[tim60]

This is an R&D project - there are no specifics on the deliverables yet. I have a year and a half to improve some aspects of the performance, hammer out the wrinkles in manufacturing and it ought to be good to go. I don't plan to stay here forever anyway... it's a springboard back to industry in Project Engineering and R&D - the only reason I even started the PhD.

I'm also not gonna be subjected to the whims of the professor wanting publications which is a big plus.

Ours was a research contract which we won offering an answer in a different discipline than the nominal discipline for the subject matter. And the customer treats the project as a normal product acquisition rather than as research where findings might change what it is sensible to do and deliver. And the real customer had let a contract to a company for managing the whole program, so we have a project manager as customer who cuts us off from the real customer.

[eddie1960]

Volvos such as the PV 544 (had one), 122 (Amazon in some markets) 140, 240, 245 always appealed to me.

Volvo's appeal to me as well almost bought one instead of the mini but couldn't reach a deal. a friend has a 1966 v40 wagon with a standard transmission. he keeps it in excellent shape and will not move to the newer models (he has had good offers for his due to the stick transmission which is rare in Canada) another friend has an XC60 that sees a load of miles and is standing up very well 5 years in (he will drive it into the ground his last truck he drove 20 years)

[Serkevan]

Ours was a research contract which we won offering an answer in a different discipline than the nominal discipline for the subject matter. And the customer treats the project as a normal product acquisition rather than as research where findings might change what it is sensible to do and deliver. And the real customer had let a contract to a company for managing the whole program, so we have a project manager as customer who cuts us off from the real customer.

Agh, that sounds like a massive, unnecessarily messy mess... luckily ours is just "regular" funding towards the topic. And in any case, it's not my neck on the line if things go sour with the scope of the project .

[lesmore49]

Volvo's appeal to me as well almost bought one instead of the mini but couldn't reach a deal. a friend has a 1966 v40 wagon with a standard transmission. he keeps it in excellent shape and will not move to the newer models (he has had good offers for his due to the stick transmission which is rare in Canada) another friend has an XC60 that sees a load of miles and is standing up very well 5 years in (he will drive it into the ground his last truck he drove 20 years)

I almost bought two other Volvos. One was an '81 Volvo 240 , 2 door, manual transmission, the other an '89 Volvo 240 station wagon. Didn't get either, but came very close to getting the '81, 2 door. Still have fond memories of my '62 PV544, looked like a '46 Ford. Went well too. Could usually nip full size domestic cars with the slushbox and base 2 barrel V8, well at least maybe to 45-50 mph, then good bye Charley as the domestics started to pull ahead. Good handling, although sometimes alarming body roll, but the tires stayed glued to the road and the gearbox was the finest shifting manual I've ever used.

[MarkJerling]

This is an R&D project - there are no specifics on the deliverables yet. ......

Sounds fun! Set out to make a thingymabob an end up with a whatchamacallit.

[CharLac]

Is it not wonderful how, in this thread, we can in the space of a few posts cover the maths around ellipses, the location of gas tank filler caps, the cunning ways of Henry Ford, the origins of charcoal briquets, denim work clothes, and a few other topics!

And bacon

[Serkevan]

Sounds fun! Set out to make a thingymabob an end up with a whatchamacallit.

My PhD has already been exactly that*, so... business as usual

*I was supposed to work exclusively on upscaling and automation of a known production process, ended up developing new materials for a different application... now we're supposed to go back to large-scale production stuff, so I'm happy .

[Parallax]

PhD. Hmmm.
BS
MS
PhD
PhD stands for "Piled higher and Deeper", right?

[Serkevan]

PhD. Hmmm.
BS
MS
PhD
PhD stands for "Piled higher and Deeper", right?

I'd say it's either "Please Help. Dying" or "Probably a horrible Decision"

[bertwert]

PhD. Hmmm.
BS
MS
PhD
PhD stands for "Piled higher and Deeper", right?

I'd say it's either "Please Help. Dying" or "Probably a horrible Decision"

BEng - Bloody Engineering's no good!

[MarkJerling]

The problem with Engineers is that they need the beams bigger, the spans smaller and the slabs thicker while I need the beams smaller, the spans bigger and the slabs thinner.
I don't know why they don't just use sky hooks like the rest of us.

[stevebrot]

PhD. Hmmm.
BS
MS
PhD
PhD stands for "Piled higher and Deeper", right?

I learned about that in grad school...

BS...we all know what that means
MS...more of the same
PhD...piled higher and deeper


Steve

[tim60]

My PhD has already been exactly that*, so... business as usual

*I was supposed to work exclusively on upscaling and automation of a known production process, ended up developing new materials for a different application... now we're supposed to go back to large-scale production stuff, so I'm happy .

I tell my students that the research proposal is a gatekeeper task to ensure they have something worthwhile to investigate but it is not a contract to deliver a thesis with the title written on the proposal. That idea came because one of my students had done a PhD at LSE where they did treat the proposal as a contract to deliver a thesis with the title the student had committed to.

LSE: London School of Economics.

[Tako Kichi]

LSE: London School of Economics.

Ahh Mick Jagger's old Alma Mater!

At least something good dropped out of the place!

[StiffLegged]

PhD. Hmmm .....
PhD stands for "Piled higher and Deeper", right?

Depending on who you talk to, it may mean Paid Half what I Deserve.