Symphony of Science — Autotune Hawking and Other Giants of Physics
A pleasant way to celebrate Friday.
PLoS' 2010 Progress Update — Pondering the Implications of a Watershed Year
PLoS turns its first surplus. What will this mean for an organization accustomed to acting like the rebel?
A Tale of Self-Plagiarism — A Critic of Publishers Proves a Prostitute Is As a Prostitute Does
A critic of publishers and eminent economist is caught in a swirl of allegations about self-plagiarism.
Is It Plagiarism? iParadigms Walks Both Sides of the Question
The plagiarism-detection products in use in academia and scholarly publishing are also available for students and authors, who can pre-screen their papers to lower their chances of detection. In the middle, iParadigms takes money from both sides. Is this proper?
Changes in the Kitchen — Two Established Chefs Depart, Two New Ones Join
Two chefs depart, two chefs join — all to keep the Kitchen’s dishes fresh and interesting.
Kurt Vonnegut on the Shapes of Stories — A Charming, Logical, and Whimsical Lesson
Ever seen your favorites stories in line-graph form?
Rallying Cries vs. Reality: Profits and Publishing Meet Academics and Idealism
The comments on a recent post revealed a litany of rhetoric that doesn’t quite match up with nuanced reality.
Graphical Displays, Statistics, and Thinking Straight — "Picturing the Uncertain World"
Simplifying the complex isn’t a simple task. A new book by a practiced hand and statistician proves entertaining and enlightening.
Science for Airlines — Can We Board Planes More Efficiently?
Boarding planes — can it be done quickly?
The Subtle Conflicts of Interest All Humans Face
Not all conflicts are monetary. Sometimes, the pressure to do something good can lead to biased behavior.
Mountains Out of Molehills, and the Search for a Retraction Index
A retraction study hits some familiar conceptual problems, and a proposed retraction index runs into a deeper issue.
Uninformed, Unhinged, and Unfair — The Monbiot Rant
An inflammatory essay reveals its author to be neither well-informed or fair.
Does Access Create New Types of Scarcity?
A compelling essay points out some interesting wrinkles to the access debate.
Wile E. Coyote and Print Publishing — The Tragicomedy of Desperate Measures
Print aficionados and newspaper companies are rushing to bridge a chasm, but even their ACME product may not be enough.
"No Escape" — The Inspiration of "Portal 2" Finds Its Way to Film
In less time than most people spend getting ready in the morning, a filmmaker created a lovely short film inspired by a great video game. Worth watching.