The next paragraphs might be blasphemy. Let me say first that I don9t buy into that whole 3you didn9t build that2 Obama-type rhetoric. I think that was really a Freudian-slip on his part, allowing the listener into the workings of his thoughts and attitudes. I think that what is paid for is a settled account, and that we can not ascribe future debt to individuals or businesses as an excuse for levying taxes (redistributing wealth). Having said that, let me state that my thesis is that, through direct and indirect means, state sponsored research is made possible by all of us. It is the fuel that allows the ideas and theories of authors to travel into the light of day. It is proximate support. That support allows the geniuses among us (many on this forum) to 3push the human race forward.2 Please examine the life cycle of a scholarly paper. It starts with an idea. It is supported by the hierarchy of the academic department, funds are found, experiments performed or data collected. It is written and re-written, and submitted to a journal for publication. How much do you pay to the publisher for the right of publication? It is reviewed by a panel of 3experts2 and given thumbs up or thumbs down with the potential for acceptance after revision. Those interested in the subject read the paper, perhaps comment on it, perhaps being inspired to do their own experiments or collect their own data. What role does a publisher play? They certainly collect the money. I did a pro forma for a presentation I wanted to but never gave to a company in Silicon Valley, looking at how much Elsevier made annually on the Annals of Thoracic Surgery. It was impossible to say exactly, but I think it is somewhere between $825,000 and $3.2 million, depending on the number and type of subscriptions and advertising. So here is where I blaspheme. Why do we need publishers? Why can9t we as experts self-publish our journals? What added value does a publishing house provide to science and medicine? They hold knowledge hostage. They silo and segment knowledge making it more cumbersome to access. They suck up huge sums of money. Is there still a Journal of Mechanical Circulatory Support? If not, why. If so, then why aren9t I seeing its articles? What are/were the pressures that caused success or failure? Were you given equal footing with other publications? Was it a victim of the impact factor? I propose that we do to scholarly journals what Steve Jobs did to music publishers: make an iTunes-like store. Articles are songs, journals are CD9s, and publishers become much less important and influential - yet they still live. There are no more paper journals, only files. And, breaking free of paper, we can routinely add rich media to our articles to enhance clarity and understanding. No more extra payment to Lippincott for a color photo in the article. The cost of digital storage is so cheap, that a year9s worth of a journal9s content would cost less than $1 per month. If you subscribe then you get full text access. If you don9t, then you buy an article for $1.00. Sometimes even a heart surgeon needs an article from the Annals of Internal Medicine, and, believe it or not, many doctors do not have access to an 3institutional2 subscription. There is a lot of healthcare provided in towns with populations < 50,000 people and not in a university. The new 3apps2 put forth by publishing houses are attempts to squelch evolution, not enhance it. It is a middle aged parent trying to be 3hip2 but it just doesn9t fly. It is your father9s internet, and it is the same old crap. In case your wondering, I have the infrastructure all worked out. You will love it more than getting a fresh new JTCVS in the mail every month. Ed Bender, MD On 1/14/13 1:56 PM, "Michael Firstenberg" wrote:

As I recall, research publications that are supported under an NIH or similar funded grant is supposed to be available for free Most, if not all of us, hopefully thru our hospital affiliations have some degree of "free access" to mainstream medical literature - although clearly not all. Many major Journals do make their content free after a peroid of ~6-12 months Most authors are allowed to provide free PDF copies of their work to those who request it Much of the article charges that you mention tend to be related to industry activities that want to use the data in marketing ... and while you and I may had already 'paid' for the research (I assume you mean taxes and donations) - we have not paid for the storage and distribution of the results or all of the work that goes into transforming your MSWord file into an acceptable PDF layout.

yes - this is more complex than an answer over the phone - but published material is copyrighted and while the laws are, according to some, out-dated by digital standard - it is the law and you are more than welcome to propose a solution to the protection and rights of intellectual property.

Go ask Rolling Stone or the Times (where this article was published) for a Free copy of an article that they published and see what they say.....

I am interested in your response when you get back to a computer......

-m

On Mon, Jan 14, 2013 at 2:43 PM, Edward Bender wrote:

...

This deserves a response that can't be well written on a phone. However, as an intro, you and I have paid for this research. Should you pay Elsevier $20 for a current article? Ed Bender, MD

Sent from my iPhone

On Jan 14, 2013, at 1:34 PM, Michael Firstenberg wrote:

...

Ed, Being the computer guru that you are - I have a few questions.... you, your company, institution whomever invests millions in hardware, software, support, resource to populate and maintain a database for some cause - and all of a sudden someone liberates all of that data and says it must be free. Who is suppose to pay for the support and upkeep of the system - or do you prefer a Facebook/Google type approach of targeted advertising bombarding everyplace you visit. Or should we just raise taxes more to pay for some of these systems in which a nominal support fee was charged to access the data?

Obviously these issues are a little more complex and this case is beyond tragic - to lose such a brilliant mind - but also remember, as a music fan/historian - many brilliant minds are lost before their time due to mental health related issues.

-michael

On Mon, Jan 14, 2013 at 1:38 PM, Edward Bender wrote:

...

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/14/technology/aaron-swartz-a-data-crusader-a nd-now-a-cause.html

This is as tragic as it gets. Even the company whom he invaded did not want to press charges (he worked with them also), but a minor league prosecutor, under the guise of self-righteous legal fundamentalism (read Taliban-like dogma) mightily contributed to the death of this poor genius. What is right about this? It may be legal, but it is certainly not right.

Ed Bender, MD _______________________________________________ OpenHeart-L mailing list

Send postings to: OpenHeart-L@lists.hsforum.com

To UNSUBSCRIBE, to CHANGE email address, or to view archives: http://lists.hsforum.com/listinfo.cgi/openheart-l-hsforum.com

All messages transmitted by the OpenHeart-L are subject to the policies and disclaimers posted at: http://www.hsforum.com/listdisclaim -----------------------------------------

_______________________________________________ OpenHeart-L mailing list

Send postings to: OpenHeart-L@lists.hsforum.com

To UNSUBSCRIBE, to CHANGE email address, or to view archives: http://lists.hsforum.com/listinfo.cgi/openheart-l-hsforum.com

All messages transmitted by the OpenHeart-L are subject to the policies and disclaimers posted at: http://www.hsforum.com/listdisclaim -----------------------------------------

_______________________________________________ OpenHeart-L mailing list

Send postings to: OpenHeart-L@lists.hsforum.com

To UNSUBSCRIBE, to CHANGE email address, or to view archives: http://lists.hsforum.com/listinfo.cgi/openheart-l-hsforum.com

All messages transmitted by the OpenHeart-L are subject to the policies and disclaimers posted at: http://www.hsforum.com/listdisclaim -----------------------------------------

_______________________________________________ OpenHeart-L mailing list

Send postings to: OpenHeart-L@lists.hsforum.com

To UNSUBSCRIBE, to CHANGE email address, or to view archives: http://lists.hsforum.com/listinfo.cgi/openheart-l-hsforum.com

All messages transmitted by the OpenHeart-L are subject to the policies and disclaimers posted at: http://www.hsforum.com/listdisclaim -----------------------------------------

_______________________________________________ OpenHeart-L mailing list Send postings to: OpenHeart-L@lists.hsforum.com To UNSUBSCRIBE, to CHANGE email address, or to view archives: http://lists.hsforum.com/listinfo.cgi/openheart-l-hsforum.com All messages transmitted by the OpenHeart-L are subject to the policies and disclaimers posted at: http://www.hsforum.com/listdisclaim ----------------------------------------- ----- End forwarded message ----- -- Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a> http://leitl.org ______________________________________________________________ ICBM: 48.07100, 11.36820 http://www.ativel.com http://postbiota.org 8B29F6BE: 099D 78BA 2FD3 B014 B08A 7779 75B0 2443 8B29 F6BE