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Dancing Naked in the Mind Field
by
Here is a multidimensional playland of ideas from the world's most eccentric Nobel-Prize winning scientist. Kary Mullis is legendary for his invention of PCR, which redefined the world of DNA, genetics, and forensic science. He is also a surfer, a veteran of Berkeley in the sixties, and perhaps the only Nobel laureate to describe a possible encounter with aliens. A scienti
...more
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Paperback, 240 pages
Published
January 4th 2000
by Vintage
(first published 1998)
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tl;dr: trolling is a art
The problem with ebooks is that you can't throw them against the wall. In this case of Mullis' autobiography, or rather loose collection of essays, I wanted to do exactly that about 5 times - it has been a long time since I've been this physically angry at a book.
The first quarter of the book is alright - he details how he perfected PCR, how he got the Nobel Prize for that, etc. The one thing that starts to annoy is his constant drive to portray himself as such an unconve ...more
The problem with ebooks is that you can't throw them against the wall. In this case of Mullis' autobiography, or rather loose collection of essays, I wanted to do exactly that about 5 times - it has been a long time since I've been this physically angry at a book.
The first quarter of the book is alright - he details how he perfected PCR, how he got the Nobel Prize for that, etc. The one thing that starts to annoy is his constant drive to portray himself as such an unconve ...more
Hated it. A cretin, clearly in love with the idea of himself, spewing nonsense for page after page, trying to convince us how cool he is. And if it were merely nonsense about personal style, fine; but it is hateful, harmful nonsense from a Nobel laureate that could have caused a large number of preventable deaths.
Specifically, HIV is the root cause of AIDS; and safety protocols in biological labs do protect the workers and society at large. I'm probably forgetting a few. And as an aside -- surfi ...more
Specifically, HIV is the root cause of AIDS; and safety protocols in biological labs do protect the workers and society at large. I'm probably forgetting a few. And as an aside -- surfi ...more
(review originally written for Bookslut)
It is widely accepted in the scientific community that Kary Mullis is a kook. Which is a rather odd reaction to a man who has won a Nobel Prize in chemistry and who invented PCR, a tool that not many microbiologists or biochemists would happily live without. But I suppose that it's to be expected, as most press attention that Kary Mullis receives is not centered around his scientific achievements, but rather around his passion for surfing, his past use of ...more
It is widely accepted in the scientific community that Kary Mullis is a kook. Which is a rather odd reaction to a man who has won a Nobel Prize in chemistry and who invented PCR, a tool that not many microbiologists or biochemists would happily live without. But I suppose that it's to be expected, as most press attention that Kary Mullis receives is not centered around his scientific achievements, but rather around his passion for surfing, his past use of ...more
My uncle lent me this book and told me that, in his scientific opinion, Kary Mullis will be as famous as Einstein a century from now. I figured that would be a book worth reading; it didn't disappoint, but it did provoke.
There is an entire chapter that talks about horoscopes. Mullis describes his sign as one that comes on strong and then backs off. That is EXACTLY how this book is. About 10 pages in, I was ready to throw the book across the room and give it negative stars; Mullis is arrogant, op ...more
There is an entire chapter that talks about horoscopes. Mullis describes his sign as one that comes on strong and then backs off. That is EXACTLY how this book is. About 10 pages in, I was ready to throw the book across the room and give it negative stars; Mullis is arrogant, op ...more
This was an interesting book in parts. The writer was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1993 and the book was published in 1998. Some of the content is fascinating, but much is very dated and some is just plain weird. For example, the author mocks the link between the burning of fossil fuels and climate change, and the link between HIV and AIDS. He believes in astrology, writes a lot about his use of LSD and other drugs, once saw a glowing green raccoon while not under the influence, and
...more
It wasn't as funny as I thought it would be from reading all the reviews.
And I just couldn't accept many of his views. His AIDS denialism, believing in astrology and denying that global warming is taking place. Since the book was written in 1998, I wonder if he has changed his mind of some of his views, seeing that there had been more evidence supporting these issues.
The few chapters he wrote on AIDS was absolutely horrible. You can almost say that he has no clue as to what a virus is or even kn ...more
And I just couldn't accept many of his views. His AIDS denialism, believing in astrology and denying that global warming is taking place. Since the book was written in 1998, I wonder if he has changed his mind of some of his views, seeing that there had been more evidence supporting these issues.
The few chapters he wrote on AIDS was absolutely horrible. You can almost say that he has no clue as to what a virus is or even kn ...more
Here we have a true scientist in the real sense of the word. He bases his findings on valid research, not just what most people accept as a theory. He has a valid question that no scientist can satisfactorily answer: Where can he find any reference on the claim that HIV is the probable cause of AIDS? No one can answer this and there is no research or findings to support the claim, yet many PhD scientists get angry at any other suggestion. The book is utter brilliance, including his views on astr
...more
Apr 24, 2008
Artie
rated it
really liked it
Recommends it for:
Environmentalists, scientists, and anyone in bio or chem related fields.
Shelves:
non-fiction
This would be the second somewhat autobiographical book I've read involving a Nobel laureate, and the two are vastly different. Mullis is a serious hippie kid who experimented with mind-altering drugs and has the utmost disdain for his own scientific community, not to mention a delightfully caustic wit for (in my opinion) the majority of the world. He's entertaining is you're a fan of debunking scientific myths, the bitter rants of a biochemist, or the O.J. Simpson trial (of which he was nearly
...more
This book is just short enough for me to call it entertaining. My assessment of Mullis is that he is brilliant but bat shit insane. Take everything he says with .1 moles of NaCl.
Sep 10, 2007
Audrey
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
scientists, Carla, anyone in scientific field, everyone else
This guy is my new hero.
So I just finished Mind Field(Sunday 16SEP07) and it was so awesome, I would give it an additional star if I could. This is a truly remarkable book written by an extremely intelligent, eccentric, and keenly observant individual. Be sure to to read the dedication, despite the author's admitted wanderlust, it is quite sweet. I have to include some of the last words in the book, found them very moving:
The appropriate demeanor for a human is to feel lucky that he is alive and ...more
So I just finished Mind Field(Sunday 16SEP07) and it was so awesome, I would give it an additional star if I could. This is a truly remarkable book written by an extremely intelligent, eccentric, and keenly observant individual. Be sure to to read the dedication, despite the author's admitted wanderlust, it is quite sweet. I have to include some of the last words in the book, found them very moving:
The appropriate demeanor for a human is to feel lucky that he is alive and ...more
If you're interested in how scientists actually make great discoveries - read this book. You might be surprised. The part I remember most about this book was when the author was driving down the road, exhausted, pulled over and suddenly had the flash of insight that was the basis for his discovery of PCR (polymerase chain reaction) - for which he won the Nobel Prize. Just an amazing story.
I loved the way Mullis was so open about his quirkiness and the mistakes he has made during his life - the k ...more
I loved the way Mullis was so open about his quirkiness and the mistakes he has made during his life - the k ...more
The LSD fueled meanderings of an arrogant man
I knew
The Emperor of Scent
was jogging my memory about something, and finally recalled the flavor of thought from Nobel Laureate Kary Mullis' autobiographical
Dancing in the Mind Field
. There it was again—that joyful sense of discovery you remember from your childhood explorations of the world, the belief that you can learn it all if you just keep your eyes and mind open.
Of course, not many of us have childhood memories that include compounding tear gas or keeping laboratory refrigerat ...more
Of course, not many of us have childhood memories that include compounding tear gas or keeping laboratory refrigerat ...more
I want to party with this guy.
Kary Mullis, known to us biology dorks as the guy who invented PCR, reflects on growing up, synthesizing psychoactive compounds in a garage in college, dropping acid and inhaling a whole lot of nitrous while working for Cetus (oh, and coming up with PCR), winning the Nobel Prize, hitting on the empress of Japan, the OJ trial, being abducted by aliens, and my favorite-- being paid 7 grand NOT to give a talk at Glaxo. A fantastic read.
Kary Mullis, known to us biology dorks as the guy who invented PCR, reflects on growing up, synthesizing psychoactive compounds in a garage in college, dropping acid and inhaling a whole lot of nitrous while working for Cetus (oh, and coming up with PCR), winning the Nobel Prize, hitting on the empress of Japan, the OJ trial, being abducted by aliens, and my favorite-- being paid 7 grand NOT to give a talk at Glaxo. A fantastic read.
Hilarious and informative. This book contains some of the most entertaining stories from one of the greatest minds of the 20th century and it goes on to challenge some very large assumptions we make about the world around us. From LSD to global warming and HIV.
Should one wait for tenure or winning the Nobel Prize to become controversial? You can become anytime, but then you may wait longer for honors, seems to be the answer of Kary Mullis, the Nobel prize laureate in Chemistry that propelled DNA research by discovering the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Kary seems to be at odds with public and political beliefs and the ones of the scientific establishment. He implies that many ideas that the scientific community dismisses could be further investigat
...more
Mullis is nuts. I guess once you get to the sort of rarefied scientific air that Mullis climbed to you sort of have to be. Or maybe being nuts beforehand is what allows you to get there in the first place. In the end, he invented something that allowed the pace of molecular genetics to advance by leaps and bounds in a few years and is in use in literally every moderately funded biology lab in the world.
It's a quick read at just a few pages over 200. I got a kick out of his many offbeat anecdotes ...more
It's a quick read at just a few pages over 200. I got a kick out of his many offbeat anecdotes ...more
It's like reading a smart asshole's blog that has been edited and shoved into a short paperback.
About every sixth page, expect him to mention his nobel prize, or some reason that scientists are the highest order of life amongst humans and have been repressed and humiliated throughout history.
There are many chapters that will remind you of some strange guy you met at a bar that seemed smart and interesting until he felt you were worthy of hearing about his "special" knowledge. Abducted by a talki ...more
About every sixth page, expect him to mention his nobel prize, or some reason that scientists are the highest order of life amongst humans and have been repressed and humiliated throughout history.
There are many chapters that will remind you of some strange guy you met at a bar that seemed smart and interesting until he felt you were worthy of hearing about his "special" knowledge. Abducted by a talki ...more
A brief, hilarious and often provocative book by the Nobel Prize winner who invented the polymerase chain reaction, which greatly improved DNA analysis and eventually launched many crime shows. The book was published in 1998, so it's dated. The author is entirely contrarian and makes some interesting points about such things as HIV and AIDS never having been proved to be connected, how big pharma invents maladies for which it can sell us expensive drugs, how horoscopes calculated by scientists m
...more
WOW, is this conspiracy or controversy?
Ozone hole is not an issue (it's all about money!).
HIV does not cause AIDS (it's all about money!).
Global warming is not an issue (it's all about money!).
Every psychologist should study astrology and horoscopes (not about money).
Trans fats are OK (don't remember what about that was).
Could they have been aliens (no idea)?
And this is what a person who got Nobel thinks? Could it be he is wrong in the other fields apart from PCR?
What else ..
Kind of *enterta ...more
Ozone hole is not an issue (it's all about money!).
HIV does not cause AIDS (it's all about money!).
Global warming is not an issue (it's all about money!).
Every psychologist should study astrology and horoscopes (not about money).
Trans fats are OK (don't remember what about that was).
Could they have been aliens (no idea)?
And this is what a person who got Nobel thinks? Could it be he is wrong in the other fields apart from PCR?
What else ..
Kind of *enterta ...more
Kary Mullis is to me a shaamanistic psychedelic reincarnation of Einstein. In his book he indulges you to understand the inner working of a wide spectrum of sciences. He knows as much about history and political systems, and even astrology. It is clear to me why the space aliens had to kidnap him to find out how he knew all this! It is a thoroughly entertaining and one of the 10 best books I have read out of the thousands I've read.
...more
Funny, hilarious and thought provoking...I don't believe I will ever trust anything touted as fact again. I completely enjoyed his alternative thought process, he has a creative mind. It's a pleasure to look inside and still see a child, with a Nobel prize in under one arm and a surf board under the other....Can't wait to see what he'll invent next :)
...more
Feb 17, 2016
Bethany Sharon Moore
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
shelfari-favorites
This is the fabulous autobiography of Kary Mullis, winner of the Nobel prize in Chemistry for his development of the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique for amplifying DNA. It is HILARIOUS!!! Mullis may be a scientist and a brilliant man, but he certainly is a down-to-earth, funny human being in this book.
Genius/madman/party animal. I know this guy. Fascinating journey into the mind of a real mad scientist.
A book which to me describes what it means to be an independent thinker, whether right or wrong.
a personal hero
This book makes "Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman" all the more impressive. It's hard being witty, candid, and smart without coming off as self-aggrandizing.
...more
An interesting book
By someone who mostly comes across as a pompous blowhard. Smug and self satisfied and full of his own opinions. Sure he got the Nobel prize for successful ways of tinkering with DNA. Which he keeps reminding us of over and over. But this doesn’t make him an expert at everything else. Which he seems to think he is. He brags repeatedly about his surfing, his sexual successes and his drug use since this 'obviously' makes him a colorful, unconventional, interesting and fun loving ...more
By someone who mostly comes across as a pompous blowhard. Smug and self satisfied and full of his own opinions. Sure he got the Nobel prize for successful ways of tinkering with DNA. Which he keeps reminding us of over and over. But this doesn’t make him an expert at everything else. Which he seems to think he is. He brags repeatedly about his surfing, his sexual successes and his drug use since this 'obviously' makes him a colorful, unconventional, interesting and fun loving ...more
an interesting dude who would probably score very high (off the charts!) in Openness to Experience-- as a consequence, highly creative, also highly kooky.
Some quotes:
* "there is a general place in your brain, I think, reserved for Melancholy of relationships past. It grows and prospers as life progresses, forcing you finally, against your better judgement, to listen to country music. " (13)
*
"They didn't know me, and they were asking everyone who came out of the water if you was Kary Mullis. A ...more
Some quotes:
* "there is a general place in your brain, I think, reserved for Melancholy of relationships past. It grows and prospers as life progresses, forcing you finally, against your better judgement, to listen to country music. " (13)
*
"They didn't know me, and they were asking everyone who came out of the water if you was Kary Mullis. A ...more
Kary Mullis is a chemist who, in 1983, invented Polimerase Chain Reaction, something that would revolutionize DNA analysis in terms of increased speed. He won the 1993 Nobel prize for that. He also is a controversial scientist who claims possible alien encounters and telepathy, denies global warming as an effect of human intervention, is skeptic about HIV causing AIDS and generally believes that most scientists are inventing reasons to get funded rather than doing anything scientific. He also ad
...more
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