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mmoa_writes at 03:42pm on 12/07/2010 under cockroaches, matlab, programming, research placement, studenthood, university
mmoa_writes at 03:42pm on 12/07/2010 under cockroaches, matlab, programming, research placement, studenthood, universityI am currently stuck in a computer lab again trying to figure out some new piece of code (not actually that difficult, but filling the right variables into the function is taking a very long time. Basically, the code calls for a set of data with a .tr_raw extension whereas the only data that we've got has a .tr or a .tr_lst. We've tried cheating (ie just labelling the dratted thing with the extension, which at least the compiler appreciated s it stopped giving us error warnings) and now we're just banging our heads against something/looking at our successful graphs with love and affection/checking new student laptop deals/facebooking.
It'll come eventually. I am definitely getting the hang of MATLAB, though! It's like reading Castillian Spanish as opposed to the Attic Greek that is C++. Really lovely.
Anyway, with about two hours to go until I leave, here are updates on the cockroach situation.
It seems the powder is a success! Yesterday I saw two and a half cockroach corpses in the kitchen. They looked like babies which was a tad disheartening, though perhaps that means the older ones didn't die from contact immediately and ended up sloping off colonywards to pass away. I can only hope. Dashed loads more last night but haven't checked the kitchen to see if I've killed anymore. No corpses upstairs, however, which is also a little concerning but as I suspect, judging from their behaviour, that the ones we've caught upstairs - outside of my messy flatmate's room of course - were lone stragglers I don't feel too worried. Am on high alert though as I'm dangerously low on Raid supplies and the local Lidl hasn't restocked anymore of the spray for a whole two weeks now (I know, I know! Unbelievable in the height of summer near student accomodation and a very busy restaurant area. Idiotic really...). It really is the only way to travel round the house safely at night.
So I learnt some new stuff. Roaches can't eat cucumbers, which apparently give them gas and they prefer to walk with some part of their body (apart from their feet of course) in contact with a wall or other hard surface which does make a sort of sense considering they 'see' with their feelers. Oh and they predate the dinosaurs and like the humble termite, haven't really changed much in design since then. Is this useful? I have no idea, probably not, but it's very interesting. What is perhaps more useful is that ducks love to eat them, so that might be an idea to take up in the future along with guinea fowl (guard birds and tasty eggs) and owls (to do my homework).
It'll come eventually. I am definitely getting the hang of MATLAB, though! It's like reading Castillian Spanish as opposed to the Attic Greek that is C++. Really lovely.
Anyway, with about two hours to go until I leave, here are updates on the cockroach situation.
It seems the powder is a success! Yesterday I saw two and a half cockroach corpses in the kitchen. They looked like babies which was a tad disheartening, though perhaps that means the older ones didn't die from contact immediately and ended up sloping off colonywards to pass away. I can only hope. Dashed loads more last night but haven't checked the kitchen to see if I've killed anymore. No corpses upstairs, however, which is also a little concerning but as I suspect, judging from their behaviour, that the ones we've caught upstairs - outside of my messy flatmate's room of course - were lone stragglers I don't feel too worried. Am on high alert though as I'm dangerously low on Raid supplies and the local Lidl hasn't restocked anymore of the spray for a whole two weeks now (I know, I know! Unbelievable in the height of summer near student accomodation and a very busy restaurant area. Idiotic really...). It really is the only way to travel round the house safely at night.
So I learnt some new stuff. Roaches can't eat cucumbers, which apparently give them gas and they prefer to walk with some part of their body (apart from their feet of course) in contact with a wall or other hard surface which does make a sort of sense considering they 'see' with their feelers. Oh and they predate the dinosaurs and like the humble termite, haven't really changed much in design since then. Is this useful? I have no idea, probably not, but it's very interesting. What is perhaps more useful is that ducks love to eat them, so that might be an idea to take up in the future along with guinea fowl (guard birds and tasty eggs) and owls (to do my homework).