New Pencils, New Crayons, Old Humans
Fresh thinking about communication tools (pencils, crayons, computers) often pays off since we’re such inveterate communicators.
Is 2010 the Year for the e-Book?
e-Books are becoming more competitive, with Sony striking distribution and retail deals. Authors and readers stand to benefit.
Unsustainable: OA Publishing in the Humanities and Social Sciences
An author-pays open access model for humanities and social sciences journals is not a sustainable option, a detailed analysis of association publishers suggests.
Hell’s Kitchen: Our 5-Minute Behind the Scenes Tour
A 5-minute behind-the-scenes tour of the Scholarly Kitchen, so that you can see the basics of how a blog works.
“Content Nation” — Self-promotion in the Age of 2.0 Buzzwords
A 2.0 Publishing talk delivers little more than anecdotes, buzzwords, and a narrative that conflates technological, biological, and cultural evolution. Does “Content Nation” really deliver a new view of publishing? Or just a business model borrowed from Web 2.0?
Blogs & Clouds — The Real-time Web Takes Another Step Forward
The new RSSCloud, embraced by a major blog platform, could deliver the real-time Web to publishing in a way that makes latency a thing of the past.
Operation eBook Drop — Indie Authors Helping Soldiers
Operation eBook Drop has delivered hundreds of books to soldiers in less than a week. It says a lot about indie authors and the power of digital distribution.
E-books: Tasting Blood in the Water
Sony, Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, AT&T, Verizon — a veritable who’s who of consumer electronics and communications has entered the e-reader fray. Do they smell blood in the water? Is it yours?
The Google Books Settlement–What Did You Choose?
The Google Books Settlement deadline is upon us. What did you choose?
Learning from Books — Lessons for STM Publishers
Mass-market book publishing is being disrupted more quickly than anyone expected. What lessons can we learn?
Text as Interface — The Usability of Words
More than ever, text is a part of the user experience. Do we appreciate the art involved? Has the medium changed the message?
Wikipedia’s Plateau: A Sign of Elitism, Maturity, or Both?
The plateau of entries in Wikipedia has people scratching their heads. Are the editors becoming elitists? Is quality beating quantity? Or is it a little of both?
Google Knol — Vanity Publishing Fails Again
Google Knol is fading fast. Why didn’t it work? And when will it be put out of its misery? Meanwhile, Google opens the doors on a faster, more accurate version of its search engine.
Will Feudalism Fade from Knowledge Exchange?
Feudalism was a necessary step in social organization, but is it the end-state for academic organization? A number of related events this past weekend make me think not.
Diversion, Invention, and Socialized Medicine
A study of social citation reveals diversion, invention, and distortion, and provides a cautionary tale about how socialization of knowledge in medicine can have downsides.