First off, let me say that there's no way I gonna be able to control myself, so I'll get this out of the way first: "Fame! I want to live forever... I want to learn how fly!" yada yada yada. (Sorry. These things are like instinct to me.) ;)

Seriously, I suppose I agree in principle with your post. I say "in principle" because I've never actually had any fame (yet). Privacy has always been very important to me. I've been part of several internet communities since I went online 5 years ago; but I've never seen in person anyone I met online. I can't imagine what it would be like to be beseiged by papparatzi, but it must be awful to have your every move so closely monitored. (I don't even like people to watch over my shoulder as I surf the net!)

Still, I must say that I was similar as a child. Only for me, I fantasized as I read the Encyclopedia Britanica. I always wanted to be known for what I thought and did: a scientist, a great statesman, an author, a composer. As I grew older, I started to focus on science. Being a biochemistry major, "Nobel" has always been the magic word.

Both this summer and last, I worked in a research lab. The lab is headed by a Nobel laureate. I don't know how much it changed him, but I don't think the average person on the street knows who he is. (Well? Can you name any Nobel laureates in the sciences? Even plenty of scientists couldn't name most of the recent ones.) He enjoys considerable power within his institution, but on the other hand, being also a department chair, also is occupied with administrative tasks. So it's still a trade off.

I read an article about Gunter Blobel, who won the Nobel Prize for physiology a year or two ago. He donated his prize money for the rebuilding of the cathedral in Dresden. A worthy cause, to be sure. But he also said that he didn't have much else to spend it on, as he and his wife never had children; he said, "That's a decision I regret." So I suppose one needs to weigh the costs of success in any endevor. Which is not to say that pursuing fame (in any form) is a bad thing. Just that one has to keep in mind what's being given up. (Like the old saying goes, "Not many people on their death beds wish they had spent more time at the office.")

Zeit"but it's still fun to fantasize about winning the Nobel prize in chemistry"geist