Has Publishing Revealed the Achilles’ Heel of Webist Political Philosophies?
Does the power of prestige and prestige-granting organization confound the politics of the Web?
PLoS’ Squandered Opportunity — Their Problems with the Path of Least Resistance
The Public Library of Science was once a radical force, but is now dependent on author-pays bulk-publishing for its livelihood, which introduces all sorts of problems for every journal publisher. What went wrong?
Wearable Computers — They Sure Beat Docking Stations in Your Neck
Wearable computers are coming, and many are already around us, with biometric, social networking, gaming, and health applications. Which one will you wear?
Misused Quotes We Live By: When Rules of Thumb Get Bent or Amputated
Examine what you’re quoted carefully. Some commonly held views of the world are based on misappropriated quotations.
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.
Printing’s Alive! A Celebratory Video on the Eve of the iPad
Print is alive, but demoted. This video argues the point in a lively and entertaining way.
Dan Pink and the Power of Intrinsic Motivation
What motivates us? Do we respond better to carefully constructed reward systems? Or do we just want to be smarter, get smarter, and figure things out on our own?
The Inspiration for the “Future of Publishing Video”
“The Future of Publishing” video has a clear antecedent. Does the derivative pale next to the original?
TrendWatching: I Don’t Think That Word Means What You Think It Means
2004 = What is a blog? 2007 = What is Twitter? And for some, another mainstream technology is still a bit unknown. A lesson in the fact that your audience is not the entire universe.
Orbiting the Google — A Gravitational Pull Affecting Our Lives and Thinking
Google exerts a strong pull in the digital realm. Is it strong enough to affect the boundaries of our thinking?
Shirky at NFAIS: How Abundance Breaks Everything
“Abundance breaks more things than scarcity does. Society knows how to react to scarcity.” Clay Shirky speaks at the opening session of NFAIS.
The Video College Application: Tufts Embraces the YouTube Generation
A large university embraces video applications, and more than 1,000 students submit, mostly via YouTube. Here are some clever videos spotlighting some of today’s college applicants.
The Internet’s Extended Cultural Memory — Is It Sapping Our Creativity?
One of the great benefits of the Internet is how it has extended our cultural memory. But has this also stolen our freedom of thought, our ability to create original works of art?
Old PhDs and the Matthew Effect — Is the Attention Economy of Scholarship Making Science Too Staid?
Older PhDs, longer postdoc stints, the rich getting richer, and other factors are creating a “founder effect” and consolidating power at the upper end of scholarship. Is it a Ponzi scheme? Can grassroot efforts change things?
Culture Trumps Technology: The UC Berkeley Scholarly Communication Report
A guide to the values, cultures and scholarly communication behaviors of academics. A must read for publishers and technologists.