After publishing data sets from Kent on child health, we have been looking from inspiration on how to present and reuse such information. A wonderful example of using data visualisations to tell a story of global demographic trends has been compiled by Hans Rosling’s excellent Gapminder organisation here. Using national statistics on child mortality andRead… Read more »
One thing I’ve been doing to keep busy is acting in independent films. Ten Sundays has asked me to be their pitchman for a promotional clip to help raise funds for their latest project. I’ m not exactly Billy Mays, but see what you think. Anyone want to be an associate producer <grin>?
You may have noticed that [acronym] is running a contest for government employees – the [acronym] CAD Awards. In fact, the awards are the first of their kind specifically aimed at the public sector – and I find our timing with this contest a little curious. Through sheer coincidence, Federal Computer Week last week reportedRead… Read more »
Riot control is an odd mixture of high-tech tools (digitized command and control centers) and old-school tools. The basic tactical elements are ancient—shields to block thrown projectiles, bulky body armor, use of mounted officers on horses, and police tactical formations with Greek and Roman pedigrees. Yet as the London riots demonstrate, P2P information technology isRead… Read more »
This blog entry was originally published on the Tri Tuns blog. Is the Grapevine Killing Your User Adoption Communications? Ensure Your Communications Are Accurate and Effective In the clip below, Lil is trying to get a critical message to Johnny Dangerously, who is locked up in jail. It is a matter of life or deathRead… Read more »
Gadi Ben-Yehuda For 20 years, August has been a “cruel month” in Russia. This August has been no picnic for the US or England, but social media has helped to ameliorate certain events: The Problem and the Solution: Tech President reports that social media (Twitter in particular) has helped authorities respond to the London RiotsRead… Read more »
Sadly this week saw the passing of Jack Layton, leader of the official opposition and the New Democratic Party of Canada. I learned of the news Monday morning via a text message from my wife on the commute into work. I immediately pulled the car over and saw the news breaking on Twitter. I managedRead… Read more »
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority officials announced plans to award a $100 million contract for a new fare payment system within the next two months. The new system will allow customers to pay fares with credit cards, debit cards, cellphones, or electronic SEPTA cards. “We will replace the turnstiles. We’ll put readers near fare boxes, butRead… Read more »
It’s official: Tweet and social media have made it into the dictionary. Merriam-Webster is adding both words to its Collegiate Dictionary, along with tech terms crowdsourcing and m-commerce. “From the dramatic events of the Arab spring to the scandal that brought down Congressman Anthony Weiner, tweet is a word that has been part of theRead… Read more »
My colleague, Gunnar Hellekson, posted some great insights from GOSCON this week on a session he attended about “Cutting Costs” — before the big shake-up…I mean Earthquake. Honestly, I didn’t know GOSCON and using open source in government could be so moving and disruptive. (Too early?) Paraphrasing, Alex Howard of O’Reilly moderated a panel discussionRead… Read more »