The Partnership Between Q and U
More language nerdery, probing the origins of the pairing of the letters Q and U in English.
The Power of Community — Why Much of Scholarly Publishing Is Unlikely to Change Quickly
Journals as communication vehicles that bind communities of practice are still important and well-regarded, but there are external forces changing them and our industry, along with a rising level of neglect, which may mean a harder future for them than ever. What might we lose? And how does this explain why change is so slow in coming?
A History of Nothing
An animated look at the history of zero.
Cheap As Chips, and Other Expressions Explained
A short video explaining the meaning behind and origins of common words and phrases.
The New(ish) Kids on the Block – Touring the Megajournals
A tour of four major “megajournals” and some of their neighbors finds a few common approaches and a few distinguishing features, but the entire category may need to be rethought given the lack of “mega” generally among the set.
Why Does English Have So Many Words That Have Twins?
The impact of the Germanic and Romance language roots that led to modern English.
How Far Back in Time Could You Go and Still Understand English?
Thinking of traveling back in time? Watch this cautionary video first.
Guest Post, Fred Dylla — Three Years after the OSTP Public Access Directive: A Progress Report
On the three year anniversary of the OSTP Public Access memo, AIP’s Fred Dylla takes a look at the significant progress made.
Richard Feynman, The Great Explainer
The story of physicist Richard Feynman, “The Great Explainer”.
Conversations in Genetics: An Oral History of Biology
“Conversations In Genetics” offers a treasure trove of material to historians of science.
The Man Behind Schoolhouse Rock!
A visit with Bob Dorough, 92, the man who set education to song for a generation in the US.
NYPL Shows Academic Libraries What "Public Domain" Means
The New York Public Library has now opened up hundreds of thousands of their digitized public-domain documents to unrestricted access and reuse, encouraging members the general public to exercise all the rights in those documents that the law gives them. Why aren’t more academic libraries doing the same thing?
The Terrible Burden of a Prestigious Brand
While all publishers like to have a strong brand, some brands are so prestigious that they actually serve to paralyze the managements responsible for them, making it impossible to introduce innovations and to develop the business. Vast bureaucracies arrive whose purpose is not to develop the business but to protect the vaunted brand. This is a management problem, not a marketing one, but it can stymie a publisher from pursuing a progressive agenda.
Greetings from the Age of Abundance
A farewell to 2015, and some thoughts on why our culture has, in an age of abundance, slowed down so much.
Past, Present and Future: The Book (of Hours)
A centuries old genre of publication — can it inspire tomorrow’s book?