Twitter is a wonderful thing. I know many detractors complain that there are so many people on twitter that it is impossible to say anything meaningful, but that simply is not true. I have proof now that people really do care!
I, a lowly twitter peasant, managed to make meaningful contact with intelligent life through twitter! It is a small joy which I would like to share with you. This was my original tweet
@profzeki please read my idea for #neuroaesthetics #research and give me suggestions for improvement! #vtclis13 goo.gl/f5xck
— Adam Burke (@oddwallaby) April 15, 2013
@ProfZeki is one of the founding scientists in the field of neuroaesthetics. It is a topic I find wildly interesting. I just thought I would tweet at him for fun, not really expecting a response, much less actually expecting him to read my naive blog post. But then…
@oddwallaby Very interesting idea, Adam, but requires very hard work. You should engage a good neuroscientist.
— Semir Zeki (@ProfZeki) April 15, 2013
and
@oddwallaby General idea is great but one needs to know in meticulous experimental detail how you intend to do it
— Semir Zeki (@ProfZeki) April 15, 2013
It had worked, he actually read it, a leading scientist in a field I am fantastically fascinated by read my idea (and thought it was “very interesting” +10pts) and then got back to me and let me know. This interaction would not have taken place without twitter. I am positive Semir Zeki would never have found and read my blog on his own and I would never have received awesome feedback. I also would never have known about his research without wikipedia and google which allowed me to take my crazy thoughts about the brain and identify them with real things other people are studying. Thank you interwebz, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
