RANT: Let me do my work please...

... and don't treat me with kiddie gloves.

(1) Yes I switched from subfield A to subfield B. So I have had to learn a whole new subbranch of This Science Field. And I probably don't know it all that well yet, let alone have a proper intuition about it. However, don't congratulate me for compiling a behemoth of a program in under a week. You did all the work when you wrote it including the makefiles which were not makefiles for make but really a line by line executables that compiled the stuff. I just troubleshot the compiler options. And installed a library. And it took me one day. So when you waited a week to give me test files, you didn't do me any favour w.r.t. to the code. Yes, I had more time to read random stuff in subfield B. No, I do not think that is bad, but it is way better if you have reasonable expectation and simply give me more time later on when I ask for it so I can read about stuff with a purpose. Yes, I did get into science and particularly This Science Field, because I like to learn and figure out a whole slew of stuff. But I am a postdoc. And for better or for worse I have to worry about my publication count. So lets work on a project that can get published soon -- or offer me a permanent job.

Consider also that you are not my postdoc supervisor, so decisions about my work flow should at least be discussed with him and I know the have not.

(2) Dear sys admin, why isn't there a do and don'ts for your computer system? Like can I try setting up SVN here? Or should I hope the SVN run by the other post doc on outdated machine (so outdated that SVN cannot be upgraded). To be fair, you have been really kind to me every time I have asked for your help. But I have no idea whether I am annoying you with my many questions and should risk annoying my officemate, who has been here longer, with these questions first? I do wonder what I was supposed to do with the Windows computer presented?There is 0 software on it, which I have rectified with firefox and Open Office. But really would it be sooo expensive for Large Research State University (LRSU) to outfit us with MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint so I can work on papers/trivial calculations/presentations? I am not even holding out for Adobe software. I know all this is available in the media lab but what is the point of an office if I have to be in the media lab for all of that? And if I need to be in the media lab for that, why can't I just install intel solaris or linux on this PC, so I can seamlessly work on the unix/linux machines I need? And why can't I connect my laptop to the network? I understand security is an issue. So make me jump through hoops to prove that I am capable of keeping my laptop virus free. Instead, I can bring my laptop, connect it to the power and exchange files with my external hard drive/flash drive. But any virus can copy itself onto those, and I take my laptop and connect it to the network at home. From where I stand, the system is not any more secure this way. It is just aggravating.

Finally, can my next password be: passwords_I_cannot_change_fails?

(3) Dear well-meaning admins at college part of LRSU. When I showed up, you had kindly provided me with a checklist of things I should be trained on. And everyone duly signed it. You didn't collect it though. So you failed to realize that everyone who signed it said, just come back to us if you have any questions. So while I can always go and ask for help with stuff I think is reasonable, who knows what I am missing?

(4) Dear Dean of the college part of LRSU, why did you forbid me from writing proposals? LRSU allows it, but you do not. I get it that post-docs are supposed to be fully paid for with existing grants. So don't make it a requirement. But just think how much easier it would be for me if I get funded to find a future job, further increasing the prestige of your programme. And imagine that if say I didn't summarily leave my postdoc, due to say a spouse having a good job in the area, you get me as fairly cheap self supporting labour. And regardless of prestige, the freed up moneys can be spent on more grad students and/or postdocs, growing your program.

(5) Dear blogger -- please make autosave and spell check work. And explain to me what Error: your request cannot be processed means. I can only presume it was the autosave thing because I didn't make any request when that message showed up. I was just writing the above rant.