October 2011 - Air-L - lists.aoir.org

Program Changes
by Karine Nahon 10 Oct '11

10 Oct '11

Hi Everyone, Please note that the most up-to-date program information is in the conftool system at https://www.conftool.net/aoir-ir12/index.php?page=browseSessions . We updated today the downloadable version of the program, which includes the most recent changes. You can find it at http://ir12.aoir.org/schedule . Take care and see you today or tomorrow Karine ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Karine Nahon - http://eKarine.org<http://ekarine.org/> Associate Professor The Information School, The retroV (Virality of Information) Group - http://retroV.org<http://retrov.org/> University of Washington Twitter - http://twitter.com/karineb Office tel. - (206) 685-6668

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Tweetcloud - a word cloud tool for your tweet stream
by Stephen J Cavrak Jr 10 Oct '11

10 Oct '11

A friendly peep pointed me towards a nice tool ... TweetCloud http://tweetcloud.icodeforlove.com/ ? show the top [20] most used words in my cloud [up to 90 words] ? identifies people you mention the most ? shows related twitter users ? shows related clouds ? your account gets displayed when someone mentions or searches for you ... interesting fun ... ( if you want to check a sample cloud, 2 of mine are at http://tweetcloud.icodeforlove.com/62033 (handle: sjc) ... or you can check out Andre Zmievski at http://tweetcloud.icodeforlove.com/940631 [handle "a") ... enjoy ...

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IT support for Occupy Seattle during AoIR?
by qCentral 10 Oct '11

10 Oct '11

hi folks, this is a little off-topic (for some) so apologies in advance: i spent the evening at the "Occupy Seattle" camp in Westlake Park @ 401 Pine St., just a few blocks from our conference hotel. their new website is: www.occupyseattle.org and they are also on Facebook (but trying to shift traffic to the website as well). if you are: 1) interested in helping them with tech support while you're here in Seattle for AoIR 2) interested in donating hardware/software to the camp, specifically: • deep cycle batteries • solar cells • teach-ins: 4:00-6:30pm • networking gear: routers//switches/access points • load balanced web hosting • social media endorsements • access to any data on current internet trends • projector • fast wi-fi everywhere 24/7 • useful information/reports on how the internet can be used to help movements/effective tactics from other protests (eg, Egypt) • information on mesh networking and/or 3) a local to the Seattle area and interested in helping with ongoing IT support PLEASE contact me OFF-LIST. i'll coordinate drop-offs of equipment 2x this week (end of the day, Tuesday and Thursday) and put people in touch with the working group handling IT for "Occupy Seattle" while i'm in town for the conference. the camp also needs some basic supplies for people who've come from out of state for the protest: Blankets (at least 40) Coats (any rain gear) Storage containers (plastic bins for organizing supplies) Cleaning supplies (brooms, dustpans, mops, buckets, and disinfectant) Epsom salts EPI pens (if you're a super allergic to bees, this is a special shout out to you!) If you would like to donate cash at the AoIR (you can email me @ qcentral(a)indiana.edu and I'll meet you anywhere to pick it up), I would be happy to go shopping for the items above and get them to the camp (I'll make a run Tuesday and Thursday). My personal goal is to help them get another portable toilet out there for overnight campers. They don't have PayPal set up on their website yet but they hope to soon so that's another option if you'd help out down the road. : ) Thanks for considering this request for help while we're all citizens of this fair city (apologies, again, to those who feel the list is not the proper forum for this request). Best, Mary _______________________ On sabbatical until January 9, 2012 Mary L. Gray, Ph.D. Associate Professor Communication and Culture Affiliate Faculty, Gender Studies Adjunct Faculty, American Studies Adjunct Faculty, Anthropology Indiana University 800 E. 3rd Street Bloomington, IN 47405 Email: mLg(a)indiana.edu URL: www.indiana.edu/~qcentral Phone: 812-855-4379 Fax: 812-855-6014 BLOG for "Out in the Country, Youth, Media, and Queer Visibility in Rural America" (NYU Press 2009) @ http://queercountry.fromthesquare.org/

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IR12: Update #2 before the conference starts
by Karine Nahon 10 Oct '11

10 Oct '11

Hello AoIRers! Just before you hop on a plane to Seattle, here are some additional things to take into consideration: ARRIVING TO SEATTLE I tried myself the Link Light Rail from SEATAC airport and one should note two things: the trip to the hotel takes longer (between 45-60 mins. as opposed to 25 mins. by taxi). Another warning - the way from the "University St." to the hotel is 4 blocks up a very-very steep hill. It is a difficult walk with suitcases. BREAKFAST Our breakfasts are served in the courtyard foyer. On Tuesday we will have our breakfast from 7:00 am until 9:00 am. INTERNET I got several inquiries about this, so let's repeat it. Yes, we have free Internet in the hotel rooms. You will need to sign-up, and once you check-out from the hotel, this service will be comped. BANQUET We still have tickets for the Banquet available. You can purchase them when you are register, if you haven't done so until now. PROGRAM The full program with and without abstracts is available to download at http://ir12.aoir.org/schedule. BULLETING BOARD We will post changes to lectures on a bulletin board in the courtyard foyer. Be sure to check it before you enter into a session. Also, feel free to use this board for posting notes to your colleagues. PICTURES We will be taking pictures in AOIR. However, we are relying on each one of you to take additional pictures and share. If you have a flickr, facebook or any other url, you would like to share, please send it to me. We will be showing pictures during the conference in the courtyard foyer. BLOGGING AND TWITTING Our hash tag for the conference is #ir12. We will be showing a live the feed of Tweeter with the #ir12. So tweet, tweet a lot, and don't forget to add the #ir12 hash tag. Bloggers, if you are interested, send me the links to your posts and we will share them with the rest of the community. See you all soon, Karine ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Karine Nahon - http://eKarine.org<http://ekarine.org/> Associate Professor The Information School, The retroV (Virality of Information) Group - http://retroV.org<http://retrov.org/> University of Washington Twitter - http://twitter.com/karineb Office tel. - (206) 685-6668

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FW: Recordatorio: CALL FOR PROPOSALS: Research projects on Information Societies and Information & Communication Technology for Development (ICTD)
by Adriana de Souza e Silva 10 Oct '11

10 Oct '11

> > > > Strengthening Information Society Research Capacity Alliance > > 2011-2013 > > > > CALL FOR PROPOSALS > > > > > > Proposals for research projects on Information Societies and Information & Communication Technology for Development (ICTD) carried out in the Global South will be accepted by SIRCA II. > > > About SIRCA II > > The Strengthening Information Society Research Capacity Alliance – or SIRCA II – aims to improve the inter-disciplinary research skills of emerging scholars in the Global South. Learning from the experience of building capacity in the Information Society/ICTD field in Asia, SIRCA II will include researchers from Africa, Latin America as well as Asia, in order to address the very lack of scholars from developing regions. > > > The objectives of the program are to: > i. Build scientific and critical research skills and capacity among emerging researchers in Africa, Latin America and Asia; > > a. Create opportunities for mentorship between established international researchers (Collaborators) and grant recipients (Principal Investigators or PIs); > > b. Provide spaces at a regional and international level for PIs to share experiences and knowledge in face-to-face settings; and > > c. Provide training to PIs on key information society’s issues. > > ii. Establish network connections between African, Latin American and Asian researchers; and > > iii. Disseminate findings locally and internationally in order to strengthen the body of methodologically sound, inter-disciplinary and theoretically-based research. > > > The program will be managed by the Singapore Internet Research Centre, based at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa, and the Instituto de Estudios Peruanos, Peru. The SIRCA II Programme will be supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada. > > > > Eligibility > > You may apply for research funding as the Principal Investigator of the research project, only if you are: > > · an emerging scholar in the Information & Communication Technology for Development field of no more than 45 years old; if you are a PhD holder, then you are only eligible if you have no more than seven years of post-graduate teaching/research experience; > · affiliated with an academic, government, research, or civil society institution, consortium or institution based in Africa, Latin America and Asia; funds will be disbursed to your organization of employment and not directly to you; and > · to remain in the country or region of research throughout the grant period/research project; > > NB: The PI is accountable for the project and is expected to be involved actively in it. > > > Pre-application Registration > > Applicants must register via email at sirca2(a)ntu.edu.sg prior to submitting a proposal application. The email registration deadline is 14 October 2011. The email subject header should read “SIRCA II Registration”, and the body should include the following details: > > · Full Name of Principal Investigator > · (Tentative) Research Title (this can be changed at the time of filling in online application form) > · Country of Research > > NB: Applicants should note examples of previously funded projects and check that their intended project does not duplicate one of those already funded in previous calls. Details of the successful awards are available on the SIRCA website @ www.sirca.org.sg/current-projects. > > Funding Information > > Each selected grant recipient will be provided with: > > · upto SGD$24,000 for a maximum period of support of 18 months to conduct a research project; > · least-cost travel and per diems covered to attend training workshop and final research dissemination conference; and > · one assigned senior-level collaborator to supervise and guide you through the research project. > > Applicants are expected to provide a detailed research budget, indicating clearly their expected costs for the following line items: > > · Personnel > > · Equipment > > · International Travel (conference travel relating to SIRCA only) > > · Local Travel > > · Research > > · Other Operating Expenses > > · Declaration on existing funding agency to your proposal > > > You are required to use the budget template available at www.sirca.org.sg/budget. Instructions for each line item and how to account for them are provided in the template. > > > Research Timeline > > Applicants are expected to provide a detailed research timeline, indicating clearly their project milestones and completion times (in terms of weeks or months). You are required to use the timeline template available at www.sirca.org.sg/timeline. > > > > Proposal Processing and Review > > Proposal requirements > > All proposals must state clearly the following: > > • Literature review > • Clearly articulated research question(s), > • Potential impact/application, > • Project beneficiaries: the individuals and groups that would benefit from the research, > • Long to medium term sustainability (how the impact continues after the end of the project), > • Research methodology (including elements of multi-disciplinarily), > • Ethical procedure, > • Expected results, > • Dissemination plan for project results (peer-review scientific literature and media), > • Risk management, > • Project budget, > • Implementation schedule (project timeline), > • Qualifications of the Principal Investigators, > • Past research project grant(s) applied and its status, > • Three referees’ names and contact information, and > • Two suitable senior collaborators for nomination; although the final decisions on collaborator assignment will be made internally by the Grant Review Committee based on availability and matching of interests. > > Applications will only be accepted through electronic means. You can find the form online at http://sirca2.sirca.org.sg/call-for-proposals/collaborator-application-form/. > > > > NB: Incomplete submissions will not be entertained. Late submissions will be considered on a case-by case basis by the Management Committee > > > Review Criteria > > Proposals will be reviewed according to the following criteria: > > 1. Clarity of the proposal or the research question > 2. Novelty, significance, and importance to the community > 3. Adequacy of methodological rigor and theoretical contribution > 4. Appropriateness of interpretations > 5. Quality of writing > 6. Quality of historical research record and referee recommendations > 7. Emerging research potential of the Principal Investigator; as the program is intended to build research capacity, researchers who are senior may be rejected at the proposal vetting phase. > > > Award and Non-Award Decisions > > Acknowledgement of receipt of the proposals will only be made to the PI. > > > Notification of awards will be sent to the respective employing organizations and copied to the PI normally not exceeding three months from the submission deadline. Written acceptance of the terms and conditions of the award co-signed by the PI, Co-Investigators and the respective employing organization, must reach regional secretariat within 14 working days from the date of the offer letter. > > > Applicants for proposals that are not selected for short-listing will receive a notification of decline with specific feedback. > > > Key Dates > > Deadline for interest indication: October 14, 2011 > > Deadline for proposal submission: November 1, 2011 > >

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SEATAC to the Hotel
by Ted Coopman 09 Oct '11

09 Oct '11

All, Seattle has a nifty new light rail system that runs to and from the airport to downtown. It wasn't in operation when I was living there but I looked around and it appears the University Street station is the closest (.3 miles/7 minutes walking) to the hotel and it looks like it is not up hill (major consideration downtown - *steep* *hills*). The train takes 45 minutes and the fare from the airport is $2.75 one way. The website is at: http://www.soundtransit.org they do have a trip planner. Lots of trains, esp. during peak times Walk from seatac to Seatac Link Light Rail Station 1. Walk southeast on Perimeter Rd. 2. Continue on Seatac Access Road. 3. Walk northeast on Seatac Access Road. 10 min (0.3 mi) I assume it will be well marked. If any locals wish to chime in case I am wrong or to confirm I am right, please do. -TED -- Ted M. Coopman Ph.D. Lecturer Department of Communication Studies San Jose State University http://www.sjsu.edu/people/ted.coopman/

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FW: A Timely Critique of the Internet and Internet policy
by michael gurstein 09 Oct '11

09 Oct '11

A timely political-economic analysis and critique of the Internet and Internet policy. M -----Original Message----- From: reader-list-bounces(a)sarai.net [mailto:reader-list-bounces@sarai.net] On Behalf Of A. Mani Sent: Sunday, October 09, 2011 8:36 AM To: sarai list; pragoti(a)yahoogroups.com; The Moderates; issuesonline_worldwide(a)yahoogroups.com Subject: [Reader-list] The Internet's Unholy Marriage to Capitalism <http://monthlyreview.org/2011/03/01/the-internets-unholy-marriage-to-capita lism#en63> The development of social relations and democratic forms, as well as science, culture, etc., are all communicative. The rise of the Internet as a form of free communication, seemingly without limits, thus raises the prospect of new realms of human sociability and enhanced democratic possibilities. Yet, rather than a means of expanding human sociability, the Internet is being turned into the opposite: a new means of alienation. There is nothing natural in this process; at bottom it remains a social choice.

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Number of nodes on the internet?
by Sue Thomas 09 Oct '11

09 Oct '11

Hi, Can anyone advise me on this please? Where can I find recent data on the total number of internet nodes worldwide? Thanks Sue _________ Sue Thomas Research Professor of New Media IOCT/Faculty of Art, Design and Humanities Clephan 1.01d, De Montfort University, The Gateway, Leicester LE1 9BH, UK +44 (0)116 207 8266 w: http://www.thewildsurmise.com <http://www.thewildsurmise.com/> Nature and Cyberspace: stories, memes and metaphors e: sue.thomas(a)dmu.ac.uk <mailto:sue.thomas@dmu.ac.uk> t: @suethomas <http://www.twitter.com/suethomas> g: +suethomas <https://plus.google.com/110733806086330324299/>

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Fwd: Recordatorio: convocatoria a proyectos de investigación SIRCA - 14 de octubre
by Francesca Musiani 08 Oct '11

08 Oct '11

On behalf of Laura León, please find below the reminder for a call for projects issued by the Strengthening Information Society Research Capacity Alliance (SIRCA), of possible interest for emerging scholars on these lists. Please, contact Laura directly for more information at <leon.laura(a)gmail.com>. Apologies for cross-postings. Best regards, Francesca Musiani ESN-IAMCR communications coordinator ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Laura León K. <leon.laura(a)gmail.com> Date: 2011/10/8 Subject: Recordatorio: convocatoria a proyectos de investigación SIRCA - 14 de octubre Estimados, Les recordamos la convocatoria a proyectos de investigación SIRCA. El plazo para la pre inscripción de investigadores es el 14 de octubre. Para la pre inscripción sólo es necesario enviar al correo sirca2(a)ntu.edu.sg la siguiente información: • Nombre completo del Investigador Principal • Título (tentativo) de la Investigación (éste se puede cambiar cuando se complete el formulario de solicitud online) • País de Investigación El plazo para el envío de propuestas de investigación completas vence el 1 de noviembre. La propuesta debe ser desarrollada en inglés. Quedo atenta a cualquier consulta. Saludos cordiales, Laura León DIRSI Strengthening Information Society Research Capacity Alliance 2011-2013 LLAMADO PARA PRESENTACIÓN DE PROPUESTAS SIRCA II aceptará las propuestas de proyectos de investigación sobre Sociedades de Información y Tecnologías de Información & Comunicación para el Desarrollo (ICTD, por sus iniciales en inglés) realizados en el Hemisferio Sur. Acerca de SIRCA II La organización Strengthening Information Society Research Capacity Alliance – o SIRCA II – busca mejorar las habilidades de investigación interdisciplinaria de los jóvenes académicos en el Hemisferio Sur. Gracias a la experiencia adquirida en la creación de capacidad en el área de Sociedad de Información/ICTD en Asia, SIRCA II incluirá investigadores de África, Latinoamérica, así como también de Asia, a fin de abordar la muy escasa participación de académicos de regiones en desarrollo. Los objetivos del programa son: i. Crear habilidades y capacidad de investigación científica y crítica entre los jóvenes investigadores (Pls) en África, Latinoamérica y Asia; a. Crear oportunidades para pasantías entre investigadoras internacionales establecidas (Colaboradoras) y destinatarios de donaciones (Investigadores Principales o Pls); b. Proporcionar espacios a nivel regional e internacional para que los Pls compartan experiencias y conocimiento en forma presencial; y c. Proporcionar capacitación a los Pls sobre cuestiones clave de la sociedad de información. ii. Establecer redes entre los investigadores africanos, latinoamericanos y asiáticos; y iii. Difundir hallazgos a nivel local e internacional para fortalecer el cuerpo de una investigación metodológicamente firme, interdisciplinaria y basada en teoría. El programa estará a cargo del centro de investigación Singapore Internet Research Centre, con sede en la Escuela de Comunicaciones e Información Wee Kim Wee, Universidad Tecnológica de Nanyang, Singapur, la Universidad de KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, Sudáfrica y el Instituto de Estudios Peruanos (IEP), Perú. El Programa SIRCA II contará con el respaldo del centro de investigación International Development Research Centre (IDRC) de Canadá. Requisitos Usted puede solicitar fondos para la investigación en calidad de Investigador Principal (PI) del proyecto de investigación, sólo si: • es un joven académico en el área de Tecnologías de Información & Comunicación para el Desarrollo de no más de 45 años. Si posee un doctorado, entonces sólo puede participar si no tiene más de siete años de experiencia en docencia/investigación desde de su graduación; • es miembro de una institución académica, gubernamental o de sociedad civil, consorcio u organismo con sede en África, Latinoamérica y Asia. Los fondos se entregarán a la organización en la que se desempeña, y no directamente a usted; y • permanecerá en el país o región de investigación durante todo el proyecto de investigación/ el período de vigencia de la donación; Nota: El PI es responsable del proyecto y se espera que participe activamente en él. Inscripción previa Los postulantes se deben inscribir por correo electrónico a sirca2(a)ntu.edu.sg antes de presentar la solicitud de propuesta. La fecha límite para la inscripción por correo electrónico es el 14 de octubre de 2011. El asunto del correo electrónico debe decir “SIRCA II – Inscripción”, y el cuerpo del mensaje debe incluir la siguiente información: • Nombre completo del Investigador Principal • Título (tentativo) de la Investigación (éste se puede cambiar cuando se complete el formulario de solicitud online) • País de Investigación Nota: Los postulantes deben citar ejemplos de proyectos previamente financiados y verificar que su propuesta de proyecto no copie a aquellos proyectos que ya fueron subvencionados en llamados anteriores. La información sobre los becas otorgadas está disponible en el sitio Web de SIRCA @ www.sirca.org.sg/current-projects. Información sobre Fondos Cada uno de los beneficiarios de donación seleccionados obtendrá: • hasta SGD24,000 por un período máximo de respaldo de 18 meses para realizar un proyecto de investigación; • pasajes de costos menores y viáticos para asistir a talleres de capacitación y conferencias de divulgación de la investigación final; y • un colaborador senior asignado para supervisarlo y guiarlo a través de su proyecto de investigación. Se espera que los postulantes proporcionen un presupuesto de investigación detallado, que indique claramente sus costos estimados para los siguientes puntos: • Personal • Equipo • Viajes Internacionales (viajes de conferencias relacionadas con SIRCA únicamente) • Viajes Locales • Investigación • Otros Gastos Operativos • Declaración sobre actuales entidades donantes para su propuesta Debe usar la plantilla de presupuesto disponible en www.sirca.org.sg/budget. En la plantilla encontrará las instrucciones respecto de cada punto y la manera de completarlos. Cronograma para la Investigación Se espera que los postulantes brinden un cronograma detallado para la investigación, en el que se indique claramente los hitos para su proyecto y los tiempos para concretarlos (en meses). Debe usar la plantilla de cronograma para la investigación disponible en www.sirca.org.sg/timeline. Proceso y Revisión de la Propuesta Requisitos para la propuesta Todas las propuestas deben indicar claramente la siguiente información: • Revisión bibliográfica • Cuestiones de investigación claramente articuladas • Impacto/aplicación potencial • Beneficiarios del proyecto: las personas y los grupos que se beneficiarían con la investigación • Capacidad de ser sostenible a largo y mediano plazo (cómo continúa el impacto después de finalizar el proyecto) • Metodología de investigación (con inclusión de elementos de multidisciplinas) • Procedimiento ético • Resultados esperados • Plan de divulgación de los resultados del proyecto (bibliografía y medios científicos revisados por colegas) • Gestión de riesgos • Presupuesto del proyecto • Cronograma de implementación (tiempos para el proyecto) • Calificaciones de los Investigadores Principales • Proyecto de investigación anterior y su estado • Tres nombres para referencias e información de contacto, y • Dos colaboradores convenientes para su designación; aunque las decisiones finales sobre designación de colaboradores serán tomadas internamente por el Comité de Revisión de Donaciones según la disponibilidad y la coincidencia de intereses. Las solicitudes sólo se aceptarán a través de medios electrónicos. Puede encontrar el formulario online en http://sirca2.sirca.org.sg/call-for-proposals/collaborator-application-form/. Nota: Las presentaciones incompletas no participarán. El Comité de Administración considerará las presentaciones tardías caso por caso. Criterios de Revisión Las propuestas se revisarán de acuerdo con los siguientes criterios: 1. Claridad de la propuesta o del tema de investigación 2. Novedad, significancia e importancia para la comunidad 3. Adecuación de rigor metodológico y contribución teorética 4. Procedencia de interpretaciones 5. Calidad de redacción 6. Calidad de antecedentes de investigación y recomendaciones de los referentes 7. Potencial de investigación emergente del Investigador Principal; puesto que el programa busca crear capacidad de investigación, los investigadores que ya poseen experiencia serán eliminados en la fase de investigación de antecedentes de la propuesta. Decisiones de adjudicación y no adjudicación El acuse de recibo de las propuestas sólo se enviará al PI. La notificación de las adjudicaciones se enviará a las respectivas organizaciones empleadoras con copia al PI, en general, dentro de los tres meses de la fecha límite para la presentación. Se debe enviar a la secretaría regional de investigaciones la aceptación escrita de los términos y las condiciones de la adjudicación con la firma del PI, los Co-Investigadores y la respectiva organización empleadora, dentro de los 14 días hábiles de la fecha de la carta de ofrecimiento. Los postulantes de las propuestas que no se seleccionaron en la preselección de candidatos recibirán una notificación de rechazo con los comentarios del caso. Fechas Clave Fecha límite para indicar interés: 14 de octubre de 2011 Fecha límite para presentación de propuestas: 1 de noviembre de 2011 -- Laura León K. DIRSI -- Francesca Musiani Centre de Sociologie de l'Innovation (associé au CNRS, UMR7185) MINES ParisTech 60, Boulevard Saint Michel 75272 PARIS Cedex 06 France 33 (0)1 40 51 92 77 33 (0)6 45 31 90 53 francesca.musiani(a)mines-paristech.fr www.csi.mines-paristech.fr/Perso/Musiani/

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FW: [bytesforall_readers] Academic publishers make Murdoch look like a socialist
by michael gurstein 07 Oct '11

07 Oct '11

This may be old hat for a lot of you but it is interesting that it is now going (semi) mainstream. M Michael Gurstein, Ph.D. Editor in Chief Journal of Community Informatics http://ci-journal.net <http://ci-journal.net/> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Frederick FN Noronha फ्रेडरिक नोरोन्या *فريدريك نورونيا <fredericknoronha(a)gmail.com> Date: 2011/10/6 Subject: [bytesforall_readers] Academic publishers make Murdoch look like a socialist To: bytesforall_readers(a)yahoogroups.com 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 College Students Library 'Though academic libraries have been frantically cutting subscriptions to make ends meet, journals now consume 65% of their budgets.' Photograph: Peter M Fisher/Corbis George Monbiot The Guardian, Mon 29 Aug 2011 21.08 BST Comment Who are the most ruthless capitalists in the western world? Whose monopolistic practices make Walmart look like a corner shop and Rupert Murdoch a socialist? You won't guess the answer in a month of Sundays. While there are plenty of candidates, my vote goes not to the banks, the oil companies or the health insurers, but – wait for it – to academic publishers. Theirs might sound like a fusty and insignificant sector. It is anything but. Of all corporate scams, the racket they run is most urgently in need of referral to the competition authorities. Everyone claims to agree that people should be encouraged to understand science and other academic research. Without current knowledge, we cannot make coherent democratic decisions. But the publishers have slapped a padlock and a "keep out" sign on the gates. You might resent Murdoch's paywall policy, in which he charges £1 for 24 hours of access to the Times and Sunday Times. But at least in that period you can read and download as many articles as you like. Reading a single article published by one of Elsevier's journals will cost you $31.50. Springer charges €34.95, Wiley-Blackwell, $42. Read 10 and you pay 10 times. And the journals retain perpetual copyright. You want to read a letter printed in 1981? That'll be $31.50. Of course, you could go into the library (if it still exists). But they too have been hit by cosmic fees. The average cost of an annual subscription to a chemistry journal is $3,792. Some journals cost $10,000 a year or more to stock. The most expensive I've seen, Elsevier's Biochimica et Biophysica Acta, is $20,930 <http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/506062/bibliog…> . Though academic libraries have been frantically cutting subscriptions to make ends meet, journals now consume <http://www.economist.com/node/18744177> 65% of their budgets, which means they have had to reduce the number of books they buy. Journal fees account for a significant component of universities' costs, which are being passed to their students. Murdoch pays his journalists and editors, and his companies generate much of the content they use. But the academic publishers get their articles, their peer reviewing (vetting by other researchers) and even much of their editing for free. The material they publish was commissioned and funded not by them but by us, through government research grants and academic stipends. But to see it, we must pay again, and through the nose. The returns are astronomical: in the past financial year, for example, Elsevier's operating profit margin was 36% (£724m on revenues of £2bn). They result from a stranglehold on the market. Elsevier, Springer and Wiley, who have bought up many of their competitors, now publish 42% of <http://southernlibrarianship.icaap.org/content/v09n03/mcguigan_g01.html> journal articles. More importantly, universities are locked into buying their products. Academic papers are published in only one place, and they have to be read by researchers trying to keep up with their subject. Demand is inelastic and competition non-existent, because different journals can't publish the same material. In many cases the publishers oblige the libraries to buy a large package of journals, whether or not they want them all. Perhaps it's not surprising that one of the biggest crooks ever to have preyed upon the people of this country – Robert Maxwell – made much of his money through academic publishing. The publishers claim that they have to charge these fees as a result of the costs of production and distribution, and that they add value (in Springer's words) because they "develop journal brands and maintain and improve the digital infrastructure which has revolutionised scientific communication in the past 15 years". But an analysis by Deutsche Bank reaches different conclusions. "We believe the publisher adds relatively little value to the publishing process … if the process really were as complex, costly and value-added as the publishers protest that it is, 40% margins wouldn't be available." Far from assisting the dissemination of research, the big publishers impede it, as their long turnaround times can delay the release of findings by a year or more. What we see here is pure rentier capitalism: monopolising a public resource then charging exorbitant fees to use it. Another term for it is economic parasitism. To obtain the knowledge for which we have already paid, we must surrender our feu to the lairds of learning. It's bad enough for academics, it's worse for the laity. I refer readers to peer-reviewed papers, on the principle that claims should be followed to their sources. The readers tell me that they can't afford to judge for themselves whether or not I have represented the research fairly. Independent researchers who try to inform themselves about <http://www.eap-journal.com/download.php?file=692> important scientific issues have to fork out thousands. This is a tax on education, a stifling of the public mind. It appears tocontravene the universal declaration of human rights <http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml#a27> , which says that "everyone has the right freely to … share in scientific advancement and its benefits". Open-access publishing, despite its promise, and some excellent resources such as the Public Library of Science <http://www.plos.org/> and the physics databasearxiv.org <http://arxiv.org/> , has failed to displace the monopolists. In 1998 the Economist, surveying the opportunities offered by electronic publishing, predicted that "the days of 40% <http://www.economist.com/node/603719> profit margins may soon be as dead as Robert Maxwell". But in 2010 Elsevier's operating profit margins were the same (36%) as they were in 1998. The reason is that the big publishers have rounded up the journals with the highest academic impact factors, in which publication is essential for researchers trying to secure grants and advance their careers. You can start reading open-access journals, but you can't stop reading the closed ones. Government bodies, with a few exceptions, have failed to confront them. The National Institutes of Health in the US oblige anyone taking their grants to put their papers in an <http://publicaccess.nih.gov/> open-access archive. But Research Councils UK, whose statement on public access is a masterpiece of meaningless <http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/documents/documents/2006statement.pdf> waffle, relies on "the assumption that publishers will maintain the spirit of their current policies". You bet they will. In the short term, governments should refer the academic publishers to their competition watchdogs, and insist that all papers arising from publicly funded research are <http://theconversation.edu.au/how-one-small-fix-could-open-access-to-resear…> placed in a free public database. In the longer term, they should work with researchers to cut out the middleman altogether, creating – along the lines proposed by Björn Brembs of Berlin's Freie Universität – <http://www.slideshare.net/brembs/whats-wrong-with-scholarly-publishing-toda…> a single global archive of academic literature and data. Peer-review would be overseen by an independent body. It could be funded by the library budgets which are currently being diverted into the hands of privateers. The knowledge monopoly is as unwarranted and anachronistic as the corn laws. Let's throw off these parasitic overlords and liberate the research that belongs to us. • A fully referenced version of this article can be found on George Monbiot's website <http://www.monbiot.com/> . 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