Monthly Archives: January 2009

BART Goes Wireless

Posted on by

imagesIn a story that we’ve been following in the past week, it seems the survey that was sent out to BART users last week is not simply a “feeler”. When BART users received the email from the Bay Area mass transit service requesting participation in a survey, it suggested that the organization was considering some level of wireless connectivity, but as best as I could tell, it did not suggest such access was imminent.

Thomas Hawk, who I’ve previously referred to as the best photographer on the web and is also a client of mine, apparently got a chance to try an initial pilot phase out and reported some problems logging on.

the San Francisco Chronicle reports that BART has signed a 20 year deal to provide wireless internet access in it’s entire system, but the news does not disclose terms of the deal or who would actually be managing and deploying the service. The story does indicate that access would be provided via fiber as opposed to satellite or cellular.

Google Blows Up, Suggests the Internet is Harmful

Posted on by

It appears some sort of bug has snuck into the Google secret sauce. A feature that was intended to warn users of potential phishing sites has jumped the shark declaring the internet harmful. That’s right, every single result is deemed by Google to be harmful.

This is surely a bug and will be fixed but these guys really should be running some QA testing before rolling new releases.

picture-6

Modern browsers give the opportunity for you to select your default search provider for your in-browser search box. Traditionally, my search box has been set to Google. However, it’s set to Ask.com right now, and so far I’m happy with the results.

Update: TechCrunch had it first.

Update 2: Google Mea Cupla – it was the fault of a slash (/).

Dan Mintz: Government 2.0 is an Experiment

Posted on by

Lately, I’ve focused quite a bit in the government technology space. With the new administration and the apparent focus on open technologies and dialogue with the public, it is clear that government is going to become more transparent and will likely adopt (and maybe re-engineer) some of the technologies that the private sector has taken advantage of over the last five years.

Dan Mintz, formerly the CIO for the Department of Transportation reiterates my assertion, in an interview with ExecutiveBiz, that the Government knows that no one is an expert in this area but is willing to work with competent individuals and companies who are willing to partner in learning the space:

This is still an experiment so therefore “˜how this will play out’ will require people who are comfortable with experiments. The government has a tendency to be risk-averse, which is understandable. It will be very important for the leadership within the departments and agencies to provide support for people who are willing to do the experiments. The second important factor to remember is that it [2.0 activity] will be user driven, not IT driven.

In my earlier article on this matter, I stated:

What [self-described Government 2.0 experts] don’t realize is the government they wish to work with understands that Government 2.0 is new and that very few people are experts. The government, I believe, is looking to partner with people who have the chutzpah to become experts. Who have a firm grounding in communications principles and web savvy. They understand that the next year will make experts if the right candidates, firms and contractors are chosen. They are looking for people who have the savvy needed to guide and advise, with the understanding that it’s a completely new playing field. My instinct says that the government knows that they are getting prepared to experiment and want someone to experiment with.

Sounds like we are saying the same thing. It’s just a shame that Mr. Mintz is the former CIO of the Dept. of Transportation.

BART Says: We Can (or Want to) Do Wireless!

Posted on by

With all the talks of Government 2.0 lately, we haven’t talked about those who are embracing it in a meaningful (and useful) way. Peter Corbett and iStrategyLabs could be lauded for spearheading Apps for Democracy, a contest that brought Web innovation to the District with apps like iPark. Certainly, there are plenty of folks in the private sector chomping at the bit to do something useful for the government.

imagesBut shouldn’t we laud the governments that are actually listening to the public and trying their hardest to adjust?

Organizations like the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) who just posted a survey for Bay Area riders looking to understand the wireless needs of their customers. In other words, they are listening. It, of course, remains to be seen if they will follow through.

Wireless technologies (notably WiFi) are amazingly absent in mass transit. As far as I know, no US-based system has incorporated things like free (or even paid) wireless in their trains or buses (cannot support this with evidence, so I’m happy to be proven wrong).

Here in the District, Metrorail has wireless carrier access – if your wireless carrier is Verizon Wireless. In the Bay Area, iPhones rule the day and though I don’t live there enough to know if AT&T works underground there, I can say that giving the tech-heavy Silicon Valley access to their mobile devices will help bring along ridership. Ridership means fewer carbon emissions from fewer cars and a bonus to traffic. (We all know that Scoble is surfing the web on his iPhone while driving. Wouldn’t it be better if her used the train instead? ;)

Security Problems and Government 2.0

Posted on by

The other day, I made a very serious point about the fad that is “Government 2.0″. I was pleased by the amount of attention it received and the large number of very reputable and poignant comments it recieved. However, it was largely a philosophical post, and did not provide anything concrete.

Today, that concrete example fell in my lap as I read this post by IT Security company, Websense. The post outlines how malicious users added an image to a “user generated” section of My.Barack.Obama. The image led to a trojan download site that is infecting user computers.

Granted, the MBO site is not a government site, but it is certainly related, wouldn’t you say?

Veteran federal IT Administrators are vicious about protecting internal systems and intranets. Trust me, I know. I come from a Lockheed Martin, CSC and Northrop Grumman background where projects I worked on were all government-facing or oriented. This is what we did.

For as much complaint as there is about the lack of transparency, the lack of public facing services that engage the public in a Web 2.0 way, I’d point out that there is a valid reason for it. I would love to see the Government opened up to more Web-savvy ways, but there are very tangible reasons why they are not!

This is also why Government 2.0 will not rule the day. At least not soon. Until there is a sensible way to prevent user-generated content from being user-generated security nightmares, such as this incident was, Government 1.0 will rule the day.

Security will always trump anything else and right now, there is too much opportunity for mischief to entrust the federal systems to user-generated anything.

Help Wanted

Posted on by

Over the past month and a half, I’ve been working tirelessly on building out the consulting arm of what I do. Recently, I posted a consulting page here that outlines some of the work I do and can do for clients and people like Thomas Hawk have been actively promoting me. I can’t say enough in thanks for all the people who have passed my name along to interested parties, both as potential employment material as well as consulting material.

Though my search continues, I am pleased by the amount of inquiries I have gotten during this time. Though I am still looking for a big longer term project of 4-6 months, I am feeling confident that I can sustain the work I do here based on a myriad of smaller projects from WordPress migrations, sponsored plugin development, strategy consultation as well as SEO.

Historically, I have turned away work that involves design, for instance, because I am not a designer. However, the amount of work I’ve turned away is significant and noticeable and I no longer want to do that. There are also other positions I’d like to fill.

Ux Developer

First I am looking for a Ux Developer. As the most critical part of this position, I’m not looking for someone who has a firm understanding of usability. At this time, I am looking to retain the actual HTML/CSS coding but I am looking for a Photoshop ninja – someone who can take specs, work with me as well as clients on look and feel. We will use Conceptshare and Basecamp, or similar, as jumping off project management and collaboration tools. I will run the business side of things so you will not have to negotiate with anyone but me. Please send resumes and examples of logos and website design work to me. Please include general flat-rate ballpark figures for such work. This is for ongoing project work as it comes in.

Business Manager

Second of all, I’m looking to pay someone on a percentage basis to develop business. This is a typical BizDev role where you will talk to potential clients, work out deals and earn more money for more business you secure. You will work with me to vet projects and determine feasability, viability and develop requirements if necessary. Please send resumes and a short note to me.

Writers

Of course, the strength of Technosailor.com is in the writing. If you are interested in writing here at Technosailor.com and gaining notoriety and readership, please send examples of your work and a pitch to me. This is unpaid for now, but you wil have immediate access to the large and influential readership here. Areas of focus are web, technology, entrepreneurship, etc.