kiran_c

Note : I wrote this for my colleagues in Synopsys. But later thought I should post it here.

I reached Edinburgh on 11th morning without much hassles. My travel was via Brussels. The journey from Chennai to Brussels was fine since I slept most of the time. Was travelling via jet airways and i managed to find a malayalam movie in their online entertainment system. I watched that movie for the rest of the time. Change of planes at Brussels was easy and fast. And I boarded the flight to Edinburgh from there in around 2 hours. Landed in Edinburgh around 10.20 am local time. The immigration and customs clearing also happened very smoothly. I took a taxi from the airport to the place I am staying in. The journey from airport to my place took around half an hour. There was not much traffic. Was thinking that it will be left hand driven cars, but was surprised to see that they are right hand driven like in India.

My place is quite an old building and i stay on the top floor sharing the flat with two others. One of which is a tamilian. He is also a PhD student. It is wooden flooring here. My room is quite spacious with a queen size bed, a wardrobe, tables and some chairs. There is provision for heating in the room. There is also fully furnished kitchen, and the stove is electric. The bathroom is OK here, except for the fact that i have to stand in a tub to take bath. It was a bit tricky initially and i fell down once. :) Every room also has fire alarms and that includes the kitchen also. My amateur cooking skills got the better of it and it rang big time one day when i used the pressure cooker to the dismay of my flat mates. I have stopped using the pressure cooker ever since. :) But still most of the times i cook. Breakfast is easy with milk and bread/cornflakes. Lunch and dinner i cook some rice and a curry. Outside food is costly. There is a tamilian restaurant here, had a masala dosa from there on my first day at a cost of around 7 pounds. There are also lots of Indian restaurants around. But food from restaurants is in general very costly.

I haven't roamed around much here but the city looks clean. it is also a small city compared to Bangalore and there are fewer people also. The University is not a campus based one, so the buildings of the university are spread across the city. The city looks like it grew around the university buildings. We can see shops offering things at discount for students. The bus service here is very good. But i don't have to depend on it since my place is less than a kilometre from the university. The walk to university is also good since there is no dust here. This winter seems to be a mild here this time. It has always remained above 0 degree celsius(around 5) and there has been no snowfalls. But there is always a wind which makes me feel colder. Especially when i walk from the university back to my place, when i have to walk against the wind.

Here the Computer Science Department is called the School of Informatics. There are many Institutes within this school which conducts research. I am in the Institute for Computing Systems Architecture(ICSA). Further there are four research groups within the Institute. My group is Compilers and Architecture Design(CARD). All the Professors, Post-docs, PhD students and MSc research students are accommodated in a building called the Forum. This is one of the few building here which is built in the modern style. Most of the other buildings are old, but well maintained. I wanted to take some photos also, but haven't managed to do that. I met my professor last monday and he seems to be nice guy. Talks in a loud voice, but is very enthusiastic, positive and also sounds practical. Have scheduled weekly meetings for the first 3 months, during which time i have to read a lot of papers and write critical reviews. Have to narrow down on the topic that we will be working on for the next 3 years. The requirements for a PhD degree is 3 papers in good conferences.

I havent yet started fully concentrating on reading papers here. It was mostly settling down during the last 2 weeks. Buying some stuff, signing the rental agreement and all. Hopefully things will pick up from this week.

The PhD programme in Edinburgh is a fully research based one. So there are no courses associated with it. The most important thing before joining a PhD programme is to find out which area you would want to work in. You can choose your area based on your interest and experience. The Informatics(Computer Science) Department in Edinburgh has the following research centres/institutes(the area of research of these institutes/centres is also given).
1) Centre for Intelligent Systems and their Applications (CISA) : Knowledge representation and automated reasoning, Agent Systems and Planning, Software Systems
2) Institute for Adaptive and Neural Computation (IANC) : Cognitive or Computational Neuroscience, Machine learning, Bioinformatics
3) Institute for Language, Cognition and Computation (ILCC) : Computational approaches to language, communication, and cognition, Natural language processing and computational linguistics, Information extraction, retrieval and presentation, Educational and assistive technology
4) Institute for Computing Systems Architecture (ICSA) : Computing Architecture and Circuits, Optimisation and Parallel Programming, Networks and communications
5) Institute of Perception, Action and Behaviour (IPAB) : Computer Vision and Graphics, Robotics
6) Laboratory for Foundations of Computer Science (LFCS) : Foundational theory of computer science, Formal models for design, verification and performance analysis, Database theory and practice
7) Informatics Life-Sciences Institute (ILSI) : Research at the informatics/life sciences interface, Computational systems biology, Synthetic biology, Bioinformatics

Once you have found the area which you want to research and the institute you want to apply, the next task is to find a professor who is willing to supervise your thesis. Typically you look at the website of all the professors in the institute you have chosen, and find a few who suits your interest. Then you mail these professors telling that you are interested in the area that they are working and would like to join for a PhD. If they are interested they will reply. An important thing to note is that these professors get a lot of mails and they will give your mail some attention only if you have done some background work. Like reading the research papers that these professors have worked on recently. The mail that you send should have something specific in the prof's work that you are interested in like "I read your abc paper published in conference xyz and I liked that work and I think that it can be extended in so and so way or would like to apply that idea in a different context or something interesting". Also note that some professors advertise that they have PhD openings in their homepages. These professors will be more interested in mails from students. Many of the professors in the Systems area(OS,network,Architecture,compilers) post PhD openings in the hipeac website(http://jobs.hipeac.net/jobs). Professors will look at your background, your academic scores and your publications(if any). And will set up an interview if he/she is interested. If the Prof is happy with your performance in the interview then he will ask you to go ahead and fill an online application.

If you can find a professor who is interested in supervising you and willing to sponsor you then 90 % of the work is done. If he is only interested in supervising but dont have funds to sponsor then you will have to apply for the various scholarships that are available in the university(see the links given below).

Once the professor has given the go ahead, you can fill up an online application. You might also need to apply for scholarships depending on whether your professor has funds to sponsor you or not. You can find the application procedure and more details in the links given below. In the application you will have to give your details and scanned copies of certificates, marklists, email ids of 2 people who can give recommendation letters. You will also have to write essays of the area of research and what you would like to do for research and also why you want to do a phd.
http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/informatics/postgraduate/research-degrees/phd
http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/informatics/postgraduate/apply/overview
http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/informatics/postgraduate

Looking at all the applications that they received that year, the university makes a decision on your application. If the university decides to go ahead with your application, they will give you an unconditional offer for admission. If you firmly accept the offer they will advise you on what you should do next. Typically this would be
-> University will send you a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies(CAS)
-> You will have to apply for an ATAS clearance.(http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/what-we-do/services-we-deliver/atas/)
-> You might have to take an English Language Test(like IELTS/TOEFL)
-> After you have the above, you can apply for a student VISA(Tier 4)
-> Once you have the VISA, you can join the university at a suitable time.

Well that is just about it. Hope this helps. Let me know in case you have any doubts.

Joined the University of Edinburgh for a PhD. Will be working under the supervision of Prof. Michael O'Boyle. http://www.dcs.ed.ac.uk/home/mob/

Had to think a lot before taking this decision and even at the last moments I was not sure of it. Is it too late, Is it the wrong time, Will I be able to do it ? Does it make financial sense ? What happens if something goes wrong ? How will me and my wife survive this ? But finally decided to take the plunge. Hope it goes well.

Here in Edinburgh the Computer Science Department is called the School of Informatics. There are many Institutes within this school which conducts research. I am in the Institute for Computing Systems Architecture(ICSA). Further there are four research groups within the Institute. My group is Compilers and Architecture Design(CARD).
http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/informatics/
http://wcms.inf.ed.ac.uk/icsa/
http://www.icsa.inf.ed.ac.uk/compilers/

Haven't yet decided on what I should be doing for my PhD. Currently talking to various members of the group and trying to get a feel of what research is going on. Also will find a list of conferences from which I can read papers. Will be looking for conferences in the area of MPSoCs, ASIPs, Multicores and Compilers. Next week on I will be reading the papers from these conferences and writing critical reviews. This activity will continue on for 3 months till we have narrowed down on my research topic.

Have to publish 3 papers in good conferences to complete a PhD here. Idea is to publish one paper every year so that it will be 3 papers by the end of three years. What after PhD, I don't know. May be will get to know that in 3 years time.

My homepage at the University.
http://homepages.inf.ed.ac.uk/s1064296/

Getting a stamp paper in bangalore seems to be often a difficult task. Most places
are putting up the message "Stamp Paper : Out of stock". People say that the
only place you can get a stamp paper is from State Bank of Mysore. But even there if
it is not available(at multiple branches), what to do ?. The state bank of mysore
guys asked me to go to the sub-registrar office in Johnson Market. But there they
dont sell stamp papers. But the officer there asked me to go to Domlur BDA complex.
It was 1:30 pm, when I reached Domlur and the counter had closed for lunch.

I came back at 2:45 pm, filled out the form for stamp papers and finally managed to
get an e-stamp paper.

So those of you who want a stamp paper, the right place to go is the BDA complex
in Domlur.

Devadutt told me that the guy on the other side who managed the audio conference was Vice President Engineering. Immediately a doubt sprang up in my mind, what is the difference between a CTO and VP Engg. And here is the answer!!!
http://www.feld.com/blog/archives/2007/10/cto_vs_vp_engin.html

I welcomed this cold new year in delhi by having a cold. I have almost recovered. I enjoyed the bed ridden days by reading The Last Mughal by William Darlymple. I guess more people will be interested in learning, knowing and appreciating History, if books like these are given as course material in 8,9,10th standards.

The story primarily revolves around the last years of the last Mughal, Bahadur Shah Zafar and the rebel sepoy mutiny. It tells about the victories of the rebels, how the hindu sepoys fought hand in hand with the muslim mujahideens, the selfishness of a queen, how a mughal prince despite his early age rises to the occasion, and how the english finally recapture Delhi (thanks to Zafar's indecision, the rebels lack of intelligence, inexperience in maintaining law and order, and a lack of food). It also talks of life in the 1850s in Delhi, the flourishing of art and poetry and the rise of Delhi as a center of learning and how it fell when the english plundered the capital of the Mughals.

There reaches a point in the war when the battle could have swung either way. The rebels request Zafar to lead them into battle. Zafar initially agrees but later disagrees and the then the battle turns. I was critical of Zafar, but later as the author points out "what else can a person of 80 years do ?"

Though I have been in Delhi for the past 2.5 years, I neither understand their language, dishes, places or customs. I did not attempt to do that, nor was I interested in doing it. But as Kanthi says Delhi is special. May be reading this book is a fitting tribute that I can give Delhi when I say khuda-hafez !!!

ACM student chapter is starting a Meet an Alumni Program. I wrote a poem for the poster. It was rejected because the event is a little technical. I am putting it here for you. :)

“Welcome them back like heroes
Give a feeling of dejavu
Walk the paths they traversed and
Feel the thorns in their way
Lets hear how they conquered and
Rejoice their moments of victory
Lets talk to them and learn their secret of success
And promise to spread our wings of fire and say a thanks for coming
Finally, lets stand with them to sing a song for our alma mater and
Bid them adieu”

Professor Randy Pausch, who has been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer, gave
his last lecture at Carnegie Mellon University on September 18. He gives excellent
advice on "really achieving your childhood dreams". The lecture has been widely
viewed by millions on the internet.

Prof Pausch is a pioneer in Virtual Reality and Human Computer Interaction.

Video
-----
http://www.etc.cmu.edu/global_news/?q=node/42
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5700431505846055184

Transcript
----------
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch/Randy/pauschlastlecturetranscript.pdf

A young second generation Indian in the US was asked
by his mother to explain the significance of "Diwali" to his younger
brother, this is how he went about it...



" So, like this dude had, like, a big cool kingdom and
people liked him. But, like, his step-mom, or something, was kind
of a bitch, and she forced her husband to, like, send this cool-dude,
he was Ram, to some national forest or something... Since he was going,
for like, something like more than 10 years or so.. he decided to get his
wife and his bro along... you know...so that they could all chill out
together.


But Dude, the forest was reeeeal scary shit... really man...they had monkeys
and devils and shit like that. But this dude, Ram, kicked with darts and bows
and arrows... so it was fine. But then some bad gangsta boys, some jerk called
Ravan, picks up his babe (Sita) and lures her away to his hood. And boy, was our
man, and also his bro, Laxman, pissed..... all the gods were with him... So anyways,you
don't mess with gods. So, Ram, and his bro get an army of monkeys.. Dude,
don't ask me how they trained the damn monkeys... just go along with me, ok...
.
so, Ram, Lax and their monkeys whip this gangsta's ass in his own hood.
Anyways, by this time, their time's up in the forest..and anyways...it
gets kinda boring,you know... no TV or malls or shit like that. So,they decided to
hitch a ride back home... and when the people realize that our dude, his bro and the
wife are back home... they thought, well, you know, at least they deserve something
nice... and they didn't have any bars or clubs in those days... so they couldn't take
them out for a drink, so they, like, decided to smoke and shit...and since
they also had some lamps, they lit the lamps also... so it was pretty
cooool... you know with all those fireworks... Really, they even had some local
band play along with the fireworks... and you know, what, dude, that was the
very first, no kidding.., that was the very first music-synchronized
fireworks... you know, like the 4th of July stuff, but just, more cooler
and stuff, you know. And, so dude, that was how, like, this festival started."

Happy Birthday Kiran !!!