RNA-TREEFINDER

[Gangolf Jobb]

One more unpaid TREEFINDER version at:

http://www.treefinder.de

See what free work can achieve!

TREEFINDER is a computer program to compute phylogenetic trees from
molecular sequences.

New features: empirical rRNA models with secondary structure, PMB protein
model, SH test for user-supplied topologies, faster computation of edge
support, improved manual.

I still have no position in Munich. Nobody feels responsible to support my
TREEFINDER project. They say they cannot pay me a fair salary because others
might want a fair salary, too. They say they cannot let me do my own project
because others might want their own projects, too. They say they cannot let
me work at home because others might want to work at home, too. But if
everybody dislikes the system - why don't we change it? We are living in a
democracy.

Did you know that a patent attorney in Germany gets a starting salary of
6000 Euros per month? Ironically, the patent attorney has not spent more
effort in his or her education than a post-doc in biology: University
studies in a natural science or technology, plus three more years of
internships and a special course in laws. There are good and long-term
perspectives for patent attorneys in Germany.

Did you know that low wages and short-term contracts make people feel less
responsible for their work? If a project is unsuccessful - who cares. Write
an article about it! Apply for the next job, no matter how uninteresting it
is, no matter where it is - it is just for a short time. Start some
cooperations, have a nice time traveling to conferences, visiting other
discontent scientists until the contract is over. And after all, it was
somebody else's project, somebody else's money.

Did you know that paying fair salaries could be cheaper than trying to cheat?

Too few people define the goals and directions in science, decide about
funding regulations, projects, careers - exquisite experts sharing public
money among themselves, trying to get as much as possible for their own
fields. The others are welcome to work, but not to compete. Tax-payers are
welcome to pay, but not to propose. If scientists were elected into
positions by a broad community I would not be unemployed. If funding was
based on a democratic decision I would earn a fair wage for my work.
Academic research would be less biased by various interest groups, but would
be more focussed on what people really want. There would be less research on
consumer behavior and gene foods without any taste, but more research on
renewable energies, on developing cars that are clean and faint. We need
more democracy in science. We need a scientific system that acts in the
interest of science, in the interest of society, and not just in the
interests of those few who have managed to become professors by having
served other professors. We need a political system that acts in the
interest of all people and saves our planet, that is robust against mass
stupidification, lobbyism, corruption - someone should invent that, do
research on that!

I am still collecting opinions about the ridiculous employment situation in
science and, more importantly, ideas to improve it. I am interested in
examples where good research has been abandoned due to stupid regulations,
or because competent people did no longer accept the miserable payment and
the lack of perspectives and left. Give me examples of incompetent people
who are now consuming much more tax money for less useful work than properly
paid competent people would. Write me of people in the mid-thirties who are
still being treated like students because they are excluded from getting
their own funding. Write me of cases where professors have unexpectedly
forced their employees to move to foreign cities, about professors putting
their names on other's work. Write me everything that can be used against
the system. I will put your comments on the web so that everybody can read
what scientists think about science. I will not publish anybody's name so
that nobody must fear any sanctions.

Saying 'yes' all the time is definitely not a good strategy, it is the cause
of bad treatment. Become politically active and spread your opinion.
Otherwise, the oppressors' opinion will dominate. Write a few extra lines in
your papers, say a few extra words in your talks, make a nice website. Join
or found a political party. Spread your opinion until it comes to the right
ears. Ridicule the system, reveal its incompetence. Be creative and numerous
and it will fall!

Gangolf Jobb