[hackpert]

Thanks so much for writing this memoir! It is absolutely brilliant. Considering you had a somewhat unconventional PhD with your independent projects, what was the main role of your advisor? How do you make the most of such a situation to extract knowledge out of professors who may not have an incentive to be directly involved in your project to the usual degree?

[pgbovine]

thanks! that's a hard problem! i frame it in terms of critical path: http://pgbovine.net/critical-path.htm

if you can't get on someone's critical path, then you have to make it very easy for them to help you with very little time commitment. e.g.,: http://pgbovine.net/how-to-ask-for-help.htm

[hackpert]

That makes a lot of sense, thanks!