Scientists at U. of California Push for Journal Boycott. madtom writes "Today's Chronicle of Higher Education reports that two scientists at the University of California at San Francisco are urging a worldwide boycott of six molecular-biology journals on the grounds that their publisher, Reed Elsevier, is demanding that the University of California system pay too high a price for electronic access to the publications.

The scientists are Keith Yamamoto, chairman of the department of cellular and molecular pharmacology, and Peter Walter, a professor of biophysics and biochemistry. In a letter circulated this week, they say that Reed Elsevier is asking the university system to pay more than $90,000 a year for the journals' online editions. The California Digital Library, which negotiates journal contracts for the university system, rejected that price, and is now pushing Reed Elsevier to reconsider its licensing terms that will take effect in January, says Daniel Greenstein, director of the Digital Library.

Mr. Walter and Mr. Yamamoto are asking scientists to retaliate against Cancer Cell, Cell, Developmental Cell, Molecular Cell, Immunity, and Neuron by refusing to submit articles to the journals, resigning from their editorial boards, and declining to review manuscripts for them. The publications are considered among the most prestigious in molecular biology."

See the Chronicle article (subscription required) and related materials from the California Digital Library and the UC Academic Senate [LISNews.com]

Elsevier is fighting a losing battle. These journals were once very prestigious but have lost some of their glory in recent years. Elsevier has not kept up with things that are rapidly changing. Public Library of Science, Bio MedCentral and professional journals all have viable business models based on the new technologies. Elsevier can only hope to "blackmail" the libraries in order to survive. In an era when print was scarce and it was hard to publish a good paper, this would work. But today, there is little of this. PNAS published new papers online almost everfy day. And it is free after six months. Why publish in a declining journal following a failing business model? If scientists move to other journals because people can actually read the articles without paying an arm and a leg, Elsevier will be in even more trouble. It could enter a death spiral, where declingin revenues cause it to drive up the price, resulting in fewer subscribers and even less revenues.  8:38:44 PM    

In Praise of Evolvable Systems

8:32:15 PM    

Philosopher Leo Strauss and the Bush Administration. Kelly Nuxoll sent me this illuminating piece on Leo Strauss and his influence over the neo-conservative movement and the Bush administration.  Excellent, if scarry!

"..Shadia Drury , professor of political theory at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan, argues that the use of deception and manipulation in current US policy flow directly from the doctrines of the political philosopher Leo Strauss (1899-1973). His disciples include Paul Wolfowitz and other neo-conservatives who have driven much of the political agenda of the Bush administration."
[Jim Moore's cybernetics, politics, emergence, etc.]

Very interesting reading.  1:19:58 PM    

Now I Know What "Freepers" Means

Bush Haters. From the owner of Free Republic, from which Brit Hume graciously accepted an award:

I believe that as long as Bill and Hillary Clinton and their like minded socialist minions have any influence or power over the government or either of the two major political parties, our nation and all of our freedoms are in extreme danger.

Free Republic was created in 1996 as a place where liberty-minded individuals could gather and share the news and discuss the Clinton scandals and other government abuses. I had hoped that the truth of the Clinton corruption would come out in time to prevent his re-election in 1996. Didn't happen. So we moved on. If we couldn't block his re-election, well, perhaps we could help with his impeachment. He was impeached, but we could not remove him.

So next, we decide to do all in our power to ensure that his second in command does not get to the Whitehouse. Even though GWB was not my first choice, once he won the Republican nomination, most of us rallied behind him and fought like the dickens to get him elected. Then we fought again to block the attempted Gore coup d'etat. Our Free Republic chapters mobilized all across the nation and there were thousands of rallies and protests in hundreds of cities objecting loudly to Gore's attempted takeover.

Then we all thanked God when Bush was finally declared the winner and off to Washington we went to celebrate at the Free Republic George W. Bush Inaugural Ball

...

I see the Democrat Party as domestic enemy number one of the Constitution and therefor it is my sworn enemy. And, in my eyes, anyone who helps to elect members of the Democrat party are aiding and abetting the enemy.

...

One of the main purposes of our government is to defend, preserve and protect our liberty. It has been doing just the opposite. Therefore, it is our right and duty to alter or abolish it. I propose doing so by destroying enemy number one of the Constitution, the corrupt socialist Democrat Party.

[Eschaton]

So, it is not a discussion between differing political viewpoints but an all out war against Evil as we move towards Armageddon. That is what we are seeing more and more in our government. We have a 3 star general who is now a Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence who also describes todays events in apocalyptic terms, as a struggle against Ultimate Evil, an Evil whom we can only defeat if we all come together in the name of Jesus. Allowing someone like this to remain in such a position of power sends a strong message to everyone in the world. Somehow I do not think it is a message of hope. It is a message of doom, one where if you are not FOR it, you HAVE to be against it. It tells the Freepers exactly what they want to hear. It is divisive and it really pisses me off.

Anyone who tries to explain the magnificent complexity of our world by such simplistic terms is eventually doomed to failure. Frankly, Jesus did understand that the world is more complex than that. He told parables that, while simple on the surface, contained extremely complex views. That is one of the paradigm shifts were are moving through.

Industrial age ways were to make complex things simply. Reductionism was incredibly powerful, allowing products to be made very cheaply, leveraging individual effort to create immensely powerful tool, devices, organizations, and governments. But we are moving into a time when manufacturing prowess will not be the sole determinant of power. The ability to effectively move information around to create knowledge will be critical for success and survival.

Adaptive cultures will be able to adjust to rapidly changing conditions. Groups that can not adapt will not survive in the areas where information rules. The reactions we are seeing from Freepers is very similar to the prevoius violent and powerful actions of groups that are afraid of losing power during such shifts (i.e. the Luddites or the Know-Nothing Party). I firmly believe that when we get on the other side of this shift, that groups like them will have substantially less influence. I just worry about how much destruction will occur in the meantime.  11:45:34 AM