formosanbobsled was trying to get work done and is going to go eat pineapple
The mad scientist archetype is very popular among people born after (say) 1970, perhaps in part because it had soaked into the culture deeply enough so that people saw it as accessible and empowering rather than frightening.
Of course, when working with limited resources, one must ask oneself what is truly essential to mad science. Should one run out and spend thousands of euros on the latest robotic system, just because mad scientists should have robots? I don’t see huge capital expenditures as terribly useful compared to the endeavor. Certainly it would help to be independently wealthy, but that would help with almost any endeavor. To be a mad scientist is to be an independent, DIY, sort of person—even if that means doing one’s Work on a low budget.
