My journal, preprint server, and conference yes-no list

NO

PLOS One- once reasonable but never again

Scientific Reports- editorial office incompetence

Royal Society Open Science- contradictory and opaque decision making

Quantitative Science Studies- once an excellent journal but seems to have drifted into insular directions 

Heliyon- simply no

Research Square- a bureaucratic preprint server 

JASSS- plaintive and pedantic in the face of perceived inconformity. 

YES

MetaRoR- our single experience has been outstanding. Critical but fair reviews

Complex Networks and their Applications (CNA)- open to submissions from different subfields

PLOS Complex Networks- has some very good papers

Applied Network Science- can be very good but it all depends on the assigned editor

Scientometrics- a storied journal. No complaints so far.

Social Network Analysis and Mining- promising from what I've seen

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications- promising

Zenodo- my preprint server of choice because of ease of submission and ability to link to Github repos

arXiv- no complaints but appears to be getting overwhelmed

BioRxiv- not bad

Under Exploration

CSSSA conference- stay tuned for feedback

A Road Trip Out West

 begin

Hornet's Nest Heyworth, IL

Lost Canvas, Keokuk,, IA

Raku, Maryville, MO

RiverInn Resort, Brownville, NE

El Puerto, McCook NE (very good)

Town Place Suites, Loveland, CO

Vatos Tacos and Tequila, Loveland, CO

Saigon Cafe, Steamboat Springs, CO (not bad)

Ore House Restaurant, Steamboat Springs, CO

Fiesta Jaliscos, Steamboat Springs, CO

Primrose, Steamboat Springs, CO (exceptional)

El Sombrero, Vernal, UT

Antica Formaggio, Vernal, UT (overrated)

Beans and Brew, Vernal, UT

Betty's Cafe (Utah Scone), Vernal, UT

Buffalo Indian Restaurant, Laramie, WY

Capones, North Platte, NE

Scooters, North Platte, NE (yawn)

Hyatt, Iowa City, iA

Encounter Cafe, Iowa City, IA (very good)

Bloom Bawarchi, Bloomington, IL (as expected)

end

Why I'm Not Watching World Cup 2026 and misc rants

• Tickets are overpriced 
• Television coverage of soccer has become an abomination. Many commentators tend to spout drivel and it is ironic to watch mediocre players employed by TV critiquing top ranked ones.
• After Rous, we had Havelange, then Blatter, and now Infantino. 
• If the beautiful game is glimpsed, said glimpses will show up on You Tube and thats's good enough for me. 
• and there is the $11k World Cup ticket

Rebecca Lowe has been transformed into an artificial creature by US television. Kate Abdo simpers excessively. Micah Roberts and Jamie Carragher are a pair of buffoons at best. Brian Dunseth is a terrible commentator. Thierry Henry, Lee Dixon, Graeme Le Saux, and a few others are worth listening to. The outlook is bleak.

The WL Diaries: A trip to Oregon

 Sep 26: Champaign to Chicago.  A bus full of slack-jawed travellers staring at their cell phones. Traffic was heavy and it took about 4 hours to get to O'Hare. The shuttle to the hotel arrived quickly though.

Sep 27: Chicago to Portland to Salishan. The shuttle to the airport was delayed because of one member of a couple who was tardy. Tempers were rising when she showed up quite unapologetic. The flight to Portland was uneventful, picking up the car at National was a breeze. First stop, the Columbia Employee store so I could buy a warm-ish raincoat. Entry was by admittance but Tandy ran interference and we were given a pass. Next stop was a terrible Indian restaurant named Manam, around the corner from the Columbia Store. The staff were nice enough but my dosa was sub-standard and Tandy's uthappam was ghastly. In between an aging Indian guy came in, gaped at Tandy, then shuffled off with a head waggle when I glared at him. Next some affected software types with parents suspiciously looking at the menu. I was glad to get out. Two hours plus later, we arrived at Salishan. A very nice resort (if in need of some remodeling) with a decent restaurant. 

Sep 28: Yaquina Point, The Devil's Punchbowl

Sep 29: The Devil's Churn

Sep 30: Yaquina Point

Oct 1:

Oct 2:

Oct 3: Yachats to Portland

Oct 4: Portland to Chicago to Champaign

Elastic Demand for Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League

 As a cord cutter, I've been watching coverage of upper-end soccer progressively degrade in quality while increasing in price. $11.99 for ESPN + is the breaking point and I've unsubscribed from Paramount Plus, Peacock, Fubo, Sling, YouTube and ESPN+ over the last couple of years. 

The buffoonery of the TV hosts Rebecca Lowe, Kate Abdo, Micah Richards, and Jamie Carragher is not an incentive either.  At the bootom of this unsavory barrel of providers is Fox Sports and I expect that coverage of the 2026 World Cup will be quite execrable. So I've just stopped watching apart from the occasional Champions League game (I sign up for streaming and unsubcsribe immediately after the game of interest) and clips on You Tube.

 

Rye Poolish Recipe

 Day 1: 1/4 cup of Bob's Dark Rye Flour plus just enough water to make a sponge without extra water and a pinch of instant yeast (maybe a 10th of a teaspoon at most), Overnight at room temperature (covered)

Day2: 260 g of King Arthur Bread Flour plus 1 tsp of yeast, a tablespoon of olive oil, a pinch of salt, and 130 g of water. After some experiments, 50% hydration works best at these proportions. Mix into a ball (I used a Kitchen Aid mixer with a dough hook) add maybe another teaspoon of water and incubate covered with a wet cloth in an oven set to proof and 100F. Turn the heat off once it reaches 100F. 

After an hour, stretch and slap, roll back into a ball. Dust with flour, Back in oven

After an hour repeat

After an hour repeat- you should have a well firmed ball of dough. Make three slashes and drop into a hot baking dome (425F), put the lid for 20 min. 

Remove lid. reduce heat to 375 and bake for 15 min. Remove and cover with a cloth for 15 min. 

The protocol is fairly forgiving as long as you don't reduce the dough to a mushy mess. 

La Bodega, Asheville

 Just had lunch here. We shared everything. 

PESCADITO FRITO * fried anchovies, green peppercorn mayo, lemon

ENSALADA gem lettuce, pistachio vinaigrette, idiazabal, citrus, olives

BOCADILLO DE GAMBAS FRITAS * crispy red shrimp, all i oli, piparra peppers, arugula, baguette

DAILY SPECIAL * Prince Edward Mussels in a tomato broth with wine and soppressata in it among other ingredients.

TARTA DE QUESO basque style cheesecake, walnut brittle, seasonal fruit

I had a glass of white Rioja: Ontanon ‘Vetiver’ Viura, Rioja 2020

Everything was outstanding including the service. They make fabulous bread and we're going back tomorrow morning to get coffee and a breakfast pastry before hitting the road. The restaurant is above the bakery. Definitely a gem in Asheville and I think it was far more interesting than the Curaté restaurant itself.

TW: Completely concur with GC.  Fabulous!