Such "unconferences" are pretty well established in the tech world, particularly among programmers working on open-source projects. See http://barcamp.org and the Wikipedia entry for "unconference" <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unconference>.
Jane Shevtsov On Fri, Sep 17, 2010 at 6:06 PM, Wayne Tyson <[email protected]> wrote: > Ecolog: > > > > Methinks there might be even more elephants in the saloon--perhaps of many > hues. > > > > It has been my observation in the past that I have learnt more in the > hallways, WC's, and saloons than I have being driven nuts listening to > 20-minute "presentations" (attention ethologists!), in darkened halls > enduring the maddening, warp-speeding of laser traces across extensive, > unreadable tables and under-wowed by power-pointless pontifications and > dull-drumming, self-indulgent preening reading of newly-minted > number-crunchers, ad nauseam. > > > > "Yea, tho there be the occasional exception, I have long dreamt of > unorganized groupings, pre-read pre-publication papers cussed and discussed > with the authors in a more playfully serious atmosphere than the arbitrary, > jammed, expensive "meetings" at resort destinations. I even participated in > one experiment in unorganizing such a gathering; it was soon organized into > a "real" organization, however. The only such unorganization I ever knew to > last was "The Friends of the Pleistocene," which still exists, I believe, in > some form. Not a bad model, though, even though it would never pass PC > muster these days . . . too much wild behavior back in the sixties and > seventies. > > > > The trouble with unorganizations is that they don't pad résumés or bring in > money for institutions, not to mention "status." With or without booze, they > seem to me to work better than organized meetings. > > > > WT > > > > PS: Seriously, folks, whatever it takes to puncture caution, lower guards, > and stir up passions. I may yet collect the beer Silvert promised me a long > time ago, but I'd rather he came to San Diego . . . I love Europe, but have > come to hate airlines so much . . . > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Inouye" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Friday, September 17, 2010 5:09 AM > Subject: [ECOLOG-L] alcohol consumption and citation counts > > > http://blogs.nature.com/news/thegreatbeyond/2010/09/make_mine_a_double.html > > Make mine a double - September 15, 2010 > > There have been > <http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100813/full/news.2010.406.html>some > radical suggestions to increase citation counts > of late but heavy drinking would probably rank at > the bottom of most researchers' lists. > > Yet a new study has found that the world's most > highly cited ecologists and environmental > scientists typically consume more than double the > amount imbibed by the general population. > > <http://www.springerlink.com/content/j5205442788316v6/>Published > in the October issue of > <http://www.springerlink.com/content/j5205442788316v6/>Scientometrics, > John Parker, a post-doctoral sociologist at the > National Center for Ecological Analysis and > Synthesis at the University of California, Santa > Barbara, and colleagues report the results of a > survey of the drinking habits of 124 of the most > highly cited researchers in ecology and > environmental science: the vast majority men aged > between 50 and 70 based in either North America or Western Europe. > > The results reveal that consumption for this > group averages around 7 alcoholic beverages per > week, about 2.5 drinks over the weekly > consumption of the average American. Though a > fifth of the group does not drink, more than half > consume 10 or more alcoholic beverages a week, > 20% consume 12 or more and 10% consumer 21 or > more. The largest consumer downed 31 per week. > > The researchers are quick to point out the > obvious - correlation does not equal causation. > "We are definitely not saying 'drink more to do > better'," Parker stresses. But he does believe > that more and better information is needed to > unravel the observed relationship and the > "non-scientific activities that affect scientific productivity". > > The results support the positive association > between national per capita beer consumption and > a country's citations per paper reported > <http://www.springerlink.com/content/lp34234k59473xkt/>in > a 2009 paper by Canadian ecologist Christopher > Lortie, who collaborated with Parker on the current paper. > > But they stand in contrast to a > <http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.0030-1299.2008.16551.x/abstract>2008 > survey of Czech ecologists by Thomas Grim, also > an ecologist. Grim, based at Palacky University > in the Czech Republic, found the opposite: that > increased levels of beer consumption were > associated with lower numbers of citations. > > "Because of well documented negative and causal > effects of ethanol, independently of dose, on > both mental performance and health, I find it > unlikely that the Parker et al. finding reflects > more than a spurious relationship," Grim told Nature News. > > Eminent Oxford ecologist Bob May - a lifelong > teetotaller - also said he did not recognise > Parker's picture. "My experience is that my > ecologist friends are not at all heavy drinkers." > > Michael Hochberg from the University of > Montpellier in France speculated on why - if this > were so - highly cited researchers might be > pushed to drink more. They might attend more > functions, be more "stressed out", or they may > just be "past their heyday and drowning their sorrows", he suggested. > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 8.5.445 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3141 - Release Date: 09/17/10 > 12:24:00 > -- ------------- Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, <www.worldbeyondborders.org> Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes "The whole person must have both the humility to nurture the Earth and the pride to go to Mars." --Wyn Wachhorst, The Dream of Spaceflight
