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Friday, February 2, 2007

How My Dissertation is Going: Part One in a Long Series

The past week has been full of numbers. I've been examining the relationship between femur length and stature, hoping to find a sound way to estimate the latter with the former. Regression is the way to go, but what kind? Most studies have settled on linear regression but there is an inherent bias in its calculation. I'm trying to find alternatives. With the help of my advisor I think I found something that eliminates the bias completely. That gave me some sense of satisfaction.

Next on my list of things to do is to finish my dissertation proposal. It sounds backwards, and it is. I had a really hard time trying to write a proposal when I finally decided on a research topic. The scientific method starts with coming up with a hypothesis, but in reality it often starts with a sudden thought in the shower, or during a sleepless night. Doing statistical work is also not something that has a definite ending where my experiment is done and my question is answered. One result leads to more thinking (and another revelation in the shower) which leads to more testing and so on. I got so caught up in the actual work that I left the proposal behind.

The graduate school requires that I do have a proposal however, as they should. It's a good organizational tool for myself to get my thoughts straight and for my committee whom would like to know what I'm up to. So ironically I'm taking a short break from my work to write a good proposal... for my work. I already have a few drafts done and comments from my advisor. I just have to find them again and read them.

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Saturday, December 30, 2006

So, Why Did I Have to Shower with a Bunch of Naked Boys?

That title got you attention huh? I was thinking back to my youth and how weird it was, even though I just took it as normal at the time. In junior high, after PE class, us boys had to get naked and line up for group showering. What the hell was that? Group showering was weird and icky. All of a sudden I'm forced to see my friends in the nude (since of course we had the same schedule and our lockers are next to each other). That's creepy! Also weird is that our PE teachers were around to direct us masses of naked boys (thankfully, the PE teachers were clothed). They're our teachers! It'd be weird for my history teacher to see me naked but somehow it's ok for the PE teachers.

Talk about something at school that in no way pertains to life in general. In high school showers were optional and as you'd expect, no one took a shower anymore. So what was the deal with junior high? It's not like we were extra stinky those years. And it's not like walking barefoot on a moldy floor and getting sprayed with stinging water for twenty seconds would do a lot of good. Do schools still do this? Was my junior high just pervier than other schools? My mind reels.

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