cel4145 - Slashdot User

Submission + - Open Textbook Publisher Not So Open (kairosnews.org)

Submitted by cel4145 on Monday September 20, 2010 @02:59PM

cel4145 writes: I discovered that Flat World Knowledge, the commercial open textbook publisher that has gotten much press in the last couple of years, is not very "open" in the way that Slashdotters would expect. While the HTML versions of the texts are licensed as CC-BY-NC-SA, the website appears intentionally designed such that a teacher or student cannot print out the full HTML version of a document they are reading, nor can they easily save a copy to share with someone else. As an alternative, FWK provides a prominent link to buy a non-CC licensed PDF version of a chapter, one that has a notice printed on each page indicating it is for personal use only. Seems that the CC license is more marketing gimmick to sell proprietary textbooks than commitment to the principles of sharing that underlie open textbook publishing.

Comment Can you say "Bean?" (Score 1) 259

by cel4145 on Sunday September 19, 2010 @12:21PM (#33627972) Attached to: Deleting Certain Gene Makes Mice Smarter

The article states, "'A big question this research raises is why would we, or mice, have a gene that makes us less smart – a Homer Simpson gene?'Hepler says. 'I believe that we are not really seeing the full picture. RGS14 may be a key control gene in a part of the brain that, when missing or disabled, knocks brain signals important for learning and memory out of balance.'"

Oh, come on. If these scientists were current on their sci-fi, they'd know that the disabling that gene will affect the human growth rate, ala Ender's Shadow.

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