tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post4352466287609993908..comments2024-03-27T03:19:11.216-04:00Comments on Assistant Village Idiot: Abusing the PastAssistant Village Idiothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01978011985085795099noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-44619994211759744782021-03-14T17:47:42.090-04:002021-03-14T17:47:42.090-04:00Same here. It used to be so easy to say, "I ...Same here. It used to be so easy to say, "I think I recall that So-and-So once said . . ." until I realized it was trivially easy to use a search-engine to run it down. It's embarrassing how often I find he never said any such thing, though one wishes he had.<br /><br />About being misled by one's comfortable peers: Nobel Prizes go to people who advanced through several stages first. In the beginning they are innocent of the whole field. They put some hard work into catching up with the general view of the best work of their predecessors, then they move on to doing original research, maybe testing a few areas around the edges that are considered mostly understood, but with a few holes. If they're lucky, they have the moment that is traditionally (but perhaps apocryphally?) attributed to Isaac Asimov: the most exciting moments in science are heralded not by the cry of "Eureka!" but by a muttered "Hey, that's funny . . . ." You have to know a lot before you know what really doesn't fit. Until then, it's just one of the many things you were ignorant about.Texan99https://www.blogger.com/profile/10479561573903660086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-39470974141898905402021-03-14T16:10:11.271-04:002021-03-14T16:10:11.271-04:00I got burned once when I misremembered a citation....I got burned once when I misremembered a citation. It has been too long, and it muddled together with something related and turned into something opposite the original's meaning. The upshot was not pleasant.<br /><br />Since then I've tried to go back and find the original.jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01792036361407527304noreply@blogger.com