I’ve been chatting with Coturnix over at A Blog Around The Clock about preparing a new blog carnival related to classic papers. One of the first questions that came up: what do we name this new carnival? Coturnix suggested that I take suggestions from the blogging community; the only criterion is that the name shouldn’t include the word ‘carnival’ in it!
So what do people think? What would be a good name for a regular ‘classic scientific papers’ blog event?
Also, how often should the carnival take place? The obvious thought is once a month, but I also can see a good case for every other month. (More time for people to do research.)
Finally, I’ll be putting together a home page for the carnival to post announcements (though the carnival itself will be hosted on individual blogs). I’d like to put together a nice header for the home page, with images taken from ‘classic’ papers. If you have any recommendations of things that would look nice in a header, feel free to suggest them in the comments.
Skulls in the Stars 
An old reference to science, like “natural philosophy”? Maybe “Opus Majus”? De Revolutionibus?
“Science Classics” was the name of Larry Gonick’s erstwhile feature in Discover magazine. . . .
I will definitely be submitting!!
I agree on not using the word “carnival.” For something as grand as the classic works of science, how about having the “Pageant of Science Classics”?
my 2 cents:
Pretty Pebbles
(“I seem to myself like a child, playing on the sea-shore, and picking up here and there a curious shell or a pretty pebble, while the boundless ocean of Truth lies undiscovered before me.”)
or
On the Shoulders of Giants
(“If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants.”)
not sure why i’m channeling my inner physicist, but i’ve always thought that these two quotes attributed to newton genuinely encapsulate science’ history as well as romance…
In an attempt to be inclusive of all science and engineering disciplines, but at the risk of being Western civilization-centric, I suggest the following names:
Library of Alexandria (or some variation, such as Alexandrine Time Capsule, Electronica Alexandria, etc.)
The Athenaeum
Thoth (or some variation, even the shamelessly Mardi Gras-inspired “Krewe of Thoth”)
Philosophenweg
I think Rick’s “On the Shoulders of Giants” has a nice ring to it. But what to call the events?
Another suggestion would be along the lines of the Royal Society, like “Society of Historical Sciences” where we could have “meetings” rather than carnivals. It would be presentations of papers, much like an actual meeting/conference.
Or perhaps some clever person could take the term “Gentlemen Scientist,” (a description of many of the investigators of “hand-crafted science”) and make it sound not so sexist, and incorporate that?
For some reason, my creative juices just aren’t flowing today (maybe it’s the heat?). Anyway, whatever name you decide on, I plan on being a regular participant. Good luck!
Archaic scientific (or whatever passed for science at the time) terms would be appropriate (e.g. a reference to Natural Philosophy). “A dose of caloric”? “Spontaneous generations”? “Balancing the Humours”?
“Steampunk Science”