Google Books Settlement Delayed Again

Today’s hearing on the amended settlement agreement in the Google Books case started with the announcement that the matter won’t end today (H/T Tech Daily Dose).  While the hearing continued, reports indicate that the judge felt there was too much material to digest in order to rule today.  As the hearing may continue tomorrow, it’s unclear whether a ruling will come soon, or take additional time after the hearing concludes.

While I have no doubt that some parties are anxious for resolution, the nature of this agreement is complicated enough that I’m happy to see relevant authorities taking their time to reach a decision.

Science and the Stimulus Exchange Paper Gifts

There’s plenty of churn and bother over the first anniversary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and science funding advocates felt like getting in on the fuss.  ScienceWorksForUS has a big press release and report on science projects funded by stimulus money.  They also have a collection of statements from university presidents about the impact of stimulus funding on their institutions and the surrounding communities.

Regrettably, this reads primarily as a pile of success stories rather than a coherent narrative.  While I understand the value of collecting these success stories for the benefit of Senators and Representatives to crow about stimulus projects in their districts (whether or not they voted for the stimulus), the effort doesn’t stand as an effective explanation of how the research projects have affected and are affecting the local economies.  Sure, some of the local stories give specifics, but given the brief nature of all of these descriptions, it’s hard to get at the cause and effect of these projects.