Precisely — I couldn't make complicated business decisions, or tease out the societal implications of a series of historical events, or deeply understand literature (as much as I want to!). I don't have the right type of mind, or the training for it. But people are still people, and prone to the problems and evils…

I fully agree — that belief is equally disturbing. I can only speak for myself here, but I'm sure as hell not smarter (or purer, or anything) than anyone else. I'm just a particular breed of nerd.

I don't actually drink that much. I'm really only talking about a cup a day or so, but dammit, I really need that cup.

1) I know. :P

Didn't say I wasn't evil ;)

Most scientists aren't like that, thanks.

Granted. I am agreed that people should blindly trust no one. If we could get the world to that point, I would be a happy person. It would mean a scientifically literate population that understands the nature of the scientific process, and what results and statistics actually mean.

I'm not waiting for my coffee. I'm not functional until I have my caffeine.

We as a people inherently trust science and that means we believe scientists. If you really want to do evil, your best bet is to look like someone we all trust. You'll have us eating out of your hands in no time.

Oh Kinja. So very maddening.

Oh weird, I hadn't even noticed that. o.O

I still actually use my grad school email address this way. I still have collaborators using that address.

I haven't used mine to get a discount, but I'm routinely mistaken for a student at the food joints on-campus. The lady will be all confused why it didn't go through, and I have to tell her not to run it as a student charge. They don't even look first.

Agreed. I got a proper student ID for the semester before grad school where I was a "non-degree student" taking catch-up classes.

On behalf of adjuncts and Visiting Assistant Professors(me!) everywhere, I thank you for thinking about the temps.

College bookstores don't give us that option very often. Let me tell you that I wanted the third edition of Griffiths' Electrodynamics book (I already had a well-marked copy from my own undergraduate days), but the bookstore pushed the brand-new 4th edition on me. That doesn't make me dishonest.

6 figures? Only in my dreams.

I have friends that do that. I'm too freaked out to show up to work in anything more than one of my wigs.

The only thing that stays consistent is the IN.

I'll have to try that. I was using the hot setting, but keeping it far-ish away from the wig and moving very fast so there was never any concentrated heat in one place. I've been lucky enough not to have to curl wigs yet...mostly just taking the curls out.