I am waiting. Hunger-fed impatience taps my heels anxiously, fidgets me about the computer lab where I wait
for the 200 images of my first subject's brain to align themselves,
I say align themselves because I have have very little awareness of or control over what is actually going on.
The very large monitor of the very large computer displays a litte progress-o-meter that tells me how close it to done
what is it doing? I have only the vaguest of ideas. Although I have had much agency in planning and executing the experiment, my knowledge of statistics is far too meager so far for me to have any good idea of what I'm doing
beyond what is necessary to run the statistical mapping software.
Whatever it is doing, the process is out of my hands, and I stare anxiously at the progress-o-meter as the little red stripe moves slowly slowly up the screen,
I, sitting and fidgeting, and blogging to pass the time, and wishing and wishing for some power to help hurry the process along.
Useless.
I have been learning a lot, and am currently involved in ALL stages of the experimental process:
1)plotting and scheming experiments to distill and localize operations of the mind;
2)sticking well-paid volunteers into the belly of a room-sized multimillion dollar magnet that will take pictures of the bloodflow patterns to different parts of the subject's brain, to reveal the activity of different areas while they perform various tasks according to my schemes;
and 3) trying to put the thousands and thousands of pictures I take into some coherent and useful order.
Yes, I'm learning things. And I feel rested and happy. But right now my stomach commands my attention, and it is telling me to hop on my bike...what suspense...the progress-o-meter has only reached the top.