""FASEB[Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology]'s data suggest that too many graduate schools may be preparing too many students, so that too few young scientists have a real prospect of making a career in academic science. More effort is needed to ensure that recruitment interviews include realistic assessments of prospective students' expectations and potential in the academic workplace. And training should address broader career options from day one rather than focusing unrealistically on jobs that don't exist."
No shit.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Monday, August 20, 2007
Visual illusions
The last few times I talked to people about my research, I brought up visual illusions. Although only peripherally related to the experiments I perform, I find them fascinating; they tell us a great deal about how we process visual images by exposing the moments when our eyes and brains mess up.
To celebrate the imperfections in our neural wiring, here are a few links to some illusions online:
Leaning Tower Illusion (plenty others to be found on that site as well)
Thatcher Illusion
Hollow mask illusion
Shepard’s “Terror Subterra”
A group of illusions that cover most of the basics and then some
Also, I read this interesting blog post on some of the philosophy behind The Matrix, which ended up including a bit on visual illusions, Rene Descartes, and how we should approach anything we learn through our flawed senses with a healthy dose of skepticism.
To celebrate the imperfections in our neural wiring, here are a few links to some illusions online:
Leaning Tower Illusion (plenty others to be found on that site as well)
Thatcher Illusion
Hollow mask illusion
Shepard’s “Terror Subterra”
A group of illusions that cover most of the basics and then some
Also, I read this interesting blog post on some of the philosophy behind The Matrix, which ended up including a bit on visual illusions, Rene Descartes, and how we should approach anything we learn through our flawed senses with a healthy dose of skepticism.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
The perfect job ???
What is my "perfect" job? I wonder if one even exists.
Today I thought the following job sounded pretty good. I will have a number of friends on the market for faculty positions in the next couple years. When they start their new labs, I think they could all use someone to perform the following functions:
1) grant/paper editing
2) grad student experimental training
3) lab management (as in organization and ordering)
4) technical troubleshooter
These are 4 things I am very good at. I can't do my own experiments to save my own life, but I'm great at giving advice, showing people the ropes, and keeping things in good running order. The kicker is that I'm good at editing, not only that I enjoy it, and I think that's a skill I should figure out how to market to someone or some institution.
This job doesn't officially exist, and I'd be hard pressed to find just anyone that would be willing to hire someone with a PhD and postdoc experience to do it (they would have to pay me too much money). But I might be able to convince one of my friends that investing in someone to keep their lab-boat sailing smoothly over the short- and long-term would be wise.
Would working with (or for) a friend be problematic though?
Today I thought the following job sounded pretty good. I will have a number of friends on the market for faculty positions in the next couple years. When they start their new labs, I think they could all use someone to perform the following functions:
1) grant/paper editing
2) grad student experimental training
3) lab management (as in organization and ordering)
4) technical troubleshooter
These are 4 things I am very good at. I can't do my own experiments to save my own life, but I'm great at giving advice, showing people the ropes, and keeping things in good running order. The kicker is that I'm good at editing, not only that I enjoy it, and I think that's a skill I should figure out how to market to someone or some institution.
This job doesn't officially exist, and I'd be hard pressed to find just anyone that would be willing to hire someone with a PhD and postdoc experience to do it (they would have to pay me too much money). But I might be able to convince one of my friends that investing in someone to keep their lab-boat sailing smoothly over the short- and long-term would be wise.
Would working with (or for) a friend be problematic though?
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
People are funny
A couple nights ago, I went to see a friend's band play one of their first live, public performances ever. (Their third, in fact.) They played in a typically small, poorly lit pub in a hipster part of town - as they are hipsters, this was appropriate. The bartender, a youngish guy with his cap askew, was unintelligible for some unknown reason, but would occasionally slip in a few garbled syllables to our conversation; we nodded and smiled as if we were in on the joke.
The place wasn't crowded, maybe because it was a Sunday night, but the music was loud. Loud enough for my friends to tear up some napkins and stuff them in their ears. The next day, a couple people from the show seemed to be yelling instead of speaking too. We are not hipsters, you see. But I enjoyed the bands, at least the two I paid attention to.
As an aside, the guys in these bands on average probably wouldn't qualify for boxing's featherweight class. The newly fashionable skinny jeans look baggy on them. They also seem to share the same hair stylist.
A couple songs into the first set, I looked around the room. Just a few people there. Standing far enough apart to preserve their own super-sized personal bubble. All standing still. I'm used to shows that feature head bopping, foot stomping, even some dancing and singing along. Signs of life, of enjoying the music, the rhythm, the feel. At this show, though, it seemed the goal was to be as unmoved as possible. To stand, detached from everyone else there and from the wall of sound created on the stage.
Occasionally at the shows I'm more likely to frequent, I witness a few people that resist the urge to join the crowd even during the most catchy, energizing music, when those around them sway as one, like wheat in a field blown by a fresh breeze. Instead of following the beat mindlessly like the herd surrounding them, they seem unique. Place these stoics, these tragically hip cynics, in a room together, and they become a new kind of herd, don't they?
The place wasn't crowded, maybe because it was a Sunday night, but the music was loud. Loud enough for my friends to tear up some napkins and stuff them in their ears. The next day, a couple people from the show seemed to be yelling instead of speaking too. We are not hipsters, you see. But I enjoyed the bands, at least the two I paid attention to.
As an aside, the guys in these bands on average probably wouldn't qualify for boxing's featherweight class. The newly fashionable skinny jeans look baggy on them. They also seem to share the same hair stylist.
A couple songs into the first set, I looked around the room. Just a few people there. Standing far enough apart to preserve their own super-sized personal bubble. All standing still. I'm used to shows that feature head bopping, foot stomping, even some dancing and singing along. Signs of life, of enjoying the music, the rhythm, the feel. At this show, though, it seemed the goal was to be as unmoved as possible. To stand, detached from everyone else there and from the wall of sound created on the stage.
Occasionally at the shows I'm more likely to frequent, I witness a few people that resist the urge to join the crowd even during the most catchy, energizing music, when those around them sway as one, like wheat in a field blown by a fresh breeze. Instead of following the beat mindlessly like the herd surrounding them, they seem unique. Place these stoics, these tragically hip cynics, in a room together, and they become a new kind of herd, don't they?
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