Robot Claw – Page 841 – “Life In The So-Called Space Age”

+329 dam FTW!

July 28, 2006

So with the end of summer fast approaching so to do my days in Azeroth draw to an end. I speak of course, of World Of Warcraft, which I have been playing like a man possessed.

During this second life in WoW, I have been promoted to ‘Council’ level in my new guild (second only to the Guildmaster) and upgraded my gear to just about the theoretical best possible without spending amazing amounts of hours (like 30+ per week) in 40 player raids. I think it’s safe to say that Momomo (my character) is ready for the upcoming expansion so she can reach new levels of power.

Here’s a shot – at full resolution – of what a raid boss battle looks like:

< Widowmakers versus Lucifron

That is my guild battling the boss Lucifron, in the Molten Core dungeon. 40 players are engaging him at once (and his two lieutenants). As a mage, one of my principle duties in the fight is to remove Lucifron’s nasty curse from other players (note the feedback on bottom left of screen). I’ll leave you all to marvel at how busy that screenshot looks…you should see it in motion 🙂

Here’s a shot of a recent pet I obtained in the game:

< Momomo’s new pet

And here’s a telling shot of the /played command, which tells the user how long they have played:

And that’s total time played. Which means I have spent over nine-hundred hours playing just this one character…

Back to School Days Blues

July 28, 2006

I received my topic for my oral exam. First I shall explain what this means. There are several requirements for the PhD:

1) B grade or better in 60 credits of classwork (I have completed this)
2) Complete 12 credits of ‘survey courses’ (I have not done this)
3) Pass 5 of 6 Comprehensive Exams (I passed 6 of 6)
4) Pass an oral exam
5) Write and defend a dissertation (also called Doctoral Thesis)

After completing steps 1-4 I will become what is called a ‘candidate’ while I complete step 5 (which may take up to 4 more years). I should have step 2 completed during this semester, but my goal is to get the oral exam done early this semester.

This exam takes the form of a 45 minute presentation to mostly faculty, during which I will be rigourously quizzed on all aspects of the topic. I expect to take 4-6 weeks to prepare.

My topic is how to determine protein stucture by reverse analysis of protein diffraction patterns. If this is something I find interesting then it may become the focus of my PhD research as well.

And what does it mean exactly? Think of it this way: when you pass x-rays through a protein crystal (such as solidified egg white) the x-ray image will contain a striking display of rings and arcs. Working out the atomic structure of the protein crystal by reverse engineering the pattern is akin to working out what a is blocking a bright light just by looking at it’s shadow.

< A protein diffraction pattern

Unfortunately it’s also not possible to work out complex protein structures via diffraction (or any other means for that matter). This is a holy grail of modern science, and my research will likely explore only a tiny portion of the many methods currently being investigated.

What’s in the box?

July 28, 2006

This box came in the mail the other day:

< What’s in it?

It was addressed to Kristin, and what did she find when she opened it later that day…?

< Booty!

Pirates Booty! If you’re in America and haven’t yet tried this wonderful stuff, then go to www.robscape.com and order yourself a box ($25, delivered).