What were your 15 minutes of fame, and what did you think about it?

Well, I’m not exactly famous, but a research paper I worked on is getting a lot of attention. There are over 70 hits in google news for it, one of the other authors did an interview with BBC yesterday, and it has popped up on digg, reddit, and ScienceDaily.

I had expected it to get a fair amount of attention and thought it would be fun and exciting. But in fact, the whole process has been pretty disheartening. The reporter who wrote the press release printed blatantly incorrect information despite repeated requests to please correct it. The comments being posted about it on various websites are, frankly, completely stupid. Many are misogynistic jokes that are unsupported by the research, and some are directly insulting to the research team:

Selective memory in women is nothing new

Experts conclude women tend to remember different aspects due to whatever suits them best and fits with their pre-conceptions.

Another “study” by “experts” after maintaining their bursaries and funding.

Hmmm, hasn’t it been known for a long time that women can’t remember details, can’t think analytically or logically, and can’t read maps? I don’t think this has anything to do with the pill, since it’s been known for millennia. The emotion area of the woman’s brain is oversized, whereas the other areas which are the seats of reason, analysis, spatial recognition and logic are greatly shrunken in comparison to men. This is hardly news.

And many more. I guess it shouldn’t have come as a surprise, but I am pretty bummed at the overflowing stupidity and misogyny.

What about you? What was your brush with fame? Did you have a better experience with the general public?