[Rdap] Scientists Anonymous

[Joe Hourcle]

I think the presentations from the lightning talks have been posted yet (the others are slowly trickling in at http://www.slideshare.net/asist_org/tag/rdap12 ), but I promised to send to the list the text in the slides ... and the background explanation, so I don't have to repeat myself.

-Joe


Begin forwarded message:

> From: Joe Hourcle <oneiros at grace.nascom.nasa.gov>
> Date: December 8, 2011 9:42:19 AM EST
> To: earth-space-science-informatics at lists.nasa.gov
> Subject: Scientists Anonymous
> 
> 
> 
> For those people who asked about the list I had posted yesterday on the message board (sorry, no xkcd yesterday, I'll put one up today), it started after one too many talks last year with the effective topic of 'I have a lot of data, and it's hard to deal with', and in my snarkiness, I asked one of the other audience members why we we still saw the need for those talks, as hadn't we moved on yet?  And then I realized, it was a therapy session -- they're getting it off their chest.  But they still have a long way to go:
> 
> (this is slightly different, as I seem to tweak it each time)
> 
> Scientists Anonymous
> The 12 Steps of Science Informatics
> 
> 1.	We admitted we were powerless over our data—that our science had become unmanageable.
> 2.	Came to believe that a Power greater than our science discipline could restore us to sanity.
> 3.	Made a decision to turn our will and our data over to the care of non-physicists.
> 4.	Made a searching and fearless inventory of our data.
> 5.	Admitted to data-modelers, to ourselves, and to another scientist the exact nature of our data. (including assumptions, and possible sources of bias)
> 6.	Were entirely ready to have non-physicists remove all these defects of our data systems.
> 7.	Humbly asked non-physicist programmers to remove our data system’s shortcomings.
> 8.	Made a list of all researchers we had harmed (by our data management practices), and became willing to make amends to them all.
> 9.	Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
> 10.	Continued to take personal inventory of our data and when it had sources of error, promptly documented it.
> 11.	Sought through mailing lists and conferences to improve our conscious contact with the informatics community, praying only for knowledge of better data practices and the power (and funding) to carry that out.
> 12.	Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to scientists, and to practice these principles in all our affairs
> 
> 
> (and yes, this is related to the xkcd that I had up there Tuesday : http://xkcd.com/793/ )
> 
> -Joe