On 15 Jun, 22:26, Vladimir Vassilevsky <antispam_bo...@hotmail.com> wrote:> Rune Allnor wrote: > > On 15 Jun, 18:21, Vladimir Vassilevsky <antispam_bo...@hotmail.com> > > wrote: > >>Rune Allnor wrote: > >>Hello Dr. Rune, > > >>Glad to see you again. Have you been in the sea all that time? > >>What a pleasure to see the real character here. > > > No, unfortunately. It seems lots of activity at sea has > > more or less ended, due to the banking crisis. �I had to > > refocus some of my work, from interesting long-term stuff > > to can-provide-billable-services-in-a-few-months kind of > > things. > > Interesing. So, did they abandon the oil exploration, or just changed > the approach?Put it on hold. With the tension in the Korean peninsula, oil prices are on the rise again, so everybody *want* to develop new fields. But with no one wanting / being able to lend out capital, no one can find funding for the projects.> >>Cultural thing indeed. "We don't have bad students, we only have good > >>and average students". > > > Reminds me of a Norwegian statement a few years back: > > "We want everybody to be above average!" > > Huh. This is one of the things that broke the West. > > "You can't give everything to everybody, because there is too many of > everybody and too little of everything", as my friend used to say.One way of putting it.> >>And btw, there is no such word in English for > >>something that can be explained as a combination of platitude, triteness > >>and vulgarity. > > > Is there such a term in Russian? > > "poshlost" > > > One of the guy's I met > > off-shore taught me a word that might be close. The best > > seaman I ever met; grew up in the middle of Siberia. He > > was 17 or 18 when he saw the sea the first time. > > I *think* the word was 'njevjadzde' or something like that. > > "nevejda" - ignoramus > "neveja" - loutI don't remember the exact context where the word came up. It could be any of these.> > (This was three years ago; I haven't heard or used the term > > since, so I might be way off.) > > > Anyway, the term was more derogatory than 'njekulturnik'. > > "uncultured" > > > 'Njekulturnik' was, according to my friend, a result of > > up-bringing and is thus an involuntary status. > > The behavior of a person is the responsibility of his own. Blaming on > something from the past is no more then a convenient indulgence. > > > This other > > term was apparently more about attitude, and thus about > > personality. > > Your friend has a good literature Russian. > > > > >>That simply means they don't see this as a problem :-) > > > It's amazing what can be learned from mere etymology. > > BTW, in Russian, there is no word for "privacy", and this leads to the > correct conclusion, too. > > I wonder what are the etymological differences in Norwegian.One rather morbid difference between Norwegian and English I am aware of, is that Norwegian has no mechanism to express sympathy with somebody whose friends or distant family have died. In English the simple 'I'm sorry' covers this, but in Norwegian the similar expression is a mere platitude. The equivalent to 'please accept my condolances' is very formal. I wouldn't use it to anybody but close family of the deceased, and then only, say, between the time of death and the end of the funeral ceremony. One can speculate why this is - maybe death was so common in the olden days, it was not worth commenting on? I have no idea. Rune
What does a DSP engineer do?
Started by ●June 11, 2009
Reply by ●June 15, 20092009-06-15
Reply by ●June 15, 20092009-06-15
Rune Allnor <allnor@tele.ntnu.no> writes: [snip]> One rather morbid difference between Norwegian and English > I am aware of, is that Norwegian has no mechanism to express > sympathy with somebody whose friends or distant family have > died. > > In English the simple 'I'm sorry' covers this, but in Norwegian > the similar expression is a mere platitude. The equivalent to > 'please accept my condolances' is very formal. I wouldn't use > it to anybody but close family of the deceased, and then only, > say, between the time of death and the end of the funeral > ceremony.Now I am curious. I've been learning Swedish using Rosetta Stone, and it has taught me to say "Jag beklagar sorgen." in such a circumstance, which I believe means something like "I am sorry for (or regret) your sorrow." I understand that Norwegian and Swedish are mutually understandable. Does this translate into Norwegian, or is it also a mere platitude? What is the Norwegian expression that "I'm sorry" translates into?> One can speculate why this is - maybe death was so common > in the olden days, it was not worth commenting on? I have > no idea. > > RuneScott -- Scott Hemphill hemphill@alumni.caltech.edu "This isn't flying. This is falling, with style." -- Buzz Lightyear
Reply by ●June 15, 20092009-06-15
On 15 Jun, 23:15, Scott Hemphill <hemph...@hemphills.net> wrote:> Rune Allnor <all...@tele.ntnu.no> writes: > > [snip] > > > One rather morbid difference between Norwegian and English > > I am aware of, is that Norwegian has no mechanism to express > > sympathy with somebody whose friends or distant family have > > died. > > > In English the simple 'I'm sorry' covers this, but in Norwegian > > the similar expression is a mere platitude. The equivalent to > > 'please accept my condolances' is very formal. I wouldn't use > > it to anybody but close family of the deceased, and then only, > > say, between the time of death and the end of the funeral > > ceremony. > > Now I am curious. �I've been learning Swedish using Rosetta Stone, and > it has taught me to say "Jag beklagar sorgen." in such a circumstance, > which I believe means something like "I am sorry for (or regret) your > sorrow."Your translation is correct.>�I understand that Norwegian and Swedish are mutually > understandable.Yes, they are. The day-to-day languages are very similar, excepth for single words [*]. However, Swedish is quite a bit more formal. I, as a native Norwegian-speaker, can fully understand the formal Swedish language, but I do not necessarily understand the underlying rules and constructs that govern it. So I wouldn't know what forms are appropriate and which are not, in the types of situations we are talking about here.>�Does this translate into Norwegian, or is it also a > mere platitude? �What is the Norwegian expression that "I'm sorry" > translates into?The exact translation of "I'm sorry" to Norwegian is "jeg beklager." I'm sure you can see the similarity with Swedish. It might be that what you have learned works in Swedish; again, I am not familiar with the subtle nuances of the Swedish language in such rather sensitive circumstances. As for the Norwegian "jeg beklager," it's what you would say as an apology in everyday life, where you would use "I'm sorry", "excuse me" or anything like that in English. It's just the case of a loss of a reasonably close friend or relative that is *not* covered by this expression in Norwegian, and there are no other expressions I know of, that do. "Condolances" requires a *very* close relation to the deceased, both in family relations and time. It's what one could say to parents, spouses or children of the deceased, but few others. Siblings of a deceased are a borderline case: maybe it can be used, maybe not. More distant than that - no. Rune [*] Some examples: Artig : No - fun, hilarious Swe- polite Nyttig : No - useful Swe- healthy Rolig : No - quiet, calm, soothing Swe- fun, hilarious There is this story about a Swedish nurse that worked on a Norwegian hospital. She noted "The patient has glass�gon" in the journal. The Norwegian nurse, who relieved her, tried in vain to remove the eye from the socket: "Glass�gon" in Swedish means "eyeglasses," "spectacles." "Glass�ye" in Norwegian means "prosthetic for eyeball."
Reply by ●June 15, 20092009-06-15
On Jun 12, 7:29�pm, Rune Allnor <all...@tele.ntnu.no> wrote:> In those days DSP was a new and emerging field, computers > were the stuff of specialists and a musician had to actually > know how to play a musical instrument. > > What worked for you 30 years ago, when you were a young and > curious engineer, doesn't work today. The fact that your > approach still works for you is down to your age and seniority > alone, not the field you chose for a profession.Hundred percent agree. To my knowledge, this has already changed. Increasingly, you see employers after people who can work throughout the acquisition chain. I, for instance, do analog, mixed-signal and DSP, comms, all the way to architecture; write C (sometimes assembly), RTL hdl, and worry about MUTEX in co-designed HW/SW. Perhaps I'm one of those mediocre in everything folks that were mentioned earlier. I didn't ask for this, I'm paid to do precisely this.> Times change. Believe me, I'm old enough to know. Even, as it > seems, if I'm your junior by some 10-15 years.The landscape is changing. Gone are the days when people used to squeeze every ounce of performance/cost in their systems. Believe it or not, certain systems can live with shortcomings especially if you'r in the business of evaluating ideas. That said, I find myself from time to time stressing whether I'm trying to carry to many eggs in one basket. Uncontrollable pangs of depression and self-doubt are the results. But again, I'm a mere mortal and it's not for me to decide how the world should work. Read Generation X to understand what kind of pressure we - the wretched folks in their 20's - have to put up with in a globalized world just to make ends meet. I'm surrounded by bunch of programmers who hypothesize about how to use readings from a perfect device as to yield the most engaging and fun user experience. I turn around for help or discussion and find nobody. I surf the net and get insulted by people of statures and brilliance that leave me in a paradoxical mix of pain, joy, and awe. "Is this it? Is this how it ends. Squirming and breathless. A mouse at the feet of giants." -M
Reply by ●June 15, 20092009-06-15
On Jun 15, 3:06�pm, Rune Allnor <all...@tele.ntnu.no> wrote:> > Reminds me of a Norwegian statement a few years back: > "We want everybody to be above average!"which is consistent with Garrison Kiellor's "Lake Wobegon, Minnesota" with "Norwegian bachelor farmers" and "where the women are strong, the men good-looking, and the children are above average." Ya vell, maybe connection, I'll say. you betcha. r b-j
Reply by ●June 16, 20092009-06-16
On 16 Jun, 04:10, Manny <mlou...@hotmail.com> wrote:> On Jun 12, 7:29�pm, Rune Allnor <all...@tele.ntnu.no> wrote:> In those days DSP was a new and emerging field, computers > > were the stuff of specialists and a musician had to actually > > know how to play a musical instrument. > > > What worked for you 30 years ago, when you were a young and > > curious engineer, doesn't work today. The fact that your > > approach still works for you is down to your age and seniority > > alone, not the field you chose for a profession. > > Hundred percent agree. To my knowledge, this has already changed. > Increasingly, you see employers after people who can work throughout > the acquisition chain. I, for instance, do analog, mixed-signal and > DSP, comms, all the way to architecture; write C (sometimes assembly), > RTL hdl, and worry about MUTEX in co-designed HW/SW. Perhaps I'm one > of those mediocre in everything folks that were mentioned earlier. I > didn't ask for this, I'm paid to do precisely this.With time you might become an ecclectic engineer, one who knows quite abit about most of what is going on. If so, you will become a valuable asset to your employer. The problem is that your employer will not know. So you will have to hide your skills and competence: Take a few classes on managment and business economy. The sooner the later. True, those kinds of skills have shown their worth through the Enron and Lehman Boothers, etc., affairs. Nonetheless, those who hire people to more influential positions still think those kinds of things are useful. So get them on your CV.> "Is this it? Is this how it ends. Squirming and breathless. A mouse at > the feet of giants."That's the best-case scenario... Somebody famous (Newton? Or was it Leibnitz?) was quoted as 'standing on the shoulders of Giants.' From time to time I find that I see further than the people I'm surrounded by. I don't know if that's because I'm standing on the shoulders of giants, or if it is because I'm surrounded by pygmees. The net effect would be the same. Rune
Reply by ●June 17, 20092009-06-17
Reply by ●June 19, 20092009-06-19
Rune Allnor wrote:> On 12 Jun, 15:34, "learningDsp" <ohS...@GMail.com> wrote: >>> Richard Dobson nailed it when he said that most people on this list don't >>> do DSP, they _use_ DSP to get other stuff done. Even those of us who are >>> consultants applying DSP techniques to a wide variety of problems don't >>> "do DSP" so much as we do systems, communications, control, etc. >> Correct me if i am wrong, >> Basically what it means for me is, i not only have to learn DSP, also need >> to be familiar with other technologies where it is used. Hence, I have a >> lot of reading coming up. > > No. It means you are approaching DSP from the wrong angle. > Don't get into DSP for its own sake. Learn and use DSP > because it serves some utilitarian purpose. > > It's like banging a nail with a hammer: A total ridiculous > skill when seen in isolation, but a skill essential to woodwork. > In other words, you don't learn to use a hammer because you > think it's fun banging on stuff. You learn it because the skill > is necessary to achieve some larger goal. > > So instead of searching up the tool DSP, search for applications > you think are fun. Then learn whatever skills are necessary > to get good in this activity. > > Ah, yes: Don't quit your current job. 'Work' is about making > a living and obtaining an income. Quite essential to most > people. If you want 'fun', 'interesting' and 'satisfaction', > look for a hobby.Some of my silversmithing students have been dismayed that I didn't set them to exercises like sawing, filing, soldering, forging, casting, and the like. Instead, I would have them sketch something they would like to make, with the understanding that I might need to help them modify the design to make construction practical. The instruction would consist of whatever help was needed to get the thing done. A couple of projects during the semester gave them the skills to make just about anything. Learning silversmithing is learning what tools can be used and what they do, and learning about the materials and how they behave. I hope the parallel to DSP is clear. Jerry -- Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get. �����������������������������������������������������������������������
Reply by ●June 21, 20092009-06-21
Reply by ●June 21, 20092009-06-21
spope33@speedymail.org (Steve Pope) writes:> Head waiter if he's lucky.There's a dishwashing job fo $9/hour - starting to look attractive... -- http://www.digitalsignallabs.com/ % Randy Yates % "The dreamer, the unwoken fool - %% Fuquay-Varina, NC % in dreams, no pain will kiss the brow..." %%% 919-577-9882 % %%%% <yates@ieee.org> % 'Eldorado Overture', *Eldorado*, ELO http://www.digitalsignallabs.com
