DMC-FX7
ƒ/2.8
5.8 mm
1/8
200

I had the great honor to have lunch with James Watson. I will try to collect some of the especially spunky gems to share on a later post.

Here you see as the proud new owner of a LEGO Double Helix kit.

It was a symbolic gift, since Watson’s breakthrough technique in 1953 involved fiddling with 3D metal models.

“We needed a shortcut, so we build a model instead of solving a formula. Our three strand model was crap, so I was told to build no models… So, it all happened in about two hours. We went from nothing to thing.” (from an earlier talk)

(blog on his child-like mind)

6 responses to “Still Playing After These Years”

  1. the idea of sharing spunky gems proffered by the great Mr Watson is something i very much look forward to!

  2. You’re probably the coolest geek I know of Jurvetson! Your stream continues to fasinate me. Do you sleep?

  3. Ah yes, the triple helix…

    Most people aren’t aware, but right after announcing the double helix structure, Watson and Crick also were the first to figure out the basics of DNA replication.

    Also amazing is that they published two world class papers and got a Nobel prize without having to do a single lab experiment, they just needed a fresh view of already existing information.

  4. mebooyou: sleep? oh man… gotta go catch the redeye to Pittburgh now for the 3 Rivers Venture Fair (3RVF), and then make it out to XPRS by Friday… =)

    biotron: hope to review notes on the plane….

  5. now he needs to build the "gently twisted ladder, …like a zipper" out of the Lego, and then start the Genome Olympics 🙂 Who can do it quickest is the winner of … something of Jurvetson.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *