Has Google Become a Journal Publisher?
Google’s journal about artificial intelligence (AI) coming from editors and authors associated with Google and Google Brain raises questions about conflicts, vanity publishing, and Google as a media company.
Guest Post: GDPR Day Is Here – What Happens Next?
Organizations have been busy sending out opt-in notices and privacy policy updates, but how many will be “compliant”? Anne Stone discusses the consequences for innovation in scientific research, openness initiatives and data transparency.
Sometimes the Reveal is Better than the Magic Trick
You can still be manipulated, even when you know you’re being manipulated.
An Unlikely Engineering Masterpiece
You’ve probably seen this toy for much of your life. But do you know how it works?
Blindspot — Was a Key Factor Missed in the Study of Viral Lies?
A recent study of the spread of lies on Twitter is an important advance, but the authors missed a potentially huge factor, and one we can’t ignore.
A Written Language Without an Alphabet
A video explaining the written system for the Inuktitut language, which uses an abugida instead of an alphabet.
Designing a Lasting Symbol
Designing a symbol for the long term. Can your design last 10,000 years?
What Will Scholarly Information Providers Do About Voice User Interfaces (VUI)?
OK Google, can you find this for me? Don’t worry. If you’re busy, I can always ask Alexa instead.
Fixing Instead of Breaking, Part One — Open Citations
With so much broken by the Internet, we may be moving into a mode of fixing things. Are open citations part of the solution, or more of the problem?
Roadblocks to Accessibility
Accessible publishing is better for publishers, better for the bottom line, better for readers of all stripes. If we agree that egalitarian dissemination of academic content is the thing to do, including those with physical, learning, or cognitive challenges, then why does end-to-end accessible publishing continue to elude us?
Book Review: “Technically Wrong,” by Sara Wachter-Boettcher
A new book explores how biases and broken systems get built into technology products and platforms.
Discovery Should Be Delivery: User-Centric Principles for Discovery as a Service
Library discovery can only succeed in reaching a high market share if it is intensely user-centered. Articulating user-centric principles for discovery has enabled the University Library to Illinois to evolve a discovery environment that meets the needs of its community of users.
The Wake-up Call — Looking Back at 2017, and Some Factors Affecting 2018
2017 may have been a watershed year for the Internet and its future. What did we learn? And what factors may shape 2018?
The End of Aperta: Journal Submission Systems Remain Challenging
Why is it so hard to build a good journal article submission system?
Book Review: “The New Analog” by Damon Krukowski
Is “signal” meaningful in the absence of “noise”? Damon Krukowski asks what important things have been lost in our transition from analog to digital media in his book, “The New Analog”.