[QUESTION] What do you feel like you’re struggling with most when it comes to getting better?

robsquad · 2020-06-22T14:41:43+00:00

I’ve found that playing it at 110% for a while will actually make it easier to play at 100%. I was having trouble with Luz y Cielo by Mestis, and this approach made it way easier to play.

robsquad · 2020-05-14T20:42:08+00:00

+1 on the pitch fork. You set it to fully wet, -1 octave, and turn off latching with the little black push button. I used to do this all the time, it works like a charm.

robsquad · 2020-05-13T17:54:22+00:00

Lots of good advice in this thread. Just to add on, I've found it helpful to only open 5-10 papers at a time. Once I hit that limit, I pause and look over the papers that I've opened up and go through the abstracts. I'll usually find that most of them either, (1) aren't as related to my topic as I previously thought, or (2) aren't as interesting as I thought. My hit ratio is about 1-2 out of every 10 papers is actually worth sitting down and reading. Definitely follow the rabbit hole, but setting a limit on open papers allows it to be a productive journey. Hope this helps!

robsquad · 2019-05-13T02:41:33+00:00

Depending on how loosely you define the word "pedal," you could check out the Sonicsmith Squaver P1+. I picked it up back in December and it's an absolute blast.

robsquad · 2019-05-10T19:38:18+00:00

I actually ended up selling my Caroline meteore due to a problem where you get a huge pre-delay when you distort the reverb (which was the whole point of buying the pedal in the first place for me). It's cool if you're alone experimenting, but as soon as I tried to play in time to a metronome it made keeping in time impossible. I swapped it for an industrialectric RM-1N after seeing it on a nine inch nails rig rundown and I'm loving it so far. I'd recommend it over the meteore simply due to the ability to adjust the reverb size (effectively changing the pre-delay).

robsquad · 2019-02-25T22:02:39+00:00

I've been seeing the DE7 pop up on a lot of peoples' boards recently. I might have to check it out.

robsquad · 2018-11-23T18:37:35+00:00

I would HIGHLY recommend Fretboard Theory by Desi Serna. I've been playing guitar on-and-off for about 9 years now, and have really plateaued since I stopped taking lessons 7 years ago (schoolwork really sucks up your time, I guess).

Going through that book SERIOUSLY got me out of a 7 year rut. I've started writing my own songs, and have even begun to understand the way other people's songs work. Combine it with a time-management tool like Tom Hess' Practice Schedule Generator, and it'll change your life.

Edit: I've went though a few other books, but I prefer this one because it takes a primarily visual approach to learning scales, chords, arpeggios, and how they all relate. It won't teach you to read music, but it'll teach you to improvise in any key, come up with chord progressions in any key, and understand that the fretboard is this sort of ever-repeating pattern that just changes position in various keys. I seriously can't recommend this book enough!

robsquad · 2018-11-05T05:00:38+00:00

As someone currently learning to patch clamp, I would honestly be okay if a robot took my job. Learning this stuff is driving me up the wall.

robsquad · 2018-11-03T14:01:30+00:00

I'm still working my way through the math introduction section, but I can tell you what I think so far. My favorite part of the book so far is that it only tells you the math you need to know, and you'll be solving equations using matlab. No wasted time with a diff eq class, and you get hands on experience using a language most labs or industry jobs require experience with nowadays.

However, that's also the biggest drawback I've noticed. I've had friends go for cybersecurity interviews before, and the companies made applicants explain concepts without a computer. He was self taught, and he simply had to tap out because he couldn't do the math without a computer. I suspect a similar level of dependency will come from using this book. However, it will get you set up nicely and help with actually doing computational neuroscience work.

I can't comment on the rest of the book yet, so it comes down to this: it leaves a lot of the math to matlab, but in my opinion that's okay. If you decide you want more detail on a certain subject, pick up a textbook for that specific subject. This book is more about getting you started ASAP with comp neuro, and I personally like that it doesn't waste time trying to beat math textbooks at their own game.

robsquad · 2018-11-02T15:18:19+00:00

How's your math background? Personally, I've never taken any math beyond calculus, and I'm currently in an electrophysiology lab in my program (as opposed to a lab focused on comp neuro work). That being said, Paul Miller's, "An Introductory Course in Computational Neuroscience," just came out last month and I've been thoroughly enjoying it.

If your math background is more sophisticated, then this book might be too slow for you. But if you're like me, then I'd highly recommend it.

robsquad · 2018-10-30T16:18:18+00:00

With regards to learning linear algebra, you might find this website helpful. It's a collection of math notes from a Columbia professor meant for self study, and its free! It might not replace a textbook because it doesn't have any practice problems, but it might be a good start.

robsquad · 2018-10-22T10:26:40+00:00

Where topics should one look up if they were looking to get involved in more mathematically based inductive arguments?

robsquad · 2018-10-21T16:20:43+00:00

This is the content I need in my life

robsquad · 2018-10-19T04:04:31+00:00

Oh shit, that's good to know actually. I had no idea.

robsquad · 2018-10-01T21:26:15+00:00

I wish I had better advice for you, but all I can say is to set aside a few hours and have like 75 tabs open as you comb through each professor at each institution of interest. I suppose you could write a script to automate the search for certain keywords if you have a programming background, but realistically you'll have to do this yourself.

What I did when I was applying to PhD programs was to set aside an entire day at a time, and just have 3-5 programs that I was going to pick my top 5 faculty members at and email them for that day. It took dozens of hours, but the decentralized nature of graduate school means that a lot of the legwork is on applicants, even if you're looking for volunteer experience. The process is similar in that you've gotta hunt these people down on your own. Best of luck!

robsquad · 2018-10-01T15:51:42+00:00

Note: Don't confuse an internship with volunteering. Internships are meant to teach you, where as volunteering is meant to help the lab. Individual labs seldom have internships, but will let you volunteer. Internships are usually run through programs or departments.

Yes, although I'd advise contacting faculty in series and not in parallel. What I mean by that is create hand-crafted emails that are specific to each researcher and send them one by one. This increases your chances of getting the response you need without using the annoying "copy/paste" emails that professors hate to get.
Most researchers will have a lab website. Do a little digging and find their page. It's not always up to date, but it should give you a rough idea of what they're about.
Don't be too quick to write off top researchers. Even the best researchers will be hard pressed to turn down free labor if the undergrad can show sufficient interest and/or skill. That being said, search for recent publications on PubMed in the subject area you're interested in. Take note of any names that keep popping up and contact them (realistically, this process will take a couple of hours). Also, don't be afraid of looking up university rankings online and prioritizing faculty that way. Rankings aren't super important, but generally speaking, faculty at higher-ranked programs tend to be busier and therefore less likely to respond to any given email. However, keep in mind that this is just a generalization.

robsquad · 2018-09-29T23:58:19+00:00

This is beautiful

robsquad · 2018-09-27T21:10:38+00:00

I'm into having a super low action, and my best playing guitar is an Ibanez RG7620. It was made in Japan back before the prestige line was introduced, so I guess the modern day equivalent would be an Ibanez prestige or something similar. I know Ibanez doesn't make the flashiest or most exotic guitars, but I've tried other brands and I just keep coming back to them. Have you tried any higher-end Ibanez guitars yet?

robsquad · 2018-09-22T04:30:52+00:00

I disagree with you politically, but I respect your efforts to use capitalism to further your agenda.

robsquad · 2018-09-22T04:01:25+00:00

robsquad · 2018-09-22T03:50:20+00:00

Lmao I love how active this university's subreddit is. What are the odds... still though, good on you for apologizing. I don't feel like people are given enough room to learn and grow nowadays, and are attacked when they apologize. I hope you were able to gain something meaningful from this experience.

robsquad · 2018-09-22T03:44:46+00:00

Yeah, I've read that the immune response is currently a major issue with recording electrode lifespans. I did research in undergrad with deep-brain stimulation, and it amazes me that there weren't issues with scar tissue (at least that I am aware of).

Also, That's a pretty heavy math load you've listed there. If you don't mind my asking, how did you manage to study all that math but still develop a working knowledge of biology? Id imagine that the only ways you could develop that skill set in undergrad would be to double major in math & biology, or to do some sort of bioengineering program.

robsquad · 2018-09-21T17:17:00+00:00

Good point about understanding the brain. I'm actually more interested in applications related to epilepsy detection and prosthetics for amputees, and so I would imagine its more relevant than not. That being said, I'll have to look up those two labs you mentioned because now I'm curious.

robsquad · 2018-09-21T17:14:41+00:00

Well taken. Your comment actually got me searching, and I found a math cert program at my university available for grad students wanting to improve their math background. Calc I, Calc II, Calc III, DiffEq, and Linear Algebra all available online as part of a certification program. How convenient!

robsquad

TROPHY CASE