Blog
The role of controversy in scientific discourse
2009 October 05
Returning from a scientific meeting reminded me again of the current bias against controversy in scientific discussions. Maybe as a result of the hazing-like practices in some circles (math, statistics, old Sovietic academic institutions), many now appear to abhor public disagreement on scientific matters. This is sad, as there is ... read more
Being timely or the need to "convert" editors and reviewers
2009 August 18
Steve Wiley discusses in "The Scientist" ("Timing is Everything":http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/55848/) the importance of timeliness in one's research. One does not want to be behind the curve, but neither does one want to be too ahead of the curve. This raises the question of what to do if you are too ahead ... read more
Expert evaluation vs. citation analysis
2009 January 07
The recent Nature editorial "Experts still needed" (Nature, vol 457, pp. 7-8, 2009) made me smile with amusement. There is no question that there is still a significant lack of understanding of what bibliometric measures actually measure, and that the heavy, simple-minded, use of such metrics for evaluation of disciplines, ... read more
It all comes down to the people in your team.
2005 September 13
In 2002, the Pentagon picked Paul van Riper, a retired Marine and a veteran of the Vietnam War and the first Gulf War, to lead the "enemy" forces battling US forces in the Millenium Challenge war game. Van Riper's mission was "clearly: impossible; his forces had to contain much better ... read more
Making a bad situation worse
2004 August 19
There is a general consensus that many things are wrong with the way U.S. intelligence agencies operate. The weaknesses of the present system have been clearly brought to light by the 9/11 commission's report. Included in that report is a recommendation to create the new position of national intelligence director ... read more