In Medias Resolution

Recently, our lab received an iPresence remote telepresence robot to help out with class. Of course, we needed to learn how to use it properly. Instead of doing that, however, we began yelling commands at it and dressing it up. #gradschoollife #naist #fun

Here's a media article about my sempai at NAIST, Dr. Raula Kula (pictured here on the far left). I got to know him through many long and in-depth conversations, some while drunk, and others while highly caffeinated. All these discussions has helped me to become the researcher that I am today, and has enhanced my motivation to want to do great work. Thanks Raula, your new-found fame is well-deserved. I hope others can benefit from your expertise as much or even more than I hav

Only about an hour or so into the day and this happens. A "Kuwagata" (or "Stag Beetle" in English) makes a momentary cameo on a window screen and the whole lot of us turned into a frenzied group of primary school kids again. You see how easily our concentration falters? #naist #lifeinjapan #lab

Although I feel like this school is a hard fit for me, I am still proud to be a student at NAIST. We are ranked 1st in Japan for Science and Engineering in all the national graduate schools, and (somewhat by proxy) are the home institution of Professor Yamanaka, this year's recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine. So when I see mistakes like this on our main student handbook, I do get a little uppity. Regardless, I still retain a modicum of pride that someday soon

In my lab every graduating season, there appears to be a custom of placing the graduating PhD candidate's thesis near the daily newspaper for everyone to check out. This season is no different. I browsed the PhD thesis placed there, felt the negligible heft of it in my hands. To think, this was a person's life for several years, their every working thought bent towards the production of this binding of pages. I continued to silently regard the thesis this way for some moments

Newly-noticed trend: Of course, it is always good practice to be present in one's own laboratory. But it is becoming gradually more apparent that it is particularly beneficial to be here on Fridays. This is the third time that providence has ambushed me on a Friday at the lab. Fridays--those most loathesome of days to be at a place of work, is slowly but surely evolving inversely into a day of surprise goodness. A month ago it was the boon of revelation gained from an intense

And just like that, I just got the go ahead to attend GDC 2013. I didn't even ask. I was just chatting with the Associate Professor about my field and then BAM! "Yeah, let's fund it" became the casually-spoken, operative phrase. I am beside myself. #gdc #funding #bigboss #conference #fun #gradschoollife #industry #inspirational #masters #naist #trip

Left the lab today at about 6pm. When I reached the top of the small hill behind the Information Science Building, out of curiosity, I turned around to look at the building to see how many lights were still on; how many people may still be mulling about the labs. Being that it's New Year's Eve here in Japan, I had a hunch there wouldn't be many. As it turned out, there was only one set of lights I could see: 3rd floor, A Bldg--my lab. #gradschoollife #institution #naist #musi

Everyday at around lunch I take a 30-minute guitar break in the side/meeting/break room attached to our lab. Thank the gods, the old and the new, that there is a guitar there. I really need it. As is prone to happen in a perpetually-air-conditioned environment and due to daily use, the guitar was out of tune today. Additionally, today was just one of those days when my fingers would rather make mistakes then play the right notes and chords. A guitar that is out of tune isn't

It feels as though the entire field of science is questioning the validity of my own field of humanities. "What is that good for?" or "What actually comes out of literature studies?" And it feels as though my answer will be inherently insufficient to those who ask. Is it not good enough to conduct an academic investigation of something just for the sake of studying it? One of two things will happen: either I will learn to be content with feeling wrong about my field, or I wil