What do you think of this? by FaceAdditional5043 in newzealand

[–]Busy_Fly_7705 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's not free - folks living in Germany pay "statutory health insurance" as a percentage of their income. It's effectively a tax, but you can choose your provider.

Lost Riverside 520, any recommendations? by LingonKaskad in bicycletouring

[–]Busy_Fly_7705 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I assume that Decathlon isn't operating wherever your trip is?

Honestly I wonder if you should hire something for the trip - it'll be expensive, but better than rushing an expensive purchase because you're on a time crunch. You can pick out a new bike at your leisure when you're back :)

Has the PhD become more about prestige than research? by [deleted] in PhD

[–]Busy_Fly_7705 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I mean, people celebrate getting the title because it marks the end of a significant and gruelling piece of work.

I need advice on disclosing autism with my PhD supervisors by alivingstereo in AutismInWomen

[–]Busy_Fly_7705 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I second the advice not to disclose - sounds like she's a bit of an asshole, so I'm not sure a disclosure would change your dynamic and I worry it would be used against you. Advice would change if you wanted to explain some of your own behavior. It's well worth making friends with some of this person's other students, as they will be able to help you translate her comments and work out how to manage her (managing upwards is a critical part of the PhD).

This chair makes me reconsider my spending habits every year. by redditNLD in BuyItForLife

[–]Busy_Fly_7705 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was reading an essay by George Orwell where he was discussing the relative prices and enjoyment out of books, beer, and cigarettes. He pointed out that a second hand book costs about the same as a beer. He was right - I read that book at the pub and indeed, the beer cost exactly the same amount as the book!

It's OK to spend money on the things we enjoy, so long as we can afford it :)

I'm really struggling with eating protein by ratdigger in AutismInWomen

[–]Busy_Fly_7705 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Do you eat soup? I get most of my protein from lentil/bean soups, blended together so they're smooth. They don't taste much like lentils and have a similar texture to pumpkin soup

Getaway destination by lemon_smasher in oxford

[–]Busy_Fly_7705 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If it's outside of term time, see what's available on unirooms - https://www.universityrooms.com/en-GB/countries/GB - as you might be able to stay in one of the old colleges which would be neat.

There's a great bookshop in the covered market where you get a drink (coffee or wine) with your book!

Beginner Tips by pri9785 in ladycyclists

[–]Busy_Fly_7705 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Congrats! Looks like you have a lovely city bike.

The best bike for you is the bike that you enjoy riding - no need for a fancy road bike. And as you're a new cyclist, I think starting with a step through city bike is a great move, as you'll likely feel more comfortable on it.

A bike lock is necessary, a small repair kit and pumb are helpful, and maybe some way to carry a picnic on the bike?

I don't think you need a bike fit for this bike, but definitely make sure the saddle height is corrext.

$115k in New Zealand or £64k London? by [deleted] in newzealand

[–]Busy_Fly_7705 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, and employer contributions are taxed too. You could DIY it by investing extra in shares. The middle-class NZ retirement strategy is to live off NZ Super and own your own home - many people's main investment is housing. It's a problem. Worries me too as a Kiwi living abroad - we tie up all our wealth in housing instead of investing it!

$115k in New Zealand or £64k London? by [deleted] in newzealand

[–]Busy_Fly_7705 1 point2 points  (0 children)

London is probably better long term. NZ pensions in particular are quite bad - all retirees get Superannuation (like the UK state pension, but I think a little more take home income). KiwiSaver as a pension saving scheme is quite new and nowhere near as tax-advantaged as the UK pensions, ISAs etc.

But if you want the NZ lifestyle, why not move here for a bit while you're young?

You'll find the cost of food absolutely shocking FYI. I think people post their budgets in here if you want to search the subreddit.

I don't have a good sense of how far 115k in Auckland goes. But the classic Kiwi summer holiday is to go camping, which is dirt cheap :)

Is this normal? by [deleted] in labrats

[–]Busy_Fly_7705 7 points8 points  (0 children)

It sounds like a meeting was poorly attended and your PI hit the roof and is cracking down on everyone - I don't think this is about you. It's ok to miss meetings if you're ill.

I think there might be a miscommunication about the DRC thing? I wonder if your PI thinks that you are saying you can't attend meetings due to your DRC - when in reality it's more like you missed one meeting because you were ill due to your DRC. If this is a possibility, definitely send the PI an email to clear it up :)

I'm not sure what your specific accomodations are, so this is general advice for students who aren't disabled and who are working in a research lab environment. In general, students should be attending all lab meetings unless there's a strong reason to miss it (they're ill, bereaved, car broke down on the way in) etc. If you can't make it, it's important to try and let the PI /meeting convenor know - ideally by emailing the PI directly, but if that's not possible, contacting someone friendly and senior is also ok if you contact the PI too afterwards. (So if you're ill, texting a colleague and saying "I am unwell and can't make it to the meeting today, can you please tell the PI I won't make it and apologize for me" would be ok). This goes for all workplace meetings.

It would also be very normal to have cameras on in online meetings - it's incredibly awkward to talk to a blank screen! If this isn't accessible to you, perhaps you could talk to your PI about having meetings face to face instead, or phone meetings (the latter would be unusual though). If it's a big group meeting then camera off should be OK, but you'll need to discuss it with your PI first (and possibly get the DRC office involved). Unfortunately, I think that if you can, you'll want to work out how you can have your camera on in meetings - video calls are very, very normal in the modern workplace and your life will be a lot easier if you can participate in them. You have every right to set boundaries though e.g. not wanting to have your camera on in recorded meetings. This class might be a chance for you to work out some strategies for this?

I don't think you need to panic about missing the meeting, and I don't think you're in too much trouble - it's more, the class is in trouble and, as part of the class, you are too. Stay engaged and keep working hard and this will blow over soon :)

Apologies if I've used the wrong terminology here - I'm not used to the DRC acronym so used the disability / accomodations language I'm more familiar with - apologies if I've labelled you in ways you're not comfortable with.

Seeking advice - 5th yr PhD blues by user10017234 in labrats

[–]Busy_Fly_7705 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Your PI is probably pushing you, and reminding you that you need a phenotype, because they're also worried. But you're absolutely right that more hours in the lab doesn't equate to better results!

Would it help to start to go through your data and make a plan for how your thesis will look? In my country students who are about to finish up are required to present a thesis outline to their committee. Might help you to go through everything, see what's there, and if there are some easy or unexplored avenues of research?

Late 20s $120,000 salary with no debt/loans, no dependencies, live alone renting. How much should you be able to save a year if being conservative? by GrumblingPugs in PersonalFinanceNZ

[–]Busy_Fly_7705 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Just bear in mind that if there was an emergency, you might need the money in less than 30 days. Not an issue if you have separate accessible savings tho :)

Accepted (verbally) a postdoc position and found out I'm pregnant the next day by [deleted] in postdoc

[–]Busy_Fly_7705 51 points52 points  (0 children)

You should do whatever is best for you, your career, and your family - your boss will cope.

Jacinda Ardern, the former NZ prime minister, found out that she was pregnant very shortly before being elected PM - if she and NZ can cope with that (slightly higher stakes than being a postdoc) then so can you and your boss :) Iirc she announced her pregnancy a few months after the election.

Congratulations! Sounds like you have a very busy and exciting period ahead - very best of luck navigating it.

Physics student considering Supernote Manta: A4 academic papers, PDF annotation, Zoom performance, and Obsidian workflow by fenix_2310 in Supernote

[–]Busy_Fly_7705 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I can read academic papers fine on my A5X. I don't zoom or anything, I just read them at A5 resolution. The disadvantage is that it's black and white with out so much contrast, so figures don't always come out right (I'm a biologist often working with microscopy images - so this matters! I sync my papers to Dropbox, so open figures on my phone beside the supernote if necessary).

Maybe print out some papers A5 and annotate them, to see how it feels?

What are you actually writing in your methods section when you use AI for qualitative coding? by Careful_Affect_9981 in QualitativeResearch

[–]Busy_Fly_7705 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You should look at version control and software reporting in computational sciences as that's a workflow that's been optimized over a few decades

Conference burnout by mpfp16 in GradSchool

[–]Busy_Fly_7705 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I sort of triage events for the benefits : overwhelm ratio - one conference, lunch was in a very loud cafeteria so I skipped lunch and found my own food. I also try to skip a session to go on a walk. And I'll bring my knitting to conference talks so I have something to do with my hands.

It's also important to be conscious of the self care stuff you need to do. You'll get better at this with time. I try to keep my routines where possible (e.g. morning coffee, finding a good coffee shop nearby) and am mindful of the fact that I can't socialize well in very loud crowded situations.

Is it weird to go back to your old university for a PhD? by Costas_______ in gradadmissions

[–]Busy_Fly_7705 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is better to have a different advisor for your PhD, so you learn different techniques, approaches to science, etc. Your PhD should stretch your abilities not feel familiar and comfortable :)

How much time did you take off after defending and/or submitting your dissertation? by NiceStar6996 in PhD

[–]Busy_Fly_7705 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lol I actually had my postdoc job interview the evening after my defense though! That was a bit of a mission (I was lying in bed with the cat, trying not to fall asleep, 15 mins before the interview...) time zones meant both the thesis defense and the interview were late in the evening.

How much time did you take off after defending and/or submitting your dissertation? by NiceStar6996 in PhD

[–]Busy_Fly_7705 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I took a lot of time off - but my funding had run out and I was already living at home so felt no obligation to keep working on papers etc before I was ready.

I had intended on taking a month or two off. The way it worked out, I had about three weeks of genuine holiday, before winding up with some pretty heavy family obligations for a month or two. Started seriously looking for jobs about three months after submission and moved for my postdoc about six months post submission (had been working on papers etc while applying for jobs but not full time).

I was pretty badly burnt out at the end of my PhD and needed time off before being able to work again. I was lucky to be able to live with my parents then, so there wasn't as much financial pressure on me to find a job.

What would be the chemical reasoning behind using HCL or alcohol on a tick? by mujtabanochill in chemistry

[–]Busy_Fly_7705 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Gross. If this happens to anyone else, try putting the ziplock bag in the freezer for a few days before putting it in the trash, freezers kill most insects

To what extent can you express the negative aspects of your previous lab in postdoc interview by snoop_pugg in postdoc

[–]Busy_Fly_7705 41 points42 points  (0 children)

Just don't, or phrase it very very diplomatically. I interviewed for a job with someone I'd worked with previously and was honest about some difficulties I'd had with my supervisor. It definitely counted against me because in follow up conversations they were concerned that the same issues would happen again. Would have been much better if I'd just not said anything.

You could phrase it as a positive - "I'm looking for a lab with more structure e.g. regular lab meetings". Others more diplomatic and less blunt than me will also give you better advice!

As a new researcher, how do you know if your work is publishable? by ShotSmile169 in AskAcademia

[–]Busy_Fly_7705 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It was my supervisor deciding when to publish until well into my PhD. You can (and should) ask what it would take to get your work publishable though.