General Discussion / Free-for-All

Greg Petsko on the new HHMI / Wellcome / MPI journal eLIFE and the problems with the big three "boutique" journals (not named, but referred to as "Nurture, Spineless, and Hell")

http://genomebiology.com/2011/12/9/129

The protest against Elsevier continues and seems to gain momentum. There is now a dedicated web page where researchers working in any field can sign up to lend their support:

http://thecostofknowledge.com/

Some interesting points relevant to those involved in developing methods, or those who are early adopters:

http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nmeth.1926
"On being second"
Nature Methods 9, 209 (2012)
Published online 28 February 2012

Of course, this being Nature Publishing Group, the editorial is not open access, which makes the following sentence (about venues for discussions on the merits of methods) ironic:

Open and searchable venues are always preferable to private exchanges in hallways and conferences.

Cambridge Mathematician and Field's medalist Timothy Gowers calls for a boycott of Elsevier journals to protest their common practice of overcharging and inflexible subscriptions:

http://gowers.wordpress.com/2012/01/21/elsevier-my-part-in-its-downfall/

Wonderful news indeed, and a move everyone should follow. Brandeis currently pays more that $500,000/year for their Elsevier package because we are forced to either take Elsevier's all-or-nothing package or we pay $20 - $30 per article, every time we require access.

The list of the most famous scientists published on the Science website...

http://www.sciencemag.org/site/feature/misc/webfeat/gonzoscientist/epis…

It certainly seems like a biology-centered listing since "fame" is quantified in millidarwins :)

The top position is a bit surprising (Bertrand Russell), but totally motivating me to finish BR's 400+ page History of Western Philosophy, which has been a slow read for me in the last couple of months :)

Some really cool images of the auditory apparatus, including stunning SEM images of hair cells and stereocilia. The biophysics and mechanics of hearing are fascinating...

http://www.cell.com/cell_picture_show-hearing

Maybe you are familiar with this older show, I just discovered it. Very entertaining...

Here's the Salvador Dali episode...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXT2E9Ccc8A&feature=feedrec_grec_index

some nice images from the Carpathians where I used to hike as an adolescent... Forget the HRH (unless you are a royalist)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ip_QZaBfXqM

Alex

Well worth a read... Did you know the profit margins for the major academic publishers was near 40%? Do you think the publishers really add any value to the research done by scientists, reviewed by scientists and paid for by tax money?

Academic publishers make Murdoch look like a socialist

Academic publishers charge vast fees to access research paid for by us. Down with the knowledge monopoly racketeers

George Monbiot
guardian.co.uk, Monday 29 August 2011 21.08 BST

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/aug/29/academic-publishers…

This hawk seems to like the Shapiro building and didn't mind posing for photos!

[edit: it's been pointed out to me that this was probably a hawk, not an eagle]