Debugging Earmarks

Published by Jarred on July 22, 2009 in Politics. Comments

earmarks

One of the big buzzwords around Washington and the rest of the country since November 4th, 2008 has been “transparency”.  President Obama was widely prophesied as the harbinger of a political culture of openness and honesty.  He has also been expected to be the first to leverage the Internet as a chief means of communication and collaboration with the American people.

So far the President and his administration have made promising steps on both fronts (see data.gov, for example).  But what is important to remember about the web is that it’s designed to let the novice user contribute just as much as the elite power players.

WashingtonWatch.com, a website maintained in his spare time by Jim Harper of the Cato Institute, has started an initiative to let the average Joe and Jane identify pork spending buried within federal legislation.  Wired.com’s Epicenter blog notes that the site, in partnership with the Sunlight Foundation, will be rewarding the top citizen watchdogs with Amazon Kindles, iPods, and other prizes.

This is a perfect example of what the New York Times recently referred to as “focused crowdsourcing.” If you want to put the mob to work, you need to do a few things.  First, identify a market where there is a thirst for action.  Then provide a specific and realistic objective, ideally one that is measurable and that can be registered in discrete steps (so as to lure both the curious and the committed).  Offer users the tools and rules of the game, and provide worthy incentives.  Next thing you know, you’re harnessing the wisdom and effort of the crowds to (hopefully) do some good in the world.

Harper has followed this model to perfection.  The contest ends either when all earmarks have been entered, or when the fiscal year ends in October.  Here’s hoping for robust participation from a digital citizenry hungry to see and make some change.

An Update from Jrod

Published by Jarred on July 19, 2009 in Tropophilia. Comments

Hey folks.  It’s been exactly three month since I last wrote a post for Tropophilia.  Trust me, it hurts me as much as it hurts you.  I’ve been busy with moving from Mountain View to San Francisco, as well as throwing a bachelor party and being the best man for our very own Mr. and Mrs. Ansley.  (Congrats to the happy couple, currently on their honeymoon!)

The biggest trouble I’ve had is finding topics that I’m both passionate enough to write about, but also am “allowed” to address.  Google has few rules about employee blogging (it’s actually a highly encouraged practice), but obviously there are limits to what I should and should not touch.  Writing about competitors, or businesses that are suffering because of the rise of the web, or even about Google’s own moves, would probably not be in my or Google’s interest.  Since this is pretty much everything I used to write about, you can understand I’m having a little blogger’s block recently.

The most frustrating part is not that I can’t chronicle the news items themselves, but that, as a result, I can’t vent my enthusiasm for the subject matter.  One big reason I wanted to start Tropophilia was to release some intellectual energy about this new digital era.  While my job gives me the daily opportunity to think about and work on these issues, there’s just something different about sitting down at the keyboard and crafting my own subjective analysis.  I really miss that feeling.

All of this is to say that I’m going to resolve myself to finding those stories I can write about, and reengaging myself with this blog in short order.  There will probably be more “pointing to / this is interesting” posts  than “analysis” ones.  I’m also hoping to start teasing out some of the legal questions surrounding new technologies and companies, in addition to talking about their cultural impact.  I hope that you’ll continue to find it interesting, and even if you don’t, that you’ll at least be able to see the enthusiasm behind it.

Good talk, see you out there.

TED Talks: Jonathan Harris

Published by Taylor on June 24, 2009 in Art and TED Talks. Comments

This is part of an ongoing series in which we highlight particularly fascinating talks from some of the world’s most innovative thinkers. These videos are featured courtesy of a Creative Commons license; for more on the TED conference (Technology, Entertainment, and Design), click here.

I’ve been at times transfixed, horrified, depressed, inspired, and astounded by the information streaming out of Iran.  Following the active cloud of conversation regarding the Iranian election via Twitter, I’ve been reminded once again of how powerfully the web changes the ways in which we as communities experience events in real time.  Only now can a group of physically scattered people experience history together, blending real time reports from ground zero of a revolution with distant analysis and global reactions.  These recent events reminded me of a TED video that I wanted to share.  The projects Jonathan Harris demonstrates in this video are not comparable in urgency to the situation overseas.  But Harris’ work evokes the same unique emotional connection we feel with far-flung individuals through the modern miracle of the modem.  I hope you find his projects interesting and inspiring:

You can also download this video to iTunes (MP4 file) by clicking here (”Save Link As” on Windows).

New Urban Visions and Shortcomings

Published by Taylor on June 10, 2009 in Design, Environment and Sustainability. Comments

I’ve spent the past few weeks studying for my upcoming LEED Accredited Professional exam.  As a result, I’ve been ruminating on sustainable development generally and LEED in particular.

This is a very effective video argument for New Urbanism (HT: The Daily Dish):

<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090729124357/http://youtube.com/watch?v=VGJt_YXIoJI">http://youtube.com/watch?v=VGJt_YXIoJI</a>

I find this vision compelling: walkable communities, condensed necessities like grocery stores, schools, workplaces, and churches, large public parks and recreation spaces, and conserved natural areas.  But it’s silly to have a conversation about New Urbanism or neighborhood revitalization as if it’s an intrinsically and universally beneficial trend.  The fact is, I’m drawn to this vision because I’m exactly the demographic that stands to benefit from it: white, middle/upper-middle class, well educated.  Part of the creative economy and able to work essentially anywhere there’s a wireless connection.  Lover of overpriced “artisan” sandwiches and ratios of coffee products and steamed milk.  I own a Kindle for crying out loud.

The uncomfortable assumption underlying so many of these New Urban dream-scapes is that what would make for a REALLY great community would be an exclusive bunch of people like…well…me.  And that’s crap.

As much as I like to think otherwise, I’m a boring cliche.  I’m a product of privilege (more of the “great public schools” variety than the “trust fund” variety, but I digress) and will have the luxury to find parks for my hypothetical future children to play in, take bike rides on greenways, and work from various coffee shops whenever I need a change of scenery.  New Urbanism seems well-equipped to satisfy that lifestyle but, frankly, I’m not worried about people like me.

Because walking to work can’t just be the accepted ideal for those of us who set out daily to work in a brightly-lit office or take our laptop to the village green.  The checkout clerks at the grocery store, the teachers in those great public schools, and the folks waiting tables at the neighborhood restaurant all must be a part of this vision.  But thinking about those folks (not to mention the factory workers and farmers who are presumably at the margins of this type of scenario…theoretically manufacturing wind turbines and growing organic spinach) brings up all sorts of difficult questions about affordable housing and the costs of living in trendy, clean, sustainable communities.

So here’s my challenge to New Urbanists: prove that your ideal communities can be inclusive of all people.   Show me a plan that includes affordable housing between the coffee shop and the grocery store.  Factor in the carbon footprint (not to mention actual costs) of low wage earning commuters who can’t afford to live in newly-remodeled trendy lofts.

Some of this admirable, inclusive work is taking place, but I think it merits a larger role in the conversation about green building, sustainable communities, and New Urbanism.

Tuesday Links: May 19th, 2009

Published by Taylor on May 19, 2009 in Monday Links. Comments

Hey folks–after a few down weeks, I’m getting back to regular blogging.  These items brought to you by the free stream of the new Wilco album, available on the band’s site (highly recommended…though the stream seems to have gotten choppy since i first listened).

  • I’m intrigued by KeyRingThing, a service that allows  you to combine frequent shopper/loyalty program cards (currently in my wallet: Harris Teeter VIC card, CVS ExtraCare card, and Barnes and Noble Member card) into a single credit card-sized page.  My current system is less than ideal: cutting cards down into just the essentials (barcodes) and stuffing the shards of cards in my wallet.  I might try KeyRingThing instead.  Do you carry loyalty cards?  Which do you use regularly?  Would combining them be worth $2.97?  (HT: LifeHacker)
  • Sean at Tactical Philanthropy drew my attention to a new magazine for social enterprise.  It’s called Beyond Profit, and you can flip through the inaugural issue online here.
  • I’m a sucker for anything with a headline like “In Defense of Liberal Arts,” and this post by Lane Wallace (guest blogging in Andrew Sullivan’s absence) is no exception.  I love this thought in particular:

Yes, the U.S. needs technical expertise to keep pace, economically and technologically. But we also need innovators and entrepreneurs creating break-through concepts and businesses. And while knowledge in an area is important, I’d argue that the most important trait a pioneering entrepreneur needs is the confidence to buck convention; to believe he or she is right, despite what all the experts say.

  • I like the instinct behind these ideas for transforming the 1,900+ auto dealerships set to close into greener spaces for business, community, or even nature.  As always, the dream vision for many of these spaces is likely prohibitively expensive; nevertheless, it’s neat to think about how these soon-to-be empty lots could be more than abandoned blights on the edge of a cities and towns.  I’d like to see other creative ideas for how to use the existing (albeit hastily-constructed) structures.
  • Astronauts have performed minor miracles all week repairing the Hubble space telescope for the last time.  Unsurprisingly, some incredible images have emerged:

hubble

Image courtesy of NASA.  On a related note, it makes me really happy to imagine the astronauts floating around their living area watching the new Star Trek movie.