Google released this image to explain the workflow. Although it is a nice workflow, it is better if you have some sample. So let’s break it down so that we can understand it. And in order to do that we will be using the sample sandbox google gave us at https://glass-java-starter-demo.appspot.com/

Step 1: Authentication

This might be similar to what other Google Apps are authenticated. I am assuming you need a gmail account to access it. Once you have accessed it, it sends you to step 2

Step 2: Your app in the appspot

Once authentication is done, it sends you to the app. Which is probably be in the appspot. Appspot does something based on what you have done and it sends a message to your device. For glass, google calls it adding to “Timeline”. What you will see is what is being inserted into the timeline.

Since we only have access to the web based timeline, we are limited by our imagination. However, what we see here might be how it will work in real life, except it will be done by voice or touch instead of mouse click that you are using now.

So lets say, this is how our final score of a game is going to look like.

But how do we utilise this to understand how the data is going to insert into timeline? Explore this from here: https://glass-java-starter-demo.appspot.com/ and you will see this

What you will see as an output is not going to be like what you are seeing there, but it is getting there!

So you can see that your “app” where you sent the “text” is sending to the timeline. And you can also see that it generated a new ID that differentiates it from another message that it sends to the glass. Based on the “-” in the middle, I assume that it is creating segments to understand what type of message you are sending.

And of course, how can we not send a cat photo if we are using a cat app?

3. Continue sending information as per your app

After sending the first message to your timeline, if your app is supposed to send a message to timeline every hour, it will insert new timeline. If you are sending only when something happens, it will send information when something happens. Once again, my current understanding is that, this is not a client side – client side only process what you are sending in a json format.

For more examples please visit https://developers.google.com/glass/stories where you will see two other example that explains how you can extend this to do more.

In the next section I will be working on how to get the first step – using a resource that updates JSON output after every certain time and send a notification.

1. Can I develop without having the hardware

Yes and No.

Why no?

Yes in the sense you can use Google API to create apps for other items such as Google+ and use simulators.

2. What programming language do I need to know?

Since it is web based, you can pretty much use anything as long as you are exporting as JSON. From google, they have a few examples running on

• Python
• Java
• Php

However, for the time being I will be using websites that already exports data in JSON format. I will be explaining more on how to do this in other tutorials that comes after this.

3. Do I need to hire a designer?

You can, but there are some templates that I am sharing (work in progress) that you can use. If you need more, go ahead and hire a designer

Google glass is the hottest item in the town. Unfortunately unless you live in USA and you were selected to be a glass explorer, you do not have access to developer section. However, that should not stop you from developing for glass!! Here is a series of my experiments that shows how to get started and make your app ready so that when you have access, you can make your google glass app.

Oz live PhD chat 4th April 2012 – Academic Job

After reading most of the tweets, the best strategy for me was

@BoredPostdoc: My tip for #phdchat travel? Have no shame. Talk to everyone, hit everyone up for funding opportunities.

On top of that, other strategy that I loved are:

1. Ask your University – see if they have an option for funding your travel and find out what are the criteria
   @RhythmicDeets: My Uni will only fund travel 2 conferences where papers are 2x blind peer reviewed + published. This eliminates many opportunities. #PhDChat
2. Ask a host University – see if they have any on going project or funding, ask the visiting lecturers
   @jochau #phdchat I find it helps to talk to OS academics and students who come to visit- they can link you up with ppl back home
3. Look for other funding options such as accommodation, lounge etc.
   @thesiswhisperer: My top tip. If you are cashed up enough and doing lots of travel, check out special deals from Unis – like lounge membership #phdchat
4. Look for alternative funding body that can sponsor a portion of your travel. They may raise eye brows but some did get some funding
   @ai1sa cathay pacific funded travel to my 1st international confernece via community travel grant- research was with a not4profit agency #phdchat
   @EvaAlisic @riotk We have this “Foundations Book” which is published each year in the Netherlands. It includes both large & small funds #phdchat
   @orientalhotel I have a friend who is scottish and got a small travel grant from Sean Connery #truestory #phdchat
   @KezNoo @lygidakis sorry I meant crowdfunding! *blushing* like this – http://t.co/F005BkRN fund your own way with support! #phdchat
5. Look at government or Embassy sites to see if they have any funding option
   @orientalhotel Often foreign embassy websites will list funding/study opps for students e.g. this is french one http://t.co/HBblvES4 #phdchat
6. Look for people who did get grant and see what grant they got and apply them
   @orientalhotel Another way I found funding was looking at the CVs/past grants lists of people who work in my area. Lots of that online now #phdchat

You can view it down here or you can download it for your self. Here is Ms Excel copy and here is pdf copy.

Oz live PhD chat 7th March 2012

So the biggest question is how do we overcome it or solve it?

Add “Tiny Habits” in your life

Tiny habits are a phrase by Dr BJ Fogg at Stanford university. In his words, the ONLY WAY you can change something is by:

Option A. Have an epiphany
Option B. Change your context (what surrounds you)
Option C. Take baby steps

Since it is obvious that the first two options are hard, lets see how to do the third option.

And how do we take the baby steps?

Do something that is very simple and takes really less effort. And there is two very simple but important rule. It must be done after a very strong habit and must be less than 30 seconds. Example

• Switch on your pdf reader AFTER you brush your teeth at night. (less than 30 sec and very little effort)
• Open next day planner AFTER you brush your teeth at night (less than 30 sec and very little effort)
• Click to open Mendeley AFTER you have your daily morning coffee (less than 30 sec and very little effort)
• Open Scrievener (or Bibtex or MS Word) AFTER you reach your workplace (less than 30 sec and very little effort)

Now please note something important here. The act must be less than 30 second and must be after something you do everyday (also called anchor habit by Dr Fogg). If you dont have that anchor habit – you will miss the habit you want to make.

Besides that, another very important point is – DO NOT do more than 30 second. He does not ask you to read a whole paper – that is painful and your body will reject it. Just switch on Mendeley. Thats it. Do that for a week till it becomes habit. After that, you can go and read your paper. But make a habit to open that first instead of email.

Same goes to writing. Open your word document. Dont write, dont do anything more. Just open it for one week after same anchor event or habit. Once you do that you will get better at it.

Does it really work?

It does. I will strongly recommend you to try out his method at his website called Tinyhabits . Try it out and tell me how did it go.

From the whole discussion I found few tips very useful. Few people summarized it well:

@HelenHickson  My fav tips: 1. Follow the grant. 2 Teaching online. 3 Offer to help at conference for cheap fees. #phdchat

 

And for more details one here goes the list:

Save Money

@lindathestar: I asked the library to but a book I wanted instead of buying it myself, and they have. #phdchat

@halften make massive pots of food and freeze in single servings. Saves on ‘god I can’t be bothered’ pizza. #phdchat

@zaana  i tried to make all my mtgs/ appts on same days to limit transport costs & also more time efficient #phdchat

@RhythmicDeets Don’t be too proud to show your student card + ask for a student discount. May places will honour this, even for PT PhD Students. #PhDChat.

@musicforbabes  Best thing I learned tonight: Ask for a fee waiver/discount when traveling to os conferences. Brilliant. #phdchat

Earn Money

@thesiswhisperer  Sad – I know a few who drive taxis. But they say it is kind of relaxing #phdchat

@PJ_Weatherill @HelenHickson Your supervisor is the best start – but network with people in your uni research centres in related areas too #phdchat

@annascottpiano #phdchat casual acad work by convincing institutions 2 call the pay ‘reimbursement of travel expenses’. Local inst’s. seem happy to do this!

@AnujaCabraal @HelenHickson Research work unrelated to your discipline, but similar in methodology is also useful. It demonstrates diversity. #phdchat

@stealthpooch @HelenHickson I got the teaching job just by asking the uni, and writing jobs through proposals to journals (build a relationship) #phdchat

@RhythmicDeets Good ways for PhD’s to earn $$$ while progressing academic careers? 1.RA Work. 2.Teaching 3.Apply for Grants. 4.Scholarships #PhDChat

@pinniesp Hi, I’m on a 3yr T&R contract after 4 years of casual and sessional garbage-fun! General ad: b careful with sessional teaching Bc so much work&the $ is so bad. Research assistance: better $, more time for your research. How to get? Follow the grant $…! #phdchat

@jazzlinguist I did admin work – good for getting admin staff on your side as well as seeing the ‘non-academic’ side of uni. #phdchat

@thesiswhisperer My best top for finding casual academic work: get to know the other casuals. They often have more than they can do #phdchat

@jazzlinguist Proofread for international MA students. Good way to learn about a diff topic. Gotta be careful of editing/supervision boundary tho #phdchat

@stealthpooch @thesiswhisperer @lindathestar my school ‘pays’ RHD students in research expenses 4 sitting uni gallery. Paid 4 1000s of $ in books #phdchat

@AnujaCabraal @thesiswhisperer Don’t be afraid to cold call people and tell them you are interested in the area. I’ve had a lot of jobs that way #phdchat

@JoClyne1 I took up a part time job in the industry I was researching and did lots of volunteer work which turned into paid work. #phdchat

@halften A lot of uni ag departments have casual work at this time of year if you’re sciencey and don’t mind repetitive work (and free food) #phdchat

@RhythmicDeets Another way to earn $$$ is to offer marking services to help busy academics at the end of the Semester. #PhDChat

@RhythmicDeets The best advice I can offer all PhD students is BUDDY UP WITH THE ACADEMIC STAFF! There is almost always some paying work on offer. #PhDChat

@JoClyne1 Getting tutoring work is no longer a rite of passage for phd students as there is more competition. Look outside academia for work #phdchat

@RhythmicDeets Go along to ‘Shut Up & Write!’ groups – many Uni’s now host these. A great way to meet and buddy up with academics who have $$$. #PhDChat

@clairedavisonAU Late to the party, sorry if covered. It’s worth checking Uni EBA to see if there are Early Career fellowships available #phdchat

 

Scholarship / funding

@PJ_Weatherill @lindathestar statistically you have best chande of schoalrship success in second semester rounds #phdchat

@debyy found submitting articles for publication helpful in pushing my scholarship app over the line #phdchat

@PippiLongsock @debyy yeah, publications definitely boost your chance of scholarship #PhDchat

@lindathestar #phdchat I try to apply for conference scholarships too, so I can go to more.

@stephentang Tweeps on APAs: remember to get/submit med certs when sick. Sick leave days extend your paid scholarship term. Wish I knew earlier. #phdchat

@tpstudent @jazzlinguist @stephentang I know with an APA scholarship you can only take large blocks of sick leave (2weeks plus I think) #phdchat

@jazzlinguist Tip for making APA last: claim every delay in annual review so you can extend up to 6 months at the end. I felt too whiney. #phdchat

@stealthpooch I’ve received 2 OS conference scholarships (Venice 2009, Istanbul 2010). Trick is to apply. Oh and start application early #phdchat

@thesiswhisperer: @ai1sa Other top conference funding tip: offer to help out with mustering. Great way to meet people and often will waive fees #phdchat

@RhythmicDeets Another good tip… volunteer to help with conference organisation. This will usually ensure free entry to the conference. #PhDChat

 

Suggestions

@PJ_Weatherill: As ex FT academic now FT Phd I suggest research work rather than teaching – the semester timetables mean less weeks with pay #phdchat

@stealthpooch @thesiswhisperer two casual jobs: teaching during semester (great experience), and back up one outside of semester. #phdchat

@BoredPostdoc Also, if ur nearing end of PhD, don’t go part-time to work full-time for $$$. So many ppl I know who did never ended up finishing #phdchat

The whole meetup up 485 tweets

It was superb. Keep your eyes on for more live PhDchat meetup in the future!

Reaching and Repeating

This tip is from Professor Tanya Golash-Boza from her post on how to become a faster writer

Writing is the process of conveying ideas through words. One way to “reach,” then, would be to use a new word every day. Just before you begin to write, pick up a journal article in your field and find a word you do not use very often. Not a jargonistic word, but one that is useful, like “complement” or “corroborate.” Try and use the word at least twice in your writing for the day.

My experiment

I am yet to try this out but when I try I will let you know.

[Image courtesy of Speed writing]

It does not have to be from a full Professor

Many people think that the higher the rank the referee, the better it is. Well of course this has some valid points – if you get from a renowned professor who knows you and writes highly of you thats awesome. But high chance that you have not worked with such important people and they just know you by name. In that case they can only give you a generic letter which is really not much helpful.

Get from someone you worked with

If you are going to do your PhD, it usually means you are motivated and have done some prior work. if you have not, you should start some but hopefully you have worked with some academician and you should get your letters from them. It is good if they are Assistant Prof, associate prof, lecturer etc but most importantly it should not be a laundry list letter describing you are good at what; you have your resume for that.

Ask them if they will write strong recommendation

This might sound crazy but really ask them if they will write “favorable letters” for you. Because if they don’t, you are doomed. If they hesitate then look for someone else and tell them that you appreciate they considered writing but you really need strong favorable letter or recommendation letter

So what should be in the referee letter?

There are many examples in the net what should be in the letter and since I am not in the position to write such letter I will let you read those and decide.

• From Brown University Computer Science : http://www.cs.brown.edu/~sk/Memos/Grad-School-Recos/

Remind them nicely

Since most academics are busy (and often forgetful) you need to inform them when you are asking them to write how soon you will need it and remind them a week or two before about it. Else there is a high chance that they may forgot it.

Remember to leave your contact no

This is often very important point – remember to leave your contact no or email so that the professor can email you or call you once the letter is done. Usually they will seal it and pass to you. Take that, and submit with the application.

How many letters to get?

I applied in 35 different universities, so I got 35 !! Fortunately for me the referees were very nice and I worked with them more than 5 years! But usually get at least 5 recommendation and better if you can get it according to the format your university wants.

What if you need more?

I usually inform them to keep a copy of the letter because I tell them that I will be applying more and I might need in the future. So they keep a copy so that they can refer to it next time when they need to give you one.

[Image courtesy of Art of letter writing]