The "Open" Prescription — Why It Doesn't Always Make Sense
The rhetoric of “open” seeks to rally science to some higher state, but it’s not clear what “open science” means, why it’s any better, and what the risks of its adoption might be.
The Stubborn Persistence of the Subscription Model
The clear benefits of the subscription model make it enticing even for those who supposedly abhor it. And while it’s right to try to make it as efficient as possible, it will likely be with us for a long time to come.
Is Anyone Immune? "Race Against the Machine" and Today's General Purpose Technologies
General purpose technologies are broadly applicable, and when they double in effect like IT has been doing for decades, they can start taking fast tracts of land. Is there anything safe as we “Race Against the Machine?”
Ask the Chefs: "Who Will Win the Future — The Small, the Mid-sized, or the Big Organization?"
Does the future belong to the small and nimble, the flexible mid-range, or the large and powerful? The Chefs reflect on this question in our second installment of this monthly feature.
Asked and Answered: Here's What I Think the Aaron Swartz Case Means
In my last posting, I posed four questions brought to my mind by the Aaron Swartz case. Here, I propose what I think are reasonable answers to those questions. The result is kind of a long post, but hey, it’s the weekend. Tell your spouse that the yard work will have to wait; you’re busy helping to solve the fundamental structural problems of the scholarly information marketplace.
Ask the Chefs: "What Do You Think Is the Most Important Trend in Publishing Today?"
Welcome to a new feature of the Scholarly Kitchen we’re calling “Ask the Chefs.” The premise is that each month, the Chefs (contributors) to the Scholarly Kitchen will answer a provocative question in a pithy paragraph or two. Each Chef answers the question without benefit of seeing the others’ responses. This month’s question: “What Do You Think Is the Most Important Trend in Publishing Today?”
Amazing Street Dancing — Late Friday Fun That Will Blow Your Mind
This style of dancing takes such amazing body control, and it fits the music terrifically well. No film effects were used, but boy, does it look like they were in parts. It really starts getting amazing at about 1 minute. […]
Have Journal Editors Become Anachronisms?
It has become fashionable to rally against the elitism of journals and their editors. An economic argument for why we still need them both.
Symphony of Science — Autotune Hawking and Other Giants of Physics
A pleasant way to celebrate Friday.
Kurt Vonnegut on the Shapes of Stories — A Charming, Logical, and Whimsical Lesson
Ever seen your favorites stories in line-graph form?
Rallying Cries vs. Reality: Profits and Publishing Meet Academics and Idealism
The comments on a recent post revealed a litany of rhetoric that doesn’t quite match up with nuanced reality.
Science for Airlines — Can We Board Planes More Efficiently?
Boarding planes — can it be done quickly?
The Subtle Conflicts of Interest All Humans Face
Not all conflicts are monetary. Sometimes, the pressure to do something good can lead to biased behavior.
Uninformed, Unhinged, and Unfair — The Monbiot Rant
An inflammatory essay reveals its author to be neither well-informed or fair.
Does Access Create New Types of Scarcity?
A compelling essay points out some interesting wrinkles to the access debate.