I'm Not Talking to You!

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One of the scientific journals I work on had a paper with a footnote which read "Author order decided by coin flip". I can only guess at the squabbling which went on between those two about which of their names should come first at the top of the article, with one stamping in his foot and almost storming out of the lab in a huff.

It set me thinking, where is such petty behaviour more common...is it in academia or is it in the commercial world? I think of the scenes in Ricky Jervais's "The Office" with the stapler in the jelly.....

― MarkH, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

in a school i taught at the classroom support assistants would rip each others displays, spit in ingredients for cakes to be sold to teachers and argue over blutack like winning the FITE was crucial to the fabric of their universe.

― , Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Most prevalent: acting, writing, producing credits in movies, probably. The actors' agents even fight over their client's right to come after "And"!

― Jeff W, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

My favourite treatise authorship story involves my personal Scientist- Hero George Gamow. Composing a paper on his theory of the pre-Big Bang primordial matter of "Ylem" with Ralph Alpher (what a name!), he persuaded his pal Hans Bethe - who was completely uninvolved in the project - to put his name to the paper also, so that it could appear credited to "Alpher-Bethe-Gamow". Haw haw! Those wacky braniacs!

― Edna Welthorpe, Mrs, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

for "braniacs" read "brainiacs", obv. (braniacs = people with ph34rful knowledge of constipation?)

― Edna Welthorpe, Mrs, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

This tends to come down to the fact that scientists and doctors (not to mention managers) are not very educated in life or the basics of dealing with other people. They spend so much time cocooned away from the world, learning their skills in isolation, that they seem unable to connect with it once they are forced to return to it. Therefore egos remain unchecked and ultimately run rampant.

― XStatic Peace, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

We shall have to march on their castle with flaming torches.

― Sam, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

But then we'll have arguments over who gets to carry the best torches.

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Oh shut up Ragget, you ALWAYS get the best torch. This time you can fuck off. It's mine.

― Ronan, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

AHEM. Respect your elders and betters. ;-)

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

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