Re: Eric Gisse take heed: .... Re: grants

On Jul 24, 6:17 am, "Tom Potter" <t...@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
"Eric Gisse" <jowr...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in messagenews:2bb04eca-62b2-47a1-8b35-c430a45a8f5b@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

On Jul 23, 4:52 am, "Tom Potter" <t...@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:



"Benj" <bjac...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in messagenews:0e219653-ea43-4559-a0b8-7139a2a148fb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On Jul 20, 9:14 am, Eric Gisse <jowr...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Jul 19, 3:18 pm, "Androcles" <Headmas...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

John Parker, B.A., M.Sc., Ph.D. (Androcles, and titles mean nothing
except to find work!)

Maybe if they were real they would mean something.

Mean the most when they are real and you make a living building rustic
furniture or throwing utilitarian pottery.
A Ph.D. in biochemistry will definitely give such a business a touch
of "class"!

However, if a person is determined to somehow get a grant, I would
suggest to Bob (and Eric) that a "review of the literature" is likely
the most laughably time-wasting thing to do. Instead one has to show
some real intelligence and ability and use that time to make a list of
every high official you know even remotely acquainted with any
position of authority with regard to "grants" and then use that list
to plant your nose firmly in the ass of each one. Then, possibly, you
might get some small grant. Since a "grant" implies tax money, which
equals "free money" the actual topic of your "study" is of no
importance.

"Benj" is absolutely right when he states:

If you want to receive taxpayer money use your
"time to make a list of every high official you know
even remotely acquainted with any position of authority
with regard to "grants" and then use that list
to plant your nose firmly in the ass of each one."

As I have suggested for years,
if a society needs advances in an area,
and the free market is not providing results,

a reward should be set up,
starting at some low dollar amount, and escalating
with time if a solution is not forthcoming.

-What's the solution to basic research?

Basic research
---------------
"The human endeavor to better understand phenomenon in the world we live in.
It is research that is not 'tainted' by some commercial or utilitarian purpose or imperative,
as opposed to "applied' research."

As I used to tell my kids, my students, and my employees,
"Don't open too many cans of worms."

Basic research is the process of opening cans of worms.

First, if you have plenty problems to solve
that involve health, education, the acquisition and
efficient use of energy, the environment,
food production, control of violence, etc,

and there are many worms like DNA crawling around
to do 'applied' research' on,
then there is no reason to open any more cans of worms.

I suggest that the government should set up measurements
on how many worms are active in society,
and when there aren't enough worms for the society
to inspect, that the government should give out annual awards,
to the top ten people who generate the most worms.

Perhaps a good measure of the need for more worms,
and the measure of worms generated  
could be something like Google Trends.

What is NOT needed is to allow a small set of inbred
Gurus on the taxpayer dole, to set the standard for
what the taxpayer money is spent on in the pursuit
of who knows what.

--
Tom Potter

http://www.geocities.com/tdp1001/index.htmlhttp://notsocrazyideas.blogspot.comhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/tom-potter/http://tdp1001.wiki.zoho.comhttp://groups.msn.com/PotterPhotoshttp://www.androcles01.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/dingleberry.htm

How does your argument change when you replace "general relativity"
with "evolution", "stem cells", "condensed matter", or "hydrology"?
Hint: It doesn't. That's why it is stupid.
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Eric Gisse take heed: .... Re: grants
    ... furniture or throwing utilitarian pottery. ... position of authority with regard to "grants" and then use that list ... -What's the solution to basic research? ... Basic research is the process of opening cans of worms. ...
    (sci.physics)
  • Re: Eric Gisse take heed: .... Re: grants
    ... furniture or throwing utilitarian pottery. ... with regard to "grants" and then use that list ... then there is no reason to open any more cans of worms. ... Eric Gisse makes a good point. ...
    (sci.physics)
  • Re: Eric Gisse take heed: .... Re: grants
    ... furniture or throwing utilitarian pottery. ... position of authority with regard to "grants" and then use that list ... then there is no reason to open any more cans of worms. ... Tom Potter ...
    (sci.physics)
  • Re: Eric Gisse take heed: .... Re: grants
    ... furniture or throwing utilitarian pottery. ... position of authority with regard to "grants" and then use that list ... then there is no reason to open any more cans of worms. ... Tom Potter ...
    (sci.physics)
  • Re: Eric Gisse take heed: .... Re: grants
    ... -What's the solution to basic research? ... Basic research is the process of opening cans of worms. ... Tom Potter ... Although General Relativity is crawling with "worms", ...
    (sci.physics)