I don't know from where I sit "don't be a crank" might be better advice. Not to say it's impossible to do science as a hobby (there's some good stuff coming ou

I don't know from where I sit "don't be a crank" might be better advice. Not to say it's impossible to do science as a hobby (there's some good stuff coming out of e.g. the ham community and amateur astronomers), but sadly most of my interactions with "hobbyist scientists" have been crackpots (ok, there is some selection bias here, crackpots go to all sorts of lengths to try to contact you).