Weekend Reading, w/ Obligatory Halloween Image

This is an H1N1-inflected edition, unfortunately, so the articles are a bit short.  Note: you can suggest links a variety of ways: via Twitter, e-mail, or by tagging things as “profhacker” in delicious.

• At the NY Times, an examination of what happens when flagship public schools emulate private ones.  (Hint: Nothing good.)  Entirely related: The AAUP has posted a draft document about converting contingent faculty positions to tenure track jobs.  Comments are welcome!
• Jill Walker Rettberg (jill/txt) on whether Wikipedia has grown up.
• Two interesting rumors about Google Wave: it will be opened up very soon for federation (your institution–and maybe you!–could host it) and an app store is forthcoming.
• Some of you may have missed this interview with George and me in the Daily Nebraskan.
• When this plan to extend the internet into Earth orbit comes to fruition, the future will officially arrive.
• Finally, how to use writer’s block to find clarity and build confidence.

For Halloween, Jonathan Coulton’s ode to institutional e-mail / zombies, “Re: Your Brains”:

I recently wrote up the science underpinning Coulton’s song elsewhere.

Image by flickr user zenobia_joy / CC licensed