On being dull

In case you missed it, Web of Stories has just uploaded a load of videos of one of the most notorious of all Nobel Prize winners, Jim Watson.

In this video (there’s also a transcript), Watson talks about The Double Helix and how he wanted it to be a classic; which he tried to achieve by saying things like ‘scientists are dull.’

You know, you can’t be filled with doubts when you might be eaten by a crocodile the next day.

Speak for yourself, Jimbo.

There’s an amusing bit about Cambridge being beautiful but hung up on honoring people who are still alive, and how Oxford just gets on with it:

I’m much more at ease in Oxford which doesn’t identify me, doesn’t have to honor me and, trouble is, Oxford’s not quite as beautiful.

Go take a look. Fascinating stuff.

About rpg

Scientist, poet, gadfly
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2 Responses to On being dull

  1. Payal Joshi says:

    ‘dull’ is the word. It is amazing that the flow of the speech was interrupted with ‘eh’, ‘ah’, etc. However, nice collection of videos, but I do not feel like watching any other after this one you posted here.

  2. Richard P. Grant says:

    I’m sure your speech is an exemplar to us all.

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