Design Matters: Critiquing US Flag Designs
How well-designed is your state’s flag?
Is the Letter “R” a Vowel? What is a Vowel Anyway, and What Does How You Pronounce “R” Say About You?
Did your teacher lie to you when they told you that the only vowels were A, E, I, O, U, and sometimes Y?
Trust and the Personal Library
Who holds the particular book needed by a reader? What is the balance between the personal library and the institutional collection?
The Year in Review: 2022 in The Scholarly Kitchen
Before we launch into 2023, a look back at 2022 in The Scholarly Kitchen.
The Smithsonian Barbie Letter and the Samizdat of Science Humor
An amusing, if apocryphal, response from the Smithsonian offers a glimpse at the sorts of pre-internet humor scientists would share through their networks.
A History of Encabulation — Advancements From the Turbo Encabulator and the Retro Encabulator Have Led to the Hyper Encabulator
Significant breakthroughs in jargon have enabled the development of the hyper encabulator, sure to serve all your encabulation needs.
Adieu to Educopia: An Interview with Katherine Skinner
Read about the history of Educopia and look ahead to its future in today’s interview with co-founder Katherine Skinner, who recently stepped down as their Executive Director
New Light on the New OSTP Memo: An Interview with Dr. Alondra Nelson
Karin Wulf and Rick Anderson interview Dr. Alondra Nelson, acting director of the White House Office on Science & Technology Policy when the new OSTP memo was published.
Scientific Journeys: A Physicist Explores the Culture, History and Personalities of Science – A Book Review
Robert Harington reviews Fred Dylla’s book, Scientific Journeys: A Physicist Explores the Culture, History and Personalities of Science, a collection of prose pieces that portray the author’s approach to a world of science and the science of the world.
A Time Travel Guide to Ancient Rome
The Scholarly Kitchen has, over the years, offered significant resources for the potential time traveler. Here, a guide to visiting Ancient Rome.
What Universities — and Libraries, Researchers, and Publishers? — Owe Democracy
Universities need democracy, and vice versa. An important book shows the 20th century history of that relationship in the United States, and offers a prescription for what we do now that both are imperiled.
Reverse Engineering, the Cycle of Culture, and the Dark History of White Bread
The story of white bread’s rise and fall offers a lesson in the circular nature of manufacturing and consumer culture.
The Ghost of Publishing Past: George Gissing’s “New Grub Street”
A lesson in publishing’s past is provided by George Gissing’s Victorian Era novel.
10 Years of Public Access to the Results of Federally Funded Research: An Interview with the Scholarly Publishing Roundtable (Part 2)
An interview with principals of the Scholarly Publishing Roundtable, whose work significantly shaped the Holdren Memo on public access to federally-funded research.
10 Years of Public Access to the Results of Federally Funded Research: An Interview with the Scholarly Publishing Roundtable (Part 1)
An interview with principals of the Scholarly Publishing Roundtable, whose work significantly shaped the Holdren Memo on public access to federally-funded research.