getting ready for some "real" work

ok, so up to now, i really haven't done to much along the lines of my phd topic. just small projects here and there to keep me interested and to spark ideas. i am now about to begin collecting some power consumption data that i can use to begin some real progress along my topic. linux is installed and i'm ready to roll. i've been reading up to see (1) - if anybody has collected the data that i am interested in yet and (2) - to get some ideas on approaches and possible paths to take. there is still much reading to do, but i can at least know that i have some work running in the background now. this has definitely been some much needed good news.