[mnl]

I don't think you're being fair here. He's just sharing lore he had to become familiar with during his graduate school years. Such stories are part of the experience.

BTW he's written a fine summary of the history of particle physics during those years, which is rare indeed, because you have to be an insider to care about such things and then have the opportunities to get them straight. He's a theoretical particle physicist talking about his profession after all, even though he's been busy with other stuff for many years. Of course he can write this.

Folks here should really read the article. I just can't tell anything about the personal anecdotes, but everything else is spot on.