Do you know Dr. Grant Swinger? Sure you do -- everybody knows Dr. Grant Swinger of the Center for the Absorption of Federal Funds. Or, anyway, they did in the mid-1960s.
In this week's Taken for Granted column, which will be published online this afternoon (I'll post a link here when one is available), Beryl Lieff Benderly reminds the world of Dr. Swinger, the (presumably) fictional creation of Dan S. Greenberg, who wrote for science back then and has since written several important books skewering the world of academic science.
Also, in his first contribution to Science, he seems to have predicted, in 1964, the Internet, the World Wide Web, Google, PubMed, and who knows what else:
Let's Hold a Conference: Herewith, an Imaginary Dialogue Between the Collector and his Quarry
This is amazing stuff, most of it just as relevant today as it was when it was published more than 40 years ago.
Herewith, a guide to Dr. Grant Swinger's appearances in Science Magazine. You may need a Science subscription, or an institutional site license, to access these articles:
1965: Herewith, a Conversation with the Mythical Grant Swinger, Head of Breakthrough Institute
Questions and Answers with Grant Swinger
Grant Swinger: Reflections on Six Years of Progress
Atlantic Community: G. Swinger Takes Part in Discussions
Academic Protocol: From the G. Swinger Manual
In this week's Taken for Granted column, which will be published online this afternoon (I'll post a link here when one is available), Beryl Lieff Benderly reminds the world of Dr. Swinger, the (presumably) fictional creation of Dan S. Greenberg, who wrote for science back then and has since written several important books skewering the world of academic science.
Also, in his first contribution to Science, he seems to have predicted, in 1964, the Internet, the World Wide Web, Google, PubMed, and who knows what else:
Let's Hold a Conference: Herewith, an Imaginary Dialogue Between the Collector and his Quarry
This is amazing stuff, most of it just as relevant today as it was when it was published more than 40 years ago.
Herewith, a guide to Dr. Grant Swinger's appearances in Science Magazine. You may need a Science subscription, or an institutional site license, to access these articles:
1965: Herewith, a Conversation with the Mythical Grant Swinger, Head of Breakthrough Institute
Questions and Answers with Grant Swinger
Grant Swinger: Reflections on Six Years of Progress
Atlantic Community: G. Swinger Takes Part in Discussions
Academic Protocol: From the G. Swinger Manual
