Science for AD2500

Client: Chris Fell, Cambridge University Press <cfell@cambridge.org>

Everyone knows that peer-reviewed publication is the gold standard for scientific facts. But it is too slow for the millennial generation, who prefer fresh opinions and data "verified" by Facebook likes, GitHub pull requests, up-votes, blog comments or TED talks. We need a new model for science that is agile and open, but also solid enough to last another 500 years. Your task is to prototype the next Royal Society or Cambridge University Press, providing democratic public access for millenials, rapid quality control that would satisfy the next Isaac Newton, and PDF for permanent paper archives to survive the Apocalypse of 2499. Elegance and attention to detail are critical on both paper and screen - if it looks like Buzzfeed, nobody will believe it was the Transactions of the Royal Society. Don't forget the essential academic attributes of accurate and secure certificates for time, authorship, and reference to prior work.