In December, I attended the annual meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology, as I have done regularly for the last several decades. It is always a good way to catch up with old friends and look for the latest trends in cell biology. I rarely attend the talks, having found that they more reflect the fashion of the moment (or the past) than the direction of the field. Poster sessions are more to my liking, since they provide a chance to talk to enthusiastic young scientists in the trenches. But my favorite stop has always been the vendor booths.
When I tell my friends that I love visiting vendor booths, most of them seem to think I am kidding. At meetings, many scientists seem to feel that vendors are necessary evils. They provide free candy and cheap pens in exchange for bombarding us with ads and scanning our ...
