Scientists, Science Fiction, and the people who love them both

I first got this question from the lovely Stephanie, and then again from the Borg: How does Science Fiction relate to you as a scientist?
I am a Sci-Fi lover. Well, Sci-Fi and fantasy. I am mostly a book person, but I also do DVDs (I do not own a working TV and haven’t for about two years now, it interferes with my internet time). Favorite Sci-Fi includes Firefly and Star Trek Next Gen, though I can also wax poetic on the subject of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (I suppose it doesn’t count as “real”, but it’s so great! Someday I’m going to edit Wikipedia to include the words “Don’t Panic” on the heading of every page). Dan Simmons is my personal hero for the deep stuff (I actually recommend “Ilium” over “Hyperion” for various reasons, which I can get in to if anyone really cares).
So when I saw the list of the questions, I knew I HAD to blog this.

InAdWriMo Updates

Yeah, this should have happened on Saturday, but I was, yet again, busy. Ideally, if I can get enough done over the next few days, I can take some time off during Thanksgiving, and Mr. SiT will not be having to bring me pie and coffee while I type and miss Thanksgiving dinner. This would make me very sad indeed.
Anyway:
Papers read: 21/20. Specific aim 1 for InAdWriMo complete. Conclusions: go me.
Paper Draft I: Complete except for the gorram bibliography. 10,000 words (ish).
Paper Draft II: Major stuff needed here, gotta add some thing three extra figures, including their legends, results, and putting the interpretations into the study. Also needs a bibliography.
Paper Draft III: ummm…I don’t think this will happen at this point.
And we’re back to work. The coffee is making my hands shake all funny…

Wouldn’t that dolphin look so much better in my fridge? The beauty is in the context

Think of a copper tea kettle (I’m cold, tea is warm…). When you think about it, where is it? It’s in a kitchen, right? Possibly on a stove. It’s definitely in a context where you would expect it to be. Now take that tea kettle, and put it in your mind somewhere like…a desert. Surrounded by sand and sky. Now you’re not thinking of tea anymore. But doesn’t the copper gleam a little better? It might be out of context, but the tea kettle looks really…pretty!
Ok, maybe you don’t follow that example. I happen to think copper tea kettles look really pretty either in or our of context (though a cool painting of a copper tea kettle in a desert would be a really neat thing to have on my wall). But the idea is the same no matter what example you use. And it’s one of the reasons I like this study. The other reason is equally awesome: how many neuroscience studies are based off the work of Rene Magritte?!

Rene Magritee, “Time Transfixed”, 1938.
Kirk, U. “The Neural Basis of Oject-Context Relationships on Aesthetic Judgement” PLoS ONE, 2008.