I got another email about the talk I'm supposed to give. And, yeah, it's basically a job interview, but they seem actually eager to hear about my research. Also, I've looked up some of their research and at there's a couple of papers that I really want to read. So I could try to stay in touch with them and write a paper together even if I don't get ( Read more... )

I got an email today saying one of our quantum papers is finally accepted for publication, with only a few small changes. And I like the reviews, too. One of them suggests some interesting ideas for future research. Shame I can't meet up with the quantum guys, but that's what skype is for, I guess ( Read more... )

Me the night before giving a talk at a conference, in front of a hundred professors, some of whom wrote the books I learned this stuff from: No problem. I got this.

Me the night before teaching a class: Ohshitohshitohshit, what if I screw up somehow?!

Me in the middle of class: Ohh, I've just had a great idea, so let's forget the detailed plan ( Read more... )

This week is gonna be intense. First of all, I've got a job interview on Wednesday. A serious, formal job interview. I've actually applied for a postdoc at the New Quantum Center twice, but the first time around I didn't even make it to the interview stage. That's how seriously they're taking it. And for the interview I have to prepare a short ( Read more... )

So they told me all writing in the pictures has to be in italics. So I did that and told them: 'If there is anything else I need to change, please tell me exactly what it is'. The answer: 'The numbers must NOT be in italics! (Why would you do that ( Read more... )

I just need to cite some sources for that algorithm...
No problem. We can find them online.

5 minutes later

Oookay... so it's from the 1950s, huh?
Might be tricky to find the whole paper, but here's the title, author and journal at least.

5 minutes laterOoooh! There's an older proof? I wanna see it ( Read more... )

The good news is that the paper I submitted back in November has been reviewed and both referrees like the results.

The bad news is that neither seems very fond of my writing style. Each review contains more than two pages of recommended edits. It looks like a lot of tedious work. And I hoped I'd have time for some sightseeing in Paris.

I returned from France yesterday evening. The trip was quite fun, interesting and productive ( Read more... )

Me: I've changed the proof of that lemma a bit. You should look at it.
Professor: *reads the lemma, doesn't look at the proof at all* This is wrong. [statement] is clearly incorrect.
Me: That's... not what my lemma says at all. Also, why is it wrong ( Read more... )

Today after training the judo club invited us to a barbecue. As a result I met a computer scientist and a chemist, and spent entirely too much time talking about...uh... stressing bacteria until they produce hydrogen. Apparently this is a thing. Also, quantum physics, differential equations, sports and university life, but the bacteria seemed the ( Read more... )