Super High Me
Monday, 25 April 2011
The Digital Life | Apps find real-life uses for piles of public data | The Courier-Journal | courier-journal.com
Civic data files — listing the location of every police call, for example — aren't the kind of thing that the average citizen would find thrilling.
But hand them over to a software developer, and the results can be surprisingly handy.
In Washington, D.C., for example, the Stumble Safely app uses crime data to plot the statistically safest route home from a bar. In New York, BestParking draws on parking regulations data to show whether your parking spot is legal, how long you can stay there — and how much it will cost.
These apps were brought out by freelance developers thanks to piles of data that government agencies made public.
It's part of a movement in good-government circles known as government 2.0, pioneered in D.C. by Vivek Kundra, who currently serves as the federal chief information officer. In the interest of greater transparency, government 2.0 advocates say that whenever possible, nonsensitive civic data should be made public in formats that developers can use.
“It's not just what kind of data but how they make it available,” said Gabriela Schneider of the Sunlight Foundation, an organization that advocates for transparency. “Open, nonproprietary formats … will enable more people to build apps that make that data more useful to Americans in their daily lives.”
In 2008, while he was D.C.'s chief technology officer, Kundra launched a competition called Apps for Democracy that offered a $10,000 award to the best application to make use of the city's public data resources. Although the contest cost $50,000 to run, it generated 47 apps—which would have cost an estimated $2.3 million had the city commissioned each one.
Since then, New York City and the federal government have held similar competitions with their own troves of public data, leading to apps like New York's DontEat.at, which tells you if the restaurant you just checked into on Foursquare is about to be closed for health code violations.
It's not just big cities that are opening their data. Baltimore (whose population, 637,000, is smaller than Jefferson County's) offers vast amounts of data through its OpenBaltimore program –— from crime stats to parking tickets to property maps.
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Since municipal governments already collect all of this information, making it public isn't particularly expensive, according to Tom Lee, director of Sunlight Labs. “It's been paid for by tax dollars, and if the public has use for it, they should be able to get their hands on it.”
Apps that use civic data aren't limited to smart phones, either. Applications can be Web-based. Others work via text message. Mark Headd, a government app developer at Voxeo Labs, built an application that lets New York residents text a number to find the nearest library.
Louisville Metro Government's website offers a handful of datasets that developers could use, including recent crime stats and restaurant inspections. The city has its own apps that draw on this data, like one for looking up restaurant inspection letter grades.
According to Chris Poynter, spokesman for Mayor Greg Fischer, more is on the way. During last year's election campaign, Fischer proposed LouieStat, a stockpile of data similar to OpenBaltimore and to New York City's Data Mine. “We hope to bite it off in pieces … so we have a really good database that people can tap into,” Poynter said.
Poynter also mentioned a new text-message-based emergency information system slated to roll out shortly, as well as an app that would let you snap a picture of a problem — a pothole, say — and send it with location data directly to the Metro 311 system through your phone. If the 311 app functions like those in other cities, it should allow anyone to see a map of reports and track whether the problems have been fixed.
According to Schneider of the Sunlight Foundation, increasing the availability of public data like this “helps create more trust in government.” At the very least, it would allow us to do something about our potholes besides cursing loudly when we hit them.
Written by
Matt Frassica
The Courier-Journal
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20110424/FEATURES/304240026/1010/featu...|newswell|text|Features|s#
Sunday, 24 April 2011
Pakistan: The Fight Against The Taliban and The Drones · Global Voices
Imagine how it is to live in Pakistan knowing that you can have all kinds of misfortune in a day whether natural or man made. A place where a day without any suicide bombing or drone attack can make a news and every moment the citizens have to deal with emotions like shock, rage, discomfort and a deep sense of helplessness.
In a recent morning, the first tweet that caught my eye, was one by a Pakistani columnist, Fasi Zaka:
fasi_zaka: The last moments of a suicide bomber who didn’t die from the blast immediately https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=201156813237903
One of his twitter followers’ replied to this tweet:
Suprah_: The kid is still alive! He is recovering at a local hospital and even did an interview for BBC later http://bbc.in/gFbx1r.
Victims of the explosion at Rummy Club, Karachi are put in a morgue. Image by Syed Yasir Kazmi. Copyright Demotix (21/04/2011).
On an average day many Pakistanis would re-tweet or share in Facebook such news based on suicide bombers, NATO’s Drone attacks and the Taliban’s retaliation to them.
Ali Chishti at Pakistanpal's blog writes:
There have been a total of 234 drone attacks in Pakistan since 2004, according to the New America Foundation, including 22 in 2011. The estimated casualties are between 1,439 and 2,290 – of which 1,149 to 1,819 were described as militants in reliable press accounts. [..]
The Pakistani response has been full of confusion and contradictions. The military, after having come to an understanding with the United States in 2006, has allowed limited use of force inside Pakistan because of tough conditions in FATA purely for cost-benefit reasons. At the same time, it has constantly used Pakistani public opinion on the issue to pressure the US.
Acceptance of these drone attacks in Pakistan, have made the people of Pakistan an unwilling ally. However, regardless of which one-sided alliance is created, the people will still suffer. The sufferings will either be from, the drone attacks or from the attacks from the Tehrik-i-Taliban. Kathy Gannon, a former American correspondent of Afghan-Pak affairs during 1986-2005, states something similar in her article published in The Journal Gazette:
“Pakistan is frustrated by stepped up drone attacks and accusations it is weak against Islamic militants despite nearly 3,000 dead soldiers, a five-year war in its tribal areas and dozens of arrests of suspected al-Qaida operatives or affiliates.”
The Harfang is a reconnaissance drone, guided from a distance by experienced fighter pilots, transport pilots or a navigator. It is used by by the US army in Afghanistan on the Afghan – Pakistan border. Copyright Demotix (11/03/2010).
In my own blog I shared opinions of people I came across describing how lives in their cities had radically changed out of fear and frustrations.
Fahd Dar, a student from Lahore, says:
“Life's going on but it's definitely not the same. People have restricted their outings. Although the famous hang out spots still remain crowded, but the fear of the unknown is still there. With scanning apparatuses installed at almost every corner of the city, even at educational institutes, it naturally gives you a feeling of hesitancy and vulnerability. Lahore doesn't feel that safe now, to eat your favorite eatables late at night, or watch a nifty play at Al-Hamra. Still, our hopes are high, things would get better.”
Haris Hameed, a manager at an advertising agency in Islamabad:
“A drive from one end of Islamabad to the other meant you had two options. Take the scenic route running parallel to the majestic Margalla Hills or the one that ran through the heart of the business district, fondly dubbed Blue Area. However, that was then. Now, when planning out your route, only one thing is considered: ‘Which route has the least amount of security check posts?’[..]
Understanding that these security measures resembling an obstacle course for mice in a science experiment are a necessity in recent turbulent times, the people of Islamabad have taken everything in their stride. There is always remorse and empathy for victims when there is a bomb blast or terror attack in the city, but with a day or two of caution, the local venture back into their routines. I believe the common thread between the people of the capital (regardless of what section of society they belong to), is that they keep on living. To cower at home in fear and stop leading normal lives is exactly what the terrorists’ want us to do. If we were to do that, it would mean that the terrorists would be successful in their goals, and that they have won. We certainly can’t let that happen. So we live, one day at a time.”
We can only hope that soon things will normalize in Pakistan, but hope seems to be far away.
BBC News - Satya Sai Baba, Indian guru, dies at 84
24 April 2011 Last updated at 09:14Satya Sai Baba, Indian guru, dies at 84
Sri Satya Sai Baba had followers across Indian society and around the world
Continue reading the main storyRelated Stories
One of India's most revered spiritual leaders, Sri Satya Sai Baba, has died in hospital at the age of 84.
Doctors say the guru, who is thought to have millions of followers around the world, died following a cardiac arrest.
He had been admitted to hospital in his hometown of Puttaparthi last month, suffering from respiratory problems and kidney failure.
He enjoyed support from all areas of Indian society - including Bollywood filmstars and senior politicians.
His high-profile followers include former Indian Prime Minster Atal Behari Vajpayee and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar.
Many devotees considered him a living god, and credited him with mystical powers including the ability to conjure objects out of the air.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described his death as an "irreparable loss".
"He was a spiritual leader who inspired millions to lead a moral and meaningful life even as they followed the religion of their choice," said Mr Singh.
Reincarnation claimHis organisation has financed health and education projects, among them hospitals and clinics that claim to cure illnesses beyond the capabilities of mainstream medicine.
Devotees grieved in Puttaparthi at news of the guru's death
But his career was dogged by controversy. He had been accused of faking some of the so-called miracles attributed to him.
And some former followers accused him and other members of his ashram of sexual abuse.
He denied the allegations and was never charged with any offence.
The hospital said his body would be available for public viewing on Monday and Tuesday before a funeral ceremony is held.
"We appeal to all not to rush to the hospital, but to remain calm and have Darshan [viewing] in an orderly manner," the hospital said in a statement.
In recent weeks, the hospital has been mobbed by groups of devotees praying for the guru's wellbeing.
Satya Sai Baba's hometown has been transformed into a vast complex of hotels, resorts, university buildings, and an enormous ashram thronging with devotees.
He rose to prominence as a youngster after announcing to his family that he was the reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba, a 19th Century Indian holy man who had been equally venerated by Hindus and Muslims.
By 1950 he had built his first ashram, and in recent decades managed to build up a global following.
via bbc.co.uk
hightechheadhelper - for when your brain hurts
With almost every type of transaction that you do nowadays you leave something behind- information about you.
Most medium and large companies (and government agencies) store this data and use it to 'profile' you. This profiling helps them to better connect you with services and goods that you are likely to need or want.
Insurance companies and benefit agencies are starting to use 'lie' detecting technology to make sure that any claims made are valid and honest claims.
Large scale businesses and organisations use technology to 'understand' all the information that comes into their offices, no matter how it comes in - whether this is by phone, email, letter, whatever - this data is called Unstructured data and, up till recently, this flood of words in all the forms possible had to be handled and sorted by hand.Now it is sorted by technology. Technology that has all the rules of language and uses of that language built in to it.
It is these technologies and more that can form the core of these tools.These technologies are used by you. Your profile builds up as you talk. Talk about anything you want to. Shout if you need to. Your profile is used for your benefit only. Whether you need personal help for a deep rooted problem or just a simple answer to a question, this technology listens and then acts. For you.
Coming soon... but only if you want it
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