Comments on: The Colossal Pile of Jibberish Behind Discovery, and Its Implications for Science Funding http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/2012/11/14/the-colossal-pile-of-jibberish-behind-discovery-and-its-implications-for-science-funding/ Sat, 18 May 2013 10:48:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Andrew Davis http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/2012/11/14/the-colossal-pile-of-jibberish-behind-discovery-and-its-implications-for-science-funding/#comment-2392 Andrew Davis Tue, 20 Nov 2012 15:21:08 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/?p=2536#comment-2392 "The result is that how we scientists find our ideas is ugly, and frankly embarrassing to show folks. That’s why we don’t put this part of the process into our journal articles or books." That part has always bothered me too - that there is never any promotion of publicizing the process of messy, fortuitous discoveries. There's got to be some middle ground between cataloging every stray thought and the "Here is the hypothesis and ideas we had planned out all along *winkwink*" that frames every science paper. Even if just an encouraging attitude in the publication process for researchers to say "hey, this set of data was the result of a really happy accident". “The result is that how we scientists find our ideas is ugly, and frankly embarrassing to show folks. That’s why we don’t put this part of the process into our journal articles or books.”

That part has always bothered me too – that there is never any promotion of publicizing the process of messy, fortuitous discoveries. There’s got to be some middle ground between cataloging every stray thought and the “Here is the hypothesis and ideas we had planned out all along *winkwink*” that frames every science paper. Even if just an encouraging attitude in the publication process for researchers to say “hey, this set of data was the result of a really happy accident”.

]]> By: chorasimilarity http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/2012/11/14/the-colossal-pile-of-jibberish-behind-discovery-and-its-implications-for-science-funding/#comment-2391 chorasimilarity Tue, 20 Nov 2012 11:08:00 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/?p=2536#comment-2391 Commented on this, with two examples of my own, here: <a href="http://chorasimilarity.wordpress.com/2012/11/20/scattered-thoughts-about-creativity/" rel="nofollow">Scattered thoughts about creativity</a> Commented on this, with two examples of my own, here:
Scattered thoughts about creativity

]]> By: Uncle Al http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/2012/11/14/the-colossal-pile-of-jibberish-behind-discovery-and-its-implications-for-science-funding/#comment-2389 Uncle Al Sun, 18 Nov 2012 00:08:26 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/?p=2536#comment-2389 "<I>You see, there is no uniformly sound advice on where to get good ideas.</I> <B>The 40 Principles of TRIZ</B>, the theory of invention re Genrich Altshuller. That is how you do it Nothing that can succeed successfully resists TRIZ. Organic synthesis has "Umpolung" ("do it the other way"). Question authority. All the fun is in the footnotes (e.g, the Mpemba effect. Erasto Mpemba was 13, making ice cream). [1.1.1]-propellane was synthesized by a grad student so green he dripped sap. [1.1.2]-propellane is a photochemical transient in cryogenic frozen gas matrix (ring strain). As a joke they gave him the procedure for large ring propellanes - wet chemistry on a bench top. He substituted the appropriate starting material, and it worked in rather high yield. Symmetry of the product affords it no easy path to decomposition. Taking a lazy hot shower while not thinking about elephants also works. “You see, there is no uniformly sound advice on where to get good ideas. The 40 Principles of TRIZ, the theory of invention re Genrich Altshuller. That is how you do it Nothing that can succeed successfully resists TRIZ. Organic synthesis has “Umpolung” (“do it the other way”). Question authority. All the fun is in the footnotes (e.g, the Mpemba effect. Erasto Mpemba was 13, making ice cream).

[1.1.1]-propellane was synthesized by a grad student so green he dripped sap. [1.1.2]-propellane is a photochemical transient in cryogenic frozen gas matrix (ring strain). As a joke they gave him the procedure for large ring propellanes – wet chemistry on a bench top. He substituted the appropriate starting material, and it worked in rather high yield. Symmetry of the product affords it no easy path to decomposition.

Taking a lazy hot shower while not thinking about elephants also works.

]]> By: JT Sturgell http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/2012/11/14/the-colossal-pile-of-jibberish-behind-discovery-and-its-implications-for-science-funding/#comment-2388 JT Sturgell Thu, 15 Nov 2012 15:56:13 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/?p=2536#comment-2388 Amazing how the creative process for science and advertising is so similar. Except advertisers get paid to think up jibberish to sell more cars. Full disclosure: By day I'm a creative director, evenings and weekends I volunteer for a bottlenose dolphin research project. Amazing how the creative process for science and advertising is so similar. Except advertisers get paid to think up jibberish to sell more cars. Full disclosure: By day I’m a creative director, evenings and weekends I volunteer for a bottlenose dolphin research project.

]]> By: Chuck Currie http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/2012/11/14/the-colossal-pile-of-jibberish-behind-discovery-and-its-implications-for-science-funding/#comment-2384 Chuck Currie Wed, 14 Nov 2012 17:33:04 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/?p=2536#comment-2384 This is a Colossal Pile of Fabulous You are now on my must read list Cheers This is a Colossal Pile of Fabulous

You are now on my must read list

Cheers

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