addyourown: Manhattan restrooms and reviews

<p>Ok, someone needs to introduce this website to google maps! <a href="http://www.addyourown.com/index.php?cat_id=5&city_id=1"> Manhattan restrooms and reviews</a><br /> You may also wonder why this entry is filed under technology and polics, well in part it is because my categories are not very well developed at this point, but it is also because mapping goes with technology and public toilets is a fairly political issue here in NY, politicians have been bickering about the siting of public pay toilets for what seems like...

Polls and the National Republicans

<p>I don't often talk straight up politics here, but [l:http://www.emergingdemocraticmajorityweblog.com/donkeyrising/archives/001197.php|this post from Donkey Rising] really got me going. Ruy analizes some recent poll numbers that all basically show that Americans don't like Bush, or the republicans (that is a massiv oversimplification, but you can get read for yourself).</p> <p>My point here is that if Americans now realize (a mere 7 months after relecting him) that GWB is an idiot and was the wrong choice for President and is leading the country down the wrong path, how do we reinforce that message in the 06 mid terms? I mean, the "liberal media" seems to be showing everything is peachy in america….</p> <p>The message of these polls has to get out there, but not in a nasty "I told you so" or "you made your bed now sleep in it"...

PDF: Getting It

<p>This was an interesting panel, I should have gone there from the beginning, but I wanted to go to the list building session. There wasn't much new to learn in the list building session so I bailed and joined up with this one.</p> <p>Here are some notes:<br /> Gettingit</p> <p>Marty Kearns: The technology department needs to be at the table, they need the resources, the are an integral part of the organization, they should not be looked at solely as support staff. <b>Thank you Marty!</b></p> <p>“I get 10k emails a day, how to i make it stop� Chuck Schumer (Andrew Rasiej retelling a story)<br /> Andrew asks, how do we deal with the information coming back in from the field<br /> Marty: we need to open source everything, the way that open source revolutionized software development and changed work for engineers, we need to distribute the responsibilities of communicating back out among volunteers.<br /> "Two Way" doesn't just mean communication, it also means asking for help.</p> <p>Planning for participation is important. You must plan for the response so that you can respond to folks.</p> <p>Listening in Scale: deputize your community to find the talented ten (the mobilized meniscus)<br /> “theme team�</p> <p>“Membership doesn't matter� the members don't matter, your ability to organize folks matters. Do the people on your list 1) open your messages, 2) take actions.<br /> Spewing list stats won't matter one day soon. POls will realize that "6 million members" does not mean "6 million members" it means 6 million emails, and of those only 20% open and fewer take actions.<br /> “When you organize against...

PDF: Doc Searls say the web is a place

<p>This was the first time that I heard [l:http://doc.weblogs.com/|Doc Searls] speak and it was a rather enlightening talk. His presentation was titeled "What the Internet Is" (i think). Basic idea is that government is trying to rtegulate the internet, or rtather the content that is published on it (think political blogging and BICFA). </p> <p>Well as long as we think of the internet as a broadcasting system we are susceptible to regulation, broadcasters are regulated (decency anmd such…) But places, typically, and speech are not. So if the net is a place, then speech is free when you are there.</p> <p>The net behaves in different ways and we talk about it using metaphor. WE think of everything in terms of other things, and when we do this we borrow entire vocabularies (doc used the example of time, we think of it like money whcih we can waste spend, save, invest, set aside; he also used the example of life which is often related to travel: fork in the road, crossroads, different paths, etc…) </p> <p>Back to teh net, we build sites, with addresses and traffic thus it is like a place. But we also move content through it, sewnding files, or even money, so it is like a shipping conduit… </p> <p>Anyway this line of reasoning made me think of light: Particle or...

PDF: Marty Kearns on Network Centric Theory

<p>I have said it before, and will say it again, and again and again: [lk:network-centricadvocay.net|Marty Kearns] is amayzing!</p> <p>I have seen Marty a few times this year already giving his presentation on [l:http://activist.blogs.com/networkcentricadvocacypaper.pdf|Network Centric Advocacy (links to a .pdf)] but this was by far the best presentation yet. I have to say his was one of the best ppts i have seen in a long time and it perfectly augmented his speech. He used it oh so well and I have to say, given that the "theme" of the PDF was "Networks", Marty should have been the keynote, not Scott "80% of our healthy groups are signed up to pay for meetup.com" Heiferman.</p> <p>here are some notes from Marty's presentation:<br /> The following factors have efected the growth of networks:<br /> Cheap long distance phone call (prices dropped fast and significantly, 40 cents to 4 cente); cheap travel, the cost of flying has gone way down, cheap transportation in general.<br /> Here is something interesting: college kids using IM while sitting next to each other (noel and I do it all the time, so do all of my coworkers). They will continue to communicate even when they move apart, the network or relationship will live irrespective of distance.</p> <p>Challenges to communicating with people (for politicians, candidates and activist groups): </p> <ul> <li>10 million people in 4 days signed up for the do not call list, Over 40 million so far. </li><li>Getting another email or newsletter or phone call is not really a perk </li><li>people can find you (organizations, politicans) and information when they need it, when they want to...