Papers

Suppose a company received donated written material which was then reviewed by other people for free.  Should the company then turn around and sell that material for thousands of dollars?  It sounds absurd, but it's basically how academic publishing works. Seriously, Harvard can't afford these prices.  Open access outfit Public Library of Science (PLOS) charge less to publish and is free to view, but PeerJ have gone one better- $99 buys you lifetime membership, their peer-review system promises a refreshing openness and they've even reduced the notoriously long time from submission to publication.  Sounds like a step in the right direction for fair access to knowledge.

Weather Report

"And so ye faithful,
there is no shadow to see
An early Spring for you and me."

 -  Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, 127th Groundhog Day