Cheer loudly when people accomplish big things

My sister received her PhD last Spring. She completed the highest level of schooling in a difficult field at one of the top 10 best institutions in the world. Wow! That’s awesome by anyone’s metrics! Yet, at the terminal degree graduation ceremony (that packed a college basketball arena) attendees were completely civilized (quiet). As Allison strode across the stage I let out a loud whoop! of approval and felt eyes on me for my social outburst.

Months later, this still bothers me. Why don’t we (civilized Americans) cheer loudly when people accomplish big things? I’m not sure any amount of noise could truly capture the the effort Allison put in and pride that we all felt, but that shouldn’t stop us from whooping and hollaring with merriment.

The next time someone you love accomplishes something big, celebrate loud and proud!

That’s PhD Candidate Seth Holloway to You!

Yesterday afternoon I proposed my work, “Simplifying the Programming of Intelligent Environments.” I passed with a few good suggestions but no major revisions required; I’m told the outcome is about as good as it gets, however, I hope this is not how “as good as it gets” feels. I’m officially ABD (all but dissertation), so the fun begins!

Thanks to everyone who supported me in-person and in-spirit! I’m very lucky to have so many great people in my life.

I’ll be proposing “Simplifying the Programming of Intelligent Environments” next Tuesday

I sent an email to the Students in Software Engineering, but I’d like to cover my bases and make the announcement public. It is rather unorthodox to invite everyone to a proposal, but I’m doing great work and I’m ready to spread the word!

You are invited to my Ph.D. qualifying exam on Tuesday, November 10 at 2pm in ENS 637. If you are considering a PhD, I encourage you to come and learn the process! The talk should also be entertaining for those of you interested in intelligent environments (e.g., smart homes). These presentations generally last one hour.

Please do not feel obligated to come; if you can make it and you’re interested, you are welcome.

Who: Future Dr. Seth Holloway
What: Simplifying the Programming of Intelligent Environments
Where: ENS 637
When: 2-4pm Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Posting Drought

Some of you may have noticed that my post frequency has gone from one-a-day to about one-a-week. I reduced posting over the break as I had originally intended to be in Thailand. When that fell through I decided to try and take a vacation locally–that meant I quit my RSS habit and my blogging as well as school and work. In general, posts should decrease because I’m sharing interesting articles over Google Reader instead of my blog, so some of the shorter, link posts are out. I’m still wickedly entertaining and full of great links, but less frequently on the blog.

Now that the semester has started back up, I’m busy! I’m working hard to get SEAP off the ground as my PhD topic. SEAP is an awesome idea that could change the world and bring aware homes to the masses–who doesn’t like that? With a number of exciting directions, I’m jazzed to research more!

I’m taking INF385, Introduction to Usability in laymen’s terms. It’s an awesome class taught by Dr. Randolph Bias; he has a great style, lots of cred, and teaches the closest thing to HCI that UT has. The class also ties in nicely to possible directions for SEAP. I’m taking it in and enjoying every minute.

I’m also getting back into the swing of things with the Students in Software Engineering. This semester we’re offering fewer meetings with an emphasis on creating community and providing useful knowledge. We’re starting off right with a lecture by Herb Krasner on the cost of quality in software. I’m looking forward to it!

Also, while I’m on campus I’m working out again! I’m going with my brother-in-law, Ryan, which gives us a good opportunity to get our beach bodies back while chatting about life. The exercise beyond biking is necessary–I can’t let the Three Kings down.

Then there’s IBM. Unfortunately, they’ve been laying people off and I’m left a little uncertain of my position. It’s stressful, but I’ll manage.

So that’s what’s keeping me busy. What’s up with you?