Thursday, October 25, 2007

You don't have to be a genius to win the Nobel...just avoid boring people

This post has been in the back of my mind for the past week. Some of you may have heard of James Watson, of Watson and Crick fame, they being credited (by way of winning a Nobel) for the discovery of the structure of DNA. James Watson has an illustrious history of inserting his foot in his mouth. In the past, he has stirred many controversies: he suggested if a gene for homosexuality was isolated, women should be allowed to abort their unborn child if the baby carried it, he has suggested that there may be links between a person's skin color and sexual prowess, or between a person's weight and their level of ambition. He has suggested that stupidity is a genetic disease that should be treated. He is infamous on the lecture circuit for being obnoxious and belittling his contemporaries, most of whom are no longer living. Of his peer Rosalind Franklin, without whose X-ray image of DNA he and Crick would not have been able to deduce the structure of the double helix, he usually reserves exceptional animosity. He has called her an irritable technician, suggested she would get along with men better if only she prettied herself up a bit. He's called her partially autistic and "either not a nice person, or just clueless".

His most recent comments have to do with what he felt would be a genetic basis for race-biased intelligence. The backlash from these latest comments has been substantial, both in the scientific community and out. His many speaking engagements to promote his new book "Avoid Boring People: Lessons from a Life in Science", have been canceled, and he has resigned his post as Chancellor of the Cold Spring Harbor Labs.

I guess avoiding boring people wasn't enough to save James Watson this time. However, I have seen over and over that lessons similar to Watson's "Avoid boring people" do seem to permeate with the great successes in this field. Brilliant science is nowhere near enough. There are more politics, games, under-handedness, and dishonesty than I ever imagined. One of my many majors in undergrad was Math. I loved it. It was pure, logical, and honest. To an extent, I felt (and still do) that biology, at the molecular and atomic level, is the same. It follows the same principles of logic (not logic that we as scientists necessarily always understand) and honesty. But I have found recently that to understand, love, and pursue it in this form is not enough to grant one success. In fact, those principles alone will almost guarantee failure, and this is one of the many reasons I plan on leaving this field after I get my PhD.

Friday, October 19, 2007

Read any good books lately?

I know it's a cheesy conversation starter, but I am really searching for a good book to read. I've been following the Man Booker Prize and the Nobel Prize for Literature. Although, I'm usually not a big fan of modern literature, some titles I came across looked interesting. And then I found some other ones that may be good. Have any of you read these: Animal's People, A Clockwork Orange, Midnight's Children, The Last of the Wine, True History of the Kelly Gang, and The Inheritors? If so, let me know what you think, or please alert me to anything else you may have read that you like.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Monkey Torture

It's official. The next time someone asks me what kind of science I am doing I will reply "Monkey torture". Not the rack, bamboo shoots, or anything, but more of a psychological torture.

How did I ever forget about this show? I used to love it. I'm glad I rediscovered it. It's safe to say the next few days will be spent on Youtube viewing all of the State clips they have.

Sunday, October 07, 2007

Game Rules

1) Don't talk to me about "the game" for at least a week after we lose. At least. If you choose to do so, do it at your own risk. I'm normally very rational, reasonable, and overall pleasant. But violate this rule and chances are good you will end up thinking I'm rude, nasty, and if you're in proximity, I will cut you.

2) If we're playing your team on an upcoming Saturday, and you're coming in as the underdog, a 41-point underdog for example, don't tell me anything of the sort of how confident you are that we will obliterate you. Not a word. I know what you're doing and I won't stand for it. That reverse psychology shit works every time. I don't want to hear it. I know you love your team as much as I love mine, so don't front, and give me some proper trash talk.

3) UCLA fans can leave now. Just stop reading. And get out. Seriously.

4) I will most likely trash JD after any crappy game because from where I'm watching, it certainly looks like his fault. But here's the thing: I really like the guy. He's really, really nice. A true gentleman and I feel sorry for him. He looks like he's not playing with any heart, but I know that's not true and he's got amazing talent. So even though I may attack him, and question his QB abilities, I don't really hate him. He's still my quarterback. He's no Chris Rix, that's for sure.

5) Versus? Why are you punishing your fans USC? What did we ever do to you? At least televise the game on a channel that we'll be able to watch on. First you cut tickets to your graduate students, and then you don't let us watch all the games. Don't be so arrogant and assume that you're going to blow out the other team so bad, it's not even worth watching.

Thursday, October 04, 2007

A little late, but....

Oh yah!! Sixteen penalties! For 161 yards! A missed field goal, a blocked punt, and three turnovers! Are you effin kiddin me!? It was a veritable smorgasbord of how to play disgustingly sloppy football. But it was more. It was insulting to every loyal fan who watches week after week. Especially those personal fouls and face mask penalties. To barely win (or even lose) because of a well played game by the opponent is one thing. To barely win because of how we played on Saturday is a whole other issue. That was a painful game to watch. A train wreck that just kept getting worse. When you thought it couldn't possibly. And following a very good Cal v. Oregon game, both teams we're playing away this year. It better get in gear soon.

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

"Kill my boss? Do I dare live out the American dream?"


A topic that has been near and dear to my heart lately: Why are all [insert your authority figure of choice here] assholes? I mean seriously, do they make you take training for this before you have command over others? Are they required to achieve some minimum level of obnoxiousness before they can manage? Is it a mandate that you are miserable 80% of your life? I swear, sometimes I feel like I really could use some hypnosis to get myself through the next two years.

PS Two brownie points to whoever can guess the origin of the quote in the title.