[tomtom]

C’mon Will, we’re waiting for the downgrade... 😂

[andy popp]

Interesting, Andy. I think I did NW a lot quicker. The holds on SW are so poor that maybe it's just much more conditions dependent.

Well, the consensus is that NW is harder (and its gets a higher grade) but I could do it much more reliably, so who knows? Lank definitely helps on NW, even on the stand.

Edit: in fact both the stands get 7B on UKC.

[SA Chris]

Gifted with 2 x 120 x 200 cm panels completely T nutted out to go on my board. I was dreading this part, drilling all the holds and hammering in the T nuts, so wall has now jumped from about 30% complete to 60%. Might even be usable by the end of the month. Maybe.

[Coops_13]

Proposed to the missus while away and she said Yes!!! Still haven't adjusted to using the term Fiancée..

[SA Chris]

Congrats mate. Get a wedding date booked, or else you can easily lose impetus; we've been engaged for about 12 years now.

[tomtom]

Nice one Coops! Well done mate!!

Now, don’t listen to Chris - stay engaged for as long as possible and save yerself ££££ from the huge cost of a wedding :D

[Coops_13]

Nice one Coops! Well done mate!!

Now, don’t listen to Chris - stay engaged for as long as possible and save yerself ££££ from the huge cost of a wedding :D

Yeah it's going to be a right pain in the arse (her family in US, mine in UK...)

[Oldmanmatt]

Congrats mate. Get a wedding date booked, or else you can easily lose impetus; we've been engaged for about 12 years now.

7 here.

Good one Coops!

Oh, and my second wife was equally complicated. Got married once at the C of E church in Dubai, then had to do a second one at the Romanian embassy in Abu Dhabi, then eight months later, the full Romanian Orthodox marathon in her home land.
I just tell everyone I’ve been married four times already, so not rushing it this time...

[SA Chris]

Yeah it's going to be a right pain in the arse (her family in US, mine in UK...)

Just go to Vegas. Wish we'd done the deed while we were there.

[tomtom]

Just go to Vegas. Wish we'd done the deed while we were there.

^^ PLAN!

[tomtom]

Coops -  do hope you proposed with one of these 😂😂😂 (not)

https://twitter.com/paulsng/status/1214208402492153856?s=21

My life is now complete having seen this... :D

[Paul B]

Just go to Vegas. Wish we'd done the deed while we were there.

We did this and I can recommend:
https://www.peachykeenunions.com/elope-red-rock-canyon

I think it cost us $120 (including the $20 surcharge for her travelling to Red Rocks), plus a lot more in the ensuring 6-7 month road trip 'honeymoon'. I had steak in Caesar's Palace for dinner and there was a remarkable amount of goodwill that evening because Nat was in her dress.

The night before my now brother-in-law and I went out for 'just one' for which I'm still not forgiven!

[Coops_13]

Coops -  do hope you proposed with one of these 😂😂😂 (not)

https://twitter.com/paulsng/status/1214208402492153856?s=21

My life is now complete having seen this... :D

That looks awful haha

Will take these considerations to the boss, cheers

[AMorris]

Successfully defended my thesis today

4 years after starting the journey, and 4 hours of defending later, hearing "Congratulations, Dr Morris" was a rather special moment!

[andy popp]

4 hours! That's a proper old stool viva. Congratulations Dr. Morris.

[tomtom]

Excellent! Well done!!!

[AMorris]

cheers both! Bit of a surreal feeling after all this time having a few drinks to celebrate tomorrow

[tomtom]

cheers both! Bit of a surreal feeling after all this time having a few drinks to celebrate tomorrow

I was on the other side of the table externaling a PhD earlier in the week.. 😃

Very much something that makes me reflect on my own viva experience..,

[Mike Highbury]

cheers both! Bit of a surreal feeling after all this time having a few drinks to celebrate tomorrow

I was on the other side of the table externaling a PhD earlier in the week

Excuse me. I'm not sure even Oliver Kamm would argue for that.

[Nibile]

Four hours! You must have had some peculiar opinions to defend!
Brilliant. Congratulations!!!
Now go climb a rock.

[andy popp]

Four hours! You must have had some peculiar opinions to defend!

I've heard of six hours +. I once failed an MPhil during the viva (and I mean failed, no opportunity to resubmit), which was a deeply unpleasant experience. It had been submitted against the supervisors advice. I tried to refuse to examine it but the university insisted that the process had reached such a stage that the only way to finish it was to have the exam.

[dunnyg]

Congratulations, enjoy being finished! That sounds really rough Andy.

[tomtom]

Yes - hopefully better regulation by universities and having independent chairs in Viva’s has got rid of many of these horrors.. though there’s still no standard across UK he institutes that I can see...

It’s a funny one / If it’s too short then the candidate can feel like they’ve not had the chance to explain what they did properly.

Mind you the Australian system is entirely remote review. No viva.

[andy popp]

Mind you the Australian system is entirely remote review. No viva.

I think it's a shame not to have a viva. It's an important marker I think.

I've done one in Denmark, where they are public, in front of a packed lecture theatre (the audience contained the subjects of the thesis, the owners of a company). I definitely felt the pressure to appear at least a little smart. Meanwhile, the after party was being readied outside (we'd already written a very detailed report, the defence doesn't go ahead if its not going to pass)

[galpinos]

I've done one in Denmark, where they are public, in front of a packed lecture theatre (the audience contained the subjects of the thesis, the owners of a company). I definitely felt the pressure to appear at least a little smart.

Not on the same level, but for my masters thesis the most difficult questions came from the psychologist on the panel, not the engineers!