The way science is done has changed radically in the last years. The personal reflections and experiences of a protagonist help us to understand the mechanisms of contemporary science. A system where passion, dedication and reliability, have increasingly less room, pressed by hard market laws. From vocation of a few, science has become the profession of many, possibly too many. With consequences and risks, such as the increase of frauds, plagiarism, but in particular with a huge amount of scientific publications, often of little relevance. The solution? A slow approach with more emphasis to quality than quantity, that helps us to rediscover the central role of a responsible scientist. The work is a critical review and assessment of present-day policies and behaviors in science production and publication, touching upon the tumultuous growth of scientific Journals, in parallel to the growth of self-declared scientists over the world. Along with personal reminiscences of times past, the author investigates the loopholes and hoaxes of pretended Journals and non-existing Congresses, so common nowadays in the scientific arena. The troubles with bibliometric indices are also discussed, as resulting in large part from the above distortions of science life.