David Kipping

Competition is a hack that makes us super productive.

But it's just a way, can we hack it and channel it in a conscious way towards a productive outcome?

But from the martial arts that you must have a competitive drive there, right?

That's how it has to be.

In science, it so often goes both ways, though.

It's the same in comedy and science.

I mean, you think about Isaac Newton, who's famously such an asshole.

A lot of comics like that, too.

Big name guys.

Famous guys.

Gets to the top and then spends most of his subsequent career just crushing other people down.

And there's that need to be singly recognized as I want everyone to see that it's just me and it's only me.

But there's scientists, I think we all...

admire and get on with the best are actually the ones who are collaborative, who like comedy, like Cher, and want to do it together.

So I think there's a lot to... Sometimes comedians and scientists should interact more, I think.

When I was a student, there used to be this thing called FameLab, and they used to get stand-up comedians to come in and teach scientists how to talk to the public, how to do scientific communication.

And they said it's the same...

Maybe you disagree.

It's the same kind of thing.

You have to have the kind of the balls to stand up there and just put yourself in that situation.