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@TheIce wrote:
Crary Lab! Who would want to hang our there all day? Too many beakers!
Wait a minute! Rob, you’re a beaker!
What are you saying? You’re no fun?
*snicker*
Wait a minute! Rob, you’re a beaker!
was WAS WAS a beaker!
But even whe I was a beaker, I wasn’t really a beaker. I didn’t through little fits if the smallest thing went wrong. I didn’t belittle people because they were not a beaker. Or scream and shout like a toddler when my lab doesn’t have wood benches. Basically, I got along well with others, which is probably why I also got thing done.
In the evening, you’d probably find me hanging out with the twin otter pilots or having a beer at quitting time up at the carp shop.
I give beakers a hard time. There’s always a few every year that give us all a bad name. But I will say that the majority of beakers can’t seem to shut off the science for one minute to enjoy a football game or play a round of darts.
I am fun! A lot of fun.
Oo. Sorry if I touched a nerve there.
@TheIce wrote:
There’s always a few every year that give us all a bad name.
This is very true. The majority are good to work with, but there’s always a few who alienate the community — and the lab staff.
The smaller stations don’t seem to have this problem quite to the extent McMurdo does. One of the things that has always bugged me at MCM has been the separation between the scientists and workers; some of the contractors may never meet a scientist unless they happen to bump into them in the galley.
At Palmer the scientists will actually seek out and draft people to help with the science. Mo’ betta that way, IMO.
Glenn and Rob, this board is definitely a good idea! I remember the “old days” 🙂 when theice had a fantastic guest book as well as the message board.
Regarding beakers, on one of my first visits to McMurdo (can’t remember if it was 72 or 76) I found myself in the galley alone at one point and picked a likely table. Afterwards several folks asked me why I had sat down next to “the beaker.” Yes, turns out at that point he (cosray w/o I think) was the ONLY beaker in town. Go figure.
@mirage wrote:
What’s a beaker? We didn’t have that term when I wintered over in ’59.
A beaker is a scientist or science grantee. The term probably comes from the muppet of the same name.
It was originally a pejorative, but its usage is so common now that some of the scientists refer to themselves as beakers. I seem to recall a memo that went around a few years ago, admonishing workers not to use the term. It was universally ignored. 😉
Glenn,
Thanks for the clarification. I find it a bit strange that a pejorative would have been used in reference to the scientific staff — especially since the central focus of Antarctic activities is (or at least was) scientific exploration. If it were not for the scientists, there would have been little point for anyone else to be there.
mirage
Hmmm. In my position I walk a fuzzy line between scientist and support worker, so I see both sides. Here’s my take on it…
Many of the scientists got where they are by being persistent and driven. They must accomplish a lot in a short season or their research may fail. As was pointed out, they don’t always have the time to socialize with the support workers or get to know them. For their part, the support staff, while often highly educated, do not always know what the science groups are doing, nor do they share that sense of urgency. What they see are science groups approaching them with frantic, sometimes bizarre requests or demands. Naturally this can cause a bit of friction.
Regarding scientific exploration as our whole point for being here, well, yeah, that would be nice.
Glenn,
I see where you’re coming from. It’s a pity that things have degenerated to such a state. McMurdo seems to have inherited the bad attributes typical of many cities in the “civilized” world. It was not always that way. Maybe it’s just too big and with a larger population than necessary. When I wintered over in ’59 there was mutual respect and collaboration between the scientific personnel and the support staff. And the scientists actively participated in the base maintenance functions. We were a family.
mirage
I’ve been on both sides of the divide; keep in mind that many grantees are working insane hours and dealing with all sorts of unanticipated difficulty, so that they are not in the best of humor, and simply don’t have the time to hang out with anyone. That being said, you have to grant that there are people on both sides who are truly psychotic, deeply flawed, and that society would be best served if they were served up to a leopard seal as soon as we get open water.
@bill_s wrote:
… you have to grant that there are people on both sides who are truly psychotic, deeply flawed, and that society would be best served if they were served up to a leopard seal as soon as we get open water.
Hee-hee! Yup.
Sometimes I wish there was an eviction vote before a season (typically a winter) really begins: the crew could vote to send someone home. If, say, some knucklehead got more than 25% of the votes, they would send him packing. There have been a couple beakers who would get my vote, but generally they’re pretty good.
Early 90s IIRC, I had a chance to replace a Pole winter-over coms tech who got voted off the station. Don’t know if RPSC procedures would allow that sort of event now. I passed on the opportunity.
I’ve often wondered just what this guy did to become so unpopular. So many of us high-timers are looking for new material.
hey, I just found your new board. I thought the whole http://www.theice thing was gone. good to see you guys back again. Glenn, Dave P. and Sue were asking for your email to inquire about housesitting for you? Send it to me if you are interested.
mike in mcmurdo
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