Re: Sound bite science

[brian whatcott <inet@INTELLISYS.NET>]

At 21:27 12/9/98 -0600, you wrote:
> I've just agreed to be The Science Guy on one of our local tv stations,
> with a 3-minute (!) gig every week. Science for the citizen, that sort of
> thing.  Now I know that three minutes doesn't sound like much to you, but a
> year is 52 of those things, which sounds like a lot to me, so I'm looking
> for a source of regular ideas.
>
> Where should I spend time schmoozing?  I'm looking for your best ideas in
> books, web sites, newsgroups, mailing lists, whatever.

> Richard C. Smith

I say that Richard has the opportunity to convey more science than many
faculty will be able to in an academic lifetime. The TV channel is so
important it is almost certain that there will be efforts to subvert him.
 The most obtrusive will be the earnest TV insiders who will beg him to
dumb it down.
 Here's how he can avoid this emasculation.

1) Take an Air Mail subscription to New Scientist and mention at least one
topic he garners there. This is incomparably the best weekly for his purpose.

2) Let him browse the 'Amateur Scientist' column from Scientific American
from its heyday years.  This was a national treasure and a means of
conveying a love of science so potent that the current crop of Amateur
Scientists still revere the material. Stong Be Praised!

 It would do no harm to make contact with endemic individuals of this
endangered breed for the contageous enthusiasm they can infect us with.

3) There are teachers too who nucleate the scientific spirit.
They know who they are. A word from them on occasion could do no harm.


I wish him well. The country needs this effort more than he needs
to make it!


brian whatcott <inet@intellisys.net>
Altus OK