Nick Seeber's blog

A very news-y update

So I haven't put an update on the blog for a while. Whilst I can't deny that I've had the time (after all I've managed to keep up with my favorite American TV dramas), it's felt like a big effort.

I thought I'd get back into it by doing small updates daily from my iPhone (on which I have the eminently usable TypePad app) and see how I get on.

I suppose it might be interesting to give a few highlights from the last couple of months:

- In September I discovered that I had a serious problem with my left foot. It had been stiff for a month or so, but I thought it was a pulled muscle. When it didn't get better (and actually got much worse) I went to the awesomely Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead and, after having it prodded and X-rayed, discovered that I had sustained a hairline stress-fracture of the metatarsal. Ie a classic footballer's injury, though I think it was done running. I have to just wait and let it heal which is very frustrating.

- I had a great holiday in Cornwall with a couple of friends. We took the train down to Truro and then rented a car, and stayed 4 nights in Newquay. We had lovely weather, but as it was school term it wasn't very busy. Highlights of the trip were St Michael's Mount; Tintagel Castle (which I enjoyed from a distance due to my foot); the Eden Project; and lunch at Rick Stein's bistro in Padstow (we tried for the restaurant but it was fully booked). I was the nominated driver but it didn't really do the foot much good - had a bit of a relapse!
 
- A week later my girlfriend (Liz) and I moved into our lovely new flat in Kilburn :-) We're having lots of fun and (as we're lucky enough to have a spare bedroom) are looking forward to having friends come visit.

- We spent a very pleasant weekend in Ireland with my uncle and aunt in Ennis. They are moving to London soon so I hope we'll see lots more of them. The only low point of the weekend was being forced by Patrick to watch an unremittingly awful film - The Oxford Murders. Sort of like a rubbish version of a Dan Brown novel, if that's not an oxymoron. Patrick, Liz hasn't forgiven you :-)
 
- Liz's mum and dad visited, which was lovely - they brought with them a load of Liz's treasured possessions which had been "stored" (read: abandoned) for years. Yay ;-) And also bara brith, a delicious Welsh fruit cake which we spent the next couple of weeks eating. Yum.

- My sister got married at the beginning of October, and as that was the first of my siblings to do so it was a very exciting occasion. The night before we stayed with my schoolfriend Thomas and his wife Ariane in Frome, and got to see my god-daughter Aliza and her little sister Tilia. Both so gorgeous! The ceremony the next day was in Bristol with the reception in a beautiful hotel near Bath. It was lovely to see all the family and a good time was had by all. On the following day (as we'd borrowed a car) Liz and I braved the awfulness that is Ikea on a Sunday and came back home with LOOT. Including a bonsai tree, lampshades, and a load of crockery. Domestic bliss.

- And - we've has our first house-guests! Kim and Kate visited, for the night before our flat-warming, and we spent the day in Westfield whilst Liz was doing a catch-up workshop for her Masters (which is now over, woop woop). And then last week, Liz's brother Dave (who lives in the wilds of Scotland) visited for a night, and great fun was had by the three of us. Come again soon, Dave! (Dave is my one reader so I know he'll see this!)

- Finally, we spent this weekend in Gloucester attending the wedding celebration of Liz's schoolfriend Ibby an her husband Gareth. Much dancing, followed by much pain the next day for my foot. Grrrrr.

I'll end here - writing lots of text on the iPhone feels risky and there doesn't seem to be a save function! Scared I'm going to lose it all- though if you're reading, clearly I didn't...
 

My university dissertation - The Use of Digital Imaging in Examining Textual Artefacts

During the final year of my degree course I had to write two primary source essays (typically around 5,000 words each) and a dissertation (10-15,000 words). The subject for mine was an examination of the use of digital imaging techniques (mostly medical) in looking at ancient texts and textual artefacts (things like scrolls, cuneiform tablets, etc.

I had great fun writing it, and was lucky enough to have one of the world's foremost cuneiform experts (and wonderful person) Eleanor Robson as my tutor. Reading it now, I've been enjoying re-opening all of the dusty memories I have of the subject matter.

It did fine when it was marked - graded 2:1 - but I think the journalistic / informative / technical / geeky slant to it let it down from an academic perspective! On the flip side, it made it fairly interesting for a (motivated) casual reader. And I like it, which is all that counts, after all. I don't think there's much I'd change.

Incidentally, I did a 'management consulting-esque' presentation of it when I was interviewed for my first job at Detica, and it very much impressed my interviewer. So the technical stuff was useful in the end.

Nick Seeber History of Science Dissertation

My personal statement from UCAS application

My younger sister is applying to university at the moment so I've been giving her some advice about the Personal Statement she'll need to write. People differ about how important it is, but given that it's a chance to sell yourself, it makes sense to make the most of it.

Anyway, I dug out the one I wrote when I was applying for university many moons ago (or so it feels!) and thought I'd post here in case anyone finds it useful (it helped me get into my first choice university) .

Given that I wrote it when I was 17 I don't think it's too bad, though admittedly some of it makes me sound like a bit of a tool (or maybe I just am a bit of a tool?).

Anway, here goes...

"The desire to know is natural to good men." Leonardo da Vinci

When it comes to scientists, I have a particular admiration for Leonardo da Vinci. Master of anything he put his mind to, with ideas hundreds of years ahead of his contemporaries, he was the true Renaissance Man. Nowadays, although specialisation is the key to scientific breakthroughs, I think it is still important to be able to see the links between very different disciplines. I believe that my questioning mind and love of science will stand me in good stead in the degree courses I have chosen.

Last year I applied to study Biochemistry at university, but later declined the offers I received because I knew that by taking Biochemistry I would not be able to keep studying my other areas of interest. I want to be able to use all of the A-levels I studied - Maths, Biology, Physics and Chemistry - to develop my fairly wide, but basic, scientific knowledge into something more substantial. Therefore, this year I have applied for entrance to both Biomedical Engineering and Natural Science courses.

Searching the UCAS directory of courses, Biomedical Engineering was the only specific subject I found which made me think immediately: "This is a course I want to do". Biomedical Engineering will use a broad scientific knowledge, applied to a range of extremely interesting and challenging applications. Already a fairly rare course, over the past year I have been able to narrow my selection down to only two of the best Biomedical Engineering courses.

Conversely, by being so flexible, a Natural Science course will allow me to choose exactly which options I take, so that I can tailor my degree to the topics I find stimulating or exciting. Due to the number of courses offered, I have been very selective when choosing Natural Science courses, finding only two that I believe to be ideal for me.

During my time at sixth form, I tried to take part in as many activities as possible, both in and out of school. One of the first of these was the Mock Trial, which involved working as a team to win an imaginary court case, presided over by a practising Crown Court judge. Another was to take part in the international Young Enterprise scheme, where I was one of a group of A-level students who formed a company, producing, marketing and selling handmade clocks. Acting as the Finance Director, I was in charge of the necessarily accurate record keeping it involved, forming and implementing a business plan and speaking publicly at numerous presentations. Our team won the area finals.

I also took part in a 10-day course at Surrey University called MasterClass 2000, which is run for first-year A-level students on a competitive basis. It involves a small research project, typically at degree level or beyond, for six different teams, culminating in a detailed and professional presentation at the end of the week. I was elected to be team leader for my group, which was given the task of developing and building an adaptive antenna for mobile phone technology. As team leader, I tried to ensure that work was designated fairly and that the team members were motivated and focused on their tasks, whilst keeping an overall view of the progress of the project. By extensive computer modelling of gain patterns for various arrays of dipoles, we designed and built an antenna, and then tested its performance in an anechoic chamber. We found that our ideas were validated by the results, which I presented to the judges. Our team, Fuji, won first prize (http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/masterclass2000/).

I have taken part in the Senior Maths Challenge for the past two years, an optional timed test involving lateral thinking, where the candidate is allowed only pencil and paper. I came first in the school in 1999 and second in 2000. I particularly enjoy Mathematical and Mensa-type problems.

I enjoy reading very much, and have recently been writing short stories. I take great pleasure in travelling, and am a keen amateur photographer. My hobbies include tinkering with computers (especially my own), playing badminton and driving. Currently I am attempting to renovate my car, which is a very old Mini.

I am sure that I will enjoy being at university, and am pleased with my decision to reapply. I know that I will come back with energy from a year out which I am enjoying tremendously! At the moment I have been reading various books on Chaos Theory, Medieval History and science fiction, especially by John Wyndham.

Happy to provide feedback on drafts if anyone wants some help - I know that it can feel like a challenge. Good luck if you're in the middle of it now!

Are you having a 'quarterlife crisis'?

Interesting article on the "Quarterlife Crisis" (worth reading, first few paragraphs hit the nail on the head):

Unrelenting indecision, isolation, confusion and anxiety about working, relationships and direction is reported by people in their mid-twenties to early thirties who are usually urban, middle class and well-educated; those who should be able to capitalize on their youth, unparalleled freedom and free-for-all individuation. They can’t make any decisions, because they don’t know what they want, and they don’t know what they want because they don’t know who they are, and they don’t know who they are because they’re allowed to be anyone they want.

When a contemporary 25-year-old’s parents were 25, they weren’t concerned with keeping their options open: they were purposefully buying houses, making babies and making partner. Now, who we are and what we do is up to us, unbound to existing communities, families and class structures that offer leisure and self-determination to just a few. Boomer and post-boom parents with more money and autonomy than their predecessors has resulted in benignly self-indulgent children who were sold on their own uniqueness, place in the world and right to fulfillment in a way no previous generation has felt entitled to, and an increasingly entrepreneurial, self-driven creation myth based on personal branding, social networking and untethered lifestyle spending is now responsible for our identities.

Purpose is the anecdote to this sort of listless emptiness.

Work hard at the things which will give you useful skills, live with integrity, and try not to complain.

If there's something you don't like in your life, change it. If it's impossible to change, put up with it.

And, start getting out of debt. It's really tough, but it feels great to be heading in the right direction :-)