links for 2009-06-16

Hand-wringing at Harvard.

A few comments by Reshma on the Biobrick standard and variations on it.

"We only have to look to the VHS vs. betamax format wars followed by the HD-DVD vs. Blu-ray wars to know that it’s not simply the first standard or even the technically superior standard that gets adopted."

Hm. Mobile science comes to the iPhone.

"Just a quick post to let you know that Cesar from Drew’s lab has released the first version of his BioBrick Studio app for the iPhone on the iTunes Store. It lets you do some basic browsing of BioBrick parts from the Registry of Standard Biological Parts."

"Join us to celebrate the launch of the FRONTLINE: A Broadsheet.
FRONTLINE: A BROADSHEET aims to be a high-quality, quarterly publication, in some ways radical; in others resurrecting traditions lost from the British market.
FRONTLINE will address major events and themes in international and domestic British politics, culture, conflict and lifestyle.
FRONTLINE will be political, but party-politically-allergic, irreverent and iconoclastic in equal measure.
FRONTLINE will offer international coverage in the best traditions of the Frontline Club and its membership, which includes some of the most esteemed reporters in the world.
FRONTLINE has been put together by a team of Club members whose work is entirely voluntary.
Annual subscription for £15 inc. postage. Please email broadsheet@frontlineclub.com for further inquiries."

Is this the start of p2p social networks. (heck, phones with voice and sms are p2p networks, right?)