u/supremeNYA

Hello all

I would really appreciate some advice as I have no idea what to do or why it suddenly started.

About two and a half weeks ago my parrotlet, Pepper, started becoming a bit more vocal. Well, it has completely devolved into her screaming (and I do mean screaming it's like sonic blasts) non-stop. This happens even during out of cage time.

Its come to the point where I can't even be in the same room as her any more without my ears ringing and starting to hurt. I've even bought some industrial noise reduction earmuffs to wear when near her, but obviously that isn't a sustainable solution.

Now my flat isn't very big and I have resorted to moving her cage into the bedroom whenever she won't stop (which is 90% of the time now), just to show her she won't get any attention when screaming or escape for a little bit. This whole time I have been making sure to not raise my voices at her, jostle her cage or do anything that could even be seen remotely as a punishment. I feel like shit leaving her in a room alone.

When moved into the bedroom, it partially works as she quietens down only letting out her previous amount of chirps or the occasional mini burst. However, the moment she is moved out of the bedroom into the office or lounge, she starts again. It can get especially bad in the office where I usually work with her besides me and her out-of-cage time is.

She's just been to the vet this week and I was told she is in excellent health. Her diet and cage setup has been thoroughly complemented by the vet and is used by them as an example for new owners.

The only thing that has changed over the past month and a half is that she needs to be caught in the evenings for some oral medicine. I make sure to do this as quickly and nicely as possible, rewarding her with treats before and afterwards. I also spend some time with her afterwards just to have her settle down.

I don't think she's become scared of me as the very moment I walk into the room she runs across the cage for scritches and when she is quite (rare in these days) she is her usual sweet self. I would absolutely hate if I'm suddenly the reason she feels like she has to scream constantly.

If anyone can advise on how to deal with this kind of situation it would be greatly appreciated. I doubt it is hormones as she has just received her monthly hormone shot.

Thank you

Hello all

In the past publishing your article on the arXiv, while it was under review, had some merit and meant something for your career (like helping with your PhD applications)

Recently, I saw a post about how submissions to the arXiv has exploded in number, largely due to AI articles.

Hence, is there still any merit or worth in submitting your work while in the review process?
Does doing so aid in your “worth” as an academic or more specifically a PhD applicant?

Hello all

A while ago I bought my first japanese maple (little princess) and with spring (and its massive root system) it is finally time to plant it in a bigger pot than the nursery pot it came in.

I’m still fairly new to maples and want to ask what people thought about the potting mix I was recommended to by a friend (he’s been growing maples for years). A second opinion never hurts.

His mix is:

55% pine bark mulch
15% acidic compost
15% sphagnum moss
15% perlite

One of my questions is, should there not be more mulch?

-as an aside I’ll also be using this for a chinese maple

Thank you

Hello all

I am currently bashing my head in trying to get Asymptote to work and was hoping someone could offer some much needed help.

To start : I'm using TeXstudio at the moment along with MiKTeX to handle my packages.

I'm trying to include two .obj files in my pdf, but whenever I try to compile and create my pdf, either using TeXstudio or Powershell, it starts the process but never finishes it as it simply "gets stuck". When I try to work around it and simply build my Report.tex file, it mostly works as expected and produces the required Report-1.asy file.

I know that to fully create the end pdf I need to run the Report-1.asy file. However, when doing this from Powershell the process starts and never finishes. I assume this is also why doing it in TeXstudio doesn't work.

I've double checked my installations, required packages, .obj files and code and have no idea what is going wrong.

I would greatly appreciate some help in this, as being able to include these files will go a long way in my report.

Lastly, as an aside, I've read bits here and there that people are able to view the pdf with the interactable 3D model in both TeXstudio and Okular. How does one go about setting this up?

Hello all

I’m busy prepping for this year’s applications and have hit a bit of a crossroad.

My Masters GPA isn’t the best (3.3) due to some intense mental health issues. To make up for this I have been working as a researcher this year with the goal of publishing a paper.

The paper is progressing forward but I’m terrified it might not be published in time for the applications.

Now I’m just planning ahead on what to do if it is not finished. Would it be worthwhile to skip this cycle and apply next year with two papers?

There are some important additional things and questions which I would also like to ask:

I’m applying to two different fields at the same time (Mathematical physics and theoretical cosmology). My Masters is in MP but my papers will be in TC.
Will the papers even help my chances in MP?

Ideally I want to get into MP programs, but due to logistic reasons and some university policies I can only work in the TC group this year and the next

I have some extremely powerful letters of recommendation. Each one from a very well regarded researcher in their fields. In particular I have one in MP and two in TC. They all have really good connections which will certainly help.

My referees and I have individually spent quite a bit of time researching and finding programs which align with what I want to do, where they think I should aim for and where they have connections. They have some very high expectations here.

(I’m also panicking about my essays as I’ve only recently started them properly)

Hello all

I've started my applications but given how competitive my field is I've decided to look around for some more groups/programs

Hence, I have my main curated set and am searching for additional programs. The thing is, my field is rather broad so finding exact matched takes a lot of time and this process gives me an immense amount of stress. As we all know this is a major life-changing decision so it needs to be done properly.

To help a bit in finding programs I've decided to try and outsource my search a little bit. I've been using ChatGPT to help me find groups which align nicely with what I want.

Basically I have given it an extremely detailed description of what my interests are and some example papers of the type of work I am interested in.

I then ask it to look for some programs and find some recommendations. It then gives a short description on what work the group carries out and some links to their recent publications. I obviously then review each of these in detail.

Now I was just wondering whether anyone else has tried this approach and the general consensus is on this?

Hello all

I’m like most of us I’m busy prepping for my PhD application at the moment. I do just want to ask how my chances look and how much a good publication will improve them.

My academic journey is a bit up and down.
I did my (3 year) undergrad in applied mathematics and mathematical stats and graduated with a GPA of 3.0.

Not being happy with this I threw my everything into my Honours in applied maths and graduated top of my year with 89% or a 4.0 GPA. During this year I completed several rather large research projects.

Now my main issue is that I didn’t get the result I wanted for my masters as I had a severe onset of a previously unknown mental illness which saw me hospitalised thrice. Nonetheless I graduated with a 74% which is a 3.3 while 75% is a 4.0. During this time I spoke at two conferences and won an award at the large one.

One really good thing I have in my favour are my referees. All of them are decently high ranked (40-55 H index) and some are fellows at prestigious international societies. They are very happy and impressed by what I’ve done, and I believe their LoRs show this. Now each of them have approached me individually saying that will always have a space for me. However, I do want to spread my wings and fly a bit.

I know I’m not very competitive but I’m working hard on publishing a paper in a good journal. How much would this change my application potential, especially for some off the more prestigious programs (not that prestige matters more that fit, I’m just gauging my value)

Thank you!

Hello all

I’m just completely lost at the moment on how you are supposed to start a comfortable life in Cape Town?
One in which you can start a family and not live in a small apartment.

For some context, my partner and I would like to start a family soon and as such will need a bigger place than the one we are currently renting.

The dream is obviously to have a small house with a small garden to raise our children in.

We both have stable jobs in secondary and tertiary education and from what I’ve read are making a good household income every month.

Yet despite making a decent household income and living frugally, achieving this dream seems utterly impossible for us. The prices are ridiculous and so very expensive, even small houses are unaffordable. The market is just rather hostile to young families.

Then on top of that you must still build your savings and pay for daily life.

How are you supposed to start a life together as a young family in Cape Town?
Is it even possible to do this anymore with an educators salary?

Any advice, tips or general wisdom on this will be appreciated.

Hello all

I have been using a heating pad to warm the side of a bird cage and didn't notice it drooping off the side last night. When I woke up this morning it seems to have warped or bent.

Now there are no noticeable lines on the pad and it seems like it is simply bent slightly and now stays in that position.

Is this pad still usable at all or should I go buy a new one?

(this will be a significant investment on my part at the moment but if it is really necessary I will do so)

Warped pad

Thank you!

Hello all

I’ve seen a lot of post asking whether they are competitive, but would really like to know how fierce the competition is in some mathematical fields.
I’m interested in the applied mathematics and statistics side of things.

To be specific I’d like some insight on how competitive the following fields are:

1. Mathematical physics
2. Dynamical systems
3. Partial differential equations
4. Stochastic systems
5. Photonics
6. Cosmology

Once more, any input on how tough it is to get a PHD / how competitive these fields are would be greatly appreciated!

Hello all

I’m about to finish my PhD in applied mathematics and want to explore non-academia options.

To briefly sum up my qualifications: I have an undergraduate in both applied mathematics as well as mathematical statistics. My masters is in applied mathematics. Furthermore, I am finishing up some formal programming certificates as well.

Regarding my work and skillset, the vast majority of it revolves around analysing complex systems and building mathematical models. This was done in many different settings.

Now as I said, I want to explore other careers options available to me, not just those in academia. What jobs are there in Cape Town (if any) for someone with my background?

Overseas (particularly Europe) it seems like mathematicians and statisticians are in high demand, but I’m just not sure whether it is the case here in South Africa (especially in Cape Town).

Thank you

Hello all

Winter weather has finally started where I live and I want to keep my little parrotlet warm (double so as she is recovering from pneumonia)

Now it gets really cold here during the winter, with temperatures inside the house dropping down to about 14°C (57°F) at night during the worst of our winter.

Previously I was running an oil heater to keep her room nice and cozy but cannot afford to do this anymore.

So based on a lot of recommendations, and after quite a bit of debating, I decided to import a K&H Snuggle up heater for my parrotlet.

I finally got it yesterday but it doesn’t seem to get very warm at all. I can only feel its heat when my hand is very close to it, and even then it is not particularly warm.

So how hot are these heaters supposed to get, and are they enough for our cold weather?

Thank you!

Tl:dr it gets very cold and I’m worried my K&H heater is broken and not getting warm enough or can’t keep my parrotlet warm during the winter

Hello all

The season is changing and with it comes the cold. It gets about 2°C (35°F) here and I would greatly appreciate some advice and/or recommendations for keeping my parrotlet, Pepper, warm.

There are some caveats due to where I live:

1. Central heating isn’t really a thing in my country.

2. Running an oil heater is extremely expensive (although I am more than willing to do so when necessary)

3. I have to import any of the usually recommended cage heaters like the K&H ones

Any and all advice is appreciated.

Thank you

Hello all

It’s busy getting very cold where I live and I’m looking for some ways I can keep my little parrotlet warm. This is especially so during the evening. She’s also got the flu at the moment it is especially important now.

The main two issues that I have are:

1. Electricity is very expensive where I live so leaving a radiator heater on is unaffordable

2. I have to import any cage heater blocks as they aren’t available in my country.

My best idea at the moment is buying an infra-red bulb to keep her warm.

I would greatly appreciate any advice or recommendations.

Thank you