On the nature of networking: reprise

Coincidental Chemistry

Grey Council

On or around 5th November
Does anyone else find it odd, that of all the opportunities the British have to let off fireworks outside the usual New Year shindig, we choose to celebrate the time someone tried (and failed) to blow up Parliament? The Shackledraggers celebrate Australia Day, the French Bastille Day, and the Americans Independence Day (sensibly, these latter two are in July, far enough away from New Year/Christmas to make it time for a knees-up). In a bar in Charleston last week, a colleague and myself were discussing this matter with Pete Binfield of PLoS. When should we have a national holiday in the UK? We do, already, celebrate May Day more than the Americans, but maybe we should also

On school days -- Part IV
I’m sitting in a hotel in Charleston SC, in a somewhat uncomfortable armchair, MacBook on lap and cursing the dodgy wireless signal in this place. Looking around, lots of people seem to be having similar problems. I’ve forgotten my adaptor so I’m hoping that my hung-over colleague makes it in with the work laptop. It’s around 72°F outside and it hurts to look at the pavement sidewalk through the hotel window; my boots and winter trousers are definitely not suitable. I’ll talk more about the conference some other time, but rather than go through my presentation again (I hate over-rehearsing) I’m going to tell you the long-pr

On dead stuff
I’ve allegedly been on holiday this week. It was enforced: not only is it half term and the Pawns require a bit of childcare, I also found myself with rather a lot of annual leave that I have to use up, or lose, before the end of the year. Just before we go beta, too. Of course, I haven’t actually been able to treat it as a holiday, what with certain things too boring to go into here, so I think I’ll have to have another holiday real soon no

On Open Access
Published literature is not free. To be more precise, the process of turning your treasured manuscript from a Word document (LaTeX nerds can shut up right now) through peer review, editing, XML-ification, whatever, to what you hold in your hand or see on your screen costs money. Even if the peer review process is performed by volunteers, someone has to spend time deciding to whom your manuscript is going to be sent; chasing the reviewers and collating the reports. Not to mention the organization that has to exist, the necessary infrastructure. Online-only journals obviously have (effectively) zero

On mass divided by volume
Just how annoying is Luke Skywalker? Man, I’d like to fetch him one across the self-righteous chops. And this whole rebellion schtick? Just what’s going on there? I mean, you’ve got a galaxy with peace and order and what seems to be thriving economies on planets with no apparent means of support or trading advantages; different races, hell, different species seem to be able to mix and get on with each other—and the crime that does occur seems to be various lowlifes working it out between themselves. So a bunch of crazy mixed-up kids decide to start blowing things up, it’s hardly any wonder the government’s going to get a little bit pissed off.