Today I did a talk at work. It was about problems in science how to find them, or more really how to generate questions. Using history of science as a guide. We talked about a lot of things, but unfortunately it was just a talk so very one direction. Hopefully in the next month we do a discussion, I think this way you would hear a lot more of what people are actually doing, and thinking. A few people wrote to me after about, what their research was like, like what anomalies they saw or things like this.
The most important points people liked were that techniques can be brought in from other fields. This requires outside of your comfort zone reading, but can really be expedited by friends. Or in one researcher's case their husband.
Another point from history seems that people can't predict when their best work will come. Or what it will be. There was even the case of Hertz who discovered radio waves, and frequencies. When he was asked about his work just said its not important, and he couldn't see any application. Now every fm, am, and xm channel can thank him.
It seems a lot of times scientists follow stories. This reminds me always of fishing. Or maybe getting hiking without a trail, or a very bad map.
Just gotta keep trucking.
The most important points people liked were that techniques can be brought in from other fields. This requires outside of your comfort zone reading, but can really be expedited by friends. Or in one researcher's case their husband.
Another point from history seems that people can't predict when their best work will come. Or what it will be. There was even the case of Hertz who discovered radio waves, and frequencies. When he was asked about his work just said its not important, and he couldn't see any application. Now every fm, am, and xm channel can thank him.
It seems a lot of times scientists follow stories. This reminds me always of fishing. Or maybe getting hiking without a trail, or a very bad map.
Just gotta keep trucking.