Splash?

Test, test, test.


Being enthusiastic is THE thing

Let's get straight to business.

I found several very interesting pages today, all of them regarding vizualization of text analysis results. One of them is also Wordle. Very very cool way of showing people what you're talking about. There are some limitations that bother me, but hey! I can do it my way, right? ;)

I have to admit - I'm getting really enthusiastic about my PhD, but I'm not sure whether is it just due to approaching deadline or ... It must be the deadline :D

Yep, programming is the part that follows...


Really a long way home

Finding enough motivation to start tasks you hate the most is really the longest way home. Almost as long as a trip around the world, to the Moon and back and to the Restaurant at the end of the Universe.

Finding your true self in this crazy world of Today is even longer... but a trip worth taking. How can you get to know others, if you don't know anything about yourself? What makes you tick? What makes you sad? Why are you one day happy as Happy Hour in the most populated bar and next day sad and depressed as Hell itself? So go on a mission: mysteries to be uncovered and people to be met.

Until then... you can join me on my path :D

My way or highway

I finally managed to update our contribution for the Encyclopedia of Complexity and Systems Science. It was actually fun to write this contribution - I swear this never happened before ;)

I still have to write a paper to be (hopefully) published in a journal, otherwise I might have some serious problems with my PhD studies... Well, we'll cross that bridge when we get there :D

Now, go to work, Sparki! Either my way or highway! :D

Well... I did it.

Yes, I did it. Did what? Presented my PhD theme proposal to a bunch of other computer scientist. And I survived :) This is a good thing.

The bad thing is that this is only the first step towards small bright light at the end of loooong dark tunnel.

But...Every road starts with the first step. So? Hit the road, Sparki :)

My response to you, Mr. X

Peter Ustinov at a book signing session at the ABC Shop at The Myer Centre in Brisbane, Queensland, AustraliaImage via WikipediaEarlier today I asked myself: Can you be too sentimental about sentiment?
The answer is NO, Mr. X.

And yes, I WILL do this sentiment-analysis-thingy! :)

Something four you, Mr. X, to think about:

“1500 years ago, people KNEW the Earth was the center of the universe. 500 years ago, they KNEW that the Earth was flat - and yesterday, you KNEW that human beings were alone on this planet. Imagine what you'll know tomorrow”. (Kay, MEN IN BLACK)

If the world should blow itself up, the last audible voice would be that of an expert saying it can't be done. (Peter Ustinov)

Men in Black II
Men in Black II

Can you be too sentimental about sentiment?

The Sentimental AgentImage via Wikipedia

Today was a weird day. Everything was alright until a co-worker (from other lab) came by to see whether we, lab rats, are planning to plan to go home any time soon. Of course he asked me about the progress of my PhD thesis proposal (btw. it still in under construction :) ).

Well, and then it happened. When I explained to him what I'm planning to do, where the place is I see myself situated in (sitting on the throne of the Sentiment Kingdom, of course), he started ranting.

Mr. X: You can't do this, you can't do that, everyone else in your lab analysed medical datasets using 101 combinations of machine learning techniques…

Me: I'm different. I'm woman.

Mr. X: P… (my ex co-worker and friend) is a woman too (she used medical datasets).

Me: I'm different. I want to do something different.

Mr. X: What texts are you going to use? They're not representative, your sample won't be representative, your ideas suck (or something like that), and this is not real science – analyzing sentiment in text? Are you a woman, woman? (These are not his exact words, but what I heard deep down…) This stuff - analyzing sentiment?! – is not hard-core computer science, it's not scientific enough. And you want to do this for your PhD?!?!!


At that point I almost blacked out. I was pissed, I was speechless (although I thought I heard someone screaming :) ) and I wanted to go home, because at that point I just felt too sentimental about sentiment to sentimentally discuss it with a definitely a-sentimental Mr. X.