I blogged about this and so has Rebecca Moore Howard, but if you don't have Inside Higher Ed in your RSS reader, you may not know about Turnitin's offer to pay in order to get positive panels at the next CCCC. The article indicates negative response so far, no matter how much Turnitin wants a positive spin on their product. I think it shows some modicum of self-awareness that when interviewed for the article, the Turnitin spokesperson's reaction was to cover up the effort:
Povejsil’s first statement, upon being asked about the company’s offer to pay for some people to present at the meeting, was to ask that any coverage of the initiative be delayed. She said that the company was planning to expand the program to offer to pay for selected presentations accepted at a range of scholarly meetings, and that Turnitin.com only sent out the information now because of the approaching deadline for applying to present at 4C’s.
Oh my. Who's talkin' ethics now?
Our New Overlords
Ladies and gentlemen, uh, we've just lost the picture, but what we've seen speaks for itself. The faculty brains have apparently been taken over -- 'conquered' if you will -- by a master race of giant Turnitin space ants. It's difficult to tell from this vantage point whether they will consume the captive earth men or merely enslave them. One thing is for certain: there is no stopping them; the ants will soon be here.
And I for one welcome our new insect overlords. I'd like to remind them that as a trusted blogging personality, I can be helpful in rounding up others to toil in their underground sugar caves.