Monkeys and typewriters

[morsla]

For a lab monkey, I seem to be doing a lot of typing these days.

The literature review is coming along more slowly than anything I've ever tried to write. Rather than submit a draft of complete crud, I submitted a draft of incomplete crud - two example sections, flagged with the note that unless I was told to write it differently, I'd be going on to complete the whole review to that style. Since then, I've had an email from my Honours supervisor, anxious to check that I wasn't just reviewing a few articles - the idea is to review all available literature at the current time. I have plenty of other sources to cover, but I'm a bit worried by the reply I recieved.

My long-awaited day of soaking things in hydrochloric acid, while my brain idled, is not to be. I was hijacked this morning after arriving at work, and my lab duties moved off to others in the group. The reason for this? A little talk with my supervisor, about contingency plans for the year.

I'm anticipating being out of work in nine weeks time, at the end of the financial year. In that time, they want me out of the lab where possible - there are a few unfinished documents I was writing, on new experimental methods and (surprise, surprise) literature reviews. In and around my Honours assessment, and some full-time courses at Monash in a fortnight, I need to finish 2-3 articles at "work work." One of them fully revises the lab procedures for the project, and is at about 60 pages - one of the longest things I've ever written.

Any money-savvy people out there? If I were to do subcontracting/freelance writing for a company, after I finish working for them, I imagine I'd need an ABN for billing details. Is there anything else I'd need?

Comments

ABN?

[sugar-plum-fair.livejournal.com]

yes you need an ABN.

Man, nine weeks to unemployment, that sucks!

At RMIT, there's guy Mike Sill, he sells books from his stall on a Monday, he used to train at RMIT, he's a freelance writer.

He told me that he needed an ABN and since he had one, he set up his own business (he's finding it hard at the moment to get clients). Also, with outsourcing, it's annoying when your clients don't pay because then the people you've outsourced won't continue working etc. Also, lots of schmoozing will need to be done, but from what little interaction I've had with you, I think, given time, you will become employed again.

Not to mention, CSIRO on the resume looks cool:P

If you would like, email me questions you would like answered and I can email them to Mike for you:)

It'll be nice to catch up at the movie, cya then;)

Re: ABN?

[morsla.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I figured that I'd need the ABN if I wanted to get paid. I've applied for them before (for Kung Fu, etc). In terms of getting contacts, I can talk to a few people working in similar fields - between miscellaneous lab work and writing documents, most labs generally have enough work to justify having someone in for a few hours a week. It's just a matter of convincing the lab manager, so they can convince the personnel manager - but I can be persuasive when I put my mind to it :)

As a stop-gap measure (which is particularly handy as I can fit work in around everything else), I can probably pay a reasonable amount of my rent from painting. It's nice when "hobbies" (sculpting, painting, writing) can actually make some money...

Spider Monkeys and Computers.

[sols-light.livejournal.com]

Having started looking into it myself, I might suggest another outlet for your talents. I know New Scientist will pay for Articles and I'm also very aware you're more than talented enough to write them. I have more details, which I will need to dig out of a newer copy of New Scientist than 2000 before I give them to you.

I can tell you that the submissions asked for (once you're freed from your current dearth of work) are 400 words on a new or recent development of technology.

Let me know if you want more details next time you see me,
Nicolai

Re: Spider Monkeys and Computers.

[morsla.livejournal.com]

If they have submission guidelines in recent issues, I should be able to find them around here somewhere. Amanda has a subscription, so we have piles of the things :)

New Scientist was on the list of places to submit articles at the end of the year (once I had enough time to properly research them). If I end up with a day of "free time" from losing my job, I'll definitely be fast-forwarding those plans...

Re: Spider Monkeys and Computers.

[sols-light.livejournal.com]

I'll try and save you the trouble and go through them in the next couple of days while you're still immersed in writing. Of course, if procrastination strikes before I do, then the small pile in the holder in the lounge and the others developing lives of their own in recesses of the lounge will be entirely at your mercy.