Three for Thursday An author stumbles carrying water for academic aloofness, writers warn of techno-authoritarianism, and ChatGPT loses its s**t.
Laughingstock, Sad Stock Thanks to "ratatestes," scientific publishing has become a laughingstock — while Wiley's stock continues to weep value
Google Scholar’s Fake Citations Seeding Google Scholar with fake authors and citations proves not only easy, but profitable
Are OA Politics Anti-Science? OA politics — and the model that results — may work against science benefiting society
More Woes for Wiley — and Us Another Wiley journal implodes because of the strategic problems OA introduces, and the blame game begins.
Is the Web Dying? Already under assault and damaged, will new search tools deal the open web a death blow?
Curious Responses from Cureus Five obvious questions about papers accepted in a rush and then retracted generate an odd response
Layoff Rumors and Wiley Stalled The collapse of OA continues, costing jobs, and putting once lustrous companies into the toilet
Friday Song: “Outlaw Pete” A parable about living with your sins, this 2009 song hits home, and even spawned a graphic novel
OSF Preprints’ Lame Pivot A new screening policy is described in two conflicting ways, and reflects the need for caution — albeit too late
Do You Have Layoff Information? Rumors of layoffs are circulating, and it might help to pull things together so people are informed
Haste Makes Retractions at Cureus When most of 56 retracted papers were reviewed in one day or less, what responsibility does the journal have?
Why Do the Powerful Like OA? A 2018 paper puts the OA movement in a wider frame — and the look is very unflattering
Song: “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” On the heels of the first peacetime draft, this 1941 song remains popular nearly a century later.
OA Begets an Oligopoly? Mhm Admitting we fouled up is a good way to start paving a better road forward. And evidence emerges about an NSF COI.
Getting Flattened by Platforms With more agreements with ResearchGate, are publishers ceding the crucial strategic position?
Two Pals, a Grant, and the NSF An NSF Public Access advisor is raising eyebrows given his involvement with and promotion of a grant made to an old friend.
Friday Song: “You Got It” Famous multiple times, this incredible singer left us one last hit thanks to help from some friends.
The Revival of Physical Media Maybe holding, touching, and playing with information and cultural artifacts is important for humans.
Friday Song: “Battleship Chains” Sometimes the best songs are the simplest, and evoke a feeling of familiar fun
Frontiers Slashes Its Workforce The publisher lays off 1/3 of its workers and reorganizes in the wake of problems with bulk publishing. Touting AI is another bad move.
Are Music’s Failures Now Ours? Consolidation, producer-centrism, monoculture, and a lack of focus on the consumer all killed rock music — sound familiar?