If this is a blog, why no blogging?  You readers (or reader, although even that may be a bit optimistic) must be asking why I am not constantly updating the blog with new and exciting thoughts and findings from the world of solar slugs.  I can almost feel you chanting “We want slug news!”

The answer is simple.  I am plugging away behind the scenes for the most part.  I would like a well-curated collection of literature to be the core of this site, so I have been busily reading, categorizing, and tracking down open-source PDFs.

[rant on]One sticking point has been that many journals are keeping their papers, even old ones behind paywalls.

I HATE PAYWALLS.

I have nothing against publishers trying to make money.  They have to.  But many journals make their papers free a year or so after initial publication, which seems perfectly fair to me.  There is also PubMed Central, to which I was required to submit my manuscripts back in the days when I was a government scientist.  Although from my lofty perch at the University, I can get hold of anything I want, I would very much like for my reader(s) to find all available Elysia-related publications right here.[\rant off]

So, please be patient.  We are in the middle of a busy term, and there is still much work to be done to get the site tarted-up.  Meantime, here is a photo of a slug in the classic “I love Bryopsis” pose.  Head tucked into the food, parapodia extended, this is a happy little kleptoplatic beasty.