OPML Directories. Mikel has directed my attention to Dave's revival of OPML files as directory structures in Sunday's edition of Scripting News. As Dave demonstrates, the 'inclusion' feature of OPML (the link and url node attributes) allow for a really cool decentralized directory structure, with different persons managing different levels of what appears to be a unique outline. This has a lot of potential. If you have activeRenderer installed with your copy of Radio, you can experience the same level of integration within your web browser as you can using Radio's outliner. Take a look at my OPML directories demo. [read more] [Marc Barrot: activeRenderer]

Very nice as a tool of collaboration... particularly at the moment where I am implementing a MultiAuthors Radio process. But, Marc, what if I want to have the  icon as illustration of the directory structure ?

9:26:27 PM     

New Premise in Science: Get the Word Out Quickly, Online. The Public Library of Science will launch two open access journals later this week, PLoS Biology and PLoS Medicine. (...) We could use a lot more of this. By Amy Harmon, New York Times, December 17, 2002 [Refer][Research][Reflect] [OLDaily]

« For most scientists, who typically assign their copyright to the journals for no compensation, the main goal is to distribute their work as widely as possible. (...) The Dutch-British conglomerate Reed Elsevier Group, the world's largest academic publisher, posted a 30 percent profit last year on its science publishing activities. Science took in $34 million last year on advertising alone. (...) When scientists relied on print-and-paper journals to distribute their work, the Library's supporters argue, it made sense to charge for access, since each copy represented an additional expense. But they say that at a time when the Internet has reduced distribution costs to almost zero, a system that grants journals exclusive rights over distribution is no longer necessary.»

Oui, vivement la distribution gratuite des résultats scientifiques. C'est dans "L'économiste et le manager" que Philippe Lorino soulevait cette question des frais cachés et de la valeur des acquis sociaux pris comme aussi gratuits que l'air que sont la formation des diplômés.

L'augmentation substantielle prévisible de frais de scolarité universitaire au Canada (McGill parle de doubler les siens) ne devrait pas nous faire croire que la science devient pour autant une affaire privée. À partir de quel prix la culture devient-elle privée ?

7:58:32 PM