Geek Speak

I think its entertaining to step outside of ones self and observe certain things that you might say or do from the perspective of an outsider. For example, there are many phrases that are used in a research laboratory that employ common words but would certainly sound very odd to someone who has never been in a laboratory setting.

This is a typical exchange in the lab:

-Me: What time do you think you can go to lunch?

-Colleague: I don't know. It depends on when I can do my flow.

Doing ones flow sounds a bit unsavory to the ears of the non-scientist. If a female uttered this it may sound like her ability to go to lunch is conditional on the commencement of her menstrual cycle. Really what the colleague is referring to is his/her ability to get time on an instrument called a flow cytometer.

Here are some others that I won't explain so you can enjoy the statements out of their context.

- "I'll be there in a minute. My gel needs to run a little bit longer."

-"I picked seven clones and did digests on all of them. They're all correct."

-"I added the stimulus but I didn't see any flux."

-"Do you think I could get in on the next spin?"

-"I don't know what time I'll be able to leave today. It depends on whether or not I'm going to transform."