phd step6: preparing the presentation, last minute panic

Today I will defend my Phd, which is another point in the long story I blogged about doing a phd.

Things to do 2h before going to the defence:

  • test your talk again. do it before good friends who you trust and who will give you positive feedback. In my case: Thomas Roth Berghofer and Olaf Grebner
  • but 3 crates of beer and 12 bottels of sparkling wine into the office refridgerator
  • use a lot of axe deo-spray to fight cold-sweat-of-panic
  • print your presentation slides in case armageddon happens and no beamer is available and you have to give your talk without beamer (thx to Olaf for the tip)
  • blog

Then, at 4pm, go and defend your thesis. To put it in starcraft-speak: The attackers will watch you build your base while they have enough time to go for resources and then do a zergling rush. So put your arguments into bunkers and use your tanks for cover fire. Anyway, they are not in for winning, its the joy of attacking you, remember that.

see you on the other side….