Comments on: Confessions of a PhD survivor http://tomorrowelephant.net/2006/06/19/confessions-of-a-phd-survivor/ a million elephants typing Wed, 07 Jan 2009 00:38:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Nashorn http://tomorrowelephant.net/2006/06/19/confessions-of-a-phd-survivor/comment-page-1/#comment-4216 Nashorn Fri, 30 Jun 2006 20:18:47 +0000 http://tomorrowelephant.net/index.php/2006/06/19/confessions-of-a-phd-survivor/#comment-4216 <p>"When Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept for there were no more worlds to conquer."</p> <p>;)</p> “When Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept for there were no more worlds to conquer.”

;)

]]> By: Michael Grant http://tomorrowelephant.net/2006/06/19/confessions-of-a-phd-survivor/comment-page-1/#comment-3763 Michael Grant Tue, 20 Jun 2006 12:16:52 +0000 http://tomorrowelephant.net/index.php/2006/06/19/confessions-of-a-phd-survivor/#comment-3763 <p>There was an article in the New Scientist about 1991 on the subject, which used the Biblical metaphor of Pharaoh's dream of the seven fat cows that came up out of the River Nile and stood on the bank, and then the seven thin cows that came up afterward. The seven thin cows swallowed up the seven fat cows, but didn't get any fatter. Pharaoh was greatly perplexed by this, but none of his councillors could interpret it. Eventually he heard about a Hebrew slave in the dungeon called Joseph; so they bring Joseph out of the dungeon, tidy him up, and bring him before Pharaoh.</p> <p>As Joseph explained the dream, "The dream is about your son, who is about to start secondary school. The seven fat cows are the seven years he will spend at school studying for his A-levels; they're fat because he'll be living in luxury in the palace. And the seven thin cows are the seven years he'll spend at university studying for his Ph.D.; they're thin because he'll be living in poverty as a student. And the seven thin cows swallowing up the seven fat cows without getting any fatter? Those show that by the time your son finally completes his Ph.D., he'll have forgotten what it's like to live in affluence."</p> <p>And, more fool me, I put it to the test and proved it true.</p> There was an article in the New Scientist about 1991 on the subject, which used the Biblical metaphor of Pharaoh’s dream of the seven fat cows that came up out of the River Nile and stood on the bank, and then the seven thin cows that came up afterward. The seven thin cows swallowed up the seven fat cows, but didn’t get any fatter. Pharaoh was greatly perplexed by this, but none of his councillors could interpret it. Eventually he heard about a Hebrew slave in the dungeon called Joseph; so they bring Joseph out of the dungeon, tidy him up, and bring him before Pharaoh.

As Joseph explained the dream, “The dream is about your son, who is about to start secondary school. The seven fat cows are the seven years he will spend at school studying for his A-levels; they’re fat because he’ll be living in luxury in the palace. And the seven thin cows are the seven years he’ll spend at university studying for his Ph.D.; they’re thin because he’ll be living in poverty as a student. And the seven thin cows swallowing up the seven fat cows without getting any fatter? Those show that by the time your son finally completes his Ph.D., he’ll have forgotten what it’s like to live in affluence.”

And, more fool me, I put it to the test and proved it true.

]]> By: zornhau http://tomorrowelephant.net/2006/06/19/confessions-of-a-phd-survivor/comment-page-1/#comment-3757 zornhau Tue, 20 Jun 2006 08:30:44 +0000 http://tomorrowelephant.net/index.php/2006/06/19/confessions-of-a-phd-survivor/#comment-3757 <p>I feel so lucky I wasn't able to go down that path....</p> I feel so lucky I wasn’t able to go down that path….

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