Chemistry expertise is not necessarily required for jurors, and if you're looking for a job, it helps if you've already got one.

A chemistry degree is a passport to many things, but did you ever think that it might get you out of jury service? Well, that's what happened to Vastib, as he outlined on a post on the Chemistry Blog (http://tinyurl.com/yhtofgs). He was summoned to perform jury duty in a driving-under-the-influence case and “one question asked by the defense sparked my attention. The attorney asked 'Does anyone know how breathalyzers works?'” Vastib then explained the clever use of electrochemistry, where the ethanol in your breath is oxidised to acetic acid in a well-defined four-electron process. The measured current is then used to calculate the level of alcohol in the exhaled breath. He was then asked whether he could “leave his expertise at the door and make his decision based only on what is presented by witnesses called during the trial” and if he would be able to ignore his own misgivings if he thought the expert testimony was wrong. As he could not, he was dismissed as a juror. He asked readers to consider whether they can turn off their critical thinking on request — most didn't think they could, or should.

Mad Chemist Chick made an interesting observation in her post “Jobs are like boyfriends” (http://tinyurl.com/y8ow2ql). She quickly explained that: “It is easier to find one when you already have one.” This old adage was reflected in her own experience: it took 18 months to find “the right job” after a postdoc, but in her present search had a job interview fall into her lap. The ACS Careers blog has some advice on how to avoid being caught in this “Job market version of Catch 22” (http://tinyurl.com/ydfb7r8).

And finally, we'd love to add Blogroll's weight to Chiral Jones's campaign for a chemistry reality show. Who wouldn't like to see America's Next Top Chemist? His other idea (http://tinyurl.com/yde7p7f) is MTV: Labs, with people showing off their equipment, copying MTV Cribs complete with 'inside the hood' shots.