds per month for the next year and a half, I like to shop around and get some advice. Be an informed consumer and all that. So, I was wondering a couple of things:

1. Do any of my dear readers have experience using their mobile phones as an interface for bringing broadband to their laptops. How reliably does it work?
   
   
2. Does anyone have any advice for choosing such a phone from the sea of options? Currently, I am leaning towards a Blackberry Curve 8310. However, I see plenty of other options that would fit my needs, such as a an HTC Touch Pro, a Nokia E61i, or a Blackberry 8800. Recommendations would be welcome!
   
   
3. Does anyone have any suggestions for who the best providers are. Currently, I am leaning toward Vodafone, who will give me five hundred minutes, one hundred texts, and unlimited mobile broadband for thirty-five pounds per month. This suits my needs... but is a bit pricey. A quick scan of other providers did not reveal anything better. Anybody know of any special offers or deals that would save me a pretty penny?

Suggestions from any of my gentle readers would be appreciated. Advice from the lovely fawx_fae even more so[***].

---

[*] And to send the delicious tawneypup an e-mail that I had been planning.

[**] My laptop.

[***] If you are reading this, my dear, please take that as a not-so-subtle hint! Your professional expertise and connections are potentially quite useful here!

Technology Is The Answer!

I am writing this entry from the Oxford Tube, on my way home after my second day of work in the Imperial College High Energy Physics group.

Day two, and this commute is already getting on my nerves. This morning, I brought my bicycle with me to see how that would help save time on the London end of things. It shaves off somewhere between ten and fifteen minutes. Good. However, the coach this morning was devoid of WiFi. Not so good. I slept instead, but I really could have used the time to be productive[*].

This evening, I ended up waiting nearly forty-five minutes for the coach... despite the fact that it is supposed to run every fifteen minutes at this time of day. Not being known for my patience, this did not make me a happy camper. Now I am on the bus, and the WiFi is working... but just barely. It is slow enough to be akin to breathing through a straw. It was like this yesterday, too. Not the sort of thing that I want to spend an hour and change fighting with for a couple of hours a day, five days a week, for the next year or two.

Obviously, I cannot change the fact that a bus broke down and made me wait tonight. That's fine. It was irksome, but I do not expect it to be a regular occurrence. I am more concerned about the pathetic nature of the WiFi -- I accepted this hellacious commute with the understanding that I could be productive on the long coach ride. Since I cannot expect the bus company to improve their service, I think that the time has come to seriously consider mobile broadband.

That's where the technical question comes in.

I took some time today to research my options. I could get a mobile broadband adapter for my Arkham-3[**] -- either a USB stick or a PCMCIA card -- and have access for about fifteen pounds a month. I could also switch my mobile phone from pay-as-you-go service and get a phone with mobile internet capability. I can get a free phone with enough minutes and texts to suit my needs (plus unlimited internet and e-mail access) for about thirty-five pounds per month. The phone can also interface with my laptop, acting as a mobile modem. These days, I already spend about ten pounds a month on my pay-as-you-go phone, so the total if I purchase a mobile broadband card would be twenty-five quid. Thus, I am leaning toward a new phone -- for the extra ten quid per month, I would get access to e-mail and the net when I am away from my computer, plus possible other perks like a GPS unit.

Still, before I commit to spending thirty-five pounds per month for the next year and a half, I like to shop around and get some advice. Be an informed consumer and all that. So, I was wondering a couple of things:

1. Do any of my dear readers have experience using their mobile phones as an interface for bringing broadband to their laptops. How reliably does it work?
   
   
2. Does anyone have any advice for choosing such a phone from the sea of options? Currently, I am leaning towards a Blackberry Curve 8310. However, I see plenty of other options that would fit my needs, such as a an HTC Touch Pro, a Nokia E61i, or a Blackberry 8800. Recommendations would be welcome!
   
   
3. Does anyone have any suggestions for who the best providers are. Currently, I am leaning toward Vodafone, who will give me five hundred minutes, one hundred texts, and unlimited mobile broadband for thirty-five pounds per month. This suits my needs... but is a bit pricey. A quick scan of other providers did not reveal anything better. Anybody know of any special offers or deals that would save me a pretty penny?

Suggestions from any of my gentle readers would be appreciated. Advice from the lovely fawx_fae even more so[***].

---

[*] And to send the delicious tawneypup an e-mail that I had been planning.

[**] My laptop.

[***] If you are reading this, my dear, please take that as a not-so-subtle hint! Your professional expertise and connections are potentially quite useful here!

Feelers. Nothing More Than Feelers.

One advantage of working in London now is that it makes the possibility of attending evening social events in London much more feasible. Go figure! Who'da thunk it?

With that in mind, I thought that I would put out a couple of feelers:

Is anyone was planning to attend either (a) the Poly Meetup next Tuesday, or (b) be at Coffee, Cake, and Kink[*] at any point between now and October 9^th[**].

If so, let me know! I am quite amenable to dropping in on one or both of these if anyone that I know is attending...

---

[*] Which I am told still exists for a little while longer. I don't think that the delicious tawneypup would forgive me if I let it cease existing without ever having made it there!

[**] Which is when I head off to the States for the Super-Sekrit October Gathering on the Wiggly Bridge. This is why I am not asking about the Bi Underground this month -- I will be in New York City when it happens!

Feelers. Nothing More Than Feelers.

One advantage of working in London now is that it makes the possibility of attending evening social events in London much more feasible. Go figure! Who'da thunk it?

With that in mind, I thought that I would put out a couple of feelers:

Is anyone was planning to attend either (a) the Poly Meetup next Tuesday, or (b) be at Coffee, Cake, and Kink[*] at any point between now and October 9^th[**].

If so, let me know! I am quite amenable to dropping in on one or both of these if anyone that I know is attending...

---

[*] Which I am told still exists for a little while longer. I don't think that the delicious tawneypup would forgive me if I let it cease existing without ever having made it there!

[**] Which is when I head off to the States for the Super-Sekrit October Gathering on the Wiggly Bridge. This is why I am not asking about the Bi Underground this month -- I will be in New York City when it happens!