Author of machiavelli.net, proud father of three, interested in shaping network society. Welcome to my blog.Machines Talking (+) People Talking (=) ?
sometimes theory is very simple, but powerful. Kevin Kelly argues in “two strands of connectionism” that the interesting developments will come when we bring machines that are connected (google search, Folding@home, etc.) together with people who are connected (think facebook, twitter, wikipedia, etc.). He expects “singularity.” What do you think?
Obama’s Open Government
My little son Max is a big Obama fan (I brought him the T-Shirt in NY in September). He watched the inauguration and thought it was a “pelicula” where you would participate (just as when Dora Exploradora or the mini-Einsteins ask you to help fly the helicopter), so when Obama was sworn in, so was he. His generation expects that the world will be collaboratively governed and that he, his sister, and the rest of humanity co- and peer produce our world.
So it made me really happy when I read about Obama’s open government initiatives on his first day in office. And I must say I am proud that my former assistant Emilene and the National Security Archives are at the forefront of this movement.
On his first full day in office, President Barack Obama signed an executive order and two presidential memoranda heralding what he called a “new era of openness.” Announcing a Presidential Memorandum on the Freedom of Information Act to reestablish a presumption of disclosure for information requested under FOIA, President Obama said that “every agency and department should know that this administration stands on the side not of those who seek to withhold information, but those who seek to make it known.”
The FOIA Memorandum articulates a presumption of disclosure for government records and a hostility to the use of secrecy laws to cover up embarrassing information. It directs the Attorney General to issue new guidelines governing FOIA and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to improve information dissemination to the public.
President Obama also issued an executive order reversing changes made by President George W. Bush to the Presidential Records Act (PRA), stating he would hold himself and his own records “to a new standard of openness.” The PRA order permits only the incumbent president (and not former presidents’ heirs or designees or former vice presidents) to assert constitutional privileges to withhold information, and would provide for review by the Attorney General and the White House Counsel before a president could claim privilege over his or her records.
Finally, President Obama also today issued a Presidential Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government which recognizes that “[o]penness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness in Government.” It directs the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the Chief Technology Officer, and the Administrator of the General Services Administration to develop an Open Government Directive within 120 days to implement the memo.
moving my webpage to wordpress (and the blog too)
do change your rss subscription to www.philippmueller.de and feedback me on what you expect from the homepage. We will be working on it for the next few weeks. The philosophy of the old page was the integration of platforms running on different servers (blogger, facebook, etc.), now the idea is to use a blogging software (wordpress) as a content management system (cms). Let us see what the future will bring..
New year, new website, new blog
Welcome to my redesigned website.
Remixing Remixes of Lessig at Stephen Colbert
Do watch Larry Lessig’s appearance on Stephen Colbert.
The first remix is here. Then there is this one… and… here.
…the book is unfortunately not yet available for remix…
Wikifying the Presidency
here is the event you do not want to miss: Wiki White House
Can Obama Use Technology to Transform Government? (Jan 9th, 12-1.30, ET).
Technology evangelists believe that Barack Obama has the potential to fundamentally alter communication between the presidency and the people. Wikis in the White House? Online public comments on legislation? A real-time two-way conversation between citizens and their elected officials?
For better or worse, however, nothing is as easy as it might seem. Federal regulations, First Amendment issues, and just plain common sense are going to slow — and potentially stagnate — technological innovation in Washington.
While you are waiting for the webcast to start, you might also want to check out last month’s: Public Diplomacy 2.0
Crowdsourcing The Border Patrol… Sovereignty 2.0
Sovereignty has now officially been web2.0-yfied: Check out BlueServo a public private partnership that:
The TBSC BlueServoSM Virtual Community WatchSM is a network of cameras and sensors along the Texas-Mexico border that feeds live streaming video to www.BlueServo.net. Users will log in to the BlueServoSM website and directly monitor suspicious criminal activity along the border via this virtual fenceSM.
Citizens can sign up as Virtual Texas DeputiesSM to participate in border surveillance through this social network. Virtual Texas DeputiesSM from around the country will monitor the streaming video from these cameras 24/7 and report any suspicious activities directly to the Border Sheriffs via email. All emails regarding suspicious activity will be submitted anonymously.
It is a public private partnership because the
The Texas Border Sheriff’s Coalition (TBSC) has joined BlueServoSM in a public-private partnership to deploy the Virtual Community Watch, an innovative real-time surveillance program designed to empower the public to proactively participate in fighting border crime.
Because,… Yes We Can
Slate just offered this probably rather silly platform to compose your own inaugural speech, to mix it up both with historical inaugural speeches and the speeches of your peers (using mixed ink technology), and to rate other speeches on the platform. Nothing special and another peek into a wholly different world.
more tools for your collaborative toolbox
FrontlineSMS is one of those tools that might come in handy when observing an election, holding a dictatorship accountable, monitoring HIV-patients, organizing a protest, or starting a revolution.
become comfortable with it and add it to your toolbox:
– www.ning.com
– www.wordpress.org
– www.twitter.com
– www.facebook.com
– www.whatelse.org?
again, thanks to Becky Johnson’s twitter for reminding me of Frontlinesms.
