Tell Us About Your Day

It's a good achievement building your own PC Heather. One to be proud of as you use it. My son has recently built up a gaming computer. It has a pretty large case which seems full of fans to keep it cool. He also has an adjustable height table for it so he can get ideal position.

I didn't quite go that far when I, fairly recently, got a new one myself. You could say I chickened out with the building but it was a laptop. I had one custom put together as I wanted good performance but minus some of the additional bits they use on most consumer laptops - perhaps mainly software 'junk'. My uses tend to be more toward business / professional application. One of these was Windows 10. I am afraid. particularly at work, the shenanighans with Windows software used to drive me mad.The Windows update please don't turn off your computer message on shutdown.  I would often be at a patient's home long after I should have left having to confirm that all was still OK with our specialist software before leaving. I think Microsoft do assume that your computer is left on permanently. What happened to global warming? Anyway - gripe over but you get the picture. Microsoft is so Big Brother (much like Apple too!). I bought my laptop devoid of software and installed Linux from scratch. It was not the first time as I put it on an old compter we had a while ago to see how easy it was.

Linux is, for me, far easier to get on with as the updates are just notified and you please yourself when and how you install them. Obviously Windows applications do not readily run with it but there are ways and I have at least one Windows application running. Probably a big negative with gamers though. In the main there are 'open source' and similar, nominally free, applications to replace the standard Windows apps. These are donation funded so you pay what you are able and feel to. It is easy to try so you can and if it's not useful you lose nothing. There are pay for apps too but Linux versions of many mass market software house applications are uncommon. Linux is a little more labour intensive than Windows so would suit someone better who knows a little but, for daily use with the Internet, Youtube, Firefox and mail etc, is pretty identical to Windows. I suppose the main negative is that there is no big market presence for Linux but the available online help forums are good. I would say still easier for someone who understands a little about the system though. I still have my old Windows laptop but I know which direction I am heading.

It's a common thing in research for a senior member of staff to effectively steal ideas from junior members. The better departments do credit junior members with any involvement in research. It is understandable that they should be take great credit as they will have had great influenceand provide the atmosphere etc for it but I think some see it as their ticket to continued respectability. In this I often wonder how many of the great scientists we know actually had similar gifted assistants who we never actually hear of.

Another trait I have also seen is 'Not invented here syndrome'. That seems to appear internally to a company, at times as well as between them, when the controlling manager does not want to accept an idea which someone else makes, but which may appear to upstage him. I think lots of good ideas can be lost and, in science, many early geniuses seem intent on justification of their earlier work rather than moving on with refreshing new ideas.