I just recovered this from my email archives.

Merton's Democratic Norms of Science

1) Universalism,
2) Communism,
3) Disinterestedness,
4) Organized Scepticism

now there are norms and there are anti-norms, but when i see someone say that democracy does not require communism, i get really bothered, because democracy requires an informed and knowledgable public, and knowledge requires sharing, ie communism., there can be no democracy without communism, not just communism of knowledge, but of the very stuff that allows democracy, legitimation.

The Practical Nomad. Long-term global travel [Recomendo]

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this looks like it would be a good book to have….

Economics of scientific research publishing. Here are some more details on Economic Analysis of Scientific Research Publishing report released today by Wellcome Trust. (The cover date is January 2003, but the report was released today.) On its web site the Trust says that “[t]he findings of this report contributed to [its] position statement in support of Open Access Publishing.” The final section of the report contains conclusions, possible future scenarios, and an important list of nine “interventions” (pp. 31-32) that foundations could make in the journal market in order to promote open access. The Wellcome Trust is the world's largest private funder of medical research. [Open Access News]

scary quotes from the @stake CTO firing

As an example of the kind of behind-the-scenes influence that large vendors have, Geer cited his efforts to find an academic security expert or two to sign on to the paper on software diversity. After contacting nine people and striking out each time, he gave up.

“All of them said it was too hot for their position,” Geer said. “They enjoy the free speech benefits of tenure but not necessarily those of funding.”

So academics can't say the truth because they won't get funding….. very problematic…

“I think there should be a huge outcry over his firing. It is that kind of intimidation against scientists speaking their minds that can be extremely dangerous to our society,” Rubin said.

intimidation doesn't have to be direct, it can be atmospheric, encompassing, so when microsoft says they did nothing, that does not mean that their presence did not have influence in other ways.

but i'm not particulary conspiracy minded on this, i just thing the problems it points out with funding vs scientific investigation are places for investigation.

OSAF receives $2.75 million in grants to fund Higher Education version of Chandler. It's curious to me that OSAF would want to do this, considering that the education requirements are almost opposite from the vision for Chandler 1.0. I also wonder why universities would back Chandler when it looks like Glow could meet their requirements much sooner. [Hack the Planet]

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I think that this is a good move on both groups part. Chandler could replace the problematic microsoft exchange systems with more standard functionality.

apparently, rush limbaugh via espn has said something to the regard that particular quarterbacks are overrated and that while these quarterbacks are not white, their skin color has nothing to do with it…. and worse, provides no other justification of his judgement. if he wasn't thinking, 'perhaps race has something to do with his judgement', he would have claimed it didn't. this is why i don't watch espn football coverage. I don't think that this is the only place that espn is coddling such beliefs, look at who does what on their new show 'Playmakers' and count the racial stereotypes.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=496&e=2&u=/ap/limbaugh_quarterback

'no racist intent whatsoever' is what he meant……

then he apparently said:

“All this has become the tempest that it is because I must have been right about something,” he said. “If I wasn't right there wouldn't be this cacophony of outrage that has sprung up in the sports writer community.”

Huh…… just what were you right about rush? just where is your position right in any way other than right wing? i just don't see it.

and finally he resigns, good riddance, now if they'd take him off the radio, the world would have one less hate-spewer.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=551&e=1&u=/ap/fbn_limbaugh_quarterback