Ira Flatow

Everyone has something to contribute. Even the supposed "crazies," whom I believe need to be listened to. One example: one "crazy" caller once asked Jane Goodall if she believed in Yeti. Her answer: "absolutely." Go figure... Google did most of the heavy lifting, so it really didn't take much of my time. I know Bill Nye very well..great Guy. We did not work together on this one.

Lots of people think it's Plato...lol..it's an aid I use in pronouncing my name, though. As for booking in advance, we have a story meeting each Monday to plan out the week, and weeks in advance. We change topics as they change during the week. Yes. We preinterview just bout everyone...and if they can't speak well, we go for someone who can.

Most people are getting their sci-ed in informal places, like museums. I love science fairs, like Maker faire, where you can see inventors in progress. NOVA still does good stuff. And keep an eye out for the upcoming new remake of COSMOS, with Neal deGrasse Tyson, subbing for Carl Sagan. Produced, by of all people, the guy who did Family Guy, Seth MacFarlane.

Love topics that are serious. We, all of us, the public, have an interest in making sure we learn the truth about weighty topics. It's our money..and future...we will all have a say. Why not be well informed??

I don't think we should.

Tough "best" questions: Guest: Eric Kandel, Oliver Sacks, Neil deGrasse Tyson. Worst: Steven J. Gould. Did not respect our callers enough. 2. Tried to get Steve Jobs for years. No success. Still trying to get lots of Internet gurus. Please send them to me, lol. 3. Joke: Let me think about that and get bck to you. Too many, lol. Mostly corny ones.

This kind of anecdote is what we live for on SciFri. Thanks for sharing. People believe that science is elitist, but in truth folks will soak up as much science, technology, medicine, etc. as we can give them. And it knows no social boundaries that I can see. People may not know what scientists do, but they love to learn.

Most commercial networks are owned by the entertainment industry which is more concerned with a good food fight than enlightenment. They have a different mission than public radio and TV. So it's important to preserve our mission of news and public service.

so many questions..so little time. When Jane Goodall said she believed in Yeti, that was very unexpected. When James Watson didn't believe that Rosalind Franklin deserved credit for helping discover DNA, that was unexpected. I usually don't discover that I'm totally wrong about things. Better: I discover nuances of a story that are even more interesting than the story we started out with.

Flora is one of the few "natural" talents to cross my path on radio. She is terrific, and multi-talented. And a joy to work with. I'd be happy to have her follow in my footsteps if she would like to.
She and I are also trying to change the word "nerd" to "Benji" named after Benjamin Franklin. It connotes a more eclectic kind of person, which I think all of us are. So spread that word around!