Pure genius

Who remembers Rockhound, Steve Buscemi's character in Armageddon? In the film, he was a genius who graduated with a PhD. in his teens, published in prestigious journals in his early 20's, and, in adult life. developed into a disturbed individual with peculiar, sometimes violent, tendencies.

Well, let me tell you - these people exist. For real.

One of the many things I enjoy about my work are the chance encounters I have with genius.

This morning.... I spoke with a guy (who will remain nameless to protect the guilty) who received his first PhD (in mathematics) at the age of 19, went on to attain 2 more PhD's by his mid-20's (in something really hard, like physics), taught for 5 years at a string of universities like Cornell, and worked for General Electric, before deciding to quit his job, take art classes at night and bike cross-country while trying to make a name for himself in political cartooning. WOAH!

He's the exception, not the norm.