Re: [DIYbio] As a bio-noob, where do I start learning?

On Mon, Feb 24, 2014 at 7:42 PM, Alexey Zaytsev
<alexey.zaytsev@gmail.com> wrote:
> In computer science terminology, it's awesome.
>
> It's like when I was a kid trying to make sense of a computer, except cells
> are not quite like computers, and don't always work, and almost never work
> in the way you want them to. But when they do, it's certainly awesome.
>
> But being honest, the level of complexity of the stuff we can design to be
> put into cells right now is more on the level of electronics ~ 100 years ago
> - not exactly computer age. It's not programming - more like trying to
> design a new circuit with a couple vacume tubes and a few passive
> components, using math and best guess. And DIYbio? More like connecting a
> light bulb to a battery - still awesome,

I think it really depends more on initiative and self-determination.
Mega (Andreas) is the first 'poster-child' that comes to mind for this
sort of thing, he did (and does) exactly what I tell all new-comers
here... don't stop reading and keep asking questions. There are easily
50 to 150 person-years worth of core-science academic
university-learned people on this list who are active quite often.
Some of these people have quite an in-depth and multi-discipline
experience and expertise. Genspace and Biocurious hackerspace-type
places would be more like satellite campuses of DIYbio... but most of
the work with molbio/biotech/chem is mental. You can not ever stop
reading because there are 1000s of years of relevant tips and tricks
and crap that went wrong that can help you, and more of that being
created every day. You need to learn how to read papers and how to
separate facts from opinions, how to scan quickly for information by
using keywords such as units (Seconds, Hz, Volts, millimeter) because
you don't have forever to sort through every word of a paper or book
to determine it doesn't have the answer you're looking for and it was
actually a waste of time reading it.

Are people just not driven enough, or don't know how to communicate,
don't know how to type on a keyboard, I'm not sure... no one here
get's annoyed with questions and comments, ask as many questions and
post all your findings until your fingers hurt from typing.

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