The city of San Francisco is on the leading edge of using the Internet to provide government transparency. It is providing WiFi for its have-nots, and its DataSF.org initiative is putting the city's valuable data back in the hands of its citizens, with innovative results.
Very important question. Although it wasn't mentioned in the Rights of Man, the Declaration of Independence or the U.S. Constitution, an informed electorate is the foundation and guarantor of a democracy, so it's important. Eisenhower commissioned the National Highway System as necessary for defense, but everyone supported it because it opened up the entire country to greater commerce. So there's a precedent (more than one, actually) for the govt. investing in something that will help every citizen.
Its a great example of the government providing for the people. However, internet everywhere isn't a right is it? It is a way to easily provide a valuable commodity to the masses -- cheaply.
Bridging the digital divide is critical to a shared future, but so is access to the data. So many levels of govt -- city, county, school district, state, fed, have so much so data buried, often in archaic mainframe dbs, and so many bureaucrats are afraid of releasing info that might reveal their incompetence or venality, that it's a big problem of democracies like ours -- never mind the even more controlled countries.
In Santa Fe, we first had to get a letter from the Attorney General of the state to show to a county agency that the data they held was public, but then we had to find a private citizen who knew the model of mainframe they were using (or mini, I forget), because their own programmers didn't know how to export data from it in electronic form! (They wanted to give us reams of old green bar paper!) And then we had to figure out the db schema, since none of the fields were labeled intelligibly.
But when we did all that...we found front page headline material for weeks, eventually resulting in major changes.
Almost makes me want to move back to the other SF!
Offering free internet access is the best way to bridge the digital divide and to "improve the city's economy" as said the mayor. I believe this is a good example of governance and If every cities could have this objective in mind, every home will be connected to the internet in a short period of time.
While Google introduces its new Chrome OS (which I'm hearing will be widely available in one year? Did I mishear that?), IBM announced 10 new products today to help companies using IBM System z mainframe technology.
Smarter Collaboration: How to Thrive in a Challenging Business Environment Market conditions are changing faster than ever, and organizations need to improve their agility and adaptability in order to provide better service and improve processes. The ability to work with customers, business partners, and employees as effectively as possible - while at the same time holding down costs - is a key to success. READ THIS eBOOK
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In order for banks to grow, they'll first have to start by retaining their standing client bases. To do this will require better customer service and more transparency. Banks are meeting these needs through more automated commodity services and mobile banking applications.
Data is at the heart of any financial services firm, but analyzing that data in real time, and making decisions and predictions based on that data, is where the future is – whether that is customer data, trading data, or even risk management data.
Financial services companies are focused on modernizing and consolidating their core applications. The goal is to provide a holistic customer view, become more agile, and offer new products quickly, in a personalized way. SOA is one key building block of this transformation.
Earlier this year, Heartland Payment Systems was breached by Russian hackers who had also hit 300 other financial institutions. The scope of the Russian operation is mind-blowing and points to a new era in cyber attacks.
Mobile TV is everywhere, and yet, nowhere. Nobody uses it – because the handsets aren't good, the pricing is too high, and the coverage is not good enough. But Qualcomm's FloTV Personal TV aims to change all of that.
Cyber Warfare may be the next frontier for tactical hacking. It has already reared its head in Estonia, Russia, and Georgia, and some say it has been used by North Korea, China, and other world powers. The implications and the potential are both fascinating and scary.
When Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer went on the road to pitch Windows 7, it felt like the old days of big OS wars, Fritz Nelson reports. But new and much more significant wars are now being fought at the browser, on Netbooks and Smartphones, and what matters most is access to Internet applications (especially enterprise software in the cloud). Windows 7 may be the best ever, but it may also be the last, Nelson thinks.
How do you recognize an Internet bubble when you see one? Saunders explains how all bubbles have four symptoms in common – and takes a swipe at Google and Twitter into the bargain.
When Reiter gets incensed over incompetent Verizon FiOS order-taking and support, he broadcasts it via Twitter. Did it do any good? How should your company offer Twitter support? Watch this for all the answers.
Routesy is an iPhone application that uses the phone’s GPS to let the user know where and when the next train or bus is coming. The application’s developer, Steven Peterson, talks about why a mobile application makes sense, especially given that this transportation information is already available on the Web.
What can users today do to protect their online privacy? The simplest and most obvious option is to not use the Internet – at all. However, once all digital information is consolidated over the Internet, trying to protect digital identity by simply unplugging from the Internet becomes impossible – a fact that has manifest implications for civil liberties, Saunders says.
By 2011 the number of Internet-connected sensors will exceed 1 trillion, making your chances of doing anything or going anywhere unnoticed pretty much zero. Saunders talks about how the 'sensortization' of the Internet is eliminating the traditional divide between online and offline populations.
The 20th Century Internet was characterized by the ability to interact with other people and information on the Internet largely without anyone knowing who you were. The Internet of this century, conversely, will be defined by identity. Saunders explains how Internet users are unwittingly contributing to the demise of the anonymous Internet.
The sky is falling! And in other news, Saunders explains why he’s predicting a second Internet bubble – this one based around the current craze for social media.
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