Comments on: The Obsession http://futilecycle.com/2008/01/06/the-obsession A Wandering Through Life and Science Sat, 22 Nov 2008 04:18:13 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Eric http://futilecycle.com/2008/01/06/the-obsession#comment-3528 Eric Mon, 14 Jan 2008 22:55:59 +0000 http://futilecycle.com/2008/01/06/the-obsession#comment-3528 I suppose that mainly they're two types of people, and also the kind of topic they're interested in. I know Whitesides likes interdisciplinary research a lot, so he dabbles in lots of things on the frontier of physics, chemistry, and biology. I think he also fancies himself a philosopher of sorts, so he likes to read about a lot of different things, which creates all these different interests. Perhaps Schimmel is more just extraordinarily excited about this one thing, and every time something new comes out, he wants to try it on this system. And as Ben said, new questions always come up if you're curious and study one particular system in depth. I suppose that mainly they’re two types of people, and also the kind of topic they’re interested in. I know Whitesides likes interdisciplinary research a lot, so he dabbles in lots of things on the frontier of physics, chemistry, and biology. I think he also fancies himself a philosopher of sorts, so he likes to read about a lot of different things, which creates all these different interests. Perhaps Schimmel is more just extraordinarily excited about this one thing, and every time something new comes out, he wants to try it on this system. And as Ben said, new questions always come up if you’re curious and study one particular system in depth.

]]> By: kayesdee http://futilecycle.com/2008/01/06/the-obsession#comment-3519 kayesdee Mon, 14 Jan 2008 18:39:38 +0000 http://futilecycle.com/2008/01/06/the-obsession#comment-3519 Schimmel has had the luck of working in proximity of an exploding science based around new DNA/Protein technologies. Imagine he was studying rocks or the sex life of whales… or whatever ;) But then I feel more like Whitesides… expanding horizontally rather than zooming in vertically. It is probably just two different types of people? Schimmel has had the luck of working in proximity of an exploding science based around new DNA/Protein technologies. Imagine he was studying rocks or the sex life of whales… or whatever ;)

But then I feel more like Whitesides… expanding horizontally rather than zooming in vertically.

It is probably just two different types of people?

]]> By: Eric http://futilecycle.com/2008/01/06/the-obsession#comment-3301 Eric Sun, 06 Jan 2008 20:48:47 +0000 http://futilecycle.com/2008/01/06/the-obsession#comment-3301 But to keep producing Nature and Science papers on it after 30 years? It's amazing; you'd think he'd have long ago descended into obscurity. But to keep producing Nature and Science papers on it after 30 years? It’s amazing; you’d think he’d have long ago descended into obscurity.

]]> By: Ben http://futilecycle.com/2008/01/06/the-obsession#comment-3298 Ben Sun, 06 Jan 2008 19:18:07 +0000 http://futilecycle.com/2008/01/06/the-obsession#comment-3298 Two ways to think about this: 1. Whitesides = GE, Schimmel = Toyota? 2. I don't know about you, but the deeper I get into a subject, the more interesting questions there are to ask. What I'm amazed more about is how Whitesides can do what he does; Schimmel makes sense to me... Two ways to think about this:
1. Whitesides = GE, Schimmel = Toyota?
2. I don’t know about you, but the deeper I get into a subject, the more interesting questions there are to ask. What I’m amazed more about is how Whitesides can do what he does; Schimmel makes sense to me…

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