[ phd-writeup ] Some bad, mostly good (I think)

"It's been a minute, huh Mav?"

Author: CodingCellist

content/en/post/first-go-at-tildagon-development/index.md

@@ -163,7 +163,91 @@ development environment.
     `__init__.py` pointing to the right place.
 * LEDs seem to be indexed from 1, based on the examples out there. Corresponds
     to the labelling on the PCB.
-* Using the `ctx.arc` function causes a `TypeError`! That's exciting!
+* ~~Using the `ctx.arc` function causes a `TypeError`! That's exciting!~~
+  - Update 2024-07-22: I suspect this was to do with some erroneous
+      initialisation logic or referring to fields which I had commented out, and
+      not the fault of the graphics API.
 * And I've clearly done something wrong: my timer logic causes the entire
     simulator to hang...  ^^;;
 
+
+## Things learned the hard way (2024-07-12)
+
+* This is micropython, occasionally I reach for things which simply aren't there
+  - tuple(a + b for a,b in zip(self.tup1, self.tup2))
+* When there is a syntax error, undefined value, incompatible value/type,
+    or unsupported syntax (ternary if, for example), simulator doesn't crash, it
+    freezes entirely. Has to be force-quit either by Ctrl+C from the terminal,
+    or sometimes the terminal locks up as well and the window manager has to
+    kill it!
+
+
+## Developing the app
+
+As can be seen from the notes above, there was a good amount of trial and error
+to get things going. However, now we (hopefully) know what to look for when
+certain crashes happen, and we can get on with making the actual app!
+
+### Idea
+
+My idea for an app was very practical and current-situation-minded: I need to
+write up my PhD and -- in keeping with traditions -- will do pretty much
+anything else on the side. Including developing a Pomodoro timer for the
+Tildagon! Perhaps a bit boring, but it ought to be simple enough to be a good
+first project on this new platform which I've never developed for before: I know
+_precisely_ how it is meant to work, there are few moving parts, and yet there
+is enough creative room for exploring different parts of the Tildagon's
+capabilities:
+
+* There will be a simple internal state to manage: on break or not, and two time
+    durations;
+* Displaying the remaining time should be simple enough (famous last words);
+* Figuring out some way to do time -- either via the `time` API or a rough
+    guesstimate from the frequency of the `update` function -- ought to be
+    doable as well;
+* The LEDs around the edge could be lit up in a colour depending on whether the
+    user is on a break or in a focus/work session;
+* The LEDs could "count down" one second at a time, flashing in a circle around
+    the board (or probably better to have it be subtle highlighting so as to not
+    be too distracting);
+* The LEDs could also turn off once every twelfth of the countdown, making for a
+    clear visual indicator (I really like this idea);
+* And for bonus points: a menu system for configuring the times and behaviour to
+    the user's liking, which would involve using the button states.
+
+Plenty of interesting little things to go around!
+
+### Foundations
+
+Going off the
+[hardware overview](https://tildagon.badge.emfcamp.org/tildagon-apps/reference/badge-hardware/)
+and the
+[graphics documentation](https://tildagon.badge.emfcamp.org/tildagon-apps/reference/ctx/),
+as well as the
+[Hello World app walkthrough](https://tildagon.badge.emfcamp.org/tildagon-apps/development/)
+I think we'll need at least the following:
+
+```python
+import app
+
+from app_components import clear_background
+from events.input import Buttons, BUTTON_TYPES
+from tildagonos import tildagonos
+from system.eventbus import eventbus
+from system.patterndisplay.events import *
+import time
+
+
+# Main app
+class Pomodoro(app.App):
+    def __init__(self):
+        self.button_states = Buttons(self)
+
+        # disable the default spinning pattern
+        eventbus.emit(PatternDisable())
+```
+
+### Lights!
+
+
+

content/en/post/writing-up-a-phd/index.md

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ authors: [thomas-e-hansen]
 tags: [misc, phd, academia]
 categories: [sapling]
 date: 2024-01-16
-lastmod: 2024-03-18
+lastmod: 2024-08-05
 featured: false
 draft: false
 
@@ -368,3 +368,75 @@ have.
 Well, time to get back to it I guess. Until the next update, and thank you for
 reading along so far. Good luck!
 
+
+## 2024-08-05
+
+It's been a while. I'm still alive. 
+
+The thesis bootcamp was a success: I managed to write over 5000 words in 3 days,
+which got me 2 Lego bricks (we had to set three writing goals, and every goal
+you made gave you a nicer lego brick; green, then blue, then gold/yellow). I
+didn't make it to my final one -- 10,000 words -- but I am still very happy with
+the amount I did get written. It might honestly just have been the different
+location, maybe the lab has become "friendly" after so long... But yes, it was
+good. I met some nice people, there was lots of commiseration, _unlimited free
+snacks_, and lunch was provided. A really great take-away that I got from it was
+to take a 45 minute break around 15:00. Sounds insane, but that's when most
+people are crashing anyhow, and it makes you much more productive for the -- now
+considerably shorter -- rest of the day (as showcased by everyone there doing
+it, and everyone there being more productive than they normally were). The
+person running the bootcamp was also fantastic to talk to, with lots of support
+and positivity when it was needed. Although we did have a chat at the end where
+they told me that they got hit by a car about a week after submitting their
+thesis, and "[they] would still take the car over the write-up." Always
+encouraging to hear ^^;;
+
+The housing situation has simultaneously turned out ever so slightly better and
+also not great at all. The University continues to believe that my latest
+"authority Top Trumps" -- a signed letter from my GP, a _medical professional_
+-- is not good enough to confirm that my mental health would be significantly
+better if I didn't have to worry about moving right before the end of my PhD. So
+I am now searching for a flat. At least they prolonged it until the end of
+August instead of the middle of it, and I should hopefully have written up by
+then anyway, so there's that. Regardless of that though, it turns out that
+looking for a flat near the end of your PhD is not exactly straightforward
+because explaining to people that I am not a student, nor am I technically
+employed, but nor am I unemployed, and yes I will be able to make both rent and
+my cost of living, but no I can't give an exact figure of how much I make, but
+I'm not a "gig worker", is somewhat unique. And nothing scares away letting
+agents like a unique situation. Finally managed to get a couple of viewings
+though, so that's something. In St Andrews? HA! Forget about that, it is
+prohibitively expensive: \>£1200 per month for a one/two bedroom place. And
+funnily enough I don't have 40k saved up to put down on a deposit for a mortgage
+to buy a small flat either. St Andrews is a great place to live if you happen to
+already own Property (TM) or know a current student who can directly pass their
+lease on to you. Otherwise it is borderline impossible to find something, and
+you'll pay dearly for it.
+
+Oof, that got heavier than I intended, sorry about that. In much, much better
+news, my
+[TyDe'24 paper](/en/post/tyde-24-paper)
+got accepted first try, and with -- and I quote my supervisor -- "unusually
+positive reviews"!!  : D  
+On top of giving a bunch of useful advice and feedback -- most of which made it
+into the final version of the paper, and the rest will be gold for thesis
+sections -- it also means that I get to go present this work at TyDe'24, part of
+[ICFP](https://icfp24.sigplan.org/)
+in Milan in Italy. And I am lucky enough that the University not only has the
+means to pay for the registration fee (which added up to ~€1200 for the student
+fee, once workshops were included  O.O), but they also pay for travel and
+accommodation! I guess that's the flip side of the insanely expensive uni town
+where mostly rich undergrads can afford to come. ICFP is 6 days long, from the
+2nd to the 7th of September. 6 days in Milan (at a conference, but still) is not
+a bad way to end the writing up time if I do say so myself.
+
+"To the LaTeX mines!" -- my supervisor at our last meeting.  
+He's off on holiday for 3 weeks, so next time I see him I really ought to have
+my thesis ready for its first proof-reading. There is light at the end of the
+tunnel, and with a bit of luck (and a lot of writing over the next couple of
+weeks), the train headlights will switch tracks and reveal the sunlight instead.
+The anxiety and stress is _so_ very much still there, but in one way or another,
+I will make it out.
+
+See you on the other side. o7 cmdr.
+