Great Science Means Leaving the Car at Home and Walking to Work Instead

Over at Adaptive Complexity, Michael White ponders whether "today's wired, multitasking scientists [could] ever compete with the great scientists of the past." He says that Darwin's work was characterized by its plodding pace, which gave the scientist plenty of time to compile data, write books, ruminate, and more. White blogs that time for walking was crucial to scientists of yore: "Even in the first half of the 20th century, great scientists are famous for what they accomplished on long walks, hiking trips, and train rides." He says the trouble with the constantly connected world of today is the "instant-response" mentality that kills our free time.