Metro apologizes for power and communications failure
Washington Metro (DC) apologized to customers after its power system failed Thursday night, leaving riders with no service and no information. Original post
Social media and the 21st Century Enlightenment
Some time ago I wrote and presented a paper advocating the need for a Public Service Renaissance. A philosophical kindred spirit recently drew my attention to the work of Matthew Taylor and the RSA. In particular RSA Animate – 21st century enlightenment. Some historical context. The Renaissance saw advances in literature, architecture, humanism, and aRead… Read more »
Must A Leader be Brave?
We have an image of leaders – whether it is John Wayne leading a charge in combat, or JFK declaring to the world the USA will put a man on the moon by the end of that decade, or Steve Jobs radically changing established market segments like music, telecom, and computers with new technology. Traditionally,Read… Read more »
Gamification can change behaviour. I have proof.
This post has been on my mind for a while now, and a recent article on the topic from Policy Horizons Canada finally brought this to the top of my “blog topics” list (which seems to have a leaking hole in it these days…sorry about that). As always, I like to start with a definition:Read… Read more »
TSP Talk – We hate to see January go
Despite the S&P 500 being down 3 of the 5 days last week, the major indices all managed to close in positive territory for the week, with a strong showing from the small cap and international funds. The market was bolstered by the Fed’s reassurance of low interest rates through at least 2014, and leftRead… Read more »
WRIR Podcast on the Dillon Rule with @UAPVirginiaTech’s Jesse Richardson
Virginia Tech’s Jesse Richardson was interviewed this past week on WRIR 97.3FM’s Open Source radio program on Dillon’s Rule. Listen to the podcast at http://richmondpublicradio.org/2012/01/27/podcast-marijuana-laws-in-va-the-dillon-rule-and-blight-in-richmond/. Original post
Derek Hyra Elected Chair of the Board of Commissioners for the Alexandria Redev & Housing Authority
Derek Hyra, associate professor in Virginia Tech’s Urban Affairs and Planning Program, has been elected to a one-year term as chair of the board of commissioners for the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority, a public agency that provides affordable housing in the City of Alexandria. Hyra, who lives and works in Alexandria, Va., has servedRead… Read more »
Cloudera Day in DC
Carahsoft hosted a Cloudera Day in the DC area on 26 January 2012. Cloudera executives speaking at the event included their CEO Mike Olson, CTO Amr Awadallah, VP of Product Charles Zedlewski, VP of Customer Solutions Omer Trajman, and Cloudera’s Architect Doug Cutting. Doug is known as the founder of many successful open source projectsRead… Read more »
Sunlight Foundation's Political Party Time: SOPA Fundraisers
Motion Picture Association of America Chairman Chris Dodd set off a firestorm of criticism last week when he suggested that Hollywood would withhold campaign money from President Obama and lawmakers who don’t toe the Hollywood line on online piracy. Losing support of the entertainment industry would not be insignificant for the president: In 2011, DreamWorksRead… Read more »
Plan Holder/Bidder List – To Share or Not to Share
We currently have a project out to bid for the installation of about a quarter mile of 10-inch water main. As usual, after we release the notification to bidders, we begin receiving requests from companies asking for a list of bidders or plan holders. Our city’s policy is to not release this list until afterRead… Read more »