[open-science] Fwd: Reinventing Discovery / The Future of Science

Thu Oct 20 09:31:23 UTC 2011

hi Michael,

Great news, Michael, my congrats! 
thank you very much for sticking your head out here,
... so today I am just in time for my Chapter1-review before the complete work starts to be shipped

hi all,
just finished my essay on Chapter 1 of Michael's book this morning, 
let me add re my closing question that I do of course appreciate what Michael says in his blog post 
http://michaelnielsen.org/blog/reinventing-discovery/ re accessibility and planning for the commons

let me share the following thoughts with you, 
cheers, Claudia

2011-10-20, by Claudia Koltzenburg

on Michael Nielsen: Reinventing Discovery, Chapter 1

„Anyone in the world“: Who is s/he? Where and how is s/he situated?

In the first Chapter of his book Reinventing Discovery (starts shipping 21 Oct 2011), Michael Nielsen argues that the impact of „the new online tools“ is indeed „broad-ranging“ and that „many scientists have missed or underestimated“ this, „being so focused on their own specialty“ that in their lack of appreciation these scientists are „likesurfers at the beach who are so intent on watching the waves crash and recede that they’re missing the rise of the tide.“ So Nielsen, it seems to me, sets out in this book to describe, and maybe analyze, the location (beach), the surfing (sport), what drives the waves (rules?), and what in this setting is the tide’s function (broad-ranging change?).Possibly, Nielsen will also address the climate issues at this beach (the weather, the ground and the background scenery, and is there any waste lying around?), and maybe he will also pose questions like: Who are these people (intent on wind surfing or wave riding)? Are they a group? Why can they afford being at this beach in the first place? What is their equipment like, who was it produced by and at what income level, where do these „tools“ come from and how did they get to this beach?

Nielsen’s first Chapter that has been made available ahead of „publication“, provides interesting food for thought and I am looking forward to read what is to come. This introductory part contains quite afew descriptions of an online culture of scientific collaboration that seem convincing to me because these descriptions link to my own experience of how at least some of the barriers to fruitful debate can be done away with successfully. Nielsen predicts that by using online tools „improvements to the way discoveries are made“ can effectively be put into practice and that such improvements „are more important than any single discovery.“ (p. 3) However, speaking of discoveries, „What a discovery that would be — a system that did not shut out“. (V. Woolf, Entry for 2 October 1932, A Writer’s Diary)

„Anyone in the world may freely download the genetic map“, Nielsen says in his description of how GenBank services are meant to work. With view to the „anyone“ issue in particular, I seek to find out how MichaelNielsen, in the course of the book, will introduce to the reader the philosophic and developmental rationale behind the general claim for needing something „more“, „better“ and „faster“ – for „the advancement of science“ (p. 9). Putting this claim to an immediate test – as to where the surfers’ equipment comes from – mightn’t there have been a better and faster way to make Nielsen newest book officially accessible for anyone in the world, too?

On Wed, 19 Oct 2011 21:50:33 -0400 (Eastern Daylight Time), Michael Nielsen wrote
> Thanks, Jonathan, for forwarding this to the list. 
> 
> Of course, the success of the book is important to me for purely personal 
> reasons. 
> 
> But the main reason I wrote the book is that I believe it's vital that 
> open science become a mainstream issue in our society. Writing a book 
> aimed at a general audience seemed to be the best way I could help achieve 
> that goal.  I believed this strongly enough that I gave up my tenured job 
> to write the book. 
> 
> I know open science is a goal close to the heart of the people on this 
> list, and so I'm hoping you can help get the word out about the book 
> to colleagues, students, and the public. 
> 
> I've blogged more about the book (with links) here: 
> 
> http://michaelnielsen.org/blog/reinventing-discovery/ 
> 
> Best wishes, 
> 
> Michael 
> 
> On Fri, 14 Oct 2011, Jonathan Gray wrote: 
> 
> > A quick ping to say that Michael Nielsen's book is now out! Details below... 
> > 
> > 
> > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- 
> > From: Michael Nielsen <mn at michaelnielsen.org> 
> > Date: Fri, Oct 14, 2011 at 2:49 PM 
> > Subject: Reinventing Discovery / The Future of Science 
> > To: mn at michaelnielsen.org 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > You're receiving this email because you signed up to be notified when 
> > my new book "Reinventing Discovery: The New Era of Networked Science" 
> > (working title: "The Future of Science") is released. 
> > 
> > I am absolutely delighted to announce that the book is now available! 
> > 
> > It's currently shipping in hardcover through Amazon.com, Barnes and 
> > Noble, and many other booksellers.  The eBook will be available by 
> > October 21. More information about the book, including links to order, 
> > is available here: 
> > 
> > http://michaelnielsen.org/blog/reinventing-discovery/ 
> > 
> > I hope you enjoy it! 
> > 
> > Michael 
> > -- 
> > http://michaelnielsen.org/blog 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > -- 
> > Jonathan Gray 
> > 
> > Community Coordinator 
> > The Open Knowledge Foundation 
> > http://www.okfn.org 
> > 
> > http://twitter.com/jwyg 
> > 
> > _______________________________________________ 
> > open-science mailing list 
> > open-science at lists.okfn.org 
> > http://lists.okfn.org/mailman/listinfo/open-science 
> >

thanks & cheers, 
Claudia 
koltzenburg at w4w.net

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.okfn.org/pipermail/open-science/attachments/20111020/a334c393/attachment-0001.html>