It is exciting to note the positive response that we have received regarding free and open source software in science. Freedom and openness is crucial to our understanding. Here is another great metaphor illustrating that point.
I gather that there are some who are reading to find out new avenues of research, and move on it before the Fortune 500 companies get a chance to lock it up in their cabinet. Tannins are an interesting case in point, because as molecules, and as anti-oxidents, they are similar to resveratrol (resV). I think that it is time to look at the tannins in tobacco leaves. There may be other treasures lurking there too. As you may be aware there is ample public research into any possible beneficial compounds that may be obtained from tobacco leaves. The mechanisms are there waiting to be discovered. If you want to post them here, I'd be delighted to host them. The public establishment of prior art is a time-honed method of entering inventions into the public domain. We now have other methods at our disposal as well. If you are planning to establish prior art against future CR-memetic related patents, you might want to have a look at www.creativecommons.org. Perhaps it goes without saying at this point that you should please choose a licence that provides for free and broad public access to your memetic. In that way you will assure that the public health is served by anchoring them to the public common, where they cannot be exploited by people who would withhold them for their own profit. DRM is like that. Can you imagine doing science in a world where your ability to read and write your data is filtered thourgh secret protocols that are hidden from you? I recommend the Defective by Design campaign to fight the outrage of DRM, which is incompatible with the scientific pursuit. http://www.defectivebydesign.org/ It is clear that our tools must be demonstrably and penetratingly understood, or else our scientific claims will likely be skewed and called into question. Free and open source software, FOSS, is a great example of how to make your science verifiable to the public. Establishing prior art against future patents is another good one, which is precisely analogous in method, making the result explicit to the public, free and open to all. Thank goodness for the free and open software movement, which gave us such a great example of how to serve the public in this manner. Regards, Michael L. Love Ph.D Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry School of Medicine Johns Hopkins University 725 N. Wolfe Street Room 608B WBSB Baltimore MD 21205-2185 Interoffice Mail: 608B WBSB, SoM office: 410-614-2267 lab: 410-614-3179 fax: 410-502-6910 cell: 443-824-3451 http://www.gnu-darwin.org/ -- Visit proclus realm! http://proclus.tripod.com/ -----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK----- Version: 3.1 GMU/S d+@ s: a+ C++++ UBULI++++$ P+ L+++(++++) E--- W++ N- !o K- w--- !O M++@ V-- PS+++ PE Y+ PGP-- t+++(+) 5+++ X+ R tv-(--)@ b !DI D- G e++++ h--- r+++ y++++ ------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------
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