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做数学一定要是天才吗？（译自 陶哲轩 博客）
Obscure University of New Hampshire math professor takes major step toward elusive proof
A soft-spoken, virtually unknown mathematician from the University of New Hampshire has found himself overnight a minor celebrity, flooded with requests to give talks at top universities as his work is debated and celebrated online by leaders in his field.
On May 9, mathematician Yitang Zhang, who goes by Tom, received word that the editors of a prestigious journal, Annals of Mathematics, had accepted a paper in which he took an important step toward proving a very old problem in mathematics.
Soon, he received an invitation to Harvard University from celebrated math professor Shing-Tung Yau, to present his proof. Zhang demurred at first, saying he was wrapping up the semester.
"I said, 'This is the final exam week. I would be busy. Can I arrange it on May 17?" Zhang recalled. "But he said, just come as early as possible."
Last week, just days after he learned his paper was accepted, Zhang found himself giving a talk to a packed room full of Harvard mathematicians who had never heard of him.
For more than a century—and perhaps as far back as ancient Greece—mathematicians have conjectured there are an infinite number of prime numbers separated by two. That would mean that there are an infinite number of pairs such as 3 and 5, or 41 and 43, or 269 and 271. What Zhang showed was actually that there were an infinite number of primes separated by 70 million. As any child who knows how to count knows, 70 million is a far from two, but Zhang's proof—of something called the "bounded gaps conjecture"—excites mathematicians because it is the first time anyone has proven there are an infinite number of primes separated by an actual number.
"These are the kinds of problems that you can explain to high school students, and yet difficult to solve," Yau said. "Any problem of this sort, that you can explain to a high school student and yet it cannot be proved easily are usually not easy because people have thought about this for a long, long time."
Yau, who invited Zhang to give the talk, said that he sends out invitations to seminars all the time. What was unusual about this one was the turnout: 50 people packed into the room to hear a talk by a virtual unknown—Yau said neither he nor his other colleagues had ever heard of Zhang before, who had taken accounting jobs prior to becoming a lecturer at the University of New Hampshire. Response to the exciting result rippled through the math world, with analyses of what Zhang had done exchanged and a summary of his talk circulating online.
"This is certainly one of the most spectacular results of the last decade," Alex Kontorovich, a mathematician at Yale University, wrote in an e-mail. "What's very surprising is that something this strong can be rigorously proved in today's world. Many people expected not to see this result proved in their lifetime."
Zhang said that he began to think seriously about solving the problem four years ago. He read some math papers that had taken a stab at the problem and he saw in his mind a key gap where he thought he could make progress. The epiphany did not come to him until July 3 of last year, when he realized he could modify existing techniques, building on what others had tried.
"It is hard to answer 'how,'" Zhang wrote in an e-mail. "I can only say that it came to my mind very suddenly."
The mathematician lives a simple life, working as a lecturer at the University of New Hampshire, teaching undergraduate calculus and other classes. His wife works in California, and they have no children. That gives him the ability to concentrate. And his achievement shows—even in an age of big experiments, super computers, and the ability to assemble a small army of scientists to tackle a problem—what can be accomplished by the elegant instrument of the human mind working alone.
"I didn't use any computer, except I typed the paper using a computer," Zhang said.
He told himself over and over again, "Keep thinking, think of it everyday," Zhang recalled. "Even sometimes, for one period, I couldn't sleep very well, because maybe [it was] in the dreams, dreaming the solution of the problem."
Reactions to Zhang's work ranged from astonishment to admiration, not only for the elegance of the work but because of the modesty of the man who quietly untangled the problem on his own.
"The old adage is that mathematics is a young person's game, and moreover most of the top results come from people or groups of people known to produce them," Kontorovich wrote. "Professor Zhang has demonstrated not only that one can continue to be creative and inventive well into middle-age, but that someone working hard enough, even (or especially) in isolation, can make astounding breakthroughs."
The modest Zhang, who is in his 50s, said that he has been overwhelmed by the response to the paper, which he said has led to an inundation with "too many messages"—congratulations, requests to speak, questions about his proof.
He said the first thing his wife reminded him of after it began to attract public attention was to remember to comb his hair.
Zhang said that he is already returning to other problems he was working on before he shifted his focus to this one.
Asked what those problems might be, Zhang said that he didn't want to say.
I read through Shou-Wu Zhang's introduction page on Baike, and Grothendieck and Faltings introduction on Wikipedia. They are all great Mathematician in this world. A lot of them found that some good books hard to read, but eventually get a lot of rewards from read, think and digest.
It's interesting that I always have passion about understanding how Mathematicians become Mathematician, and like the math they are doing, which seems the most powerful things in this world. I am fascinated about them. If possible, even I leave academia, I hope I can keep the passion about math and learn more math, work on statistical problems related to math. I think I have these interest and I need to really read more and think deeply about it.
Focus on what we love, and try it, don't do it because of honor or just benefits.
Love stats, love math, and love thinking. That's me.
关于人脉的逻辑和个人处事的逻辑
发信站: BBS 未名空间站 (Fri Apr 12 14:50:18 2013, 美东)
http://www.qinghetao.com/960.html
有一次在北大讲座，遇到一位学生问我，“老师，你说学习重要，还是经营人脉重要?
”看着他一脸大杂烩的表情，我先拿出本子记下了这个问题，然后告诉他说，这是个比
较大的话题，我会仔细写篇文章放在网上的，然后给了他我的博客地址。而后又补了一
句，“相信我，所谓的人脉就算重要，也根本没他们说的那么重要”。
你愿意与什么样的人成为朋友？
让我们细说从头。先动脑思考一下，你愿意与什么样的人成为朋友?从幼儿园开始，每
个人就都已经有一些选择朋友的原则—尽管并不自知。事实上，资源分布的不均匀，必
然造成人与人之间的某种依附关系。观察一下，就可以看到事实:幼儿园里玩具多的孩
子更容易被其他孩子当作朋友。那么，玩具最多的孩子朋友最多么?答案并非肯定。
如果你像我一样有机会、也恰好愿意多花一点心思与那个玩具最多的孩子交谈的话，你
也很快就会发现，在他的心目中，与所有成年人一样，朋友被划分为“真正的朋友”和
“一般的朋友”。以下我们姑且把那个玩具最多的孩子叫做“小强”
当时我很好奇。耐心等待小强告诉我谁是他“真正的朋友”。最终，他告诉我，真正的
朋友只有两个。其中一个是男孩，另外一个是女孩。那我就问他，“为什么你认为那男
孩是你真正的朋友?”小强一秒钟都没犹豫，告诉我说，“他从来都不抢我的玩具，他
跟我换。”我又问他，“那，为什么你认为那女孩是你真正的朋友?”这次小强犹豫了
好一阵子，在确定我会给他保密之后，磕磕巴巴地说，“她好看。我把新玩具全都先给
她……”我笑。过一会儿又问他，“她觉得你好看么?小强愣了一下，满眼的无辜，“
不知道……”我又问，“那她现在手里的玩具是谁的?”小强突然显得很紧张，“不是
我的。”我决定不去问那小女孩什么问题了。
基于种种原因，生活中总是只有少数人是大多数人想要结交的朋友。但是同样基于种种
原因，大多数人并不知道那些少数的人是如何理解他们大多数人的行为的。刚才小强说
他那个“真正的朋友”从来都不“抢”他的玩具，而是“换”。注意这两个词。
在这里我们不讨论所谓的“心计”。确实有些人有很深的城府，至少比另外一些人更深
，他们可以用常人想不出的，就算想得出来也做不到的手段达到自己的目的。在这里，
我们只讨论最普遍的情况。
所有的人都喜欢并重视甚至偏爱一种交换，“公平交换”。小强也许并没有意识到，他
所拥有的玩具数量，使得他从概率角度出发很难遇到“公平交换”，因为绝大多数孩子
没有多少玩具，甚至干脆没有玩具，所以，那些孩子实际上没有机会，也没有能力与他
进行“公平交换”。对他来讲，不公平的交换，等同于“抢”，没有人喜欢“被抢”。
而与他“换”的那个男孩，让小强感受到公平。小强也有自己想要的但是却不拥有的，
所以，他也去“换”而不会去“抢，”因为他自己就不喜欢“被抢”一一月巴最新的玩
具都给那女孩先玩……
某种意义上，尽管绝大多数人不愿意承认，他们的所谓“友谊”实际上只不过是“交换
关系”。可是，如果自己拥有的资源不够多不够好，那么就更可能变成“索取方”，做
不到“公平交换”，最终成为对方的负担。这样的时候，所谓的“友谊”就会慢・漫无
疾而终。也有持续下去的时候，但更可能是另外一方在耐心等待下一次交换，以便实现
“公平”。电影《教父》里，棺材铺的老板亚美利哥。勃纳瑟拉决心找教父考利昂替他
出气并为自己的女儿讨回公道的时候，亚美利哥就是“索取方”。许多年后，教父考利
昂终干在一个深夜敲开了亚美利哥的门……
所以，可以想象，资源多的人更喜欢，也更可能，与另外一个资源数量同样多或者资源
质量对等的人进行交换。因为，在这种情况下，“公平交易”更容易产生。事实上，生
活里随处可见这样的例子。哪怕在校园里，“交换”本质没有体现的那么明显，但是，
同样性质的行为并不鲜见。比如，某系公认的才子，会与另外一个系里公认的另外一个
才子会“机缘巧合”地邂逅而后成为“死党”。俗话常说，“英雄所见略同”，可能就
是他们一间如故的原因，所以，他们之间的谈话以及任何其他活动往往都会让他们觉得
相互非常“投机”。
这样的例子太多太多。
当15岁的沈南鹏和刊岁的梁建章第一次相识时，这两个惜懂少年不会意识到17年后他俩
会联手创造一个中国互联网产业的奇迹。在1982年第一届全国中学生计算机竞赛上，这
两个数学“神童”同时获奖。
不是因为他们两个要好，才各自变得优秀。而是因为他们各自都很优秀，才可能非常要
好，而后命运的碰撞产生绚丽的火花。
而反过来，这些被公认为优秀的人，事实上往往并不“低调”，也并不“平易近人”。
这并不是他们故意的。他们无意去惹恼身边那些在他们看来“平庸”的人，只不过无形
中他们有这样的体会—“与这些人交流，沟通成本太高……”除非有一天，这些人终于
意识到自己应该保护自己，因为有些误解根本没机会解释。于是，他们开始“谦虚”，
他们学会“低调”，他们显得“平易近人”。
好多年前，我注意到一个现象，当别人求助于我的时候，我内心往往非常抵触，却又怕
别人说我是所谓的“不够意思的人”，于是硬着头皮去做自己不喜欢做的事情。有一次
特别受伤的时候，突然一闪念，想明白，原来这种尴尬本质上并不是来自于我没有“乐
于助人”的品性，而是来自于我自己的精力并不足够旺盛，没有旺盛到处理自己的事情
绰绰有余的同时，还有大把的时间精力用来帮别人做事——事实上，我自己根本己经是
正在过河的泥菩萨。后来，我开始怀疑，雷锋的领导是否太白痴，因为他没有给自己的
下属分配足够的工作。~——这是那天晚上与我来讲非常惊喜的一件事儿，因为我发现
我正在独立思考。
承认自己能力有限，是心理健康的前提。从我重新思考雷锋的领导那天开始，我挣扎着
去学习如何做事量力而行。说起来好笑，自己的智商有限到过去竟然没想到“量力而行
”是如此高难度的行为模式—
1)承认自己能力有限；
2)不怕在别人面前露怯；
3)敢于不去证明自己是“好人”……
只有优秀的人才拥有有效的人脉
所以说，往往只有优秀的人才拥有有效的人脉。并且正因为这些人随时随地都可能要回
避“不公平交换”的企图，他们才更加注重自身的质量，知道不给他人制造麻烦，独善
其身是美德。常言说，“事多故人离”，是非常准确的观察。而那些不优秀的人往往并
不知道这样貌似简单的道理，他们甚至没有意识到自己的状况只能使得自己扮演“索取
者”的角色；进而把自己的每一次“交换”都变成“不公平交换”，最终更可能使交换
落空—因为谁都不喜欢“不公平交换”；每次交换的落空，都进一步造成自己的损失，
使得自己拥有的资源不是数量减少，就是质量下降，进一步使自己更可能沦为“索取者
”一一恶性循环，甚至可能永世不得翻身。
还有些人，过分急于建立所谓的人脉，并全然不顾自己的情况究竟如何。对于这样的人
，人们常用一些专门的词来描述他们，“诌媚”、“巴结”、“欺下媚上”、甚至“结
党营私”等等。这样的人，往往也不是他们故意非要如此的。他们只是朦胧地意识到自
己一个人的力量过于渺小，所以，才希望能够借助其他的力量。而一个人越是渺小，越
是衬得他的欲望无比强烈。这样的人特征非常明显，其中一个就是，在日常生活中他们
经常有意无意地用亲密的方式提及大家仰望的人物，无论他们与“大人物”是否真的存
在私交密往。在中文语境里，他们就会只说名字不说姓氏:李开复不叫“李开复”，在
他们嘴里是“开复”；李彦宏不叫“李彦宏”在他们嘴里是“彦宏”，沈南鹏不叫“沈
南鹏”，在他们嘴里就是“南鹏”；最近我听到更恐怖、更另人毛发惊立的是，“小俞
”(俞敏洪)，“小邓”(邓峰)，“大想”(理想)……
整体上来看，人脉当然很重要。不过，针对某个个体来说的话，更重要的是他所拥有的
资源。有些资源很难瞬间获得，比如金钱、地位、名誉，尤其在这些资源的获得更多地
依赖出身和运气的现实世界里。然而有些资源却可以很容易从零开始，比如一个人的才
华与学识。才华也好学识也罢，是可以通过努力必然获得的东西。一个人心智能力一旦
正常开启，就会发现自己在这个信息唾手可得的世界里，只要正常地努力，并且有耐心
和时间做朋友，很容易成为至少一个领域的专家。努力并不像传说中的那么艰苦，只不
过是“每天至少专心学习工作六个小时”；耐心却远比大多数人想象得巨大，“要与时
间相伴短则至少五年，长则二十年”
许多年后的今天，我又发现另外一个多年前智商平平的我不可能想明白或者预想到的事
情(当然我现在也依然智商平平，只是多了些智慧):当一个人身边都是优秀的人的时候
，没有人求他帮忙—因为身边这些优秀的人几乎无一例外都以耽误别人的时间为耻，同
时，这些人恰好是因为遇到问题能够解决问题才被认为是优秀的。
如果，终于有一天，你己经成为某个领域的专家，你会惊喜于真正意义上的有价值的所
谓高效的人脉居然会破门而入。你所遇到的人将来自完全不同的层面，来自各种各样意
想不到的不同的方向。而你自己也不再是过去一无是处的你，你不再是“索取者”，你
扮演的是“乐于助人”的角色—很少有人讨厌善意的帮助，更何况你是被找来提供帮助
的呢。
甚至，你会获得意外的帮助。如果你是一个优秀的人、有价值的人，那么就会有很多另
外优秀的人、有价值的人为你提供帮助。这样的时候，这样的帮助往往确实是“无私”
的。正如没有哪个医生做到救死扶伤之后仅仅因为酬劳太少而恼羞成怒的一样，那些品
质优秀到一定地步，境界豁达到一定层次的人，往往真的可以做到“施恩不图报”。因
为对他们来讲，能够有机会“验证自己的想法”本身就己经比什么都重要，并且可以令
他们身心愉悦。然而真正有趣的现象是，被帮助的你也正因为并非寻常之辈，所以一定
懂得“滴水之恩，当以涌泉相报”的道理。最终皆大欢喜，只因为“沟通成本几近于零
”，同时的效果自然是“交流收益相对无穷放大”。良性循环。
打造自己，就等于打造人脉
生活的智慧就在于，集中精力改变那些能够改变的，而把那些不能改变的暂时忽略掉。
专心打造自己，把自己打造成一个优秀的人，一个有用的人，一个独立的人，比什么都
重要。打造自己，就等于打造人脉—如果人脉真的像他们说的那么重要的话。事实上，
我总觉得于人脉导致成功的传说其实非常虚幻，只不过是不明真相的人只好臆造出来的
幻象罢了。
我并不是说，从此就不用关心自己身边的任何人了，或者说从此就无需与任何人打交道
了。善于与人交往也是一种需要学习，并且也需要耗费大量时间实践的技能。我只是提
醒你，别高估自己，误以为自己有那么多足够的时间可以妥善地处理好你与你身边所有
人的关系。浏览一下你的手机通讯簿里的名字吧，有多少己经很久没有联系过了?这么
多年，我只见过两三个人回答我说，“最长时间没联系的，也不超过两个星期。”其中
一个还是特别固执而特殊的人，他的手机通讯簿里，总计才有22个名字。
毕淑敏一次曾提到她自己的一件事：
…我学心理学课程一事，纯属偶然。朋友XX摔断了腰椎骨，打了石膏裤，瘫躺床上三月
。我在自家墙上的挂历上写了一行字：”每周给XX打个电话。”我当医生出身，知道卧
床不起的病人非常寂寞，希望能躺着聊聊天。后来我就按照挂历上的提示，每周都给这
个人打电话，有一句没一句地闲聊。尽管我很忙，还是会多磨成一点时间，让她开心。
后来有一次，她随口说香港中文大学心理学教授林孟平到北师大带学生……我问，我能
跟她学习么？朋友说，那可不知道。后来感谢那位朋友说，我能学心理学，多亏你摔断
了腰。
事实上，真正的关心最终只有一个表现：为之心甘情愿地花费时间，哪怕“浪费”时间
。这也很容易理解。因为，当你把时间花费到一个人身上的时候，相当于在他的身上倾
注了你生命的一段—哪管最终的结果如何，反正，那个人那件事都成了你生命中的一部
分，不管最后你喜欢还是不喜欢。每个人的时间都是有限的。所以最终，“真正的好朋
友”谁都只有几个而己。
这实在是一个大到写两本书都可以的话题。以下是我的几个简单的，但实践起来并不是
那么容易的建议：
1、专心做可以提升自己的事情；
2、学习并拥有更多更好的技能；
3、成为一个值得交往的人；
4、学会独善其身，以不给他人制造麻烦为美德；用你的独立赢得尊重；
5、除非有特殊原因，应该尽量回避那些连在物质生活上都不能独善其身的人；
6、那些精神生活上都不能独善其身的，就更应该回避了—尽管甄别起来比较困难；
7、真正关心一个朋友的意思是说，你情愿在他身上花费甚至浪费更多的时间；
记住，一个人的幸福程度，往往取决于他多大程度上可以脱离对外部世界的依附。
Becoming a diligent person
(part one)
Photo by olga.palma
In the movie Gattaca, Vincent Freeman is an "in-valid," a genetically inferior individual in a society where "valids" are designed to have only the best genes of their parents. Handicapped by myopia and heart problems, Vincent must compete with valids for his dream job of being an astronaut, which requires exceptional intelligence, physical fitness, and (for some reason) typing skills. How does he do this? He studies for long hours at night after his day job. He does pull-ups using his dense astronomy textbooks as weights. He practices typing on a cardboard box. As a result, Vincent is able to at least blend in with his genetically superior peers through sheer effort. (Will he surpass them? Don't ask me—watch the movie.)
The Diligent Individual
This is a familiar story, but it is valuable to look at it more closely. What exactly distinguishes Vincent from other in-valids? On a functional level, he succeeds in consistently putting in extra focused hours. What, then, allows him to do that?
Two things:
- He is highly motivated to achieve his goal. Vincent doesn't kind of want to be an astronaut. He lives to be an astronaut. His entire being is devoted to that singular goal.
- He chooses moment-to-moment actions that work towards his goal. Every night, Vincent has a choice: relaxation or self-improvement. Guess which one he picks.
The difference between Vincent and the average person is that Vincent chooses to work where the average person chooses to procrastinate. This is the only functional difference. Being diligent is only a matter of usually choosing to follow your goals, nothing more. Over time, this will separate the diligent from the ordinary.
Each time you resist procrastination, you become more diligent (Photo by Viktor Hertz)
What does this mean for you?
- The strength of your long-term desires has a huge impact on how consistently you will follow through on them. Don't overlook this simple fact! I find it helpful to constantly remind myself of how much I want to achieve a particular goal and how it will positively affect my future.
- You have the choice, in every moment of your free time, to be a Vincent. It's as simple as that. Every time you decide to go on Facebook instead of working, you bring down your average, taking a step towards mediocrity, whereas every time you decide to put in an extra effort, you move towards diligence. What's more, since humans naturally form habits, each action you take will bias yourself to act similarly in the future.
Photo by Bart Hiddink
But wait, isn't downtime important? Don't people function better with breaks? And isn't life about more than just work?
Yes, yes, and yes. These are all valid claims. But if you're like me, you probably waste a lot more time than you need to, time which you later wish you had spent otherwise. That is the kind of inefficiency that I want to eliminate here.
What's next?
Obviously, there is no fail-safe method to becoming diligent. But by keeping in mind thatevery choice you make matters, you will more often act in accordance with your long-term desires. That is, you will act such that later on you don't regret how you spent your time. And that is the essence of reflective happiness.
(part two)
Photo by jayneandd
In the first part of this post, I laid some basic groundwork for approaching diligence. I emphasized that you have a choice to be diligent or not each time you consider procrastinating, and that your moment-to-moment actions now will affect how you behave in the future. In this part of the post, I'll list three common impediments to diligent goal-accomplishment and some ways to overcome each obstacle.
1. Not enough time or energy
You will always have busywork
If you're like most people, your everyday schedule is packed. This will probably be true until you retire. If you put something off because you don't have enough time, what you're really saying is that that something is not a priority. That can be okay—you will have more success in what you do if you don't take on too many projects. But make sure you're ready to give up a project completely if you don't have room for it—you shouldn't regret never learning the piano if you are spending your time in a more valuable way. However, if you're not actively pursuing a side project already, chances are you have some spare time lying around.
2. One-time exceptions
Once you've decided that a project is worth your time right now, you may be inclined to make one-time exceptions ("I just had a test today," "I stayed up late last night," "I'm feeling under the weather"). These are the worst enemies for your goal, and they are exceptionally easy to fall prey to. If you've decided that a project is worth your time, then I would beextremely critical of any one-time exception excuses. If you allow even one of these, it opens the door for future excuses, and before you know it, you never go to the gym anymore or you realize it's been two months since you've picked up your new book.
One-time excuses will kill your goals
(Photo by Amy West)
How do you solve this problem? Aside from making a no-exceptions policy, one way to motivate yourself to work towards your goal even when you're not feeling 100% energized and ready to work (itself a rare occurrence) is to leverage several of your desires to make a firmer commitment. Say you want to get into a regular exercise routine. You might do this because you want to be a healthy person. But you also probably want to be the kind of person who exercises—someone who can motivate themselves to follow some regular workout schedule. Here, you're using your desire to be healthy and your desire to be diligent to bully yourself into sticking to your schedule. If you can make a firmer commitment to your goal, you will be more resilient against one-time exceptions.
3. Discounting the value of future goals
People tend to perceive rewards in the present as more valuable than rewards in the future, even when the present reward has a lower actual value. This is a phenomenon known as hyperbolic discounting, and it partly explains why you might go on Facebook now instead of beginning your paper or why you might stay in bed and snooze your alarm instead of getting up on time. Discounting is closely related to one-time exceptions and can be overcome in a similar way. Since people have a natural tendency to give less weight to future consequences, it is important to consciously remind yourself of the future impact of your present actions.
Hyperbolic Discounting (Hyperbolic refers to the shape of your apparent utility curve as time passes--when you are close to realizing a reward, the apparent utility increases rapidly.)
Suppose you have a final paper due in a month. You know it would be bad for your health and your grades if you begin your paper a few days before it is due. However, due to discounting, those consequences are dulled at the moment, paling in comparison to the small entertainment value of playing Draw Something right now. To compensate for this discounting, you can remind yourself of the specific impact your actions in the present will have on your future. If you procrastinate now, you will be really stressed at the end of the semester. If you get a bad grade, you will probably be very unhappy with yourself and you'll have a slightly harder time getting job opportunities in the future. Are you really willing to risk that outcome just to go on Facebook for a few minutes?
Conclusions
It's hard to be diligent, and that's partly because of human nature. Hopefully, by being aware of the specific psychological weaknesses that humans have, you can make a conscious effort to resist them and ultimately succeed in achieving your goals.
The Top 10 Things Successful People Do To Reach Their Dreams
Our bookshelves are lined with habits that successful people do on a daily basis. We read about them and implement them into our routines and practices. Quite often these practices improve our productivity and make our lives better as a result. But that's not what this article is about. It's not about what successful people do, but what they did.
Here's a brief study of 10 things that these hungry and unstoppable people did to see the success they all eventually achieved.
The 10 Things Successful People Live By Before They Make It
1. They didn't use excuses.
We all have two voices. There's the voice that tells us to work hard, to focus on the task at hand and to finish it before we move on to the next. And to finish it well.
We also have the voice that tells us to take a break, to think about what's on TV, or to visit a site that we like to visit that entertains us – whether it's ESPN.com or facebook.
In life we're the victim of injustice from time to time. It could be a promotion that we deserve but don't get. No matter who we are, we're going to be treated unfairly at some point. We can either feel sorry for ourselves, or push forward and put it behind us – even use it as motivation.
Nelson Mandela could have used his unjust imprisonment as an excuse to give into his anger. Instead, he used it as an opportunity to learn, grow, and eventually free others.
Listen to your excuses. Understand why you have them. Then figure out how you can use them for good.
2. It wasn't just about them.
'Things' can be a motivator, they can even be a reward, but they can't be the motivator. The truly successful in life always get there because they created change in the lives of others, not just their own.
If something drives you that is greater than just the 'ends', we're going to work harder, longer, and we're going to give more of ourselves to our project.
Yes we can make money when we have the primary goal of making money. Some might even use that money for good – which is awesome. But there's no fulfillment in simply making money. And isn't that the point?
3. Early mornings and late nights.
People who have achieved true success in their lives have worked for it.
This might come at the detriment of other areas of their lives, such as family or social life. But their mission is first and foremost. Until it's complete, everything else comes second.
There's literally no substitute for hard work. Abraham Lincoln said, "Things may come to those who wait… but only the things left by those who hustle." If you want to be successful, you're going to have to out hustle everyone else.
4. The greatest commodity.
Energy is a huge commodity that is often not talked about. Yes, energy in the sense of fuel and electricity is talked about everywhere, but I'm talking about our own energy levels.
The fact is that the more energy we have, the easier it is to focus, and the higher the quality of our work is.
One of Richard Branson's 'key's to success' is staying in great physical shape. So would raised energy levels be the greatest benefit to working out? It may be.
Keeping physically fit gives us greater blood-flow to our brain, enhanced alertness and improved focus. Make training a routine part of your life and increase your chances at success – in every meaning of the word.
5. Principles.
History will be kind to me. For I intend to write it.
Winston Churchill had principles. The difference between him and the rest of us, is that he stuck to his principles at all costs. He didn't waver when they weren't popular – an extreme rarity in politics.
What are your principles? All of us should have them, know what they are, and live our lives bythem.
One of Apple's principles is to bring change to the world through technology, and they do it with every product they release.
Identify what principles you have that guide your life through tough times, and when things couldn't be any better. They shouldn't change, and at your core, neither should you.
6. Wavering, yet unbreakable faith.
We all have moments of doubt. Even the best of us question if our dream is going to come true. The one thing that separates the truly successful from those who never reach their true potential is an unbreakable faith in the fact that what they're doing is right.
Even if they have moments of doubt, they're soon quelled, where other's listen to that doubt and let it eat them up and finally they quit.
Have your moments of doubt. You're human. Just don't let that doubt eat you up. Instead let it motivate you to prove your optimism right.
7. A reason.
Many of the greatest accomplishments in the world were accomplished by insecure men and women, people who had something to prove to others. A desire to elevate their status and create change that was so strong, that failure is simply never and option.
Abraham Lincoln's reason(s) had to do a lot with his view of himself in relation to how other's viewed him. Where others saw a poor, illiterate boy, Lincoln saw someone capable of achieving more, even if he had to do it completely on his own. He also saw the need for change. A nation that preached freedom wasn't free. He saw something fundamentally wrong with this and set out to change it. His why wasn't about him. Which in turn made him one of history's great men.
Understand why. You have that reason to work when others sleep, to sacrifice a safe life for a risky one with no ceiling. Find it by asking why, and not stopping until you hit your core, emotional reason for wanting to change your status, or the status of others.
8. They persevered when others didn't.
How does the guy who quit on his dream know how long it would've taken him to become a success? He doesn't. None of us do. It could be tomorrow, or ten years from now.
What separates a lot of the great people we read about in our history books from those we've never heard of is the fact that they never quit. Quitting was never an option. They only stopped when they reached their dream. And even then, they created a new mission.
Take James J. Braddock, or even Nelson Mandela, for example. They didn't achieve their greatness or success early on in their careers or in life like some. They achieved it after surviving. They survived while others literally died, or quit. In their cases it wasn't just that they were the best, but they were the best because of what they endured. They were the last one's standing.
We don't know when our breakthrough will come. So don't guarantee your failure by quitting. You can adapt, change, and evolve, but never, never, never quit.
9. Great people relentlessly studied their craft.
Tony Gwynn and Mike Tyson studied their craft as much as anyone. Gwynn spent hours upon hours studying opposing pitchers. He studied their patterns. He wasn't the most athletic guy around, but he put his work in to be the best at what he did: hit baseballs.
When people think of Tyson, they think of an animal, but what we fail to see is the student. No one studied boxing like Tyson did. Watched more film than anyone in the history of the sport. He was a student first, a fighter second.
These great athletes studied film, but how can we perfect our craft?
Using myself as an example; much of my job has to do with writing, and obviously fitness. So, I study those two things. I read books about how to become a better writer, ways to connect with the reader, and I simply read great books written by authors who are much better at writing than I am. If you're in sales, read and study sales. If you're a marketer, then do the same with marketing.
Being a drone that simply goes through the motions is no way to achieve greatness. Assuming success is something you want, you have to study your craft, whatever it may be. Learn it inside and out. Build a wealth of knowledge. It'll help you create great, inspiring, and unique work.
10. Risk.
No risk, no reward. Yes it's an over-used, cliché of a phrase. But it's true. Those who have achieved real success have often risked the most to get there.
There have been billions of people throughout history who have had the ability to achieve greatness, whether it was the talent or smarts, they had it. What they didn't have was the guts to risk the life that they were living. They also didn't have the work ethic to see their talent realized.
The greatest tragedy in life is wasted talent ~ A Bronx Tale
Your big, audacious dream might be to marry the girl of your dreams and have a family with her. You risk might be to leave the career that you love in order to support her and your family. Your dream might be to help millions live longer, healthier lives. Whatever your dream is, give it enough of a chance to be realized.
Risk if you truly want to see the reward.
Find your dream. Then risk everything to get it.
how to partition the disk when you get a computer
zz 标 题: 故事人生______我的博后生涯
标 题: 故事人生______我的博后生涯
发信站: BBS 未名空间站 (Thu Nov 18 15:39:43 2010, 美东)
按版主的要求，将零散的段落连在一起重发一次， 不好意思。
***********************************************************************
在我以往的科研生涯最困难的时候，曾在此版得到好心网友的指点。 怀着感恩的心写
下自己的一点切身经历，或许能给版上的兄弟姐妹点滴启迪。
(一 )
2007年 4月我完成博士论文答辩，7月1号高高兴兴地正式进入博后老板的实验室。 高
兴的原因有三： 1) 老板是领域大牛；2) 课题新颖前沿；3) 面试的经历让我觉得老板
能给我提供一个施展才华的平台。
我所承担的课题，老板原来的一个博后(法国人/代称 A)已经启动，分离了有特定遗传
性状的大量突变体，而且构建好了用来克隆基因的群体。所以老板给我交待工作的时候
还得意地说了句 "WE HAVE A GOOD START" 。
A 从老板手下出来，有老板的鼎力支持，在老板所在的研究所于2007年6月成立了A自己
的研究小组，继续研究他在老板实验室的课题。
A本人的博士后(代称 B)和我各自从 A手上接手4个已构建好 MAPPING 群体， 首先进行
克隆基因的工作，然后再继续开展功能性研究。而且约定在先，如果所拿到的基因相同
的话，将共同署名。
然而课题的开展非常不顺，MAPPING群体反常。心情十分着急，一是 B的工作进展很好
， 二是同一课题还有另外的大牛实验室在和我们合作性地竞争， 三是无法说服老板__
___我接手的群体本身有问题。
实在没有更好的办法，只好加班加点工作，不少时候是 48小时连轴转，把所有
GENOTYPYING 的数据交给老板，结论是_____用来克隆基因的所有群体，没有一个是纯
的，没有任何意义接着往下做。
这种打击对于我近乎是致命的。因为我来这里作博士后，把才两岁多点的两个儿子，全
盘交给了也在做博后的妈妈，一个人留在原地打理。所有的这一切就是为了成功不能有
任何闪失。可如今， 四个月就这么白白地浪费了。
没有任何退路，只好和老板说：(1) 要么我离开去其他实验室，请老板写推荐信；(2)
留下但改 换另外的课题。这两要求老板都不同意。他立即把A找来，把我们刚刚讨论的
结论告知了A。 我实在是按不住自己心中的怒火:”I AM NOT SAYING YOU MADE THE
SEED MIXTURE BUT THE SEEDS YOU GAVE TO ME ARE MIXTURE “ 这样老板对 A提出明
确要求： "YOU HAVE TO GIVE HIM F1 SEEDS RIGHT NOW! BE CORRECT!"
藉此， 我在组里的第一次博士后公开开讲的标题是”MAKE SENSE OUT OF MESS OR
MAKE MESS OUT OF SENSE“, 内容是这些突变的杂交后代是如何混杂的。虽然有理有节
，可四个月不分日夜的辛劳啊 ，心在滴血。然而这没有阻挡住”A”对我工作疯狂置障。
<二 >
圣诞节要到了，我把测序的样品交给了测序中心，把获取数据的密码交给了同组的中国
兄弟C就回家了， 我深信第一个基因已经到手。果不然，兄弟来电告知我的猜测无误。
这样我立即定了这个基因的不同SALK LINES以利于尽快开展表型与功能性研究。然而，
通常几天就要到的 种子确迟迟没来，重新定，还是如此，等我收到第三次定出去的种
子已经是快两个月以后的事情了。
有一天，我带着C去温室作杂交，C突然说：老大，你怎么这么糊涂啊？ 你要的那个
LINE 都快要收种子了。让我震惊的是：标签上赫然写的是另外一个法国人的名字D。他
负责全组种子的定购工作并需要及时交付给需要种子的成员。我天天在实验室，来得最
早，走得最晚，D从来都没有告诉我这个 LINE已经到了。而且就这事我还多次询问过D
，每次都说没有收到，还说怎么会发生这样的怪事，那我给你再定一次。
这件事，让我意思到A已经完全不顾我的利益，竟然让他的法国同僚给我使坏。质问D，
他居然说搞混了当成了他自己的，一句对不起耽误了你的课题进展而已。捧上证据找到
老板：换来了一点特权，以后我需要定购任何东西不需要经过组里的正常途径，另立帐
户，日额度不过XXX的话， 没有必要和老板打招呼。
<三 >
圣诞节休假回来后，我着手克隆另外的三个基因， 在所里专门负责培养基制作的人员
处填写了订单。因苗量数目庞大，培养基自然也多，所以我把所有的培养基都统一放在
一个靠近我 BENCH的地方。因为第一个基因已经到手，工作大致走上了正轨，连夜加班
已经没有必要，正好也腾出些时间来阅读文献了。
2008年1月16号，在兄弟C的帮助下，我们俩用这批培养基上了总数10000颗幼苗进行特
定的抑制剂筛选重组单株。然而万万没有料到，24小时后，所有的苗无一幸免，全都死
亡。思忖了一会儿，回办公室把所有可能出现的问题都一一罗列出来。分析来分析去无
外乎两种可能：(1)抑制剂出了问题 & (2)培养基出了问题。在和专门负责培养基的技
术员讨论完后，感觉到培养基有问题的话，也该是到我手头后的事情。死亡的形态让我
推测有可能培养基的pH 值要么过高要么过低。于是把养苗的培养基回收测定pH，NND，
14！缺德啊，出离了愤怒，谁在我的培养基里加强碱了。虽然事实就摆在面前，可是对
于是谁干的，确没有确戳的证据。我只能打掉牙，把苦水往肚里咽。
在这里我内心真的被兄弟C所打动了。是你的衷心帮助，让我即刻走出了这一阴影，甩
掉包袱， 立马前行，从而有了4个月克隆到 4个新基因的传奇；有了后来 A俯首称臣的
怪诞事___当然，这些都是后话。
<四 >
在我加盟老板小组的时候，老板告知我 A已经克隆了一个基因，但不是来源于EMS遗传
扫描群体而是 T-DNA插入突变体库。但老板说他本人也不知道究竟是什么基因。而A所
领导的小组虽然成员多达八人，在所里的公开的SEMINAR系列，来自于他所领导的小组
的结果确是惨不忍睹，仍然停留在一个没法确定潜在功能的表型分析上。随着我成功克
隆四个基因，原本一团雾水的课题突然豁然开朗。
A觉得大势已去，我们两处在对立位置上的情形不变不行了，毕竟形势不由人。2008年3
月28号下午两点，A找我和老板谈话， 首先对我过往工作中遇到的障碍表示道歉。话锋
没转，说到“我和你其实在一条船上而且戴的是同一个救生圈”。并提了三个要求: (1
)非正式加入到他的小组；(2) 参加他小组每周进行的SEMINAR_____这一点，在我加盟
我老板实验室的第一天， 老板当我面向他提出此建议，但他明确表示不行；(3) 当轮
到我在老板组里做讲座时，他全组成员参加旁听。对于(1)，因为老板表示名义上加入
到 A组对我不应该有什么问题，无伤大雅；但老板明确指出对A有好处。而其它的要求
，我的老板也是A以前的老板既然同意，我现在也没有不同意的理由。尽管我已经私下
两次给老板提到， A无端引出了这么多麻烦，不愿意和 A再有任何合作，你们老板之间
的合作是另外一回事情。但面对A今天下午的满副诚恳的脸，我居然把”农夫与蛇”的
故事抛到了九霄云外。面前展现的竟然是一幅画景 “度尽劫波兄弟在，相逢一笑眠恩
仇“，毕竟师出同门。由 A作东，晚上我们三人一起外出就餐。然而，这为日后的你死
我活的冲突买下了定时炸弹，是我不曾想到的。
<五 >
因为我们基本上把问题解决清楚了,而且是个热门话题，虽然没有技术上的任何突破之
类的亮点，但还算吻合NS的口味。所以我和我的导师都认为：我的文章可以投N或者S。
我把底稿给了老板，准备回家看老婆和孩子，也给自己休假几天。在我写作的过程中，
老板和 N的编辑取得了联系，然而A断然不同意我们的投法，他需要把我的一个基因的
数据罗到他的文章里，理由是他的文章里只有一个基因，他和另外那个大牛投N的背靠
背，已经早有文字协议，他的文章要包括我的一个基因的相关内容在内，并把他和那位
大牛的所有的通讯往来转发给我和老板。事已至此，我们只好满足A的要求以免得罪那
位大牛，同时要求 A的文章里我是共同第一作。他们投N，而我们转投S。到这时候，老
板只好给S的编辑联络。并提及目前三个独立组的三篇手稿的一些具体细节情况。编辑
的回复耐人寻味：请把我工作的四个基因的相关内容整合到一块，这样S可以考虑送审
并提到应该可以过关。如果没有那个被抽掉的基因的话，过关的可能性则不大。因为木
已成舟，三篇必须同时投， 我们只有硬着头皮试一把S了。果不其然，外审的结果，
两个审稿人都提到：没有那个基因，的确实太伤文章质量，没法接收。感叹一下，学术
这个圈子太小，CNS俱乐部成员就是那么几个，谁不知道谁啊。
而A和那位大牛的结果出来也是被N拒掉。由于S没戏，老板对文章已经没有任何兴趣，
问我有何打算？合同还有15个月，是否继续？ 还是接着做点别的东西？ 我觉得已经没
有任何必要再耗费精力在这里了。其一， 这个课题没有亮点可以继续； 其二， 通过
组里的讲座判断老板其它课题的水不浅； 其三， 老婆一个人独自照顾两年幼的孩子，
还要工作，实在太累。这样的情形我即时告知了我的博士老板，他也认为我放弃合同并
不可惜， 如果我愿意回他组里过渡，随时欢迎。这时候，我过往压抑的心情彻底烟消
雾散____准备回家了。
<六>
自我正式决定回家的那一天起， A就三翻五次地给我发邮件并转发给老板。告知我不能
再做 有关这一课题的任何工作并且提出非常明晰的条文。而老板自始至终对这样的邮
件，无论我们两人怎么文字相斗，一律视而不见。这对于一个想独立开拓一片自己天地
的我来说，是莫大的困扰。对此，由于缺少经验，我居然没有更好的办法来对付这个无
耻的法国佬。遂来未名注册Clonetech，在此版求合理的应对办法。对于网友们给我的
指教，我至今记忆犹新。 比如 DrBiology 和 amedio。我虽然和 amedio 素昧平生，
他/她的来信对我后来的所作所为有深刻的影响 。这样我把他/她给我的私信在未征求
意见的情况下作为我这篇短文的结尾，算是我的一份感激。
_____________________________________________________________________
寄信人: amedio (Boasting Father)
标 题: Re: Really frustrated! What can I do?
发信站: 未名空间 (Fri Mar 20 10:29:48 2009)
来 源: 134.174.
corresponding author can change the order of authors during revision.
I don't think you need care PI's opinion as long as BULL does not define
what you can not do.
You can reply a decent email to PI, BULL and bcc to PI's director, saying
something like freedom is the spirit of science, it is harmful for scince to
keep expert from doing what he is good at. competition is a key factor to
make science advance.you will communicate/keep him posted about your
progress in the future. blahblah. Be professional and not emotional.
I heard if you do not kick ass then you have to lick ass.
be tough and good luck!
____________________________________________________________________
最后，祝福所有的本版博后网友：命好！运好！在残酷的奋斗历程中身体好！
__________留得青山在， 不怕没柴烧。
附件
回应一下几位网友的来信：
我在欧洲念的博士，我的博士老板对我信任有加。 其主要的原因是我自己的相对独立
性强一点，我承担的课题自始至终老板很少插手，从开题到结题， 遇到的问题无数，
但基本对应无误。 虽然我并没有CNS， 但我的博士老板认为我应该是个做 SCIENCE 的
料。 所以我第一轮博士后提前结束后(21个月)， 又回到原来老板的手下帮助老板打理
实验室， 并在他的帮助下独立出来成立了自己的研究小组。从这点上讲我是幸运的，
遇到了赏识自己的人。
而对大多数做博后的人来讲， 我的情况没有普遍性，至少就我所了解的情况而言， 我
很难说多数老板真正支持手下的学术生涯，老板关注的是他或她本身的 FUNDING。 除
非你确有闪光点， 而这不和一片或者甚至几片CNS文章直接相关。
所以我觉得对于一个立志走科学研究道路的人来讲，发好文章固然不可缺少，但更重要
的是在发好文章的过程中， 培养自己的发现问题和解决问题的独立性。毕竟再好的文
章，本质上说还是属于老板，自身独立性才属于你本人___而这才是作FACULTY的实质。
另外， 我写这个系列的目的是主要是提醒： 大牛的实验室也有见不得阳光的严重的内
斗，人性的丑恶在这里暴露无遗。 有人自己不行， 为了生存给对手设置障碍。而我所
遇到的情况告知我：法国人也好， 韩国人也好， 其民族性格的确非常之小人， 用团
伙的方式主动地有目的地给我这个新加入的外来人员捣乱。不过， 我本人个性不弱，
人不犯我，我与人为善；人若犯我 ，我一定反击。
所以我说：想作发考踢 ，一定要经得住人家的踢。