the Evil Line

Tuesday we were talking about the social status of scientists on this blog. And last night I hear will.i.am on Marketplace talking about science, education, and what it's like to go to a robotics competition:

You know when you watch the movie Waiting For Superman, you're like, oh man. You're all, 'Aw man, we're so doomed.' And your heart breaks. This is the total opposite of that. Here, you would think like somebody sprayed magic dust and out popped genius little kids.

This is great, and I really do think he's doing a good thing by bringing attention to this and by playing at the "halftime show" of the robotics competition.

But (of course there's a but), the guy who gets interviewed on NPR is the musician, not the scientist. The Super Bowl is a big thing because it's the Super Bowl, and will.i.am at the halftime show is just an extra. This robotics competition is (now) a big deal because will.i.am is talking about it and playing a show there. Otherwise we wouldn't know about it.