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Shared Open Data Contact.
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Shared Daily Digest for July 21st.
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Checked in at Covent Garden Market
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Checked in at joe kools
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Checked in at joe kools
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Checked in at Gig’s Grillhouse
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Checked in at Convergence Centre
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Shared Open Data in London Ontario.
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The City of London has taken another step closer to joining the ranks of cities like Ottawa, Vancouver and Toronto, and releasing city data in a machine readable format; or Open Data.
This is a result of the hard work of a variety of individuals, including Shawn Adamsson and Aaron McGowan.
It shouldn’t come as any surprise that I think this is a great step forward for the City of London. As more and more information and data sets are released and become publicly available the better our society will become.
I’m also excited about this recent announcement because of the potential for further collaboration that UnLondon and the UnLab could help facilitate by connecting like minded individuals who will continue to iterate and improve upon various ideas, projects, and platforms. .
A citizen led initiative around Open Data has already started in London, and I suggest any interested parties connect with them for more information.
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I just added a new page to the blog that hopefully will capture a snapshot of all the initiatives I am involved with.
At this point it’s by no means exhaustive; some announcements just aren’t ready for prime time yet. So be sure to check back again soon!
Until then there are a couple of projects that I’d love to draw your attention to.
The first is ChangeCamp London, which is an event that I’ve wanted to do here ever since I heard about it a couple of years ago. I’m ecstatic about the team that is involved, and I’m sure its going to be a great program with definite benefits to the city.
Secondly is the annual PodCamp London that is coming up on May 8th. Be sure to check out the wiki for a list of speakers and sessions. I’m sure regardless of your skill level or interests you’ll find a topic that piques your interest.
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Having recently completed a course in business ethics, and then following with heavy interest Monday’s enticing story about the leaked/lost/stolen iPhone 4 prototype, I think it only makes sense to offer some perfunctory remarks here.
In addition to the main technology sites covering the details about the new phone; the Internet has been awash with comments about the actions of all the parties involved. Questions about whether the finder was morally right to sell it to Gizmodo, and did the tech site act properly in purchasing and ultimately dissecting the phone for their website.
However, what’s missing in all of these accounts is a discussion about the public, and our role in encouraging these behaviours. Its no surprise that any item that comes out of Cupertino is received with the same amount of fan fare usually reserved for the winning soccer teams of South America. And how much more excited do we get when we can combine our lust for Apple with our natural and insaitable curiousity for tech voyeruism.
Rather then criticizing Gizmodo for their actions, I think we should take a look at ourselves. Are we getting caught up in tech envy and would put aside our own morality just to learn a bit more about a consumer product? I’ll be the first to admit it, I get swept up in the excitement too. But I’ve decided to incite a change and I’m going to work harder to make sure that my love of objects justifies behaviour.
I’m not suggesting that having new toys is bad, or that the capitalist culture of “stuff” is inherently evil. All I want to point out is the double standard we create to satisfy our own interests and desires. Most of us wouldn’t engage in the same dubious practices that some tech journalists use, so why should we reap the rewards?
What do you think? Can we reclaim morality in concepts and no longer let our love of “things” tell us what is the right thing to do?
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The idea of time periods, generations, and eons is a big focus for society. We compare baby boomers to Gen Xers to the Me Generation to “Digital Natives”. Obviously the same facination extends to periods of technology. The speed at which we’ve innovated and improved over the past few years has been nothing short of impressive and has taken us to the amazing technical improvements available now.
As a result we are at a point where technical constraints are so low that there can be and should be a seamless transition between the digital and the physical worlds. So the experience that I begin online is easily continued in the real world and augmented through the use of handheld devices, digital signage and online connections.
Many people think that the 3.0 internet will be semantic, the online experience will be unique and tailored for each individual. I think that this is selling ourselves short. Instead, the internet version 3 will be about using technology to improve and build upon your real work experiences. From location awareness to augmented reality we already see this happening.
Because of the proliferation of social networks and media, it makes sense that this coupling of digital and real should continue beyond our social lives. We should take adavantage of technology to improve our healthcare, purchase decisions and general service options.
I’m still working out these thoughts, and I appreciate your comments. Am I way off track and Web 3.0 is going to be something altogether different?
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On two separate occasions this week I found myself in the Old East Village in London.
And I realised two things;
1. I need to come here more often, there a collection of what might potentially be some interesting shops
2. The area is really a microcosm of London as a whole, spread too thin with abandoned and forgotten sections.
I know many people are working hard to improve the area, and I hope their efforts are rewarded. Since I discovered a store stocking authentic Montreal bagels, I know that I’ll be back in the neighbourhood before too long.
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I’ve had the opportunity over the last couple of weeks to think about what “openness” means. It is certainly the buzz word of a web 2.0 and social media age; but what message are we trying to convey when we throw that term out? Unfortunately I think we get it confused with and mistakenly think it is a synonym for crowdsourced. I think both concepts are very important, but they refer to different ideas. Openness means sharing information with a community and letting them see and hopefully understand how decisions are made.
I’m involved in a couple of really fun projects in the City of London, one of which is PodCamp London. PodCamps are free unconferences; the attendees decide what sessions take place. There is no booked keynote speaker, and everyone is encouraged to move about during the day. Conversations and topic discussions spontaneously pop up in the hallways and information is shared in a casual and transparent manner.
Yet the planning of the event is still somewhat traditional. The community isn’t asked to provide input on every detail of the day. There are decisions to be made, and that requires an organizing committee. A group of people, who remain accountable to the attendees, and yet make decisions that will effect them.
That doesn’t mean that PodCamp London isn’t open. The attendees have a huge say in how the day unfolds. However without a group of people making final decisions the event could never place. I think this illustrates two other important components of openness; transparency and accountability.
As I work on numerous projects, I push for openness. I also understand that I won’t nor should I be involved in every decision. There will always be things that have to remain behind closed doors and sometimes it is necessary to work within existing frameworks that don’t look like they promote any form of openness.
When we push for open concepts, whether it be government, data, or the organizing of conferences, lets make sure that we understand what we want to achieve. Openness is great, it just needs context to be effective.
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Over the weekend of February 19/20/21 I was able to attend PodCamp Toronto.
It was a great chance to connect with some old friends, meet new people and general hang out with other social media aficionados.
I attended a number of great sessions throughout the weekend. However rather then not give each of them the full coverage they deserve I won’t go into detail.
In addition to the sessions, there were a number of great parties and events. The open mic night at the official afterparty was a great success, as you can see from this great photo of my and James Wilkinson singing Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” while Pat Dryburgh played the guitar.
I’m looking forward to PodCamp London on May 8th, and know that we’ll definitally pass Toronto for excitment and learning!
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I turned on the TV today and, quite by accident, turned the channel to TVO’s Agenda Camp from London Ontario. When I first heard about the event I was quite upset that I was going to miss it due to a vacation, so I’m glad I was able to catch some of the “debate” from London. I did want to share a bit of my thoughts though.
What do I love about London and why did I choose to stay here?
Unlike other students at UWO, I grew up in the area (northwest of the city), and so I didn’t have “somewhere” else to return to when I finished my degree. Thats really reason number one.
Every since I became in involved in PodCamp London I realized the tremendous potential that their exists within this city. A few people have the ability to effect massive change and to make the whole city better. PodCamp was really just the beginning. The more I interacted with people and started to work together, I began to truly realize the potential this city had.
So, I love London and decided to make it my permanent home because of what it could be, not what it is now. I’m not going to sit back and wait for someone else do decide what it should be; I’m going to be an active participant in the process.
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Messing about with ideas and technology, finding new ways to improve upon old systems and continuing to have fun while I do
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