“But my own wings were not enough for this
Had it not been that then my mind there smote
A flash of lightning where in came its wish
Here vigor failed the lofty fantasy
But now was turning my desire and will,
Even as a wheel that equally is moved,
The love which moves the sun and the other stars” Dante Canto XXXIII

as well

*This commentary was not directed at the 95+% of humanity who has very little choice in how their passions are utilized.

Alda was apparently some kind of TV actor back in the day…

I’m hoping Sean is just being his usual witty ironic self. Otherwise, I must be really old.

Just wait. Some day someone will say “Apparently Jerry Seinfield was some kind of TV actor back in the day”, and then you will officially feel old.

Unfortunately, doing research costs money, and while love is free, funding is not… Congress Slashes High-Tech Physics Budget, Jan 18

“The Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC), one of the premier U.S. physics research centers, expected $120 million in high-particle physics money from DOE. Instead it got $95 million, forcing it to lay off 125 people and curtail the activities of Babar, its major high-energy physics experiment. “This is going to be bloody,” one scientist said. “And you’re cutting into the lab’s core competencies.”

Meanwhile, the Iraq occupation is running at $5 billion a month in up-front costs, with the interest steadily accumulating…

Alda was apparently some kind of TV actor back in the day,

Is this meant as a derisive remark? Alda was certainly no Peter Ustinov, not even a Peter Sellers, but I can’t believe you’ve never seen one of his movies. Ever heard of M*A*S*H?

He was brilliant in MASH, where he lampooned knee-jerk liberalism mercilessly. What’s that you say? It wasn’t satirical? Damn.

It used to be that at the University level it was not expected that people taught by performing but by example. The transition from small elitist Universities to mass Universities has necessitated some sort of pedagogy. In a way that’s a pity.

One thing I find immensely useful is that at my undergrad degree we were forced to present problems and solutions from day one in front of the other students and a tutor. That way everybody who finishes the degree at least has ample experience in presenting stuff.

The kind of “skills” seminars mandatory at my current university though are rubbish, complete bullshit. (Which brings me to another subject entirely: The markedly anglo-saxon focus on training people to have *skills*… I shudder at the very word)

That kind of comment isn’t necessary. Us old scientists have heard it all before and we have often tried to “show the love.” Here’s the problem, it’s easier to tell people to behave this way than to actually do it repeatedly.

Some people. like Alan Alda, have the gift for acting enthusiastic while others don’t do it naturally. I am one of those who don’t do it naturally. For those who are naturals, it’s easy. For those who aren’t, you are asking them to become good actors as well as good scientists and that’s not as easy as you might imagine.

My advice to young people is to do what’s natural for you. Don’t put on an act that you are uncomfortable with. That won’t work in the long run.