Frustrated researchers boycott paywall barons.
This is good. Information really wants to be free. Or at least, information wants to be cheaply and conveniently available in a way that is comparable to free. It’s almost painful to watch copyright holders try to push back the tide, instead of realizing that they need to change their distribution methods.
Here’s an idea, team up with science news and similar news outlets. In exchange for a fraction of advertising revenue, offer the source article for any ‘science’ story published. That would add a level of accountability to science news reporting, and expose the public to the source material- instead of an article being read by 20 ivory tower professors, it gets to be read by the masses, some of which might know a thing or two. That’s probably a terrible idea for multiple reasons, but I don’t see the copyright owners coming up with any great new ideas.
It just frustrates me to see science and the public moving in opposite directions. This is not the will of the scientists, it’s the will of politicians, copyright holders, and the like. Sometimes I just wonder, what happened to the promise of the future? Why is nobody talking about new planets, quantum computing, or the LHC? We’re at the most exciting scientific revolution in history, and nobody cares.
We need another Sputnik moment.
