integrity – Page 35 – ORGANIZING CREATIVITY

Loyalty is a two-way street — even in Academia

2014-10-01

Talking badly about one's "superiors" is seen very negatively. Sometimes righteously so, but there are cases where anything else than talking badly would be a case of slavish obedience.
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Figureheads vs. Opinion Leaders

2014-09-30

A comment on the use of figureheads for movements vs. opinion leaders -- and the way it can get you publicity, or expose your biases.

Image by unknown (Douglas Fairbanks Prod. / United Artists) (http://www.virtual-history.com/movie/image/26576) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
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Social Justice Parasites

2014-09-24

An addendum to the last posting and a comment on "Social Justice Warriors", or rather: "Social Justice Parasites".

Image: by Gilles San Martin [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
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Tim Minchin’s College Speech

2014-09-10

There's something to be said for comedians doing college/university speeches. Just listen in ...
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Scribd DMCA Notice

2014-09-08

Some comments on a DMCA notice I just send to Scribd.
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Addendum to “The Lab” by the Office of Research Integrity

2014-09-06

Some thoughts after reading the guide to "The Lab" by the Office of Research Integrity.
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That Twitter grove deep in the woods

2014-09-04

Some remarks on addressing tweets to people who represent large online echo chambers.
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The Office of Research Integrity: The Lab (Serious Game about Research Ethics)

2014-09-01

It's hard to know what to do in instances of scientific misconduct. Not only do these cases touch upon the basic pillars of science (e.g., integrity, honesty, truth) and are emotional landmines, there are also relatively rare. However, to allow you to get some (virtual) experience with cases of misconduct, ORI has a serious game online where you can slip into different roles and go through the process.
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Responsibility to New Academic Hires

2014-08-28

Departments can shape or break you. But what is your responsibility to other PhDs and Post-Docs, if you work in a bad department, and they are just starting there?

Image: Somalia map from CIA World Book (see posting for the reason for this image)
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Science, Fraud, and the Flow of Data

2014-08-27

To be able to commit fraud in science, a person needs to have the opportunity to do so. In many cases this means exclusive access to the data. So let's have a look at a major red flag.
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This is a private blog showing my opinions. If you have an issue with what I write here, either don’t read it or talk to me directly. Don’t waste your time — or mine — dragging my employer into matters where they hold no authority.

The institution I work for, or rather the people officially representing it, have already distanced themselves from this blog. I find this unnecessary, as I’ve clearly stated in the «About this Blog» section that this is a personal blog.

Frankly, I have nothing but contempt for those who lack the backbone to address their concerns directly and instead resort to passive-aggressive tattling to others. Such behavior strikes me as not only cowardly, but also spineless, gutless, and wholly unprincipled. Moreover, these efforts are as pathetic as they are futile.

That said, I might listen if you present compelling arguments and evidence, as constructive feedback is always welcome. Who knows? We might even both gain something valuable from the interaction.

A comment for those seeking to use this site for personal gain: Given the increase in requests, let me be clear. I write on this blog because I want to. It’s my hobby, my playground. Sometimes people point me to interesting products/services and I write about them. But any request regarding ads or sponsored placements ends up the trash without a reply. And if you think something would be of interest, differentiate yourself from the spammers by referring to a posting — in an intelligent way. (I get enough auto-generated mails to identify them immediately.)

BTW, posts can get updated after I published them if I spot spelling errors (not a native speaker) or think a different wording might improve precision and clarity.

This blog is not focused on a single topic, or method. As long as it is relevant to improving creativity (or allowing it in the first place), it's fair game.
Some postings on this blog deal with freedom, as I think that we need freedom of thought, of speech, of association, etc. pp. to solve mankind's problems. Thus, some postings may seem a bit remote when it comes to organizing creativity. Freedom is, however, the bedrock of creativity.
The heterogeneity of the postings can make reading this blog a bit cumbersome, at least if you are only interested in one topic. You can either use the search function (above), or use the categories or the tags to narrow down the postings you see.