Science and humor:

Creative Science for young associative 

researchers with a strong imagination 

A comic strip in ca. 120 pictures

Nico van Rooijen

To appear as: http://nicovanrooijen.blogspot.nl

ISSUE  X

89. Live in seclusion if that is required for reflection, working out of results or writing manuscripts.

90. But continue to attend all necessary trainings, symposia, seminars and congresses.>>

91. Also continue discussions with your colleagues. You will hear new information. More important may be that during explanation of your ideas to others, you will often be forced to make these ideas completely clear, also for yourself, because they hopefully ask the right questions. In turn this may help you to list all your points and to find weaknesses.>> 

92. But in other cases, you may learn that it will be better to speak to colleagues who are not able to answer, because they require a lot of your time without adding anything of value.

93. At a first glance scientific research may seem to be boring, but during discussions with your colleagues, a lot of humor will come up. Putting matter in perspective may be important in science but may also lead to humor.

94. Take care for your brain. The neuronal network should receive the right nutrients and not be frozen as in the above picture. From time to time some alcohol should be ingested in order to enhance your creativity. It will also enhance your associative capabilities.    

95. If you are in a creative mood, stop sporting and other useless activities and focus on the activity of your mind only. Be aware that you will never run faster than a cheetah, swim faster than a dolphin or fly better than a bird. But by focusing on your mind you can defeat them all. However, you should also keep in mind that mankind is - just as all other species - only a transitory phenomenon in evolution. The main difference between men and the other species is that the former are the only species on earth, able to destroy their own liveability.>>

96. Don’t spend too much time asleep. You will never be able to surpass your couch - the cat - in this respect.>>    

97. Solve suddenly arising problems that do not concern your research. But only if these can be performed in a very short time.>>

98. Don’t allow a delay in your research caused by time consuming problems that are not relevant to it.

99. After a lot of obstacles, at a moment you will find out that all lines are pointing in the same direction again.>>    

100. Your observations are becoming more consistent.    

101. You will gradually see more connections between the different parts of your results.

102. Set all sails to finish the first part of your research project, but be aware that science never ends.

103. Then, after a finishing touch, you have got answers to your initial questions. More important, a lot of new questions were raised. Although scientific research in the natural sciences will answer questions, it usually puts even more new questions. That is the reason that it resembles a branching tree. >>

104. The logic is that science is not like a pyramid, ending in its top, where we know everything, but a reversed pyramid starting in its top, whereas its basis will extend indefinitely.

105. However, after a lot of work, mainly performed by your brain with a little help of your hands, your results look perfect and will attract a lot of interest.