How to choose a good scientific problem

"Choosing good problems is essential for being a good scientist. But what is a good problem, and how do you choose one?"
This is the incipit of the abstract of a nice article of Uri Arlon of the Weizmann Institute of Science.

Here is the link:http://download.cell.com/molecular-cell/pdf/PIIS1097276509006418.pdf?intermediate=true

Enjoy!

A year has passed since I wrote my note

And, after citing this verse from a famous song of the Police, we can resume our blog.

I have finished reading the autobiography " Surely you´re joking, Mr. Feynmann!". It is really enjoyable, he really was a curious character.
But I would like to quote here a serious wish that he made at the end of the book:

"So I have just one wish for you-the good luck to be somewhere where you are free to maintain the integrity, and where you do not feel forced by a need to maintain your position in the organization, or financial support, or so on, to lose your integrity. May you have that freedom."

never plan something...

...if you are still in (or near) the lab.
But if you want to have a good excuse to escape a boring event in the evening, just say "today I'm leaving at 6.00PM". Be sure, something will come on the way, and you will have to call at 5:55, to apologize because you have to work...

Murphy´s law at the seaside

One of the advantages of working near the sea is that in summer, when there is shutdown, you can happily go to the beach in the late afternoon after work.
It is a week that my colleagues and I are planning this: at 5 pm we leave work and go to the beach (cool stuff, usually we get out from here at 8 pm). Our boss is in vacation somewhere.
It would be for me the first beach day of the season (note that it is the 18th of june)
Ok, at 5 I go to the toilet and put on my swim suite under the normal clothes, I go back to the office to turn off my computer...I am ready to leave ... I touch the mouse.....
RRRRINGGGGG!!! my skype sounds
It is the boss
"Do not answer!" the others yell
But I cannot. I am stupid. And I have to submit a paper in three days.
Ok, I am a stupid.
I answer.
We talk, and then he says: "I have an hour for you, I will call you back in one hour and a half"
And here I am waiting for him (the others are already at the seaside)
I am stupid
Next time I will submit papers in autumn or in winter

prosciutto prosciutto

This link was suggested by a colleague: it's a perfect example of useless - but funny - science:

http://www.popsci.com/bacon

please note, that prosciutto is NOT a better engineered (?), more expensive type of bacon (OK, a scientist is not supposed to be a connoisseur, but hey, at least this!) ...it's HAM!

The big bang theory

Here is a link to a sit-com about scientists..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFS1F-3XVtk

The worst thing is that I can really understand the way the main characters think and feel....maybe I really have to worry...

where is the black hole?

We were waiting eagerly for the black hole generated by LHC. What a disappointment...
So, to cheer us up, we watched at the videos of the real LHC group:
http://www.cernettes.com/

My favourite is the "collider" song, even if also "liquid nitrogen"...