(post summary: I’m teaching in Stellenbosch next week. We have another published paper. Next DeVIDE will have InfoVis. Peter Norvig spouts backyard philosophy on slow email and work-life balance.) This week, yet another Weekly Head Voices Quickies! The handsome and sun-drenched building below, known as “The BJ” to generations of students, is part of the reason for my current posting-diet. You see, next week I have the pleasure of teaching a post-graduate Visualisation course at my old university in the beautiful town of Stellenbosch.
An indecent proposal. [Weekly Head Voices #31]
Dear readers, I would like to introduce you to my new friend: Pretty Leifheit kitchen timer, ideal for the Pomodoro Technique. Also the first time I use the macro setting on my Canon. Doh. It is old-fashioned and mechanical. It makes an extremely comforting ticking sound, and then after the 25 minutes of focus-time are over, starts ringing. The ticking is not too loud, and not too soft. The ringing is just the right length.
Time does wait for electronic true love [Weekly Head Voices #30]
I probably shouldn’t be spending deadline-chasing time writing this post, but I can’t not, you know? I do have some Sunday pomodoros behind me, so the FNSF (and other involved parties) will probably not mind too much. Also, to shave off a few more seconds, I’ll temporarily switch to the Swimgeek Quick Update-style bullet list. Before the first bullet however, you really have to see the DTV Shredder in action, the vehicle I’ve decided to equip my evil footsoldiers with, right after I manage to purchase a suitable volcanic island and install my evil lair:
Happy returns! [Weekly Head Voices #29]
Dearest readers, I’m truly sorry that you’ve had to endure three full weeks without any Head Voices. I’ve been in full-on Crisis Mode(tm) for the past weeks, doing my best to complete a number of projects, most prominent of which has been the brand-spanking new TU Delft first year CS course TI 1100-a. During Crisis Mode, all but the most critical of tasks have to spend some time on the back-burner.
Workin’ 9 to 5? [Weekly Head Voices #28]
(This post touches on one noteworthy good news tidbit from my last week, then secretly waxes nostalgic over Dolly Parton, showcases some cheeky parkour and then, after complaining about my overloaded schedule, raises backyard sociological questions as to the most suitable work approach: Time-driven 9 to 5 or output-driven? Oh yes, its WHV Nerd Index is a reassuring 0/5, so it’s safe for everyone!) I couldn’t come up with a catchy title involving Dolly, so you’re going to have to make do with what I have.
The Human Animal Post
(This post has a point. A very important point if I might say so myself and I’m even skipping the Weekly Head Voices because of it. Please read it, in sessions if you have to, from start to finish. It has a WHV Nerd Index of 0/5 and a Backyard Philosophy Index of 5/5. You can get back at me in the comments.) It turns out that when any normal human being is faced with observations or evidence that oppose their already formed opinions, they tend to ignore or downplay the value of those observations.
Island Style [Weekly Head Voices #27]
(This post introduces the new Weekly Head Voices Nerd Index, or WHV-NI, a metric by which you can see if you should read a post or not. See this page for an explanation of the WHV-NI. The NI of the first part of this post is 0/5, whilst the NI of the part starting with the accepted paper is 3/5, also due to the extensive Head Voices Review at the end.
Weekly Head Voices Abbreviations
I use many abbreviations in the Weekly Head Voices, mostly to indicate people. This page contains a handy summary. ERCI – extremely resourceful / capable individual GOU – Genetic Offspring Unit. Currently #1, #2 and #3. FNSF – French Neuro-Scientist Friend HVR – Head Voices Review SO – Significant Other TNR – The New Roomie TPN – Tall Philosophical Neighbour WHV-NI – Weekly Head Voices Nerd Index
Weekly Head Voices NERD INDEX
The WHV-NI is used to classify posts, and help you to decide if you want to read or not. The NI is a figure out of 5, grading the nerdiness of the post and the minimum nerdiness of the reader. Below is a handy table: 0/5 – Completely un-nerdy. Never programmed your VCR or PVR before? Not sure what a PVR is? You’re at the right place. 1/5 – Ever so slightly nerdy.
VCBM 2010 [Weekly Head Voices #26]
(This post is a slightly longer than average report detailing our trip to the EG VCBM 2010 conference. It’s of course super-entertaining, but if you still do wish to skim through it, I’ve bolded the per-paragraph themes. If you’re not sure what these danged conferences are about, see my recent EuroVis 2010 post for a general introduction.) Last week, I accompanied Peter Schaafsma (he of the orbital fat mobility paper), Bastijn Vissers and André van Dixhoorn (they of the resting state fMRI brain connectivity paper) to Leipzig, where they had been selected to present their work at the second Eurographics Workshop on Visual Computing for Biology and Medicine (VCBM).