From owner-chemistry@ccl.net Fri Aug 15 19:06:00 2008 From: "Thomas Stockfisch t.stockfisch^^^cox.net" To: CCL Subject: CCL: Hey Guys, Computational Chemistry + Outdoors Message-Id: <-37571-080815190349-14147-8G0fq73SLe/ZQ+T06lZIBA() server.ccl.net> X-Original-From: "Thomas Stockfisch" Date: Fri, 15 Aug 2008 19:03:44 -0400 Sent to CCL by: "Thomas Stockfisch" [t.stockfisch_-_cox.net] Matthew - You need to get away from the computer during your work day. This is critical for doing important new work. A break every hour is recommended for all people using mouse/keyboard/terminal. You don't need the computer for every moment of your job. In fact, many types of thinking are difficult to do with the demands the interface and display impose on you. Sitting there you tend to solve problems by tweaking. For a fundamentally new approach it helps to get up and go somewhere else. Find a trail or reasonably nice walking path around your employer. Whenever you run into a difficult problem or it seems a new approach is called for go for a short walk to mull it over. If you stay where you are you are much more likely just to keep pounding away at the keyboard with uninspired hacking. People like to keep typing and clicking because it makes them feel busy and productive. Real progress is often orders of magnitude higher with some thinking away from the lure of one more random guess code change or one more run with slightly different settings. I've had all my best thoughts in my career away from the computer. I'm currently doing consulting which, of course, allows more flexibility, but a full time employer should allow you to take frequent short breaks. Tom Tom Stockfisch t.stockfisch[*]cox.net http://www.tstockfisch.com On Aug 12, 2008, at 7:49 AM, Matthew J Potter scu98rkr!=!gmail.com wrote: Sent to CCL by: "Matthew J Potter" [scu98rkr|,|gmail.com] Hey Guys, Im a Computational Chemist Im coming to the final year or so of my postdoc. Sometimes I get a bit depressed of being in front of a computer all the time, I was wondering if any one new of any jobs where I could combine my skills with a job which involves being outside some of the time. Im a reasonably fit person Mountain Biking, running, football 3 times a week, etc... So I'd be good for pyhiscal labour, I find this is solely lacking in my current job when ever we have computers to move arround or some one needs help moving their lab equipment I'm always happy to help to give me something different to do. Does any one have ideas ? Or just a computational chemistry job that doesnt involve being completely sedtanary from 9 till lunch and again from lunch till leaving. Matt