Author: Chris Barrus

Hegemony:1 Free Speech 0

The editor of Physics Today loses his job because he published a spot-on book about his experiences as a graduate student at the University of California Irvine. An instant underground classic with UCI graduate students from several academic units, the book gives a thoughtful sociological account of the process of professionalization in higher education: get rid of those with original thoughts and moral scruples and mentor through the cynics who won’t actually take the university’s mission of free inquiry seriously. UCI didn’t have a problem with book, and carries it in their bookstore (and good for them!) BUT the publisher of the academic journal Physics Today summarily fired the author from his 19-year position as editor on riduculous grounds. Hundreds of physicists and other academics have protested this egregious policing of the hegemony of higher education and supression of free speech, but to no avail. The author is still unemployed, and the message has been sent: if you show the masses what actually goes on in PhD programs, you will hang.

Another Mad Magazine great lost… Dave Berg R.I.P.

Good night Mr. Kaputnik wherever you are…

Dave Berg, a mainstay of Mad Magazine since 1957, passed away last night following several months of severe illness. His series, “The Lighter Side of…” debuted in the magazine in 1961 and immediately became popular enough to appear in every issue, as long as Dave’s health allowed him to produce it.

The New American Way of War

Moore’s Law apparently applies to modern warfare. Interesting Kuro5hin column on 21st Century war-fighting and how the US can basically dictate terms to the known universe.

In addition to a tremendous C3I capability, the U.S. possesses an unmatched force projection capability. No other country, or reasonable combination of countries, has long-range heavy bombers (B-2 and B-52) carrying precision munitions (JDAMs). None have stealth technologies (F-117, B-2, and the DD-X stealthy ship(in development)). None come close to equivalent naval air power (12 carrier battle groups). None can deploy as many troops, as quickly, with as much support. In less than 15 years the U.S. has gone from being one of three superpowers, to being the lone hyperpower. It can do pretty much what it wants, and no one can do much about it. To quote Bruce Sterling, “The US military … dominates the battle space so thoroughly that its so-called competitors live on sufferance … It’s a new strategic reality.”

Speaking of Sterling, his Wired articles are on-line now: “Peace Is War” and “Death To America”. That last one is especially worth checking out

More unintended fun with GPS – GPS Drawing!

Virtual geoglyphs! Sort of like a 21st Century techno-version of early 15th and 16th century maps that drew out animals, crosses, heraldic devices, etc. in geographic landforms. I’m also reminded of the characters in Paul Auster’s City Of Glass who draw out a sentence in their movements around New York. Suspicious folks will probably notice that it’s a particularly British phenomenon.

[via The Shifted Librarian]