Big Data is All the Rage. Why?

On Monday, December 5, Bob Gourley went on the Enterprise CIO Forum to explain Big Data and why it matters. First, he defined Big Data simply as the data your organization cannot currently analyze. Though some technologists give more precise definitions, this sums up the challenge enterprises now face. If you can deal with allRead… Read more »

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 »