By Bethany Halford & Amanda Yarnell
If you're reading this blog, chances are you didn't get here from C&EN's website. No, you probably got here from Dylan Stiles's Tenderbutton blog (assuming Stiles was kind enough to link to us after we bought him lunch on Tuesday). That's okay. We're not afraid to acknowledge Stiles's superior blogging skills.
C&EN staffers who know their way around the blogosphere will tell you that reading Tenderbutton is one of the best ways to procrastinate and still look like you're working.
Stiles, a fifth-year graduate student in Barry M. Trost's group at Stanford University, started the blog last December. But don't go there looking for gossip on Trost or the inside scoop on the group's unpublished work. That's not his style. Rather, Stiles created Tenderbutton to be an ubertechnical online outpost for synthetic organic chemists.
But it's not just the synthesis geeks reading Tenderbutton. We recently suggested a fledgling science writer start her own blog as a way to get experience as a citizen journalist. Her response: "You mean like Dylan Stiles? That guy is famous."
It's hard to tell from Stiles's supercasual demeanor if he's handling this fame exceptionally well or if he just doesn't know how famous he is. He will concede to a certain cult status. Tenderbutton, he told us, gets about 3,000 hits every day.
We think the secret to Tenderbutton's success is the combination of Stiles's wicked sense of humor and his genuine fascination with chemistry's complexities. Who else would spend a Saturday night analyzing his own ear wax and then tell the whole world about it?
Stiles recently gave his blog a more professional face-lift after a distinguished chemist sent him an unsolicited e-mail complimenting his handiwork but suggesting he keep the profanity to a minimum. He also knows what makes for a good a photograph, as evidenced by the rock-star pose he readily struck when we pulled out our camera. (Photo by Amanda Yarnell)
At this point we feel compelled to confess that we were a little nervous about meeting Stiles. Funny writers aren't always funny in person. We also worried he might have the stereotypical synthetic organic chemist's ego. Our fears were baseless. In person Stiles is both modest and hilarious. We're still laughing hours later.
I reached here, as you predicted, from Stiles blog with the help of Joshua's link.
The only low point of his blog is what exactly that anonymous distingushed chemist emphasize. Still, considering present American youth's vocabulary he seems putting considerable effort to minimize profanity.
Posted by: Indian Chemist | September 13, 2006 at 11:49 PM
In actuallity Dylan is an arrogant ass. His life is about being as odd and perpendicular to the norm as possible. While funny and avant gard the kid is a know it all with little appreciation for anything other than his own. IMHO
Posted by: the silenced | September 14, 2006 at 01:55 AM
Synthetic organic chemists have egos? Who could be giving such impressions???
Posted by: lonestar cowboy | September 14, 2006 at 09:39 AM
"the silenced" sounds extremely jealous; I wish he would grow up.
Posted by: musicanimal | September 14, 2006 at 03:21 PM
Need free lunch too. Refer to 1st site listed on yahoo http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=chemical&fr=yfp-t-500&toggle=1&cop=&ei=UTF-8
It's the one before C&EN News and cas.org :p
Mitch
Posted by: Mitch | September 14, 2006 at 05:08 PM
If Dylan Stiles and his Tenderbutton (an epic tale) achieve historic persistence, then surely it will be for... wait for it... the jet black lab coat.
One apparently cannot purchase a jet black knee-length cotton lab coat. Its creation would discourage even Odysseus. Lab coat lust is a beautiful thing given Zollinger's "Color Chemistry."
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/rit.htm
Intelligent Dye Sign
Posted by: Uncle Al | September 14, 2006 at 06:21 PM
the silenced sounds extremely jealous; I wish he would grow up.
musicanimal...lets go with me knowing him better than you might guess. Call my opinion 1st hand.
Posted by: the silenced | September 15, 2006 at 02:37 AM
So when does Uncle Al get an interview?
Posted by: Benster | September 15, 2006 at 10:42 AM
I know Dylan pretty well, having worked a few hoods away for the past 4 years, and I've never heard anyone call him arrogant before. He may be odd, but that's the way we like him.
Posted by: cheyanimal | September 15, 2006 at 02:49 PM
Regarding comments from the silenced, "lets go with me knowing him better than you might guess:"
I'd bet you any amount of money that your opinion of Dylan Stiles would be that of the vast minority if not solely your own. Perhaps you should try to get to know him still better. I think you might find out that he's a pretty cool dude.
Posted by: musicanimal | September 15, 2006 at 03:14 PM
Uncle Al: Go to ebay or google and search "black lab coat." They exist and are cheap.
That said, I don't know why you'd want a black lab coat. It'd be hard to tell when it's contaminated/dirty. While fine for underwear, the smell test should not be used for protective gear.
Posted by: Paul | September 17, 2006 at 01:42 PM
What is appealing about Tenderbutton is that we're reminded that chemistry is really cool. The molecules, the glassware, crystals, the odd environment of the laboratory, and the people. Spending your best years in a chemistry R&D lab is a fascinating experience but most of us become jaded over time. I still get a kick out of growing crystals, doing synthesis, and seeing the NMR spectrum of a new product. It's just cool.
Posted by: Gaussling | September 17, 2006 at 01:51 PM