Tuesday 30 March 2010

Something new to click on.

Whiling the quiet hours away clicking refresh on my PRL and PRD document status pages (the editor is sitting on one, the reviewer on another, I am filled with dread), I have found something new to click on.

It's the ATLAS update page!

Higgs yet?

Click

No.

Higgs yet?

Click

No.

Monday 8 March 2010

Honesty.

One month ago, I sent a paper to PLB. 12 days later, it was reviewed. I am still waiting for the editor to forward me the decision.

One week ago, I sent a paper to PRL. I am still waiting for the editor to either reject it outright, or send it our to review.

Journals are like the Death Star. You are like Alderan. The former has complete power over the latter. The former may obliterate the latter at will. And, stretching the analogy to breaking point and beyond, while the Death Editor knows exactly what Alderan is (it's lunch), Alderan has no idea... who... grand moff tarkin is. See, I've lost it. Grand Moff Tarkin is the reviewer. Or the editor. Whoever it is who knows who you are, but you don't know who they are.

The point is, double blind refereeing will never work in physics, because of the arXiv. But the fact is that there are some people who know nothing, nothing at all, but are in a position of power to reject papers, and do so anonymously. This infuriates me. Some fat pig somewhere believes that I'm an idiot, because he doesn't understand QED. I want to know who that prick is, so I can tell him to his face how wrong he is at conferences.

I am fed up of being treated like shit by these people.