Watching the Winds — Breezy and Revealing Visualizations of Our Most Common Weather Companion
Science data can be beautiful.
Where There's Smoke — Is Sponsorship of Open Access Author Fees a New Type of Conflict of Interest?
Is there a new form of conflict of interest in the world: BioMed Central’s corporate sponsorship of author fees?
IT Arrogance vs. Academic Culture — Why the Outcome Is Virtually Certain
Claims that technological innovations can smash cultures and revolutionize the fundamentals of scientific communication mistake superficial changes for deep changes. Technology alone isn’t enough. In fact, it seems that publishing changes technology.
The Most Astounding Fact About the Universe
I couldn’t agree more. The images are beautiful, as you absorb what’s being contemplated. Happy Friday.
Reproducibility — An Attempt to Test the Psychology Literature Underscores a Growing Fault Line
The growing perception that science is built on sand demands not only some new incentives, but also an understanding that science is not always easy — or possible — to replicate.
Google's New "Scholar Metrics" Have Potential, But Also Prove Problematic
Google’s new “Scholar Metrics” promise to make the h-index viable for journals on a large scale. But problems exist in their approach, some of them easily handled, some not.
Making Mistakes in a Good Direction — The God Complex and Experiments
This fascinating TED talk will resonate on many levels with people who read this blog — study design, arrogance, vindication, creativity, inspiration, complexity, evolution, and authority are all dealt with. The topic is “the God complex” — the tendency for […]
A Blogosphere Divided — Differences Abound Within Left and Right Political Blogs
A very thoughtful study of the political blogosphere finds that liberal and conservative approaches to Web 2.0 differ dramatically, underscoring that it’s now that you do that matters, but how you do it.
Editorial Rejection — Increasingly Important, Yet Often Overlooked or Dismissed
When we talk about peer-review, we often gloss over the important role of editorial review, which precedes external peer-review — in some cases, eliminating a majority of papers while raising an important type of quality.
"The Muppet Show" — It All Started With a Pitch
Selling an idea well takes a lot of skill and daring. How “The Muppet Show” was pitched reveals a lot about why it worked.
The "Academic Spring" — Shallow Rhetoric Aimed at the Wrong Target
In another rhetorical land grab, OA activists are aligning themselves with the Arab Spring by claiming their boycotts are the start of an “academic spring.” Not only are the two not comparable, but obviously the wrong target of oppression and exploitation has been identified.
Review: "How Economics Shapes Science," by Paula Stephan
A new book on the economics shaping science is a treasure trove of facts arranged sensibly and put wonderfully into context. In addition, it’s an example of how to design a print book.
Interview with Paula Stephan — Economics, Science, and Doing Better
The author of “How Economics Shapes Science” responds to some questions stimulated by her fine work.
Ask the Chefs: "What's the Biggest Elephant in the Room?"
What issues aren’t we talking about enough? The Chefs discuss a surprisingly wide variety of elephants — from consumerization to emerging crises to legacy problems.
The Masters Meets Mini — Golf Worlds Collide
What if you mix mini with Masters? This clever video from the BBC shows what it might look like.