How Do You Pronounce ‘Moleskine’?
A short video of the myriad ways to pronounce “moleskine,” the name of a favorite notebook.
Can New XML Technologies and the Semantic Web Deliver on Their Promises?
I recently read a paper from Los Alamos National Labs (LANL), “Using Architectures for Semantic Interoperability to Create Journal Clubs for Emergency Response.” Without diving too deeply into the technical weeds, what the paper describes is: [A] process for leveraging emerging […]
A Future of Touch and Gestures: New Interfaces Driving Scientific Information Presentation
Image by jdlasica via Flickr For scholarly publishers, librarians, and readers, the article remains the coin of the realm — a text-based narrative that strips data of all but its most superficial aspects and doesn’t integrate itself into the body […]
Industry Sponsorship of Open Access Articles
The willingness of industry to sponsor open access articles may bias your access to reliable health information.
The Paranoia of Publication “Bias” — How a Study Proves Its Point by Making Its Point
Positive research results may indicate that the scientific system is working efficiently.
Short Stories and Comics: Niche Markets with Core Lessons for STM Publishers
The failure of the traditional music industry has become the standard cautionary tale for content industries adapting to a digital era. But for scholarly publishers, many factors make the music industry a poor comparison. We have more in common with smaller niche markets. Watching their electronic experimentation and new business models may be more informative as we seek new strategies for presenting and selling content.
Passive-Aggressive (or Maybe Just Aggressive) Library Signs Reveal the Vagaries of Patrons
A collection of 20 library signs says a lot about the trials and tribulations of librarians. Patrons do the strangest things!
The Federal Research Public Access Act (FRPAA), Science, and the Public Good
If consumer web sites remain the source of most health information, there is little that FRPAA will do to improve the transmission of research to the public.
Optimism and Pessimism in Journalism: Attitude Reflects Vulnerability, Packaging Seals It
A new Pew Research report shows that news media — print and broadcast — vary in their attitudes. But a deeper attitude about how the news should be presented may be their ultimate vulnerability.
Mobile Devices and Privacy — Why It’s So Easy to Swap Personal Information to Satisfy an Itch
Mobile computing is the norm, but it also creates easy trading ground for our privacy. Is this just the new normal?
Do Lava Lamps Work Under Centrifugal Force?
Lava Lamps can work under difficult conditions, but would we still want to watch them?
One Report, Two Findings: Library Roles Changing, Open Access Not Compelling
Ithaka S+R has published a report on libraries and open access. Libraries are still important in the lives of scholars, but the trends are not in their favor. Open access doesn’t seem to be meeting scholars’ needs.
Clouds, Gestures, and Incumbents — Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad
Major trends are at work in information exchange technologies and interface design, but publishers remain hampered by incumbent traits.
The Trouble with the Truth: Politics Squelches Science Again
A new NSF report is edited to suppress important facts, denying the truth.
Rules of Thumb for Social Media in Science
As science publishers, we hear a lot about the potential for new technologies. Often this comes in the form of a pitch from someone looking to sell you on either the technology they’re offering or on their expertise. In trying to see through the salesmanship, it’s important to have some general rules of thumb for approaching the integration of social media as tools for the research science community.