I usually prioritize hands-on experiences during conferences over recorded programs that I can watch later.
I noticed this satirical workshop on creating an electronic sandwich by etching a real bread with metals so that it can be connected with wires and chips and programmed to play different animated dot patterns.
July 31, 2024
The real breadboard – creating an electronic sandwich
July 30, 2024
5 parties in one evening
I went to 5 parties between 5:40 to 9:10 pm today, spending a little bit time, eating a little bit, and chatting with a few people at each:
- a posh bar at a hotel, quiet, high quality food, and a few select guests;
- a sports bar at a hotel, many people, bar food, so loud that conversation was nearly impossible;
- rooftop lounge at a chic hotel, open space to dissipate noise for conversation, hors d’oeuvres, medium crowd;
- sit-down dinner at a landmark restaurant, a few select guests, good food, stayed longer than other stand-up parties;
- a billiard bar with pool tables, bar food, raucous crowd.
And took some photos while walking between these parties:
July 29, 2024
Last-minute paper presentation
On Thursday right before my flight to the conference, the first author informed me that his visa was rejected and prefers to give the paper talk by playing his pre-recorded video instead of having another coauthor present on his behalf.
We had not received any materials (talk video and poster) on Sunday evening, and it was decided that I would stand in for the fast-forward 10 minutes before the session started.
28 minutes before the start of the paper session on Monday morning we finally received the video. While I was on stage playing the video another co-author brought back the printed poster, right on time for the poster session at the end.
July 25, 2024
RTD from Denver airport to downtown
The train from Denver airport to the downtown Union station took slightly over 30 minutes, similar to driving but cost less than Uber (10 USD), and I managed to sketch a few passengers during the ride.
July 18, 2024
Trespasser hit by train that I was in
My morning train ride was smooth and I was able to get a good view of a passenger with interesting features for a quick sketch.
https://www.behance.net/gallery/186107513/PortraitsMotoGStylus/modules/1155266287
When the afternoon train I took was about to arrive at my destination station, it stopped short of the platform. The conductor announced that there was a trespasser hit by the train and there would a delayed for maybe 2 to 3 hours, during which nobody is allowed to disembark while the scene is being cleaned up by medical staff and investigated by the police.
Given that the train was already easing into the station, I guess it was probably an accident (someone crossing the tracks to catch the train) instead of an attempted suicide (which logically would aim for train passing through a cross point at high speed).
After some probing around I sneaked to the front of the train car and started to surreptitiously drawing some passengers before the train geared towards the station after a better-than-expected 1.5-hour delay.
https://www.behance.net/gallery/186107513/PortraitsMotoGStylus/modules/1155374999
https://www.behance.net/gallery/186107513/PortraitsMotoGStylus/modules/1155374997
July 16, 2024
Career end game
During today’s intern research seminar about “academia to industry”, one student asked what is the end game of a career as an industry researcher with respect to the end game of being a full professor in the academia.
To me, there is no end game for a career or a life. It is a journey, not a destination. And nobody can predict what will happen in the future. Just keep getting better, learning new things, interacting with people, and enjoying every moment.
July 10, 2024
DMV visit
As most people do, I tried to avoid visiting DMVs as much as possible. But I had to today after my last visit more than two decades ago (when getting my driver’s license).
Even though I still spent more than an hour for the whole process, the experience turned out to be more positive than I anticipated. The receptionist was very pleasant and smiling all the time, and the agent who handled my case was very efficient.
A DMV reflects America quite well: diverse, chaotic, and somehow still mostly functional.
I believe (or at least hope) that my experience would apply to anyone who has followed the online preparation process before their physical visit.
And while waiting, I managed to draw a few sketches from my observations of folks around me (and there would be no shortage of all kinds of people inside a DMV as you can imagine).
July 9, 2024
Sprinkler-induced rainbow
It was quite pleasant to feel the sprinkler and see the rainbow it induced during a heat wave. From the captured photo I tried to convey the heat and color at the moment with a generative video.
https://www.behance.net/gallery/202894093/SprinklerInducedRainbow
Bad reviews during a rebuttal are like bad calls during a game
By “bad” reviews, I meant those that are short or unclear/uninformative, which is different/orthogonal from “negative” reviews which criticize or reject the work.
If a review is bad because it is too short, it wouldn’t bother me at all. I can write a correspondingly short portion of my rebuttal addressing that review, or even ignore it altogether.
If a review is bad because it is unclear, I can ask for clarification in the rebuttal, and make a few educated guesses about the exact questions or criticisms followed by my answers.
The last thing I would do is to complain about the bad reviews in the rebuttal, or (worse) contact the paper chairs/committee. These are like complaining about bad calls during a game. What would you expect the paper chairs/committee to do? Ask for an additional review or the bad reviewer to submit a better review? That would take time, and even if you receive an updated review, it might be too late for you to address it before the end of the rebuttal period.