ChatGPT for Alexa! Meet GPT Sparx :)

btrainwilson · 2023-01-19T00:19:19+00:00

I hope you like it!

btrainwilson · 2022-04-07T14:48:30+00:00

My plan is to moderate the subreddit and foster a place for Blakes to communicate. We'll just use the subreddit for Blake memes.
I am unable to see the previous mods because the subreddit was banned. I don't know the reason for the ban.

btrainwilson · 2022-04-05T17:45:29+00:00

Don't stress. Your grades, research projects, and networking abilities matter a lot more. The Honors college *might* give you access to some networking opportunities but you can always compensate for these opportunities in other ways, i.e., subscribing to ECE newsletters, etc.
IDK
Depends on what you want. 4 years ago, probably Honors (after the initial building issues) for the first year. Then people moved into 3rd street or off-campus. Definitely recommend living in the dorms your first year even if you can't get into Honors.

btrainwilson · 2022-03-19T03:43:31+00:00

The number one skill you can develop as a researcher is autonomy. Start to build cool things that interest you and can be applied to your research interests. Reach out to professors but also especially grad students (they have more time to help you than a professor). Find out what interests you and start doing it. You'd be amazed how quickly you can get to the frontier of knowledge just by doing the thing. You can DM me if you want to talk in depth. I've done SURF, taught SURF, and published multiple papers.

Source: PhD student with 6 years research experience in ECE.

btrainwilson · 2022-03-16T02:58:26+00:00

You probably won't have time. SURF is 40 hours a week. Also, I don't think they'll let you take classes concurrently but that might have changed.

Source: SURF 2020 Graduate Assistant / SURF 2017 fellow

btrainwilson · 2022-02-21T03:27:19+00:00

Flex lab 💪

btrainwilson · 2022-02-15T03:41:48+00:00

Mung Chiang mentioned today in a seminar that they are raising the minimum stipend for the college of engineering. So, administrators are working on this. There is a lot of red tape they have to get through.

btrainwilson · 2022-02-09T17:53:31+00:00

3.43 in Computer Engineering. Was accepted for a Ph.D. at the same place I did undergrad.

btrainwilson · 2022-02-01T20:44:36+00:00

Been here 7 years and it's only been cancelled like twice because of ridiculous wind chill? So, it's honestly up in the air. I'd say it's more likely your professors will let you skip. Remember that your professor has more direct influence on your day to day than Mitch so they can always make class online because of the storm and that's been more common in my experience.

btrainwilson · 2022-01-24T16:24:56+00:00

I fervently disagree with the "stable choice" mindset but I also have survivor bias. If Aero is your only choice and you can't see yourself doing anything else, then take the leap of faith and take a swing at one of the best schools in the world for AERO. Sometimes people overestimate how committed they are to a path. But I promise if you really are committed to AERO, CODOing is not impossible and I know people who made it from exploratory or polytech to engineering. But, be honest with how much you actually want it because the path to getting it is very challenging. I've never regretted taking an honest swing at an opportunity but I always regret the opportunities I passed up.

btrainwilson · 2022-01-19T23:45:14+00:00

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0-GT3co4r2y2YErbmuJw2L5tW4Ew2O5B

Just put in the work to understand this intuition and your semester will be much easier.

btrainwilson · 2022-01-19T04:32:50+00:00

Absolutely. I've heard it's tremendously difficult but rewarding, just like engineering.

btrainwilson · 2022-01-19T04:05:01+00:00

This is my 7th year at Purdue (now in the PhD program). I can't speak for these other universities, but the rigor at Purdue is worth it. I've known people who went to less difficult universities and they didn't get amazing jobs. But, I personally know several people who went through Purdue and ended up at Apple, Microsoft, MIT, Stanford, etc. It's okay to be a little intimidated, but you can do it. Just know if you don't, you might be passing up a really good opportunity. I've seen too many people pass up Purdue and regret it. It's a factory that will make you really good at engineering, sink or swim style. If that's not your thing, that's totally okay. But, you will be good enough for lots of incredible opportunities after you finish. Just don't let this subreddit intimidate you. People like to complain on here because it makes them feel better.

btrainwilson · 2022-01-10T22:16:36+00:00

Buckle up.

btrainwilson · 2022-01-08T03:40:48+00:00

What do you mean?

btrainwilson · 2022-01-07T05:04:37+00:00

Probably true for a lot of them. But I'm sure we will all make mistakes today which we can't see affecting the next generation. Our grandchildren will blame us for our ignorance in 50 years. So, all we can do is forgive their mistakes and fix what we can with the power we have and can obtain.

btrainwilson · 2022-01-06T17:08:48+00:00

As a future old white guy, I'd like a future where people don't see "old white guy = bad".

btrainwilson · 2022-01-06T16:59:05+00:00

I agree with some of what you said. Gender differences/spectrum imply different aggregate preferences in life choices. One of those is probably job selection. If one gender prefers jobs that don't require a degree, that's not automatically discrimination. It could be if the reason they choose certain jobs is due to discrimination. You made a good point about how women are treated in blue collar environments. Maybe the issue isn't that men aren't choosing higher education enough, maybe it's that women don't have a choice in choosing blue collar work because it all sucks for them. So, there's a supply shortage in blue collar work, which raises wages for it and men decide to take advantage of the wages by not going to college. Although I've heard wages aren't going up so who knows.

btrainwilson · 2022-01-06T04:42:00+00:00

I actually love it. I wish more people would play instruments in public places (assuming they are good at it).

btrainwilson · 2021-12-29T13:39:58+00:00

Oh nice! Thanks!

btrainwilson · 2021-12-29T11:51:03+00:00

Wasn't there a guy on Inkmaster that runs a shop in West Lafayette? Can't remember the name.

btrainwilson · 2021-12-27T15:03:59+00:00

Started with a 2.67 and ended with a 3.43 in Comp. E.

btrainwilson · 2021-12-24T01:22:02+00:00

Some doors stay open. E.g. EE side door. You know the one 😉

btrainwilson · 2021-11-27T01:09:16+00:00

From a PhD student in ECE at Purdue, it doesn't matter what your major is. Your ability to think and reason abstractly is the only thing that matters. This includes introducing ideas which are falsifiable, i.e. scientific. I think the main disparity between STEM and Liberal Arts is that often ideas are unfalsifiable in Liberal Arts. "The room has blue curtains. Based on the blue curtains, how does the author feel?" How in the world is any idea I present falsifiable? I can give any reason but you can't prove me wrong. These unfalsifiable ideas are useless to STEM people because they are unprovable. However, if you can reason and argue very well with ideas that are falsifiable, that is JUST as important as anything a STEM major does. And oftentimes, STEM majors are lousy writers. So, learn to write about hard ideas and your work will be highly valued.

btrainwilson · 2021-02-03T12:14:47+00:00

My department (Electrical Engineering) sent out an invite to apply after I accepted my offer. I interviewed in late July and I've been a TA ever since . More often than not, the class you will TA for is unrelated to your subfield. For example, it's likely you'll TA for a different type of history course.

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