since last time

The following has happened to me since my last post:

I got married (hi, honey!).

I graduated from college in computers.

I didn't go to law school (but I almost did).

I did go to graduate school for more computers.

And here I am. I'm finishing up my 3rd year of graduate school. I'm working on a Ph.D. in computer science. My focus is computer architecture. Some people think that's not real computer science, but I'll show them! What is it supposed to be if it isn't CS? Computer Engineering? I think I would know about electricity and electronics if I were getting a CE degree, and obviously I don't. So as far as I'm concerned, computer architecture is computer science. I do kind of see where they're coming from, though. I don't actually have to know math to do my research, or anything else usually associated with computer science.

That makes me stop and think. As far as I can tell I'm pretty good at computer architecture. However, I can't identify any particular skills or attributes that would make one person good at it and another not. I can't look at myself and say "quality X makes me qualified to research computer architecture." Maybe anybody can do it, but it's just so boring to most people that nobody gets into it. That's as likely an explanation as any. It seems like to do computer architecture research you have to just be familiar with the state of the art, and then think of new things nobody's tried before (or at least that nobody's published *lately*). I guess I'm good at coming up with whacky ideas. Sometimes they work out.

I don't want to discuss the particulars of my current research here, because it's super secret (duh). I will say that a while ago I was going through a dry spell of innovation. Hopefully that's over. My current project has run into a few dead ends, but I think I can maneuver well enough to avoid any more. I will of course talk about it after it's published or abandoned, but right now I just don't think the time is right.

I have some programming ahead of me today. Hey, wait, computer scientists program computers, right? I feel validated.