THINGS I LEARNED ABOUT SCIENCE FROM POPULAR ENTERTAINMENT

There are five kinds of scientific experiment (although occasionally research can fall into multiple categories):

1. Mad. Mad experiments are undertaken purely to demonstrate that the experimenter has figured out how to do something no sensible person wants to do, like snuff out the sun, or melt everybody's eyeballs. The distinguishing characteristic of a mad experiment is that there is no hope of a positive outcome for anyone, even the experimenter.

2. Evil. Evil experiments are undertaken f...