joe69cool
Harmless
Posts: 14
Registered: 31-10-2005
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Mood: No Mood
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The twilight zone
This is not exactly a legal question but it sort of is, so if it's in the wrong forum, I'm sorry and please move it.
Question is this :How has pursuing so called "mad science" affected your life? I don't know what the life of other madscientists is like, but as for
me, mad science (even before I came to this forum) has turned my life upside down. After studying and understanding several synthesises for most
illicit drugs (never applied them, just wanted to understand them on paper), I moved on to studing Uranium and similar substances. Many things have
happened through the course of my studies, which essentially have isolated me from the rest of the world (from the general distrust of others stemming
from a fear that the powers that be are watching me because of my knowledge and are expecting me to use my knowledge for evil) Is this effect limited
to me, or are there others who have experienced this (surely there are)? I'm new to this mad science (1-4 years) and am wonder how others deal with
this? Sorry, this should probably be in whimsy, but since my fears are well justified given the fact that I live in the US post 9/11 and are a result
of current laws I thought here might work. Move as needed (sorry if I picked the wrong spot), i'm just going "mad" coping with all this madscience
stuff.
[Edited on 24-2-2006 by joe69cool]
[Edited on 24-2-2006 by joe69cool]
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Magpie
lab constructor
Posts: 5939
Registered: 1-11-2003
Location: USA
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Mood: Chemistry: the subtle science.
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Some recommendations:
1. Don't advertise or feed off any attention. Laugh at people's comments without encouraging them.
2. Lighten up; make madscience just another enjoyable part of your life.
3. Work on convincing people that you are just a "harmless geek."
4. Show that your interest in chemistry is a launching pad for your future highly lucrative career in science.
The single most important condition for a successful synthesis is good mixing - Nicodem
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treelike
Harmless
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Registered: 6-2-2006
Location: Scotland
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My madscientist days started very young and I used to give science demonstrations to friends and even at school which were generally well received.
Those were my interests and it was accepted, along with the other kids who had other interests.
Seems like when you become a teenager you're not allowed to have interests or risk ridicule. I became quite isolated, by choice, with no friends and
kept my interests to myself. With hindsight I rather wish I has risked ridicule.....
Well now I'm in my thirties with quite a few friends and still a mad interest in science which I persue in between other activities. And I don't try
to hide my interest anymore and don't care what people think. Turns out that people are sometimes even interested, if you don't go on about it for too
long.
I think openess is the key, and if you can explain the ultimate purpose behind the things you do, in a language that the average person will
understand then they will generally accept it.
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vulture
Forum Gatekeeper
Posts: 3330
Registered: 25-5-2002
Location: France
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The highschool playground is the perfect example why democracy works so well and why idiots in large groups have so much power.
Unless you succeed in building a doomsday machine, you'll have to live with it.
One shouldn't accept or resort to the mutilation of science to appease the mentally impaired.
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franklyn
International Hazard
Posts: 3026
Registered: 30-5-2006
Location: Da Big Apple
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Choice bits of wisdom
A little Knowledge is a dangerous thing,
so, go to school, get a little knowledge
and live dangerously.
Jesus died for your sins, so be sure to
sin, it's unconscionable to let his
sacrifice go to waste.
What's the meaning of life ? No,
what's on second, who's on first.
Ba-room boom ( clash of cymbal )
How do you make Brown Gas
eat lots of beans.
| Quote: | | Originally said by the KING . . Thank you, thank you very much |
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neutrino
International Hazard
Posts: 1583
Registered: 20-8-2004
Location: USA
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Mood: oscillating
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College
Despite what some pessimists would have you think, it’s not all for the worst.
Let me give you all a few words of wisdom about college admissions. I hope someone reading this will find these words helpful someday.
In the olden days, top colleges used to look for “well rounded” students. This means people who are reasonably good at science, math, the
humanities, and so forth. If you wanted to go to a top school, you needed to show skills in all the major areas.
Some years ago (5-10, I think) this went out of style. Colleges switched from looking for well rounded students to building a well-rounded student
body. They now look for the person who is likely to be good at literature, the computer genius, the natural born biologist, etc. To get into a top
college nowadays, you have to be very good at one thing and good enough in the rest.
If that one thing for you is chemistry, playing with chemicals…er…doing ‘experiments’ on your own and working them into your application shows
the college that you are passionate about chemistry. If the rest of your application is good enough (not necessarily excellent), they will say “This
is our chemist!” and let you in.
Take my example. When it came time for me to apply to some colleges, I had already started doing some ‘experiments’ at home. That gave me a hook.
I wowed my AP chemistry teacher constantly, so I had a good rec all lined up. Some chem Olympiad stuff, decent math scores and physics grades, and
<i>basic</i> competence in the humanities also helped.
Good SAT verbal scores, leadership in numerous clubs, a shining English rec (many places require one humanities and one science), straight As in
English courses, and community service? Hell no. Just math and science. None of that filler material crap. 
Comparing my stats to those of people who attended similar colleges, I see that I just barely made it into my college. But damn, I made it. That time
I gassed myself with chlorine really did help…
Note:
This shift in college admission policies happened in top US colleges. I’m not so sure about other countries or ‘lower’ US colleges.
Remember high schoolers, don’t blindly follow the advice of your guidance counselor just because he has the experience. My experienced counselor
always told me to take more humanities courses, being stuck in the old mindset. Luckily I never took that fourth year of my worthless foreign
language.
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The_Davster
A pnictogen
Posts: 2861
Registered: 18-11-2003
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Mood: .
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I also did something similar, I put the sentence "I have a basement chemistry lab"(and elaboration) into an application for a research scholarship,
helped me get a scholarship very rarely given to those in my position.
In highschool I was kind of well rounded, I did awesome in chem(of course ) much
above average in math and the other sciences, and better than I should have been in my history course(my final essay was utter crap, and I got a 90%
on it which I really did not deserve). English and languages were always my worst, in the low 70s % range. Was good enough to get into an honours
chemistry program at uni, so I am happy. I do wish I had learned more German, I took it for 3 years, and I remember very little, and now I realize
how usefull it is for chemistry.
Come university, chem was excelled at, math and physics got much much harder as did english. In material learned I scraped by, but thanks to the
curve I got very good letter grades in some(not english).
As I go further in chemistry the chaff is cut away leaving me with just chemistry courses...my GPA can only improve!
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