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A short poem by Luis Borges on the Rigor in Science inspires me and encapsulates my lab’s philosophy (whcih I first encountered in the preamble to Rob Philips, Julie Theriot and Jane Kondev’s excellent book on “Physical Biology of the Cell”).

(spanish original)

Del rigor en la ciencia

En aquel Imperio, el Arte de la Cartografía logró tal Perfección que el Mapa de una sola Provincia ocupaba toda una Ciudad, y el Mapa del Imperio, toda una Provincia. Con el tiempo, estos Mapas Desmesurados no satisficieron y los Colegios de Cartógrafos levantaron un Mapa del Imperio, que tenía el Tamaño del Imperio y coincidía puntualmente con él. Menos Adictas al Estudio de la Cartografía, las Generaciones Siguientes entendieron que ese dilatado Mapa era Inútil y no sin Impiedad lo entregaron a las Inclemencias del Sol y los Inviernos. En los Desiertos del Oeste perduran despedazadas Ruinas del Mapa, habitadas por Animales y por Mendigos; en todo el País no hay otra reliquia de las Disciplinas Geográficas.

Suárez Miranda: Viajes de varones prudentes
Libro Cuarto, cap. XLV, Lérida, 1658

(Google-translated)

Rigor in science

In that Empire, the Art of Cartography attained such Perfection that the map of a single Province occupied an entire City, and the Map of the Empire, an entire Province. Over time, those Unconscionable Maps no longer satisfied, and the Cartographers Guilds struck a Map of the Empire whose size was that of the Empire and coincided with it. Less Addicted to the Study of Cartography, the Following Generations understood that that vast Map was Useless, and not without Impiety they surrendered to Inclement Sun and Winters. In the Deserts of the West remain Tattered Ruins of that Map, inhabited by Animals and Beggars; throughout the country no other Relic of the Disciplines of Geography.

Suárez Miranda: Travel wise men
Book IV, chap. XLV, Lerida, 1658

  • Number plates that mean something “Live Free or Die:UNIX” (New Hampshire did the first part)
  • One of the coolest living scientists Andre Geim and his talk- Random Walk to Graphene
  • Dilbertian RNGs
The problem with random number generators (RNGs)
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