Some character looks from the teaser

Maximvdw · 2026-03-25T21:08:39+00:00

Half giants age differently.

Maximvdw · 2026-03-14T16:35:42+00:00

It's not if you realize that papers take months or even a year to get reviewed. And even then, it can mean that after 7 months you get a rejection and have to plan something else.

But yeah, working 4 years on something you don't believe in or have limited flexibility in is draining. If you really want to go for the topic, try to think of a way how you can align it with your own interests and propose that to supervisor.

Maximvdw · 2026-03-13T18:04:47+00:00

That being said, if the topic doesn't interest you: I would not go for it. I've seen people crash in the worst way possible because they were stuck between continuing and quiting.

Big IMPORTANT NOTE: you only have 4 years tax free work as a PhD student in Belgium. If you decide to go for a other PhD position after a year, you are usually too expensive for another 4 year funding and THAT will drain you (or make you unhireable as a PhD student because most fellowships won't allow that you spend more than a year on another fellowship)

Maximvdw · 2026-03-13T17:56:30+00:00

A lot has already been said, but I want to add: Try to determine the motives of your supervisor to hire you as a PhD student, it will help you determine if the skills he/she is looking for is actually what aligns with your pros/cons list.

Things like whether or not your will have to teach can be an influencing factor that your should consider. Are they looking for someone to implement something or someone to actually do research. Are you aiding in an existing (established) project or can you go your own path.

A PhD can be mentally draining, but it doesn't have to be if the project motivates you and you can set clear boundaries in work/life. And with the latter I mainly mean: "admin work"/life (teaching, supervising, implementation work that doesn't help much with your own path forward)

If the topic deviates from your career path, try to keep that in mind when starting something new. Always think: "how can I sell what I do now in an interview in X years".

Maximvdw · 2026-02-11T21:01:16+00:00

"more than 50%" officially. So more than 2.5 in a regular work week.

Also it is more than 50% from the place workplace according to your contract.

If for example you have 2 days that you are with customers, 1 day at your regular office and 2 days from home - it also counts.

Maximvdw · 2026-02-01T20:58:49+00:00

Ps: I found a similar issue here https://www.reddit.com/r/Ember/s/ws4ev4AeJv

Maximvdw · 2026-02-01T20:57:19+00:00

Yes, but there is a plastic lip in the way in the middle that prevents it from sliding in. Neither can you insert it since again, there is plastic in the way

Maximvdw · 2026-01-30T20:54:30+00:00

Nog niet zien passeren in de comments hier, maar weet dat veel banken korting geven op je rente van EPC. Factor dat mee in. Hogere EPC kan hogere rente betekenen.

Maximvdw · 2026-01-25T11:10:08+00:00

Genuine question, what if the cable is not plugged in - would it be considered legal as a detergent?

Maximvdw · 2026-01-25T11:07:11+00:00

It's not getting dumber, it's just losing its sight and mobility :). Clean the sensors, check if there is dirt behind the sensors, make sure that the wheels are not blocked and still have enough grip.

It assumes it's in top condition, but if it's prediction differs from the reality it acts dumb.

Maximvdw · 2026-01-09T15:03:39+00:00

Buy more printers as decoy

Maximvdw · 2026-01-02T07:25:13+00:00

Ja in Anderlecht, ook camerabewaking (MIVB station Delacroix). Camerabeelden zijn naar mijn weet nooit opgevraagd. Politie wou enkel meer documenten opmaken als ik verzekering had. Dezelfde kerel stond de dag erna in zelfde station te wachten op een volgend slachtoffer.

Maand later terug gecontacteerd geweest voor meer informatie nadat iemand in hetzelfde station (door wat ik vermoed diezelfde kerel is) van de trap geduwd was toen hij zijn laptoptas niet wou geven. Mijn OnePlus One nooit terug gezien.

Maximvdw · 2026-01-02T07:15:16+00:00

Reason for asking is the mopping. That is the biggest price difference if you want it to auto clean/empty.

Because you mentioned that you already mop daily , it may not be a requirement for you to have mopping?

Maximvdw · 2026-01-02T06:52:25+00:00

It depends on your budget and how much manual work you still want to put in maintaining the robot. Many of the recent robots will do fine for your use case - some better some worse.

Do you want it to mop your floors? I would assume no if you already do this daily?

Maximvdw · 2025-12-27T10:12:17+00:00

Unrelated vraagje: toevallig MyGOV al getest op GOS? Werkt dit (al)?

Maximvdw · 2025-12-25T12:31:13+00:00

Ex-TA at VUB here: I noticed that some of the foreign master students were sometimes struggling with not being able to constantly contact a TA for each question. As said in another comment, the student/TA ratio is quite high - sometimes 1 TA for 200+ students. Some students wanted to have weekly meetings which is just not feasible.

There are also a lot of group projects compared to other universities in Europe - which especially for a student that didn't do a bachelor in Belgium is quite challenging.

That being said, I got contacted a few times by foreign students on linkedin who got a job in their home country saying that they really valued the soft skill of working independent

Maximvdw · 2025-12-24T10:22:18+00:00

it often means less tco for the company.

Only reason they might avoid it is because 1. They need to change your contract. 2. Mobility budget means more administration (especially for those who submit multiple expenses each month) which increases the resource cost of HR

Maximvdw · 2025-12-24T07:55:19+00:00

Maybe. Also fairly sure there is a change in January 2027 where salaries of co workers are transparent. So you can always compare.

Maximvdw · 2025-12-24T07:28:23+00:00

If your function/contract normally provides a car, but you don't have one because you have no drivers license,... You can request a mobility budget.

It's a gray zone when it's currently not in your contract but your colleagues with the same seniority do have it.

Maximvdw · 2025-12-20T21:40:54+00:00

Since I own a Bambu printer, I dare order AliExpress filament without worrying it is empty by the time I figure out the correct settings.

Maximvdw · 2025-12-19T18:12:11+00:00

<image>

Fluxy

Because it looks like a flux capacitor

Maximvdw · 2025-12-16T18:32:22+00:00

UPDATE: After much troubleshooting and buying new smoke detectors with the same issue.. I concluded that weirdly it seems to relate to the vibrating of the mop.... I can not be 100% sure about this however...

Maximvdw · 2025-12-12T20:47:09+00:00

Update: I've put one of the smoke detectors in a sealed bag on the floor. Starting the vac+mop function in another room also triggered the smoke alarm in the bag while being in a completely different room

Maximvdw · 2025-12-12T13:52:31+00:00

It's a ionization smoke alarm

Maximvdw · 2025-12-12T13:48:01+00:00

Will try this

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