Before I started a geology blog, I used to sporadically blog about geology over at Skepchick.These days, I blog here at Georneys about geology, and I blog over at Skepchick about other skeptical and scientific things, such as why I am thankful for science. Occasionally, I will re-post some of my old geology posts from Skepchick. I will also sometimes cross-post on both blogs.The post below originally appeared on Skepchick in 2007 here. Although this is not strictly a geology post, I thought it would be timely to repost this since I just spent some time cleaning up my apartment so that I have a clean space in which to reduce data tomorrow.
My home dining room table, cluttered with computer, papers, notebook, phone, and cat, Spring 2010.
Some of the most brilliant, productive people I know have the most cluttered offices and homes. For instance, my advisor’s* office is a mess, though he always knows where to find things. Similarly, my friend and mentor James Randi has an office that is full of clutter. Randi doesn’t know where to find things, generally, but his cluttered office doesn’t keep him from doing brilliant work.
Is there a link between clutter and brilliance? Are brilliant, productive people just less concerned with details of keeping house than with their work? Does the lack of time spent tidying up translate into more time for doing more interesting work?
Of course, I am generalizing. There are plenty of brilliant, productive people who keep their offices and homes immaculate. One could argue, just as easily perhaps, that there’s a link between obsessive compulsive disorder and brilliance. However, looking around the halls of MIT**, I see clutter, mess, and brilliant work everywhere. Is the scientific mind, the mind of an engineer perhaps, prone to clutter? Or at least prone to not worry about clutter and keeping up appearances?
Those of you who read my inaugural November Bad Geology Movie of the Month post may be wondering why I forgot to write about a bad geology movie in December and why I haven't yet written about a bad geology movie in January. I apologize. Watching and reviewing bad geology movies takes time, and I am a busy graduate student. I think that my bad geology reviews may have to be a little more sporadic than once a month, at least until I graduate. We'll see, though! Maybe some months I'll review more than one movie. I'll just write the reviews as I have time. I am also working on refining my format. For my first movie review I think I spent too much time describing the plot (humorous as the plot may be) and too little time analyzing the science (or lack thereof) in the movie.
For now, here are four quick updates relating to bad geology movies:
1. Since the AGU Sciences Meet Hollywood session back in December, I have been thinking about why I want to review bad geology movies. I realize that much of what I want to do is simply point out the scientific inaccuracies. Although pointing out errors may seem mean, I will try to do so in good spirit. I understand that Hollywood geology will never be completely accurate, nor should it be. If someone in Hollywood made a movie about how I do geology, I think it could be terribly boring. More often than not, I spend hours picking crystals and reducing data. Even when I am in the field, the pace of research is often painfully slow. I measure rocks for hours. I meticulously collect rocks. I find maps far too interesting. None of my usual science activities done at their usual pace would make for a good Hollywood plot. So, I understand why Hollywood has to "spice up the science" in order to make a film interesting.
Glowing lava in Hawaii. Image taken from Wikipedia Commons here.
def. Magma
1. Molten (liquid) rock below the Earth's surface. Often contains volatiles, crystals, and small fragments of solid rock.
2. Not a synonym for lava, which is what you call magma after it has been erupted or extruded onto the Earth's surface.
3. A favorite word of evil scientists, at least in Hollywood movies.
A few days ago the multimillion dollar remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Isis accidentally crashed into the propeller of the RRS Cook. Isis is an underwater research vehicle that is operated by the National Oceanography Centre in the UK. Isis is a cousin to the ROV Jason here at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Whoops. ROV (or more likely ROV operator) fail. I hope poor little Isis isn't damaged too badly. Repairing her is likely to be quite expensive.
A friend* just sent me a link to this video called "Bad Project," a parody of the Lady Gaga song "Bad Romance." I think this video is hilarious! I love the Lady Gaga outfits made out of laboratory supplies.
Video taken from Youtube.
Since I am currently on my third PhD advisor (I left my first advisor, then my second advisor took a job at another institution- though to his credit he still advises me from a distance), I have had my own graduate school frustrations. Fortunately, I actually have a "good project" and am finally making headway and feeling optimistic about my research.
However, like many grad students, I have had days where I am so frustrated with graduate school and academia that I daydream about fantasy alternate careers. After awhile, I remember that I really do love geology, and that-- despite all the hard work and frustrations-- I'm right where I want to be. I'm not yet sure if I'll "make it" as a professor at a high-pressure research institution (nor if I want to pursue such a career), but I know that I love geology and want to be a geologist, whether it be through working for a company or teaching or research or some combination of the above.
In moments of stress, grad school friends of mine talk about becoming musicians, artists, novelists, and businessmen. They daydream about opening surf schools, bakeries, and kumquat farms. I think many grad students have fantasy alternate careers that they will pursue "when this whole grad school thing doesn't work out."
My own fantasy alternate careers?
-Park ranger or game ranger
-Archaeologist
-Novelist
-Professional kayaker
-Translator
-Owner of an adventure tour company
-Professor of Middle Eastern Studies or Arabic
-Jane Goodall (yes, I want to be Jane Goodall)
-Running a cat rescue shelter (my cat-allergic fiance vetoes this one, though)
What are the fantasy jobs that help you survive graduate school?
Earlier today Callan Bentley over at Mountain Beltway posted these pictures of some rocks with interesting weathering patterns that he's seen recently.
When I read this post, my first thought was: I've seen this type of weathering before!
And my second thought was: What the heck is the name of this type of weathering?
I'm still not sure, though my first idea was liesegang weathering, which is a type of weathering where chemical diffusion creates a ring or rim of rock that is more resistant to physical erosion.
Does anyone know what this type of weathering is called? Is this liesegang weathering or is it something different? Does this type of weathering have a name?
Here are some pictures from Knysna, South Africa of weathering similar to the photos Callan posted. One difference in the rocks below is that iron (which oxidizes to the reddish brown color) is definitely playing a role in this weathering. You can see, though, that the weathering follows fractures similar to the way that Callan's rocks are weathering. Note the sunglasses for scale. Click on any of the pictures below to view a larger version.
Knysna rocks 1, South Africa, December 2009.
Knysna rocks 2, South Africa, December 2009.
And here's a similar weathering pattern in a boulder (about a meter across) in the Cederberg Mountains (near the town of Algeria) in South Africa:
Last week I blogged about the forthcoming movie "Ice Age: Continental Drift." I have not forgotten about my campaign to try to have some plate tectonics science added as a DVD extra or website feature. Below is a letter that I just sent to 20th Century Fox, Blue Sky Studios, and Ray Romano, the main voice actor for the movie. This letter could very well be ignored as the "ramblings of a crazy geologist," but we'll see if I receive any response.
If you'd like to support my "crazy geologist" campaign, you can join the facebook group here. If you want to send your own email or letter, below is the contact information that I was able to find. Let me know if you find any better contact information.
