Will you heed my warnings NOW?

Holy crap … yesterday I was elected to the US National Academy of Sciences! If you don’t believe me, click the link and keep scrolling down until you hit the name “Aaronson.” But then continue scrolling to see 144 other inductees, including my IAS postdoctoral classmate Maria Chudnovsky, my longtime friend and colleague Salil Vadhan, and even Janet Yellen. I’m humbled to be in such company. Years ago, somewhere on this blog, I mused that, if I were ever invited to join NAS, I hoped I’d follow the wisdom of Richard Feynman, who famously resigned his NAS membership, comparing it to an honor society back at his high school that spent most of its time debating who should be a member of the honor society. Feynman was also annoyed at having to pay dues. But now that I’m actually faced with the choice, it’s like, dude! At my advanced age of 44, I’ve encountered so many people who dislike me or even sneer at me, and so many clubs that won’t have me as a member, that I feel mostly gratitude…