Yearly Archives: 2011

Acquisition, Miscellaneous

Blago, draft EO, AFL-CIO, and Obama fundraising in today’s political law links

RAHM-TIME IN BLAGO TRIAL? Story here. “Earlier this month, former Blagojevich aide-turned-government-informant John Wyma testified that Emanuel called him after being chosen to serve as White House chief-of-staff to relay Obama’s support for presidential adviser Valerie Jarrett as Obama’s Senate replacement.” D’S MOVE TO SUPPORT DRAFT EO. Roll Call. “Congressional Democrats are gathering signatures thisRead… Read more »

Tech

Are monorails gaining traction?

Cities around the world are taking a fresh look at monorails, hoping that the single-track elevated systems can provide urban mobility solutions at the right price. The Wall Street Journal writes that an 18-station line has been operating in Chongqing (China) for six years, and new systems are under construction in Mumbai (India), Riyadh (SaudiRead… Read more »

Career, Tech

What’s next for OneBusAway?

OneBusAway has been telling Seattle-area residents when their bus was arriving since 2006. Developed by University of Washington graduate student Brian Ferris, the application allowed customers use any kind of cell phone to dial, punch in the stop number, and receive an arrival prediction. Smartphone apps followed, and today OneBusAway logs 27,000 unique weekly visitorsRead… Read more »

Human Resources

Washington gets $23m for health insurance exchange

Washington has received a $23 million federal grant to create a new health insurance exchange through the state’s Health Care Authority plan. The health insurance exchange is a key component of federal health care reform and builds on a series of recent legislative and funding moves designed to create a comprehensive response to health careRead… Read more »

Career, Communications, Tech

Innovative ways of training

I’ve been thinking about using some new ways of providing training on digital engagement stuff to those working in public services – in tandem with the traditional approach that we are taking in our workshop tomorrow. Webinars are something I’m looking into, and I’ve written about my experiences of running them previously. What I amRead… Read more »

Miscellaneous

Drive Improved Results by Understanding Your Audience

Leonardo da Vinci once said, “The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding.” When you’re looking to drive improved business results, one of the greatest joys can be truly understanding your target audience – their wants, their needs, and their motivations. In conjunction with the national effort by the same name, I recently organized aRead… Read more »

Communications, Tech

Five to Follow on Twitter

Need some suggestions about who to follow on Twitter? Here is a list of five you might consider: library_connectTwitter Bio: Partnering with Info Pros. http://www.elsevier.com/librarians INFOdocketTwitter Bio: Shirl Kennedy and Gary Price are now blogging at: http://fulltextreports.com & http://INFOdocket.com USMCLibrary Twitter Bio: Official Twitter account of the USMC Research Library, Quantico, VA. The appearance ofRead… Read more »

Communications, Tech

Elude: Gaming as the “Opposite of Play”

Last week at the Games for Health 2011 conference, Dr. Doris Rusch (MIT-Singapore GAMBIT Game Lab) presented her groundbreaking game, Elude. Elude is not like most games – its intention is not to “play” but just the opposite. A beautifully designed metaphor, Elude is a tool for people supporting others with depression. For people whoRead… Read more »

Career, Communications, Leadership, Project Management

Why Implementing the Plain Writing Act Will Take Decades

“In just a few more years, the current homogenized voice of business—the sound of mission statements and brochures—will seem as contrived and artificial as the language of the 18th century French court.” – The Cluetrain Manifesto “In just a few more years” – if only that were true. Unfortunately, this quote was written more thanRead… Read more »