Re: Scientists of Unfogged

1

There are scientists that comment here? I thought we were all lawyers.


Posted by: pdf23ds | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 5:18 PM
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We're hoping that scientists lurk, and can be brought into the light to help the lawyers out.


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 5:19 PM
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Science!


Posted by: Armsmasher | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 5:20 PM
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Like I said in the other thread, I think rilkefan is a scientist, and I don't know if old crank Handley is around, but I think he's a scientist, and someone knew a lot about herpes, but commented anonymously.


Posted by: ogged | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 5:21 PM
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I wonder if lawyers tend to blog and comment more than other professions.


Posted by: pdf23ds | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 5:22 PM
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Earworm-spreader.


Posted by: slolernr | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 5:22 PM
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I've got a call in to Dr. Germ, my college roommate (the one who hung out with us last week at the bar). If she calls back and is up for it, she's a genuine post-doc, doing scary things with TB.


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 5:22 PM
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PZ Myers has been known to read this blog. He's commented at least once.


Posted by: Bostonaniangirl | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 5:22 PM
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All, thanks. No winner yet, but I'm hopeful.


Posted by: CharleyCarp | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 5:23 PM
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5: Yep. We're fluent writers who are more likely than the average to be cranky about our jobs. Hence, timewasting through prose generation.


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 5:23 PM
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Dr. Germ is way cool! She'd be a good subject.


Posted by: Becks | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 5:24 PM
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Also, offtopic, I'd like to say thanks to Ogged. I felt so worldly last night when I knew what GFE meant prior to it being explained on VMars.


Posted by: Becks | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 5:25 PM
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I'm in my third year of a PhD program, does that count? I don't actually have a job as a scientist, but I scientize.


Posted by: Cryptic Ned | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 5:28 PM
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13 - That's perfect! thank you a lot-- can you email me?


Posted by: CharleyCarp's Son Bill | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 5:32 PM
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(that is to say, I'm in a laboratory, doing scientific experiments, pretty much all the time)


Posted by: Cryptic Ned | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 5:36 PM
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more likely than the average to be cranky about our jobs.

Why should we be cranky with our jobs. I was up until 5 AM editing a complaint because our secretary can't type and my partner who wrote the brief was not too worried about getting the facts exactly right or the writing more than stream of consciousness. Had to get up at 8 AM for a client conference call where the client decided not to show up. And now I'm going to have a quick dinner in my office, take a nap on my couch so I can get up at 11:00 PM, when others working on the Complaint are supposed done with their edits so I can try to make sure the writing does not suck and the facts are now right so we can get it ready for a final review in the morning except the client still is not sure of all the facts so whatever we do will be edited again once we get the client to focus on it.

Cranky, me? No way. Why do you ask? Oh wait, you didn't ask. Sorry. [wanders off muttering]


Posted by: Idealist | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 5:39 PM
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scientist needs been met?

if not, my e-mail's below.


Posted by: cerebrocrat | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 5:41 PM
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16: Oh, man, that sucks.


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 5:50 PM
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This lawyer embarrassed himself this afternoon while attempting for the first time to do legal work, follow office conversation, and comment on this blog at the same time. Made obvious proofreading errors which ruined my jokes. I don't know how LB does it.


Posted by: I don't pay | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 5:50 PM
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My employers do.


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 5:51 PM
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Sure, I'll email you, BillCarp.


Posted by: Cryptic Ned | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 5:52 PM
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CN -- Thanks.

Ideal -- "leave [to amend] shall be freely given" Some of the nicest words in the Fed R Civ P.


Posted by: CharleyCarp | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 5:57 PM
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Scientist of love.


Posted by: bitchphd | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 6:04 PM
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"leave [to amend] shall be freely given"

So true. Unfortunately, this is the amended complaint. In our defense, we filed the initial complaint almost four years ago, the case sat dormant until defendants' motion to dismiss and our motion for summary judgment (yes, we moved without there having been any discovery, should have won, too) were denied last month. Now the client wants to add a bunch of claims.


Posted by: Idealist | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 6:06 PM
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Yeah, what used to be called a natural philosopher. I'm off to a (political) meeting. Tomorrow.


Posted by: I don't pay | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 6:06 PM
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There was an astronomer lurking here from UCSC, that's pretty cool.


Posted by: neil | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 6:16 PM
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LB can identify fake scientists, if that would help.


Posted by: I don't pay | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 6:19 PM
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I, too, am a scientizer with lurking tendencies. Theoretically I'm getting ready to write my Ph.d. thesis. Experimentally I can falsify that.


Posted by: TJ | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 6:22 PM
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I did the interview. Didn't mention that some people think we may destroy the universe one of these days.


Posted by: rilkefan | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 7:19 PM
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Wait, someone else did the interview?? It's done already??

Sorry, I've been running in and out of the office this evening.


Posted by: Cryptic Ned | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 7:26 PM
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Didn't mention that some people think we may destroy the universe one of these days.

We're not? Shit! That's why I got into the biz in the first place. Dr. Pauli was my hero, Captain Video was a twit, and the Video Ranger was worse.


Posted by: Biohazard | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 7:46 PM
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Probably too late to respond to the request, but I'm a lurking scientist.


Posted by: Sir Oolius | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 9:06 PM
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That's the first time I've realized you are a lawyer, IDP. Man, it's like we breed them here.


Posted by: apostropher | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 9:15 PM
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Hey, I've done my part to reduce the number of lawyers here.


Posted by: M/tch M/lls | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 9:16 PM
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Lawyers and philosophers. They'll argue the law, we'll argue that it doesn't exist, and then we all make cock jokes.


Posted by: Cala | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 9:18 PM
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Your cock is a joke.


Posted by: ogged | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 9:33 PM
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Economists can, however, employ me this summer! Please.


Posted by: L. | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 9:52 PM
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And I promise I'm much better at economics than I am at closing tags.


Posted by: L. | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 9:53 PM
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Picket the World Bank, but with a sign offering your services rather than decrying the capitalist plutocrat bastards. They'll find it so charming, you'll be hired on the spot.


Posted by: Matt F | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 10:07 PM
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I'm a scientist- chemistry PhD 2004, now in biotech industry- and only a partial lurker (I become one after comments > 100).
But it looks like you already have what you need.
Actually, I thought there were more.


Posted by: SP | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 10:34 PM
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Physicist here (postdoc). Experiments though, none of the sexy string theory or cosmology everyone always wants to hear about.


Posted by: Counterfly | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 10:39 PM
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This reminds me of the early days of aol teen chat boards when people would call for everyone to state their age and gender ("Age/sex check!") every two minutes. Employment / lawfirm check!


Posted by: SP | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 10:47 PM
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This reminds me of the early days of aol teen chat boards when people would call for everyone to state their age and gender ("Age/sex check!") every two minutes.

I think you may be overestimating how much has changed since then.


Posted by: washerdreyer | Link to this comment | 01-31-07 11:27 PM
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Lurker, (although I have commented, honest!), physicist here.


Posted by: mealworm | Link to this comment | 02- 1-07 9:44 AM
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How does a physicist, rather than someone keeping turtles alive in tanks, end up calling themselves mealworm? I had you pegged as a reptile owner, either hobbyist or professionally.


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 02- 1-07 9:50 AM
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16: That definitely sucks, but I am also in awe. You're definitely older than I am, and I know that I don't have the stamina for that sort of thing. I think that I'd be pretty useless at midnight after having gotten in for a conference call at 8.

Are there legal jobs which don't require schedules quite that grueling?


Posted by: Bostonaniangirl | Link to this comment | 02- 1-07 10:13 AM
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Wow; multiple physicists? We should band together and rout the lawyers. I'm not sure what we'd be better at. Math?


Posted by: TJ | Link to this comment | 02- 1-07 10:30 AM
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Do chemical physicists count? Because we can do math and, potentially, blow things up.


Posted by: cari | Link to this comment | 02- 1-07 10:49 AM
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That may be a bit rash--I'm not sure that's the kind of blowing that flies ATM.


Posted by: TJ | Link to this comment | 02- 1-07 10:50 AM
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Well, but we were talking about taking on the lawyers, which suggests that it is, in fact, the appropriate sort. Because we're certainly not going to win on other grounds (pay, respect?) -- or am I missing something essential here?

And no, I don't have pastries or cake, but those are only for trolls, right, not lurkers?


Posted by: cari | Link to this comment | 02- 1-07 10:56 AM
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Wait a sec: lawyers also get respect? From whom?


Posted by: TJ | Link to this comment | 02- 1-07 11:06 AM
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(By which I mean: it's proverbial to prod them, isn't it?)


Posted by: TJ | Link to this comment | 02- 1-07 11:07 AM
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45: Yeah, I would have expected "mealworm" to be either a biologist or a lawyer.


Posted by: bitchphd | Link to this comment | 02- 1-07 11:09 AM
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do we have more than two mathematicians?


Posted by: soubzriquet | Link to this comment | 02- 1-07 12:16 PM
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Define 'mathematician.'


Posted by: arthegall | Link to this comment | 02- 1-07 12:19 PM
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55: I dunno; working as a research mathematician and/or lecturing mathematics? Has a ph.d in math? I'll know it when I see it?

I sort of hate these definitional problems. Two I know of, wondering how many lurk.....


Posted by: soubzriquet | Link to this comment | 02- 1-07 12:24 PM
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I guess I was then going to ask, "Define 'mathematics'?" But now I'm just being annoying, "I know it when I see it " is alright too.


Posted by: arthegall | Link to this comment | 02- 1-07 12:46 PM
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I think I'm a professional mathematician. Here are the for and against arguments.

For: I am paid to do math research (I'm not teaching this year, and have only taught 1 year so far). I have succesfully done math research (multiple publications). I am perfectly happy self-describing as a mathematician.

Against: I'm still in graduate school (5th year) and I won't be getting a Ph.D. until Spring 2008.

I report, you decide.


Posted by: Unfoggetarain: "Pause endlessly, then go in" (9) | Link to this comment | 02- 1-07 12:47 PM
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L., if you become an economist, it's over between us.


Posted by: ben w-lfs-n | Link to this comment | 02- 1-07 12:48 PM
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58: for what it's worth, I'm perfectly happy with your self-description. Graduate studies in any discipline are of course a bit of a grey area. Are you really `a professional X' if you've had a term of graduate study in it and still aren't sure where it's going? Alternatively, if you get a ph.d in X, go into industry, spend 15 years there and now don't really do much of X at all, what are you?

If forced to try a definition, I guess I'd start with a first cut that a mathematician is anyone who creates new mathematics that is useful to others. Other disciplines similarly....


Posted by: soubzriquet | Link to this comment | 02- 1-07 12:58 PM
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that is useful to others

really?


Posted by: TJ | Link to this comment | 02- 1-07 2:12 PM
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61: to other mathematicians, at least. It's a crappy definition, but somewhere in thee we need the idea of utility. We can sit here all day and create pointless new maths. I wanted to avoid using an internal term like `interesting' (which has its own problems).


Posted by: soubzriquet | Link to this comment | 02- 1-07 2:18 PM
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59: You're trying to push her toward econ?


Posted by: Cala | Link to this comment | 02- 1-07 2:20 PM
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soubzriquet,

I'm not at all against "interesting maths," except when they tried to teach 'em to me ;)


Posted by: TJ | Link to this comment | 02- 1-07 2:39 PM
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Incidentally, the title of this post sounds like one of those topless fundraiser calendars.


Posted by: SP | Link to this comment | 02- 1-07 3:01 PM
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If you all send in pictures, we'll see what we can do.


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 02- 1-07 3:01 PM
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26: Yes, the astronomer from UCSC is still lurking, at least once in a while. Sorry I stepped out while you were looking for scientists. So much for cool.


Posted by: astronomer | Link to this comment | 02- 1-07 10:06 PM
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Sorry for the delay (see why I lurk?). I have no idea where "mealworm" came from. Pretty random, huh?


Posted by: mealworm | Link to this comment | 02- 2-07 6:21 AM
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