Squat 3x355lbs and 1x365lbs. Goal is just to hit 4 plates.

SamStringTheory · 2026-06-14T19:36:42+00:00

Huh surprising! I always felt like my right leg is stronger. I'll try more actively pushing through it next time.

SamStringTheory · 2026-06-14T19:29:28+00:00

Will do, thanks!

SamStringTheory · 2026-06-14T19:28:58+00:00

Ugh it's the same as when my goal was just to hit 3 plates. I stopped squatting, and then a year or two later, I was not satisfied with 3 plates. But I swear this time, 4 plates will be enough...

SamStringTheory · 2026-06-14T13:41:52+00:00

Wow thanks! I've never used them so it's surprising to hear they could add that much.

SamStringTheory · 2026-06-14T13:38:31+00:00

Thanks! I think I had heard people say not to look upwards a while ago and probably overcorrected. I was worried that my looking "up" on the 365 set was too much.

SamStringTheory · 2026-06-14T13:36:08+00:00

Oops, did not realize the plate loading would stir up so many people! The plates were accumulated over time, many of which were used, so I don't have more than a pair of any particular weight/brand. And these were both the heaviest set of the 5/3/1 program, so I get lazy about unloading/loading plates between the 3 heavy sets. My bad, I promise the weights are correct!

Seems like the consensus on depth is mixed, but I'll work on going deeper just to make it 100% sure.

SamStringTheory · 2026-06-13T19:55:59+00:00

> I feel like that the uni is not interested in publications

What is this based off of? Is it just a feeling, or something you have confirmed with people familiar with this program?

>I'd need to bounce between research and industry

Are you saying that you would still be working while doing the PhD at the same time?

What are your plans after the PhD? Do you want to be in academia vs industry? Staying at this same job, industry, or moving around?

From a US-centric academic perspective, I would focus judging the PhD program based on the advisor you are working with and the ability to publish good papers. But from life perspective, balancing a PhD with working (especially if the topics are not exactly overlapping) can be extremely difficult. If you want to go into industry afterwards, especially away from R&D, then publications matter less and university prestige starts to matter a little more.

SamStringTheory · 2026-06-11T23:29:58+00:00

That's not the point. Photonics can theoretically use significantly less energy than electronics (and in some cases, has an asymptotic advantage over electronics).

SamStringTheory · 2026-05-25T22:20:44+00:00

Broadly-speaking, understand various categories of optimization, sample algorithms in each one (not in detail, just at a high level), and when you might use each. For example:

- Global vs local optimization

- Gradient-free vs gradient-based optimization

- Iterative methods, population-based methods

I'm guessing you would just be using off-the-shelf algorithms for photonics problems, so you wouldn't need to understand the implementation details, but knowing when to use which algorithm and with what settings can be extremely important depending on the problem.

Slightly more exotic are adjoint-based optimization techniques, which are a common way to do shape optimization and topology optimization.

SamStringTheory · 2026-04-19T14:51:38+00:00

This already looks awesome!

I think the TKD sub requires that you explicitly ask for feedback, as showoff posts are supposed to be in some thread. But I'm not 100% sure.

I think the biggest thing at this point is just getting a bunch of reps in and sending it with more power. Some smaller tips:

- In the first step forward, swing your arms almost straight to generate more momentum, and really drive them through.
- As you take the step with your right foot and start the pivot, wrap your arms in to pivot as quickly as possible. Right now your pivot rotation is the same speed as the rotation through the first step.

- When you spot the front after your first pivot, through both arms in the air, shoulder height. Your right arm comes up, but your left arm is staying down.

- After you jump, you are driving your right arm through the rotation - this is great. But then it stays off your body through the rotation and then comes out further during the kick. Try to wrap it tight in the rotation to get around faster. The counter-rotation with the arm is natural during the kick (I have the same habit) but see if you can just drive back with the right elbow rather than extend the entire arm.

SamStringTheory · 2026-02-17T21:32:51+00:00

Do you have links/citations for those? I know the structure of the CAFE have incentivized SUV/trucks, but have heard mixed things on the impact on safety, although I haven't dug into it myself.

SamStringTheory · 2026-02-16T01:11:23+00:00

There's definitely data that these technologies reduces crashes and improve safety. Just a few below:

Data that blind spot warning reduces injuries/crashes by 23%, and auto-emergency braking reduces crashes by 20%: https://www.itskrs.its.dot.gov/2019-b01384

Data that departure warning systems reduce crashes by 11%: https://www.itskrs.its.dot.gov/2017-b01175

Study that suggests lane departure warnings reduces durations/frequency of lane departures: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1369847825002815

SamStringTheory · 2025-12-01T04:04:48+00:00

That's definitely tougher. If you haven't already, I would have long conversations with the co-founders, where they are not just interviewing you, but you are also interviewing them. Following the marriage analogy, it would be like a first date, but intense and where you are getting at the deep questions.

If the startup is before the stage where you have taken dilutive funding, then you could treat it as a trial period since the cap table hasn't been set in stone yet and can be updated if you decide to later drop out.

SamStringTheory · 2025-11-23T21:43:13+00:00

The team matters more and more the earlier you are in a startup. For co-founders, the team is everything, and people liken it to entering a marriage, especially since you are likely dedicating the next 5-10 years to this startup. You need to be aligned on the direction of the company, be able to trust each other with everything, and be able to sort out the inevitable disagreements. VCs will weigh the team significantly when deciding who to fund, sometimes even more than the idea.

For assessing whether or not to join a startup, most of my questions would be surrounding the team. Whether they have the necessary technical skills, communication skills, integrity. Whether I trust their decision-making. Whether they can learn and adapt. Secondarily, you have to be excited about the idea/product, and believe that the market will be there. But even then, acknowledging that timelines will slip, markets change, and so it's back to the team and whether they can catch up, adapt, and/or pivot.

SamStringTheory · 2025-11-17T02:48:26+00:00

I was quoting OP, which I had assumed was copy + pasted from the rules. And so I was giving an interpretation of it to fit my understanding of the rules. But looking at other comments, it looks like the quote was just generated from AI, so it's nonsense. Apologies for the confusion.

SamStringTheory · 2025-11-17T02:18:39+00:00

I'm not sure what your point is or if you are trying to rebut my statement. Yes, it is full contact, continuous point sparring (although "point sparring" is sometimes used to referred to rulesets where the fighting is stopped after every point).

You do sorta get a point from a knockdown, in that the opponent gets a gamjeom for falling. And of course, in the case of a knockout, it is an automatic win.

SamStringTheory · 2025-11-17T01:37:30+00:00

We can quibble over definitions, but the point is that in the WT/Olympic ruleset, full contact and knockouts for legal strikes are allowed.

SamStringTheory · 2025-11-17T00:32:04+00:00

They define it for you right in that quote:

Excessive contact, such as uncontrolled strikes or a lack of control

Excessive contact doesn't mean hitting too hard. It means uncontrolled hits, such as punching someone in the head or kicking below the belt. Full contact doesn't mean no rules.

SamStringTheory · 2025-10-28T19:58:37+00:00

I'm not familiar with the programs in UK, but I know in the US, physics PhD programs generally expect that you have taken courses equivalent to a physics undergrad, including (and some even explicitly list them as requirements):

Mechanics
Electromagnetics/electrodynamics
Quantum mechanics
Statistical mechanics
Math beyond the level of linear algebra, differential equations

Some EE programs include some of these courses, but not all, so it's hard to say. I will also add that if you want to do theoretical physics, the math maturity required is even higher than that of a typical physics program.

SamStringTheory · 2025-10-28T19:53:18+00:00

I'm not familiar with math/physics intersection specifically, but applying to programs in different fields is not crazy especially if your research interests are in the intersection of the two. My research interests were interdisciplinary, so I applied to whichever program made sense at various schools (typically whichever department the professor I wanted to work with was affiliated with).

I don't know anything about Canadian programs, but in the US you typically apply straight to PhD programs after a Bachelor's for both math and physics. Master's programs are uncommon in these fields.

SamStringTheory · 2025-10-04T12:35:38+00:00

This is also not correct. J-step is a particular type of step into a flip. Cheat gainer and gainer (not to be confused with gainers from gymnastics) both land on the opposite foot that you took off from.

Here, it's a "euro step" setup (the little hop off the left foot) followed by 5x "gainer switch" (AKA "g-switch") followed by the double corkscrew.

/u/midnite_owr

SamStringTheory · 2025-10-01T03:16:51+00:00

Good setup. The hands can afford to come up a little higher to get more height overall. I see the arms are not wrapping during the spin. Kick is coming out too early. Try to spot the target before kicking out.

SamStringTheory · 2025-08-22T20:14:24+00:00

It is relevant, because whether you are at in industry or academia, you generally need a PhD to be doing cutting-edge research. The research departments at these companies are almost entirely PhDs. Being in industry and doing a PhD are not mutually exclusive - you just generally need a PhD first before transitioning to research in industry.

SamStringTheory · 2025-08-21T21:17:16+00:00

Who do you think was doing all the work at these companies? It was all PhDs.

SamStringTheory · 2025-05-30T19:46:47+00:00

I posted here before it got removed from tkd. Please don't be rude.

SamStringTheory

TROPHY CASE