tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post7534010646962844921..comments2023-09-27T07:44:19.769-04:00Comments on Sabine Hossenfelder: Backreaction: The Academic DollarSabine Hossenfelderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-7410339640562036112012-01-22T10:18:19.306-05:002012-01-22T10:18:19.306-05:00Hi EliRabett,
A good question, but the authors ar...Hi EliRabett,<br /><br />A good question, but the authors are not claiming the auction market is a good system; they just claim it's a better system. You could ask the same question in the present system, namely, how to the editors know what papers to reject? Well, most editors are scientists recruited from the community, so they do know one thing or the other. The authors of the here Sabine Hossenfelderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-7283675911028208132012-01-22T10:11:44.854-05:002012-01-22T10:11:44.854-05:00Oh yeah, on those radiation limits, there number o...Oh yeah, on those radiation limits, there number of civilians working in industry are > 3000 times the number of astronauts at the ISS, and the astronauts have a better health care plan. Multiplication is often taught in grade schoolEliRabetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07957002964638398767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-68008710770514728302012-01-22T10:01:29.297-05:002012-01-22T10:01:29.297-05:00How the hell do the editors know what to bid, and ...How the hell do the editors know what to bid, and if they do, what do they need the reviewers forEliRabetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07957002964638398767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-37410958931836901322012-01-20T14:02:22.486-05:002012-01-20T14:02:22.486-05:00Bee,
An M3 solar flare hits the atmosphere Jan. 2...Bee,<br /><br />An M3 solar flare hits the atmosphere Jan. 21st 22:30 UTC (+/-) 7 hrs. Away from city lights it should be a high latitude sky show! ISS FUBAR asstronaughts are safe. NASA radiation exposure limit is 3000mSv/year, 300 REM/yr. National Council on Radiation Protection 1998. <br /><br />This is <i>60 times</i> the limit for nuclear workers (5 REM/yr whole body) and <i>3000</i> Uncle Alhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05056804084187606211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-77287504512366838902012-01-20T09:38:24.837-05:002012-01-20T09:38:24.837-05:00I do live outside the city. The problem isn't ...I do live outside the city. The problem isn't primarily the cost, the problem is that it's almost impossible to get an apartment for rent if you're an immigrant. The proper Swedish way to do it is apparently to get on a 15 year long waiting list. You can buy, if you have the money, alas, I don't.Sabine Hossenfelderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-31485189671604014222012-01-20T09:31:37.617-05:002012-01-20T09:31:37.617-05:00"A neo-liberal reformation of the Stockholm a...<i>"A neo-liberal reformation of the Stockholm apartment market sounds like a really, really good idea to me."</i><br /><br />Have you looked at the cost of an apartment in London? Since public transportation is relatively cheap in Sweden, you could live outside of the city and commute, saving money for rent and having more space. Time in the train is not lost.Phillip Helbighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12067585245603436809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-28435332600314196022012-01-20T07:08:33.562-05:002012-01-20T07:08:33.562-05:00Hi Phillip,
A neo-liberal reformation of the Stoc...Hi Phillip,<br /><br />A neo-liberal reformation of the Stockholm apartment market sounds like a really, really good idea to me. Best,<br /><br />B.Sabine Hossenfelderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-1500842485199303802012-01-20T06:53:30.523-05:002012-01-20T06:53:30.523-05:00Hi Bee,
I must agree with your criticism of this ...Hi Bee,<br /><br />I must agree with your criticism of this proposal as if quality were totally measurable in any kind of currency why do we have so much difficulty fostering it more generally. That is any monetary system is based upon the balance of risk against gain and has the pursuit of currency immediately become the focus rather than the product(s) it’s meant to have valued. <br /><br />Phil Warnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15671311338712852659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-19506680368298094012012-01-20T05:46:53.201-05:002012-01-20T05:46:53.201-05:00"Why don't people just muddle along? Why ...<i>"Why don't people just muddle along? Why all this classification, quality control etc? Why don't every one post on some archive like arxiv (albeit one with a powerful tag and search system) and leave it at that? Why is there even a need for glory? Why don't we just wallow in solipsistic self-satisfaction about having contributed to growth of knowledge? Shouldn't science bePhillip Helbighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12067585245603436809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-12182746821801687452012-01-20T05:16:41.537-05:002012-01-20T05:16:41.537-05:00"It is thus questionable that a neo-liberal r...<i>"It is thus questionable that a neo-liberal reformation of academic culture would be beneficial."</i><br /><br />It is questionable that <i>any</i> neo-liberal reformation of <i>anything</i> would be beneficial.Phillip Helbighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12067585245603436809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-71474104060965425302012-01-20T01:51:46.332-05:002012-01-20T01:51:46.332-05:00Hi Eric,
Thanks, I will have an eye on that! Best...Hi Eric,<br /><br />Thanks, I will have an eye on that! Best,<br /><br />B.Sabine Hossenfelderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-11346899790192386822012-01-19T13:39:02.612-05:002012-01-19T13:39:02.612-05:00Hi Bee,
Off topic - it looks like there is an eboo...Hi Bee,<br />Off topic - it looks like there is an ebook textbook alternative in the pipeline that may work for your needs. See <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/19/apple-ibooks-2-author-itunes-u_n_1215887.html" rel="nofollow">here.</a>Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08213251864943443334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-74802011239190956332012-01-19T09:33:20.528-05:002012-01-19T09:33:20.528-05:00Bee, I agree with you. Still the best brain to com...Bee, I agree with you. Still the best brain to comment a paper is or are the referees and the editor. No computer program can reach them, even if the referees and the editor fail from to time to time.<br /><br />Take care KayKay zum Feldehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04233793196547147876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-68708097772091134382012-01-19T09:06:36.576-05:002012-01-19T09:06:36.576-05:00Hi Giotis,
That's interesting, I didn't k...Hi Giotis,<br /><br />That's interesting, I didn't know that. I guess one of the problems is that one can't measure quality without disturbing the system, because people pay attention to how you're measuring it. Best,<br /><br />B.Sabine Hossenfelderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-65617814517637169832012-01-19T08:42:03.364-05:002012-01-19T08:42:03.364-05:00BTW Bee, in industry we call these measures KPIs (...BTW Bee, in industry we call these measures KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) but they have local not universal meaning. They are imposed by management to measure performance. You are right though they never reflect the actually quality of the work. People more that often end up chasing the KPI, some times in the expense of the real quality.Giotishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03594944884584261018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-9979134599622485202012-01-19T06:35:44.551-05:002012-01-19T06:35:44.551-05:00Well, apparently the authors believe that academic...Well, apparently the authors believe that academics would like to have a simple universal measure so their lives are easier. There was a reference between the sentences "Neither tenure candidates nor committees are happy with current evaluation methods;" and "they need a simple indicator." that I didn't quote: Varian, H.R. (1997). I don't know the paper.Sabine Hossenfelderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-82513582263846749072012-01-19T06:30:35.962-05:002012-01-19T06:30:35.962-05:00These are internal issues but If I may say I don&#...These are internal issues but If I may say I don't see the point here. Each university/institution hires and promotes people according to its own criteria and polities. The preconditions are many and diverse. I don't see how a universal measure could apply and moreover why it should apply.Giotishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03594944884584261018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-30768160226349792022012-01-19T03:35:14.447-05:002012-01-19T03:35:14.447-05:00Hi Eric,
It is difficult for some people to come ...Hi Eric,<br /><br />It is difficult for some people to come to terms with the fact that many academics are primarily interested in their research, and not in making money. Most scientists would earn much better if they'd leave academia and put their brain to use elsewhere, and if you believe that all we do is to optimize profit, that doesn't make any sense.<br /><br />In any case, for Sabine Hossenfelderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-8555729002430802172012-01-19T03:24:24.183-05:002012-01-19T03:24:24.183-05:00Hi Unknown,
Because there isn't enough money ...Hi Unknown,<br /><br />Because there isn't enough money (real) to go around. There are more people who want to work in academic research than there are positions. So one has to select somehow. The question is what's the best way to do that. Best,<br /><br />B.Sabine Hossenfelderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-87491380471021029522012-01-19T02:46:01.502-05:002012-01-19T02:46:01.502-05:00It seems to me the academic dollar is just another...It seems to me the academic dollar is just another attempt by the no-nothings in this world to understand how to value things. There are so many people that live just on the surface of this world. Unfortunately these people who understand nothing also don't understand how stupid they are. It makes things very hard for everybody else because we all end up spending most of our time just Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08213251864943443334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-18945156980630022772012-01-18T15:50:13.871-05:002012-01-18T15:50:13.871-05:00The money is in the vigorish. Arbitrageurs get we...The money is in the vigorish. Arbitrageurs get wealthy, re carbon credits. Producers are flensed.<br /><br />"<i>Shouldn't science be on a higher plane of human behaviour</i>" Marketing gets free eats, Sales gets commissions, scientists get fired. The cow provides milk not profits.<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCZRXW-pFcE<br /><br /> 1) Management obsesses on what Uncle Alhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05056804084187606211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-30758295919776662732012-01-18T13:37:58.808-05:002012-01-18T13:37:58.808-05:00Why don't people just muddle along? Why all th...Why don't people just muddle along? Why all this classification, quality control etc? Why don't every one post on some archive like arxiv (albeit one with a powerful tag and search system) and leave it at that? Why is there even a need for glory? Why don't we just wallow in solipsistic self-satisfaction about having contributed to growth of knowledge? Shouldn't science be on a Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03976157589798822472noreply@blogger.com