DIY U, But Pay for Ms. Kamenetz's Book

So a book about the future of information being free, but individuals are expected to pay for a hard copy.
No free copy online? Plenty of people have proven that a free creative commons version online still supports the sale of books. I will only point to my own hard copy of Against Intellectual Monopoly that I bought after reading the entire book for free online. Thank you professors Boldrin and Levine.
Ms. Kamenetz, I will not be bothered to even read your generous chapter 6.

in reference to: Read the Book! » DIY U (view on Google Sidewiki)

Are these people serious?

Do people really pay the American Antiquarian Society actual money to "license" images that are in the public domain, and thus can be used for free? If anyone does, please email me as I have a bridge between Brooklyn and Manhattan to sell you.

in reference to: Rights and Reproductions at the American Antiquarian Society (view on Google Sidewiki)

Mantle of Leadership

    I recently came across this fine example of leadership by COL A. G. Pushmin of the Soviet Air Force.  It is from 1987, but it serves to remind any reader how a good leader might act.  I hope that I might utilize appropriate judgment as COL Pushmin does. 
    A warning that it is not suitable for small children or others who may be easily offended as COL Pushmin uses vulgar language to express himself.  The first page is the Russian original; the second page is the direct English translation. 

Why Intellectual Monopoly Matters

I just found this great research group that is actively looking at how intellectual monopoly hurts people. How it doesn't serve the public good.

in reference to: The Copy/South Research Group - Grupo de Investigacion Copy/South (view on Google Sidewiki)

Kaplan Sucks

I would caution against purchasing any product from Kaplan. They have terrible customer service, and will not respond if you have trouble with their online service despite your spending of hundreds of dollars for their products.

in reference to: Welcome to Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions (view on Google Sidewiki)

Update: 27Feb2010

It turns out nothing is formally wrong with their site. What is wrong is that if you've entered your username wrong, rather than inform you that there is no user with that username, it merely logs you in to a new account. However, it doesn't tell you that you're in a new account without a paid subscription. Perhaps some savants are capable of keeping track of all their usernames and passwords. I am not, nor do I think most people are.

Great elimination of wasted time/effort

What do the teachers' unions think of this plan? It will certainly result in thousands of teachers made redundant. Many students will be able to go to community college at 16. Community colleges, with both more flexibility in hiring/firing instructors and more flexible terms for students, are a far better place for actually learning. Relative to high school there will be few people who don't want to be there wasting time on discipline.

in reference to: New Plan Would Let High Schoolers Graduate Early - NYTimes.com (view on Google Sidewiki)

My first published article:

My first published article:

    Color Blindness and Military Fitness for Duty: A New Look at Old Standards. Military Medicine. 2010;175(2):84-85.

    As my two coauthors and I wrote this on government time, in accordance with our duties as either medical students or as a physician, one can safely ignore the copyright notice.  It really doesn't make sense that Military Medicine even bothers to copyright their journal as so much of the content is not legally copyrightable.  If for some reason you come across this post and think that I am wrong, please contact me, so we can work things out.