Softpanorama (slightly skeptical) Open Source Software Educational Society

May the source be with you, but remember the KISS principle ;-) Softpanorama Search

Sociology and Ethics of Science

The problem with people who have no vices is
that generally you can be pretty sure they're going
to have some pretty annoying virtues.
Elizabeth Taylor

• Careers In (and Out) of Science - Articles -- very nice collection. Highly recommended. Among most interesting:
Pandora's Science Policy Page Maintained by Eric Weinstein at MIT. An analysis of recent crashes in science and engineering employment. Excellent critical analysis of science employment policies with a lot of documentation to back it up. Thoroughly documents criticisms of the overly optimistic COSEPUP report.
The Goodstein Report on the PhD Population Explosion Excellent "population biology" study of PhD production.  Read up on your Malthus?
A look at the politics of tenure by Graeme Eisenhofer A brutal look at the politics of job security in academia Be sure to check out the rest of the site, which has loads of postdoc / job searching links.
Succeeding in Science - Rules of Thumb - by James Watson. Somewhat antiquated but relevant pointers for anyone considering taking a science degree for the wrong reasons.
??? Eugene Lerman's list of why overpopulation in science is not desirable - An excellent, succinct list of reasons why the scientific glut is not necessarily going to result in better science.  Dead links
Examining The Link Between Science And Economic Growth - Article by Paula Stephan in The Scientist.
YSN archive - The Young Scientist Network Archive contains many informative essays and messages dealing with current job topics from the new PhD's entering the real-world trenches.
Your Career In the Sciences - A biotech-related career planning series of essays by Dave Jensen of Search Masters International.
Philip Clarke Comments on Careers In Science - An ongoing discussion on the future of science in Australia.
The Great PhD Scam - by Jordan Ellenberg. A Boston Pheonix article on the bad situation in the humanities for PhDs. "We dangle our three magic letters before the eyes of these predestined victims, and they swarm to us like moths to an electric light..." Excellent reading for anyone in graduate school or considering it, in either humanities and the sciences.
The Local Degrees- by James Surowiecki. Continuation of "The Great PhD Scam". Looks at efforts at Harvard and Boston U. to make humanities degrees more marketable.
• Inside Science
• Ethics in Science
• Science Ethics Bibliography
• Conduct and Misconduct in Science
• Cantor's Dilemma explores world of science and ethics
• SCIENCE Online -- Nelson 279 (5356):1460
• Where's the Evidence? Connie Missimer
• Steve Mizrach INTRODUCTION: Why should science be investigated?
• Research resources in social sciences
• Slate - Ph.D. Model Thyself - Oct. 31 1997 --  Cash, Good, Fame, Tenure. The September,1998 collapse of a well-known investment fund and 1997 Nobel Prize-winning economists.  Todd Porter detailed the economists' transition from theorists to players.
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• History and Philosophy of the Study of Animal Behavior by Barry Sinervo©1997
• Unlocking our Future Toward a New National Science Policy

Media (un)ethic

White House Crisis Media Madness