The Map of Physics
Dominic Walliman offers a visual map of the field of physics.
University Press Books We Loved in 2016
As a follow-up to the chef’s best books read during 2016, I’m happy to present a selection of our favorite university press reads of 2016 (and thanks to one of our commenters for the suggestion!). We tend to think of […]
Restoring a 17th Century Map and the Stories It Tells Us
A fragmented map found stuffed up a Scottish chimney is restored into a meaningful historical document.
The Price of Silicon Valley’s "Disruption" — Is It Possible to Now Have Responsible Information Economics?
As we’ve absorbed and adopted the information economy assumptions peddled by Silicon Valley, social isolation has increased, the definition of “fact” has become slippery, and the scientific record has become more superficial, less reliable, and more transitory. In fact, confirmation bias seems to have become our main operating principle. Maybe a change in economic incentives and greater skepticism across the board could help — all driven by more humans at the controls.
A Look Back at 2016 and a Peek Forward at 2017
A look back at The Scholarly Kitchen in 2016 and a glimpse at what’s coming in 2017.
STM Week 2016 — Stray Thoughts on Security, Open Access, and Data
A few take-aways from STM Week, including London Information International — why publishers have to take security seriously, why OA may need to itself be disrupted, and why we might want to rethink the “content business” positioning we have.
American Versus British Spellings
A short video on how the US and the UK came to spell the same words differently.
Giving Thanks
We’re off for the Thanksgiving holiday in the US, so we leave you with a musical moment to treasure.
2016 In Review
John Oliver gives 2016 the thrashing it so clearly deserves.
The US Election, a Need for Curation, and the Power of Story
A post election look at what publishers can learn from the process.
Does Democracy Need Footnotes?
Are scholarly citation practices really the bedrock of engaged democratic governance? Maybe.
Revisiting: Why Hasn’t Scientific Publishing Been Disrupted Already?
Six-plus years later, it’s time to revisit Michael Clarke’s now-classic post about disruption, or rather the lack thereof, in scientific publishing.
Reshelving the New York Public Library’s Rose Reading Room
A time lapse look at the final stages of re-opening the New York Public Library’s magnificent Rose Reading Room.
Business Jargon — Get Used To It
Annoying business jargon has a sneaky habit of becoming ingrained in everyday language.
The 2016 Ig Nobel Prizes
It’s that time of year again. Every year Harvard University’s glorious Sanders Theatre plays host to the Ig Nobel Prize ceremony. I was there, along with my 13-year old son, armed with dozens of pieces of paper, for ready assembly into paper airplanes and ready to revel in a couple of hours of sublime silliness. Here is my report.