Who's impacted your life the most, given you the best guidance?

[Scout]

My dad has been the one who helped me see my strengths and never made me feel that being female was a weakness or a disadvantage, although I was born in the '50s. He didn't coddle me, but expected me to be strong and capable and independent. He gave me the gift of believing in me.

[Nik]

Want to support this theme, but in my own context can't put my finger on anyone specific to be the one - rather quite many people contributed some

[[deleted user]]

Without question, my mum and dad, although I couldn't put one above the other. My Mrs is third because I haven't known her as long.

In terms of other people, there's been a definite correlation - the fewer academic qualifications they have, the better the advice they've given me.

[Ian]

What a fascinating question. I had to think a bit on this, and I am going to leave out parents because they are too obvious. That leaves me with two:

(a) My PhD supervisor, largely because he was no help at all, and most of the time he was not there. (He managed to drag a sabbatical out into a 2-year search for better income in Nth America, and he was fairly useless in the first year.) I even had to find my own project.

(b) My first longish-term girlfriend. It was through her that I took up writing, and as a consequence, here I am on this thread :-)

[Scout]

So, what was the impact the absent supervisor had on you? Are you still in touch with that girlfriend?

[Leonie]

Hmmmm.

Parents who were incredibly supportive, and never put stumbling blocks in the way.

A youth group leader who was big on learning to think.

My husband. 30 years and counting. :)

[Ian]

Scout wrote: "So, what was the impact the absent supervisor had on you? Are you still in touch with that girlfriend?"

First, I suppose I should apologize for leaving out Claire, my wife. That was partly because she supported me and we had a great marriage, but the other two events changed me.

As for Barbara, the girlfriend, the two of us were part of a small group of students, and now I have only slight contact with any of them, but I did contact one yesterday and found out that of the 6 of us, one is in care, one has advanced Parkinsons, and Barbara seems to have dementia. That is an ugly statistic. The other three, including me, seem to be OK so far.

The supervisor was a story in itself. He gave me a project at the beginning of December, and the day before I went back to parents for Christmas I gave him the answer - in the latest copy of J Amer. Chem. Soc. He told me to come back after Christmas, when he gave me two to choose from, then he went off on summer holiday. One was to measure the rates of a group of reactions. According to one paper, the rate was zero - no reaction. Oops. The other was a nightmare - boiling up 3 kg of phenanthrene with 600 g of a diazo compound I would have to make (and it is a high explosive) to get 25 g of stuff out of the rest of the tar (probably carcinogenic). And I would need at least 300 g to get anywhere. So when the Head of Department saw me, he suggested I find my own project. I think this was to shut me up until my supervisor got back, but instead I worked out how to contribute to a major debate going on at the time. I wanted to join the big league. Nobody was very enthused about this, but my supervisor, when he got back, couldn't really do much about it.

Unfortunately, the first year or so was spent making the materials to to the experiments on. This did not go down smoothly, and I had to mainly fall back on my default 13 step synthesis. I did get one quick method to work, and ordered some starting materials from the US, but they only turned up the day I left NZ, thesis finished. For some reason, some shipping guy sent them to Bangkok, where they resided in a shed for 3 years and went off in the heat (they were styrenes, prone to polymerise).

Anyway, I eventually had my materials ready, did the measurements, and then ran into a problem - the key one was unreliable because in the reaction, this one key chemical did something else. Supervisor came back, gave a suggestion about making measurements on a series of precursors in a new way. I wasn't happy with his advice that it would pad out the thesis, but things had not gone well, so I padded. Except something strange happened. This was suerficially a minor variation on something that had already been done and was inconclusive. However, this variation amplified the effect, and I had the answers I had hoped for.

However, after I finished my thesis, the quantum calculators came out with a series of calculations that "proved" the opposite, and the scientific community "fell in behind". My supervisor never published the string of results that showed the opposite because he was not the sort of person to take on the big boys, and I don't think he understood. I later published a series of papers that showed the opposite, but nobody took any notice, and when I tried to publish a review, much later, that showed over 60 different types of result that falsified what you now see in the text books, I was told more than once, "This journal does not publish logic analyses".

So that is some of what has made me the sort of person I am now.

[[deleted user]]

Fascinating story, Ian. Many people would’ve been crushed by this but you are clearly made of stronger stuff.

Over the years, I’ve come across quite a few scientists. Many are uncomfortable discussing subjects outside their own specialism and prone to temper tantrums when challenged about anything. You are most certainly not in this category. You are an original thinker. You’re someone to listen to on science, history, politics, economics and so much more. You're just wrong on your response to coronavirus, that's all ;)

As I've said to you before, if Galileo or Newton had been around today, in this era obsessed by peer review, they'd have been dismissed and no-platformed.

Respect to you.

[Ian]

Beau, actually, Galileo self-published, and was severely dissed by the Church :-)

However, I agree with your statement about peer review. Some of my experiences, when I got old enough not to be so concerned (and recall, I was private, self-employed, and not dependent on publications - living by one's wits gives new insight to being at wits end!):

I am an advocate of there being a physical wave in quantum mechanics, as with the pilot wave, but there are two major differences. So when I tried to publish, my first sentence was something like "This is a variation on the pilot wave" and it was rejected - reason - "This is not the pilot wave". True - I said so, but so what?

In a paper where I tried to show that the so-called violations of Bell's Inequality, and hence assertions of magic non-locality were wrong because of a logic mistake, this was rejected because "The maths are trivial". Not wrong, note!

I wrote a series of papers on establishing structures of seaweed polysaccharides. There was one person whom I rejected a paper becaus eiit was wrong, and I told him what was right, thus identifying myself as a reviewer by quoting one of my own papers. He became editor of the journal and told me to stop submitting papers with too many maths! Get in behind. Do it the hard way. As it happened, I accepted the invitation to stop submitting because I had been reporting the results of a government contract, which had then just expired. No pay, no work.

I submitted a series of papers on planetary formation. The standard theory starts with gravity on asteroid-sized bodies, but after 70 years, nobody has a clue how to get them from dust. My alternative mechanism started with the chemistry of the dust, and I restricted myself to using the monarchic growth model because the chemistry only works in narrow zones. I showed you get the planets of our solar system ikin more or less the right places, and offered a differential equation for growth. It was rejected because I did not do a computer simulation with all the oligarchs. Apparently the "peers" could not accept that "monarchic" meant one in a zone. (Mathematically, this occurs if one body can get 100 times bigger than anything else.) They also had no idea of chemistry, and could not accept there was no point in trying to solve the differential equation unless you knew the values of the physical properties of the fluid.

So, overall I agree completely with you regarding peer review of papers outside the standard paradigm.

[Nik]

Don't know how much consolation this provides, but at least here we acknowledge your Senator's status and can maybe offer a chief scientific expert ad honorem position :)
And who knows - maybe in a century or two, your scientific legacy will be "discovered".
Sounds like science may also require politics for recognition

[Ian]

Nik wrote: "Don't know how much consolation this provides, but at least here we acknowledge your Senator's status and can maybe offer a chief scientific expert ad honorem position :)
And who knows - maybe in a..."

Ha! So much honour, maybe I can ask for a shade more. I shall give clues in a section more suitable for a new book - and fear not, apart from a few minutes of your time, nothing more :-)

[Nathan]

As far as writing goes, it’s comedian Richard Lewis.
Ran into him at a record store one day and ended up talking to him for a long while. He was the first person to tell me if I wrote what I know and added my own experiences to the work then I’d be authentic. Best creative advice I’ve ever received.
PS. Great guy with great taste in music and gave me front row seats to his next show for free. Definitely forever grateful to him for how gracious and cool he was to a nobody in a record store.

[[deleted user]]

Ian, from what I can understand of it, your work sounds very interesting and impressive. Thanks for the history lesson on Galileo too. As your work is on record, you just never know, Miller's Law might become the universally accepted wisdom in the future.

Nik, you're too late. He's already declared for the Chinese on the coronavirus thread.

Nathan, this story sounds very interesting too. Out of curiosity, what is Richard Lewis's taste in music?

[Nathan]

Beau wrote: "Ian, from what I can understand of it, your work sounds very interesting and impressive. Thanks for the history lesson on Galileo too. As your work is on record, you just never know, Miller's Law m..."

Beau...Richard Lewis that day must've been in a classic rock/blues/jazz phase. From what I remember, he was trying to decide between records by the Rolling Stones, Lynard Skynard, Van Morrison, & Miles Davis.

[[deleted user]]

Nathan wrote: "Beau wrote: "Ian, from what I can understand of it, your work sounds very interesting and impressive. Thanks for the history lesson on Galileo too. As your work is on record, you just never know, M..."

Sounds like a tough choice, Nathan. Some amazing artists. I own records or CDs by all of them.

I notice you've done stand-up comedy. You've certainly got some bottle. It's always struck me as the toughest performance art. Did Richard Lewis influence you with that too?

[Nik]

Nathan wrote: "....Beau...Richard Lewis that day must've been in a classic rock/blues/jazz phase. From what I remember, he was trying to decide between records by the Rolling Stones, Lynard Skynard, Van Morrison, & Miles Davis...."

Another mystery is solved!
Now it's only a secret recipe of Coca Cola, a black hole and Boris's shampoo

[Ian]

The not-so-secret important ingredient of the original Coca Cola was cocaine. Now it is NOT the "real thing" :-)

[Nathan]

Beau wrote: "Nathan wrote: "Beau wrote: "Ian, from what I can understand of it, your work sounds very interesting and impressive. Thanks for the history lesson on Galileo too. As your work is on record, you jus..."

Great artists. Definitely must haves for any music fan. I probably listen to "Kind of Blue" by Miles Davis at least once a week.

Yeah I did stand-up for about 6 years, but the COVID pandemic brought all that to a grinding halt. It is very difficult, but very rewarding to see instant responses for something you wrote. You definitely learn a lot about people from being in front of them every night. I'd say Richard Lewis didn't so much influence my style as much as he influenced my approach to writing and "finding my clown" as they say.

[Scout]

Very interesting stories, and I have to go along with Richard Lewis's taste in music, also. I have read somewhere that Coca-Cola originally contained cocaine, so definitely now not the real thing :-)

[[deleted user]]

Nathan wrote: "I probably listen to "Kind of Blue" by Miles Davis at least once a week..."

That is a very good album. The one I have listened to most recently is Porgy and Bess. I'm getting into jazz more as I get older. A friend has recommended Sketches of Spain, so I'll probably buy that soon. I like what I've heard of John Coltrane too, as well as some of the earlier French jazz.

Traditionally, my favourites genres have been British guitar-based bands, electronic music and classical, but I like to try a broad range of things. The only genres I can't get into are rap and post c.1990 heavy metal. Metal used to have a melody but the more modern stuff just doesn't do it for me.

[Scout]

I love music, but I can't get into rap or heavy metal either. And I know I should like opera, have tried to like it, but I just can't. Why is it that we love some kinds of music and can't stand others? Does it compare to loving some foods and disliking others? We're just born that way?

[[deleted user]]

What genres or artists do you particularly like, Scout?

I think we're born to like certain types of things but tastes also evolve.

I like opera without knowing too much about it. I've got one or two CDs and have been to see an opera once. It was a bit different to what I'd expected. There was a broad range of people there and the tickets cost less than a Premier League football match - surprising considering it's got the reputation as being an exclusive form of entertainment.

[Lizzie]

In a negative way, my biological mother had the most affect on my life. In a positive way, and in understanding true sacrifice for one's children, my father had an equal affect as a polar opposite to my mother.

In regards to other people, as a teenager my sister and I were very close to a woman down the street who was about 10 years older, had small children and liked our company. She was old enough and worldly enough yet also young enough to understand our frustration in being stuck with a very controlling, fundamentally religious stepmother with more rules than anyone could keep track of. She gave us alternatives and probably kept us both from going off the deep end and helped us be a little better prepared for the real world. She died of cancer many years ago.

The other influence was a teacher when I was 12, in 7th grade. We had just spent 3 years in "Christian" schools where students did not question anything. This teacher was the complete opposite. He wanted us to question. He wanted us to have opinions. He wanted us to support our opinions with argument and debate. He taught me to think and to express myself.

[Scout]

That's what great teachers do. If you can contact him, please do. Teachers love to know the positive influence they've had on students.

[Scout]

Beau, I especially like blues and classic rock. I've given this some thought, and the rhythm of classic blues, say Muddy Waters, T-Bone Walker, B B King, Allman Brothers, actually seems to slow my heartbeat in time with the music. Very relaxing.

[[deleted user]]

Scout wrote: "Beau, I especially like blues and classic rock. I've given this some thought, and the rhythm of classic blues, say Muddy Waters, T-Bone Walker, B B King, Allman Brothers, actually seems to slow my ..."

I've listened to (and enjoyed) Muddy Waters and BB King but not, as far as I'm aware, the other two. I need to put that right.

For the first time in a long time, I put on some John Lee Hooker the other night and really enjoyed it. I find classical music relaxing and good for the soul too. Some electronic music, particularly Tangerine Dream, has an almost classical feel. I recommend it as an alternative if you can't get into classical.

[Ian]

Somehow, this thread has degenerated into musical appreciation, sop, in my case, mainly classical. I also play the piano (not very well, I might add) and here I play my own music mainly. Partly because nobody else will :-)

[[deleted user]]

Ian, you are a man of multiple talents. You remind me of a scientist I used to work with who was equally gifted beyond just science. Superb man and (to follow the thread) an inspiration.

I love classical music too and am always happy to chat about it. I sometimes regret not learning to play an instrument.

Elsewhere on goodreads, rumour has it you might be joining the British Army's efforts to combat vaccine misinformation ;)

[Ian]

Quite a few of my scientific acquaintances play some instrument, but then again, so do quite a lot of other folks. We van never play anywhere near as well as the genuine experts, but we can use it to express emotion, and amuse ourselves.

[Lizzie]

Scout wrote: "That's what great teachers do. If you can contact him, please do. Teachers love to know the positive influence they've had on students."

Scout, we are FB "friends". I have told him. He is now retired and still lives in the area I grew up in and went to school. Many of his students are part of his FB.

[Scout]

Cool!

[Papaphilly]

This one is easy for me. My wife. Without her I am nothing and I am not kidding. When she found me, I was barely employed, without an education, and beginning to work on a drinking problem. Yet, she saw something and helped me build myself into who I am today.

When I was finishing up my Master's, I found out that a "friend" was busting her chops about I was young, good looking, and now had great prospects with the education. Did she feel like a stooge for supporting me now that I was going to find someone younger. It did not make her fell too good to say the least. When I found out, I had a very terse conversation that went along the lines of if he ever opened his mouth again like that, he would need both a dentist and a proctologist to find his teeth for the dentist.

I now say what I told her later that day.

When I had nothing and no one wanted me, you did. Now I am something and have things, why would I want anyone else?

I consider myself a very lucky man.

[Nik]

Glad to hear you have such a mutually supportive union and a spouse that helped you resurrect and leap forward. You are a lucky man indeed!

[Scout]

Ditto on that one. Lucky man. And nice threat :-)