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The 30th Chaos Communication Congress (30C3) is an annual four-day conference on technology, society and utopia. The Congress offers lectures and workshops and various events on a multitude of topics including (but not limited to) information technology and generally a critical-creative attitude towards technology and the discussion about the effects of technological advances on society.

Kat Smith and Richard Freeman argue it's time to start bringing together the diverse and innovative thinking around the complex relationships between science, knowledge and policy.

Although the main purpose of this article is to promote a book series that will explore the disconnect between evidence-based knowledge and public policy, a couple excerpts drive home the importance of open access in creating a more equitable world, a key theme in our course: "'Who gets what, when, how', in Lasswell's phrase, depends very much on who knows what, when and how." "To be knowledgeable is to be powerful."

I presented this paper to a conference in South Africa in 2005, and it was described as "too radical" by the top leaders in libraries in South Africa who attended. :) So am rather happy that my vague perceptions and musings about the emerging trends have been vindicated today. "This paper will focus on another aspect that is integrally linked to the ability to access literature and information - that of cost and economics. Both the broader macroeconomic context and the more focused microeconomic (South African) environment will be referred to. We will examine the assumption that the economic development of a nation is linked to the ability to access information and test whether this is a valid assumption. From there, we will take a brief look at the issue of the cost of books, specifically in South Africa. The advent of the electronic revolution and the many paradigm shifts that the Internet and electronic media have initiated and the effects on the publishing industry, will be outlined. We will explore the "information as commodity" paradigm and briefly look at the related Copyright and Intellectual Property developments before weaving these seemingly disparate threads together to form a picture of innovative solutions that have arisen in response to the information access crisis in South Africa. These solutions have arisen from the popular notion that information should be freely available for societal good, rather than commodified. Finally, we will ponder the effect that these solutions may have on the traditional book publishing industry in South Africa."

Thank you all, very much, it is quite a new experience for me to have the paper well received. :)

Thank you for sharing this. I really appreciated the non-North American context. I grew up in the States, and am working on my Master's degree in Canada, so it's really easy to get caught up in always looking at these issues from the North American point of view. Seeing papers like this really help to confirm how global these issues are, and cement their importance in my mind.

"In truth, publishing is flourishing, creating massive new fortunes for entrepreneurs and more choices for consumers. It's also attracting large investments by established companies and venture capitalists. Though not everyone prospers, there has never been a better time for publishers."

Good overview with fundamental advice for publishers: innovate

Good read, Kevin! :) I agree with this article that said "As long as people want to be informed, entertained, and inspired, there will be profitable opportunities in publishing." The main key to keep the business running is everyone must adapt. Traditional publishers need to moves to digital media in order to survive and meet the modern readers' needs.

To guarantee access to and uptake of knowledge by all. Research and innovation benefit from scientists, research institutions, businesses and citizens accessing, sharing and using existing scientific knowledge and the possibility to express timely expectations or concerns on such activities. A major challenge is to broadly implement Open Access - i.e.

"People now buy songs, not albums. They read articles, not newspapers. So why not mix and match learning "modules" rather than lock into 12-week university courses?"

@Kevin - thanks for sharing. I really share many of the sentiments of this article - but the modularisation of the curriculum also raise some interesting and possibly disturbing points. For example, our current diploma/degree structures are based on the premise that the final outcomes of a diploma or a degree is the result, inter alia, of the unique combination of a number of different courses/modules which, together, allow students to provide evidence of competency in all of the outcomes. While I sincerely think there is a place for just-in-time learning and short courses, and secondly, that the notion of a four-year degree may be outdated - I am wondering about the notion of the curriculum as journey.

Thank you sharing this! I think this is new and innovative idea. I wouldn't mind trying this kind of system at my school.