benjaminrigsby As a graduate student, I’ve looked at hundreds of research papers. Over the years, I realized the necessity to develop a system for myself to effectively keep track of, organize, and process – in a word, harness – all this knowledge. Further, I realized I needed to have a system that made it easy to … Read more
I wanted to mount four Xbox controllers to the wall in a cool, aesthetic way.
I’ve been collecting quotes that resonate with me for a number of years. I find them useful to reference as guidelines, and they help build structure in the framework of everyday life. Making it more solid where it is too flexible and more elastic where it is too rigid. I have done my best to … Read more
Authorship disputes are a persistent problem in academia, and they often lead to feelings of resentment. These disputes are a waste of energy, discouraging, and (mostly) avoidable. To reduce the chance of disputes in my lab, I reviewed a couple of journal papers on authorship guidelines and an example or two that other labs had … Read more
In the summer of 2017, I dove into 3D printing head first. I’d only used a 3D printer two or three times previously, so it was a plunge. I got a budget 3D printer kit (Tevo Tarantula) after watching a bunch of different reviews (see below for reviewers I trust on 3D printers). Building the … Read more
There are so many different Python guides like this, it always reminds me of The Rifleman’s Creed from Full Metal Jacket. (“This is my rifle {python guide}. There are many like it, but this one is mine…”) Anyhow, here we go… I’ve had a number of people (lab mates, friends, family, students) ask me how … Read more
Convincing myself to start a blog took awhile. I’m afflicted with egophobia, and writing a blog seemed a little self-important to me. Ultimately, I’m doing it because I enjoy it. I have been writing most of these things down for years in Google Docs, and the sentiment of “the only thing stopping you from putting … Read more
Like many, I debated for awhile about buying a Kindle since I had never used an e-reader before. Would I miss the feel of a book? Would it ruin the experience? All the usual stuff. Ultimately, I bit the bullet and bought one. Would I buy again? Absolutely. I bought the Amazon Paperwhite (10th Gen), … Read more
If you don’t listen to podcasts, start immediately! Podcasts allow you to regain some lost time due to driving, cleaning, washing dishes, walking, etc., etc. I recommend you start with a podcast on something you’re really interested in. Don’t start with something work/school related unless you are actually interested in that topic. Make it easy … Read more
I jumped into 3D printing head first, and I’ve had tons of fun!