D-day -144 (-28)

Dear fellow fellowers and followers*. I regret to tell you that the regrettable day, as expected has arrived expectedly. The day when no measurable progress could be measured, no quantifiable text amounts be quantified, and no deliverables delivered. This, my friends and unfriends, is the day when the Thesis Quest as far as countables go, has been definitely put on hold. This is also, however, due to this day’s not at all completely nonexistent work, the day before the day when the Unfinishable Script (also known as Paper VI) might finally move from the shadowy limbo realm where it’s been lingering for unfathomable lengths of time (more than a year, to be precise), into the celestial domain of Submitted Papers.

Since all my work here revolves around progress that can be measured, I’ve (like I’m sure any Real Scientist would do) today altered the way progress is measured. 


...and so another day at the Schloss ends in glory, with a giant leap from 45 to 48%!

Today’s Achievements
Status: starting to be seriously tired of Paper VI.... again....
Detailed progress: modelling, rerunning stuff, writing, rewriting and rerunning even more stuff
Hours in Schloss: 10.5
Words written: 0

Overall Quest Stats 
Hours in Schloss+Luftschloss: 127.5
Words written: 13895 (109 words/h)
Figures included: 8
Tables included: 4
Equations included: 2
Overall accomplishment level:  48% 
Quest level: 7 - Beaver Guardian

Status - detailed report (%) - REVISED!

Abstract 0 Sammanfattning 0 List of Papers 100 Thesis outline 100 1. Introduction 70 2. Related studies 0 3. Background 45 4. Biomass gasification 84 5. Studied systems 95 6. Methodology 90 7. Results and analysis 3 8. Concluding discussion 0 Acknowledgements 0 Paper I 100 Paper II 100 Paper III 100 Paper IV 100 Paper V 100 Paper VI 70 Paper VII 60

*Today with a special greating to Aviv - awesome to hear from you! :-)

D-day -145 (-29)

Since so much time is currently being spent on the Holy Beaver, I think it might be time for a little clarification. In short, the Beaver is the reason I’m here really. It’s simply the model I’m working with here, the one I got an award to come back and keep working with. I don’t think they really intended I should sit here writing my thesis (oops sorry, that should of course be Thesis).

Oh, and it’s not really called Beaver at all of course, but BeWhere, but Beaver is so much more fun, isn’t it? At least, it seems so, at this fairly advanced stage of been-working-a-lot-lately-ness.

Today’s Achievements
Status: worked all Sunday too, until I got a fit of psykbryt, and instead went for a long walk in da hoods and "woods"
Detailed progress: started on Results section (eeerrm, well, sort of...), added a Paper VII, rewrote some stuff, wrote more on Paper VII, did some work on Paper VI
Hours in Luft-Schloss: 8
Words written: 482
Pieces of cold, flat fläskpannkaka eaten: 1.5

Overall Quest Stats 
Hours in Schloss+Luftschloss: 117
Words written: 13895 (119 words/h)
Figures included: 8
Tables included: 4
Equations included: 2
Overall accomplishment level:  45% (oh noes, no quantifiable progression today!)
Quest level: 7 - Beaver Guardian

Status - detailed report
Below the estimated progress in % is given for each of the main chapters. Details of parts accomplished are given day by day in the Today's Achievements section. No weighting is done for consideration of different lengths of sections. Today's updates in green.

Abstract 0 Sammanfattning 0 List of Papers 100 Thesis outline 100 1. Introduction 70 2. Related studies 0 3. Background 45 4. Biomass gasification 84 5. Studied systems 95 6. Methodology 90 7. Results and analysis 3 8. Concluding discussion 0 Acknowledgements 0

D-day -146 (-30)

The hover text at the original location ac xkcd read: "A technology that is '20 years away' will be 20 years away indefinitely." Guess what time perspective I'm looking at for large-scale biomass gasification...?

Suddenly, this Thesis thing feels so... unnecessary....

Today’s Achievements
Status: worked all Saturday, refound Ze Flow, mainly Beaverising
Detailed progress: past and present biomass gasification projects, rerun all results for Paper VI, wrote on what I'm considering to include as Paper VII...
Hours in Luft-Schloss: 10
Words written: 579 (all-time low word/h; 58...)
Pieces of cold, flat fläskpannkaka eaten: 3

Overall Quest Stats 
Hours in Schloss+Luftschloss: 109
Words written: 13413 (123 words/h)
Figures included: 8
Tables included: 4
Equations included: 2
Overall accomplishment level:  45%
Quest level: 7 - Beaver Guardian

Status - detailed report
Below the estimated progress in % is given for each of the main chapters. Details of parts accomplished are given day by day in the Today's Achievements section. No weighting is done for consideration of different lengths of sections. Today's updates in green.

Abstract 0 Sammanfattning 0 List of Papers 100 Thesis outline 100 1. Introduction 70 2. Related studies 0 3. Background 45 4. Biomass gasification 84 5. Studied systems 95 6. Methodology 90 7. Results and analysis 0 8. Concluding discussion 0 Acknowledgements 0

D-day -147 (-31)

Made huge stats leaps today - from 40 to 44%, and up almost 2000 words. Don't know how that happened, since I was involved in some seriously heavy procrastination until around 10 this morning. This weekend will focus on Beaver - both my journal paper (Paper VI for thesis - thus highly relevant) and a conference paper my Beaver colleague is presenting in a few days. So low expectations concerning hard progress this Wochenende, unfortunately.

Today’s Achievements
Status: body  hurts from gym work, not desk work - feels good
Detailed progress: CO2 evaluation, economic evaluation, energy market scenarios - kablaaam-ba!  
Hours in Schloss: 9
Words written: 1812
Figures included: 1
Tables included: 1
Equations included: 1
Stuff learnt: It is more difficult making fläskpannkaka in a gas oven than in an electric oven. Bovetemjöl is not vetemjöl at all.Topfen is almost but not quite Kesella, but definitely close enough

Overall Quest Stats 
Hours in Schloss+Luftschloss: 99
Words written: 12834 (130 words/h) 
Figures included: 8
Tables included: 4
Equations included: 2
Overall accomplishment level:  44%
Quest level: 7 - Beaver Guardian

Status - detailed report
Below the estimated progress in % is given for each of the main chapters. Details of parts accomplished are given day by day in the Today's Achievements section. No weighting is done for consideration of different lengths of sections. Today's updates in green.

Abstract 0 Sammanfattning 0 List of Papers 100 Thesis outline 100 1. Introduction 70 2. Related studies 0 3. Background 45 4. Biomass gasification 70 5. Studied systems 95 6. Methodology 90 7. Results and analysis 0 8. Concluding discussion 0 Acknowledgements 0

D-day -148 (-32)

I foresee the entering into the realm of Autumn! With another hot and dry day today, I sense people being somewhat sceptical to my prophecy. They don't know that I possess the Secret Srystal Ball of Yr. Ha, you'll all get what you deserve tomorrow. As will I, of course....

Today’s Achievements
Status: stuck in expanding systems, would rather do Beaver stuff
Detailed progress: very very very rough draft on system boundaries and CO2 emission evaluation, almost all of it copy/paste, will be trimmed  
Hours in Schloss: 9  
Words "written": 1085  
Tables included: 1

Overall Quest Stats 
Hours in Schloss+Luftschloss: 90
Words written: 11022 (122 words/h)   
Figures included: 7
Tables included: 3
Equations included: 1
Overall accomplishment level:  40%
Quest level: 6 - Key(board) Mistress

Status - detailed report
Below the estimated progress in % is given for each of the main chapters. Details of parts accomplished are given day by day in the Today's Achievements section. No weighting is done for consideration of different lengths of sections. Today's updates in green.

Abstract 0 Sammanfattning 0 List of Papers 100 Thesis outline 100 1. Introduction 70 2. Related studies 0 3. Background 45 4. Biomass gasification 70 5. Studied systems 70 6. Methodology 38 7. Results and analysis 0 8. Concluding discussion 0 Acknowledgements 0

D-day -149 (-33)

Revisited an old friend - the holy Beaver. We're in a form of love/hate relationship, but right now debugging and making test runs beats writing Methodology. Hoping to break the 50% barrier this week. Maybe I should write the Acknowledgements? That would take me up to 47%. Related studies would also take me to 47 but that seems like a lot more work.

A few days ago someone wonder what the one thing was that I realised I'd left at home (actually, it's now two things). It was the camera. Fortunately I have my loyal iPony as a companion on my journey into the untrodden wild where no researcher has ever set foot before, to the edges of human knowledge, to the very frontier of Research. This is where it happens, the Questing:

Today’s Achievements
Status: slightly tipsy from afternoon birthday celebration with wine and cake
Detailed progress: finished chapter on studied cases, mainly been working with the Beaver  
Hours in Schloss: 9:30 + 1h in Schloss gym
Words written: 666 - hell yeah! (70 words/h...)
Figures included: 1

Overall Quest Stats 
Hours in Schloss+Luftschloss: 81
Words written: 9937 (123 words/h)   
Figures included: 7
Tables included: 2
Equations included: 1
Overall accomplishment level:  39%
Quest level: 6 - Key(board) Mistress

NEW!!  Status - detailed report NEW!!
Below the estimated progress in % is given for each of the main chapters. Details of parts accomplished are given day by day in the Today's Achievements section. No weighting is done for consideration of different lengths of sections. Today's updates in green.

Abstract 0 Sammanfattning 0 List of Papers 100 Thesis outline 100 1. Introduction 70 2. Related studies 0 3. Background 45 4. Biomass gasification 70 5. Studied systems 95 6. Methodology 25 7. Results and analysis 0 8. Concluding discussion 0 Acknowledgements 0

D-day -150 (-34)

The days of easy-peasy seems to be gone. The end of the happy copy-pasteing era is drawing near. Now what's left for me, but hard, dirty work, using nothing but my own calloused office-worker's hands, and my crooked, twisted mind? Nothing, my darlings, I tell you, nothing...

But, lo and behold, a glimmer of hope on the horizon! Methodology turned out as not quite the evil it appeared to be, when seen from a distance!

Today’s Achievements
Status: have a cold, feeling sorry for myself, seriously hard-started this morning 
Detailed progress: optimisation section 
Hours in Schloss: 10:30 
Words written: 1024 (98 words/h) 
Figures included: 1
Equations included: 1 

Overall Quest Stats 
Hours in Schloss+Luftschloss: 71.5  (revised)
Words written: 9271 (130 words/h)  (revised)
Figures included: 6
Tables included: 2
Equations included: 1
Overall accomplishment level:  35%
Quest level: 6 - Key(board) Mistress

NEW!!  Status - detailed report NEW!!
Below the estimated progress in % is given for each of the main chapters. Details of parts accomplished are given day by day in the Today's Achievements section. No weighting is done for consideration of different lengths of sections.

Abstract 0 Sammanfattning 0 List of Papers 100 Thesis outline 100 1. Introduction 70 2. Related studies 0 3. Background 45 4. Biomass gasification 70 5. Studied systems 48 6. Methodology 25 7. Results and analysis 0 8. Concluding discussion 0 Acknowledgements 0

D-day -151 (-35)

Today I reached a crucial point in the Questing - I started taking stuff out that I wrote some days ago. This makes me believe I'm soon to reach the Major Turning Point, where I'm no longer trying to increase the number of words per day, but decrease it. At the pace I'm currently barfing out words, I believe this might happen within the next two weeks. Exciting stuff.

Did something I've been dreading basically since I started my PhD - formulated a draft Aim and Research Questions. Took me all of 30 minutes or so. What, did you really believe that was something that was done at the start of the PhD project? Now, really, come on.....

And who knows, tomorrow I might get to the Methodology!

Today’s Achievements
Status: full-blown headache. Lesson learnt - don't go running in 26°C when the head is already hurting slightly (to my defense I'd like to say it was at 18.00. Whowuddathunk it'd still be so warm?). Still happy to be running in the park again 
Progress: thesis outline, aim and research questions (!!!), scope & delimitations, studied systems (2 out of 3), a little here and there... very productive day 
Hours in Schloss: 10:30 (+ 1 h for running)  
Words written: 2097 (199.7 words/h) 
Figures included: 2 
Tables included: 1

Overall Quest Stats (new in green, revised in orange)
Sections down: thesis outline, included papers, not included papers, aim+research questions, scope+delimitations, research journey, paper overview, co-author statement, terminology&definitions, biofuels, policies, gasification technology, biofuel synthesis, gasification based electricity production, BMG applications in papers, studied systems (2/3), appended papers
Sections not down: Introduction, Methodology, 1/3 studied systems, Results, Concluding discussion, Future work, Acknowledgements, probably some more stuff
Hours in Schloss: 51:00
Hours in Luftschlösser: 10
Words written: 8247 (162 words/h)
Figures included: 5
Tables included: 2
Quest level: 5 - n00bie

D-day -152 (-36)

Debugging, debugging, here we go again....

Fortunately Ze Flow is so strong within me that words spill out practically on their own. I just need to connect myself physically to the laptop and voila, there they are, Ze Words!

Today’s Achievements
Status: slightly tired from a full day on the sofa
Progress: biomass gasification section revised, policy section added
Minutes spent outside apartment: 0
Level of sitting-inside-all-day-panic: low to medium
Expected level of sitting-inside-all-day-panic: high to extreme
Hours in Schloss: 0
Hours in Luftschloss: 6? Much easier to count proper Schloss hours
Words written: 947 (158 words/h)
Inspiration left for witty blog-updating: None

Overall Quest Stats (new in green, revised in orange)
Sections down: thesis outline, included papers, not included papers, research journey, paper overview, co-author statement, terminology&definitions, biofuels, policies, gasification technology, biofuel synthesis, gasification based electricity production, BMG applications in papers, appended papers
Sections not down: STILL pretty much everything
Hours in Schloss: 40:30  
Hours in Luftschlösser: 10
Words written: 6150 (122 words/h)
Figures included: 3
Tables included: 1
Quest level: 5 - n00bie  (woohoo, I leveled up!)

D-day -153 (-37)

On what now feels like a side-Quest, but which is indeed a full sixth of the actual proper thesis, I've experienced a(nother) major setback on Paper VI. During the 1+ year I've been working on it I've never been this close to actually finishing it (=submitting it), but now I've found myself again re-running all the results and looking for explanations in the vast and confusing code realm. For the fourth or fifth time, lost count a long time ago.

Fot this reason, Ze Flow has today not been allowed to Flow so much. Ze Flow is still here though, when I'm allowing it to be. Mmmmm, Ze Flow....

Today’s Achievements
Status: drinking wine while NOT writing 
Progress: biofuels section
Hours in Schloss: 0 (2 hours home work)
Words written: 449 (224 words/h)
Stuff on to-read-list read: 0.1 
Old favourite Wien places revisited: 1
Really expensive cars being lifted from sidewalks: 1 (that I know of)
Different kinds of cheese in fridge: 6

Overall Quest Stats
Sections down: thesis outline, included papers, not included papers, research journey, paper overview, co-author statement, terminology&definitions, biofuels, gasification technology, biofuel synthesis, gasification based electricity production, efficiencies, appended papers
Sections not down: STILL pretty much everything
Hours in Schloss: 40:30  
Hours in Luftschlösser: 4
Words written: 5203 (117 words/h)
Figures included: 3
Tables included: 1
Döner kebabs: 1
Aperol gespritzts: 2
Schnitzels: 0
Other Schnitzelized food: 0
Apfelstrudels: 1
Quest level: 4 - Apprentice