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.
What It Takes to Run a Blog
How much work is it to run a blog? After 18 months, I think I finally have enough experience to share some insights.
The “Article of the Future” — Just Lipstick Again?
Elsevier’s “Article of the Future” prototypes appear, and only spotlight the underlying conceptual problems for a traditional, article-centric publisher.
Journalism and Driving — Technology Enables Amateurs
Amateurs with similar machines as professionals have emerged before. Instead of travel, this time, it’s information.
Playing Two Ends Against the Middle
Anderson says Free is the “future radical price.” Gladwell says free may not be the future. Godin simply says “Malcolm is wrong.” Why are all the arguments so polarized?
Paying for Peer-Review — or, What We’ve Learned from Financial Watchdogs
A common systemic problem links oversight of financial risks and author-pays peer-review. Both are potentially calamitous.
Chaos Still Publishing Former Editor’s Work
The journal that sparked a peer-review controversy has resumed publishing its ousted editor’s work.