Things I wish I could say

[lls_mutant]

Why does scientific writing have to be so formal and boring? Wouldn't sentences like this:

The relationship between the reduction of NOx emissions and the amount of soy polyol used appears to be linear, which means tough shit if you want to use less to get the same effect.

be so much more interesting?????

Comments

[nassima.livejournal.com]

Yes, but then the scientist would have to find the appropriate unit and the propers equations for modelling the right amount of touch shit required.

And then we'd be back to the same old boring articles...

By the way, did you read The Endochronic Properties of Resublimated Thiotimoline by Isaac Asimov? A great antidote to scientific articles overdose :)

[lazy-neutrino.livejournal.com]

Thiotimoline? I used to love his articles on that!

[lazy-neutrino.livejournal.com]

Or even just: Dude? It's linear. Deal.

Couldn't agree more. I have to beat a similar style out of my kids in class. 'The best answer usually contains the fewest words'.

[krisomniac.livejournal.com]

Yes. Yes they would.

(I get notes back on all my scientific papers that they sound too much like prose. I think it's because I have an irational fear of using passive construction for every stinkin' sentence.)

[instantramen]

If my science books had said stuff like that, my classes in high school would have crossed the line from generally pretty cool to unbearably awesome.

[topaz-eyes.livejournal.com]

It would certainly be more entertaining. And honest. God, if I have to write "The findings were significant because..." one more time I think I'll have to vomit. (nods in agreement)

[rinelk.livejournal.com]

The fact that most academic writing is so dry actually makes some of those lines pretty memorable, at least. Consider the following two favorites of mine:

"If it literally isn't true that my wanting is causally responsible for my reaching, and my itching is causally responsible for my scratching, and my believing is causally responsible for my saying...if none of that is literally true, then practically everything that I believe about anything is false and it's the end of the world." -Jerry Fodor

"My problem is that I have been persecuted by an integer." George Miller

Both of these are VERY often cited, I suspect partly because of the language. So there's hope.

[tesseract-5.livejournal.com]

haha! yeah, scientific writing is more "correct" in passive voice. My papers used to annoy the hell outa my history/english major friends when they tried to proof read them for me.