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We had a long discussion this morning about beta blockers.

Beta blockers are drugs used to treat various heart-related conditions but particular arrhythmias (when your heart, instead of boom boom, goes boomdiddyboomdebopbipbop or something equally alarming), high blood pressure and angina. They work by inhibiting different classes of so-called adrenergic receptors: the trans-membrane collections of protein that signal to the inside of the cell that there’s a shedload of adrenaline (or epinephrine, if you prefer) on the outside. With results that may or may not be desirable.

But it turns out that we weren’t talking pharmacologically. No, we’ve been having a discussion about things called ‘agile’,  ‘scrums’ and ‘behaviour-driven design’. These are all to do with models for developing software, and it turns out that I should know about this so that we can get the new f1000 website up and running.

Which brings us back to beta blockers.

In this context, ‘beta blockers’ are the things that stop us from releasing a beta version of the new site. The plan is to have a private beta around the second week of November, and certain features need implementing and various bugs need squishing. And then, and then I’ll be able to invite some very lucky people to have a first look at what we’ve been doing all this time.

If you’re already a registered user of f1000 and in a subscribing organization, drop me a line (here or by email) if you’re interested in being on the private beta list. We’ll want to give you some tasks, or questions, and there might be a free t-shirt in it for you (woot!).

There are hints of a subsequent ‘open’ beta some time in December, but be assured I’ll let you know about that nearer the time. And with impeccable timing, I’m off on leave this evening for a week, and then I have a conference in South Carolina, so I’m going to leave this place in the capable hands of Steve P.

Be good, y’all.