This weekly Nautilus column highlights some of the online discussion at Nature Network in the preceding week that is of relevance to scientists as authors.
The Nature Network week column is archived here.
If you are in Berlin on 8 April, join Alison Abbott from the Nature office in Munich at an informal gathering to discuss your ideas about scientific publishing, Nature’s activities in Germany, catch up with fellow scientists from Berlin and take the opportunity to meet the people behind the Nature Network Berlin Group (further details at the link).
Here are some thoughts about how to use the tagging options at Nature Network to encourage new scientific collaborations.
Joanna Scott, Nature Publishing Group’s expert on all matters Second Life, announces a new nature.com website: Second Nature. Second Nature is also the name of Nature’s home on Second Life: Joanna describes how the new Second Nature at nature.com website is a starting point for newcomers, an introduction to what Second Life’s all about and what we’re doing there, as well as providing listings of all our upcoming events and guides to the best science-related places to see in Second Life,to make it easier for people who have heard of Second Life to see what it can be used for and to help experienced users follow activity.
Read here, in the good paper journal club, how some recent papers fared on a test that correlates with the US school-grade level that can follow the text.
New group of the week is NYC, a Nature Network hub for scientists and engineers in the New York City area interested in sharing protocols, interesting publications, ideas and possibly beer. The goal of the group “is to become loud enough so that we get out own tab right next to Boston” – that’s right, to become the next Nature Network official hub. The first non-virtual meeting will take place at ”https://network.nature.com/groups/nyc/notice/2008/04/03/inaugural-nyc-nn-happy-hour-april-9-17-00-lucky-jacks">Lucky Jack’s on 9 April (details at the link). In the same group, Chris Wiggins draws attention to the five-day World Science Festival in New York City from 28 May to 1 June 2008 — list of speakers here, including many eminent scientists, prominent media figures and others.
While on the topic of conferences, Matt Brown in his Editor’s blog draws attention to the British Association’s scientific communication conference on 19-10 May, in a post that offers bursaries to allow 32 scientists to attend free. To qualify, you need to fall into one of the following categories: UK science communication students; freelancers/microbusiness (fewer than 10 employees); campaigning groups; or scientists/engineers involved in public engagement. For further details of how to apply, see Matt’s blog post.
Finally, Brian Clegg on his blog PopSci reveals the answers to his challenge to recognize the opening lines of five famous novels after being “babelized”. (Here is one: No relation of transformation of the point, in the name of the station of the work, of that that not worried, the end still to call it, one gentleman did not live between little hour, one, of one entrerrosca and the old sample in small fine squeezes of a cremagliera of the horse and have more and more to lévier more for the packing.) There are some further challenges in the comment thread.