Copper thieves cut BART cables
Officials at Bay Area Rapid Transit (CA) are trying to catch thieves who are stealing copper cable from the track bed and train-control circuitry. Original post
MTA to increase surveillance on buses
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (NY) plans to increase the number of surveillance cameras on its bus fleet after a string of attacks this year. Original post
MTA gears up for winter weather
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (NY) announced its winter-preparedness plans, which include improved customer communications and response protocols. Original post
StatsCan’s free data costs $2M – a rant
So the other day a reader sent me an email pointing me to a story in iPolitics titled “StatsCan anticipates $2M loss from move to open data” and asked me what I thought. Frustrated, was my response. $2M is not a lot of money. Not in a federal budget of almost $200B. And, the numberRead… Read more »
My New New Thing
With the new year rapidly approaching, it’s probably about time I wrote this down. As of January 2012, acidlabs will change its shape considerably. More than anything, this site will go back to being my personal site — a place where I write down my thoughts and musings on any number of things from politicsRead… Read more »
Planning for Stronger Local Democracy
A new guide can help citizens and local leaders decide how to make their communities more engaging, inclusive, participatory, and powerful. Planning for Stronger Local Democracy is built around two lists: the questions to ask about your community in order to take stock of local democracy; and the building blocks you might consider as partRead… Read more »
MLW 2011: In the Exhibit Hall
Stepping inside the MLW Exhibit Hall: At the Opening Reception: Wendy Hill staffs the DTIC table at the MLW Exhibits: Kara Owens, LexisNexis DoD and IC Account Manager, and Adam Dietz, Senior Govermment Consultant, staff the LexisNexis table: Original post
MLW 2011: Veterans History Project, Value, and Connectivity
Tuesday at the 2011 Military Libraries Workshop included many informative sessions. Here are a few things that stood out from the programs today: You need evidence of the library’s value. Don’t use the wrong kind of proof of value such as: Inputs (resource counts) outputs (user counts) satisfaction service quality librarian time and effort NoneRead… Read more »
White House Seeking Guidance on E-Participation
Back in September, when the United States released its U.S. Open Government National Action Plan (PDF), I listed the initiatives it contains in the area of public participation: Open Government Partnership: Public Participation in the US National Plan One item I found particularly appealing. Under ”New initiatives”, the plan states that the U.S. will: DevelopRead… Read more »
Online Public Comment Forums: Why Public Hearings Need to be Augmented via the Internet
Reader Note: This is the first in a series of blog posts about online public comment forums (OPCFs) – that are becoming increasingly prevalent across the country. Other articles in the series discuss best practices for implementing and leveraging OPCFs. The author, Michael Alvarez Cohen, is a co-founder of Peak Democracy Inc — a companyRead… Read more »