Like a pot
"But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as it seemed best to him."
Jeremiah 18:4
It's finally coming together. My data analysis is taking shape, and gosh darn, does this feel good. Andrew and I met last week to discuss my progress on the data, and we ended up deciding exactly which results to report. I am ready to start writing the long-awaited and ever-important Draft 1.
In some ways, it feels like it's taken a long time to get to this point, but really, I know the analysis went at lightning speed. Probably the most important thing I've learned from Andrew so far is the value of graphing the raw data and examining it for interesting patterns, rather than just charging ahead with some complicated analysis that will leave you confused. Andrew's also shown me how to brainstorm a number of interesting tangents, pursue each, but only focus on the ones that pan out. Not every idea I have will be useful, but it's very important to generate those ideas in the first place.
I've spent a good deal of time just playing around with various statistical tests, and only about half of what I did will end up getting reported in my draft. Some things worked; some didn't. I feel almost as if I've been forming a pot out of clay, adding complicated decorations and intricate shapes, then smoothing it out again as only the essential elements are retained. In the end, the pot takes on a simple but elegant shape.
I've understood the value of simple, elegant science for a while. In fact, my all-time favorite scientific theory, General Relativity, is my favorite because it can be summarized in one sentence: The speed of light is a constant in all situations. This simple statement has in turn profound implications for our understanding of the universe. I'm convinced that any scientific theory that holds water must be similarly summarizable or at least able to be explained in plain language. As Einstein himself asserted, "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough."
This week is going to be a critical one for me, as I shape my pot into a manuscript draft and explain everything as simply as possible.
Jeremiah 18:4
It's finally coming together. My data analysis is taking shape, and gosh darn, does this feel good. Andrew and I met last week to discuss my progress on the data, and we ended up deciding exactly which results to report. I am ready to start writing the long-awaited and ever-important Draft 1.
In some ways, it feels like it's taken a long time to get to this point, but really, I know the analysis went at lightning speed. Probably the most important thing I've learned from Andrew so far is the value of graphing the raw data and examining it for interesting patterns, rather than just charging ahead with some complicated analysis that will leave you confused. Andrew's also shown me how to brainstorm a number of interesting tangents, pursue each, but only focus on the ones that pan out. Not every idea I have will be useful, but it's very important to generate those ideas in the first place.
I've spent a good deal of time just playing around with various statistical tests, and only about half of what I did will end up getting reported in my draft. Some things worked; some didn't. I feel almost as if I've been forming a pot out of clay, adding complicated decorations and intricate shapes, then smoothing it out again as only the essential elements are retained. In the end, the pot takes on a simple but elegant shape.
I've understood the value of simple, elegant science for a while. In fact, my all-time favorite scientific theory, General Relativity, is my favorite because it can be summarized in one sentence: The speed of light is a constant in all situations. This simple statement has in turn profound implications for our understanding of the universe. I'm convinced that any scientific theory that holds water must be similarly summarizable or at least able to be explained in plain language. As Einstein himself asserted, "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough."
This week is going to be a critical one for me, as I shape my pot into a manuscript draft and explain everything as simply as possible.
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