There are still a few spots open for the International Conference on Participatory Budgeting in the US and Canada, so if you plan to join us in New York at the end of the month, now’s the time to register. Registration is a sliding scale between $10 and $50, which is pretty amazing. The conferenceRead… Read more »
Basic Info Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? by Seth Godin Why I bought it I like the way Seth Godin thinks. I first saw Godin on TED. The talk not only prompted me to the book but also subsequently write about it here. Moreover, his ideas on leadership and standing out generally appeal to the artistRead… Read more »
At BarCamp Canberra on Saturday I led a discussion asking how we can help governments take the step from open data (releasing raw datasets – not always in an easily reusable format) towards usable and useful data (releasing raw datasets in easily reusable formats plus tools that can be used to visualise it). To frameRead… Read more »
Last week in Austin, TX was an amazing time at South by Southwest (SXSW). Apart from catching up with colleagues and friends that I don’t usually get to see on a regular basis, I just felt more apart of the “what’s around the corner” vibe that originally brought me to the event. This was partlyRead… Read more »
The City of Portland has designed a public toilet that it has patented and is selling to other municipalities. The public restroom contains the following features: Stainless steel anti-graffiti wall panels mounted on a slim-profile steel structure, that weighs a fraction of a typical restroom, making it easier to install in high traffic locations. ItRead… Read more »
I find this stuff so that you don’t have to. Facebook’s ‘dark side’: study finds link to socially aggressive narcissism – “Psychology paper finds Facebook and other social media offer platform for obsessions with self-image and shallow friendships.” The UK Hackspace Foundation – “Hackerspaces are physical places where people can meet to learn, socialise andRead… Read more »
To introduce this post on No straight lines I want to take you on a journey. That’s on the basis that to know where we are and where we are heading we actually need to know where we’ve been. Due to the nature of the work I’ve been involved in for the past nineteen yearsRead… Read more »
A garment worker in India, who is working in an urban factory, thinks “I’ve moved to the city to work here and earn a living for my family, and now I can’t survive on these wages.” The worker’s employer, a garment manufacturer, thinks, “I’m getting pinched by my buyer. My profit margins are absurdly thinRead… Read more »
I have read many a good article here, predominantly covering how to do things better. Some are practical, logical, but others are very gee whiz “pie in the sky”. However, 99% of them would require an outlay of funds to accomplish what they would do. That is the rub of the whole thing, money. AndRead… Read more »
Check out my new article at OhMyGov on writing performance standards: http://ohmygov.com/blogs/general_news/archive/2012/03/15/improving-government-performance-part-four.aspx