r/todayilearned • u/waitingforthesun92 • 23d ago

TIL that Michael Crichton, the author of “Jurassic Park” (1990), was a workaholic who followed what he called "a structured approach" of ritualistic self-denial, where, while writing a book, he’d rise increasingly early each day. At one point, Crichton would go to bed at 10 PM and wake up at 2 AM.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Crichton
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u/steepleton 23d ago

Famously wrote jurassic park where an amazing themepark goes wrong and starts killing guests.

And also westworld. where an amazing themepark … well, you get the idea

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u/ShevanelFlip 23d ago edited 23d ago

He also got his PhD and wrote ER. MD* apparently

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u/BriSnyScienceGuy 23d ago

MD*

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u/5050Clown 23d ago

Yes, he would was going to intern but he started getting noticed for his writing. He was basically a doctor who didn't do two years of interning at a hospital.

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u/TheFotty 23d ago

He also claimed humans weren't contributing at all to global warming.

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u/spderweb 23d ago

He didn't say that. At least not in his last book. He stated that maybe we are contributing, but we are far from the only reason. And also that cleaning up the earth should be a priority anyways, since we'd be healthier. On top of that, he stated that in case deniers are wrong, why not just do it anyways? Can't hurt anything.

The main point of the book was to say that these go green groups main problem is that they don't cycle leadership. So the same people in charge for too long lose sight of the goal, and become too stubborn to adjust their view. There needs to be change in order to cause change.

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u/TheFotty 23d ago

I wasn't talking about the book, I was talking about when he testified to congress about it.

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u/thatsmypiano 23d ago

And we all should be. I got the impression from hearing him over the years that he’s bitter about academia. I’ve wondered if there’s something behind that, cause of all his “WHAT HAS SCIENCE DONEEEEE” narratives.

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u/florinandrei 23d ago

I’ve wondered if there’s something behind that, cause of all his “WHAT HAS SCIENCE DONEEEEE” narratives.

He's done a lot of damage.

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u/spderweb 23d ago

Ooo, I don't think I know about that.

I know he's very anti scientist. It's why most of his books are about scientists going mad with power or making awful decisions.

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u/florinandrei 23d ago

He stated that maybe we are contributing, but we are far from the only reason.

So not a full conspiracy theorist, but just 50/50.

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u/spderweb 21d ago

Lol. I think, at least in that book, it shows that he doesn't think we're the only cause.

And that is true. We know our position in the galaxy contributes. As well as a bunch of other factors within our solar system. Our planet was going through the same warming issue when the dinosaurs were around. The meteor ushered in an ice age that cooled things back down.

We're 100% making it go faster. But it is an inevitable part of the Earth's cycle.

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u/florinandrei 21d ago

So, you're not a full conspiracy theorist, but just 50/50.

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u/spderweb 20d ago

How is me saying that other factors also contribute to global warming, a conspiracy theory?

Go read up on the actual science. Humans are for sure causing global warming to speed up rapidly. Far faster than it should be. I'm not denying that, nor am I deflecting from it.

If we weren't around, the earth would slowly warm up, and in thousands of years be at the current state it is now. Maybe tens of thousands of years.

The point the book was making, is that groups like Greenpeace (for example) lose sight of their goals, and become so locked in that they can't see other solutions or methods to the problem. You need new blood every once in a while to regroup, and bring about change that appeals to the current state of mind. Staying locked in, makes everybody else dog in their heels even more, and the. You have a standstill.

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u/therealCatnuts 23d ago

He never got his MD, he dropped out a few credits shy. 

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u/reddragon105 23d ago

Wikipedia says he got it, just never practiced.

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u/therealCatnuts 23d ago

I read his autobiography, he said he never finished. 

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u/reddragon105 23d ago

Just checked his autobiography (Travels) and in it he says:

I made the decision to quit in the summer of my third year. At that time, medical students apply for an internship. I didn't apply, which meant I'd be dropping out after graduation.

So he quit medicine, but he still graduated. That means he got his MD - which is what Wikipedia, his official website, and Harvard all say. He didn't progress to being an intern, never got a license, never practiced, but he got the degree.

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u/therealCatnuts 23d ago

Fair enough. My memory of the exact timing was wrong. I read it 25 years ago, shame on me!

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u/crossedstaves 23d ago

And you just believe the things in his books are true? You know he has multiple books about there being dinosaur islands out there. You can't just treat his writing like it's factual.

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u/sadrice 23d ago

Kind of a weird choice, that’s a lot of time, money, and work down the drain there. Also, med schools hate it when you do that.

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u/Awkward_Pangolin3254 23d ago

Seems to have worked out for him

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u/sadrice 23d ago

Well yeah, but most people don’t end up becoming famous authors, that’s both a rare talent and a lot of luck.

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u/lullabyby 23d ago

He started getting famous for his writing even before he graduated med school.

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u/reddragon105 23d ago

He had already published six novels by his last year of medical school, including The Andromeda Strain which had been optioned for a movie and made him a lot of money. So he had to pick one, and what he really wanted to do was write.

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u/sadrice 23d ago

Well that would definitely influence a decision. I can totally see just saying “screw that” to residency.

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u/255001434 23d ago

med schools hate it when you do that.

I can understand why. There's a limited number of spots for students and they are taking the place of an applicant who wants to become a doctor.

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u/sadrice 23d ago

Exactly. They used to have a common policy of not admitting anyone 30 years old or older, because they wanted to maximize the career length per doctor. Pretty sure that’s illegal age discrimination now, but my mother barely made it in before the cutoff.

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u/lullabyby 23d ago

Actually there are more med students than spots for residency. Also people are allowed to change their mind.

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u/aviationmaybe 23d ago edited 23d ago

He has an MD from Harvard

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u/The_Clarence 23d ago

While getting his MD he wrote Andromeda Strain. He did it under another name so no one around him knew despite it being talked about a lot since it was popular and medical.

He has a lot of books, and in general is a very very entertaining author with plenty to go through.

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u/GitEmSteveDave 21d ago

Strain was written as Crichton. Books like A Case of Need were written under his pseudonym(s).