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Wednesday, April 26
Roll your own GPS system on your laptop
by
JTJ
on Wed 26 Apr 2006 05:23 PM MDT
Build Your Own Web-Based GPS Tracking System
By Martin Flynn
Having your own Web-based mobile Global Positioning System (GPS)
tracking system doesn't have to be a complicated and expensive
ordeal. Now you can build your own simple mobile GPS tracking system
from a laptop and have the data delivered right to your own computer.
With the addition of a Web server--and a Google Maps client-side
JavaScript--you'll be able to see the data via the Web on an
interactive map.[more]
Here's why newspapers -- all of journalism? -- is in ill-health
by
JTJ
on Wed 26 Apr 2006 05:00 PM MDT
Five years ago, appliance makers Maytag
and Whirlpool both faced a
recessionary environment, intense global competition, and products
that
consumers could not tell apart. Maytag elected to hunker down and
cut
costs while Whirlpool took a different tack. Under then-CEO
Dave
Whitwam, the company launched an all-out, enterprise-wide initiative
to
develop a core competency in innovation. Not having a cookbook
to
follow, they experimented with how best to reward risk-takers
and
foster a culture where ideas were welcomed, supported, and
funded.
Now the results are in. Maytag, a once-great
American brand, cost
cut its way to near-oblivion, while a reenergized Whirlpool grew by
36
percent into a global appliance powerhouse. Whirlpool is in the
final
stages of buying up Maytag for a fraction of its former
worth.
More and more companies are embracing
Whirlpool's strategy as they
see the limits of Maytag's. Yet in attempting to drive organic
growth
to supplement acquisitions, companies routinely find they lack
the
champions and risk-takers needed to dream up and execute bold
new
ideas. "We've been operationally-minded for so long," they tell
me,
"that we are having trouble finding entrepreneurially-minded folks
to
lead the charge." [more]
Friday, April 21
Yeah, but where did YOU get those numbers?
by
JTJ
on Fri 21 Apr 2006 09:52 PM MDT
We continue to appreciate Carl Bialik's column at the WSJournal web site. Here are some valuable reminders from this week.
THE NUMBERS GUY
By CARL BIALIK
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Measuring the Child-Porn Trade
April 18, 2006
![[nowides]](http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/images/nowides03202003164521.gif)
Unlike, say, the soft-drink or airline industries, the
child-pornography industry doesn't report its annual sales to the
Securities and Exchange Commission.
Yet in a press release1
ahead of a recent House of Representatives hearing aimed at curbing the
industry, Texas Republican Joe Barton said, "Child pornography is
apparently a multibillion … my staff analysis says $20 billion-a-year
business. Twenty billion dollars." Some press reports said the ... more »
Wednesday, April 19
Example of self-organizing behavior
by
JTJ
on Wed 19 Apr 2006 05:33 PM MDT
Here
at the IAJ we are interested in Complexity Studies/Theory, which
suggests studying examples of emergent behaviors and self-organizing
phenomena. A friend sends along the link below of a visual
example of the latter in India.
"This video throws into doubt the value of all those traffic signals...
http://youtube.com/watch?v=RjrEQaG5jPM"
Tuesday, April 18
Ver 1.0 -- The beat goes on
by
JTJ
on Tue 18 Apr 2006 02:14 PM MDT
We're pulling together the final pieces following the Ver 1.0
workshop in Santa Fe last week. Twenty journalists, social
scientists, computer scientists, educators, public administrators and
GIS specialists met in Santa Fe April 9-12 to consider the question,
"How can we verify data in public records databases?"
The papers,
PowerPoint slides and some initial results of three breakout groups are
now posted for the public on the Ver1point0 group site at Yahoo. Check it out.
Monday, April 17
Pioneer map librarian Walter Ristow dies at 97
by
JTJ
on Mon 17 Apr 2006 04:23 PM MDT
One of those fine, "I didn't know that" obits in the NYTimes today
April 17, 2006
Walter Ristow Dies at 97; Populist Curator of Maps
By DOUGLAS MARTIN
Walter W. Ristow, who was known never to have gotten lost and would
have had no excuse if he had — considering he was in charge of more
maps than anybody else in the world — died April 3 in Mitchellville,
Md. He was 97.
The cause was coronary artery disease, his family said.
Dr. Ristow was head of the map divisions at the New York Public
Library, which has more than ... more »
Sunday, April 9
Ver 1.0 kicks off. Statician George Duncan opening speaker.
by
JTJ
on Sun 09 Apr 2006 01:33 PM MDT
Late this afternoon, the 20 participants in Ver 1.0
will be gathering at the Inn of the Governors in Santa Fe, NM for the
first session of the workshop. The first, set-the-tone speaker is
George Duncan, professor of statistics at Carnegie Mellon University. George will be speaking on "Statistical
Confidentiality: What Does It Mean for Journalists’ Use of Public Databases?"
We will post George's address as soon as possible, along with those of other participants in coming days.
We
are very pleased with high-powered thinkers who are in or coming to
Santa Fe to address the major problem of how do we verify the data in
public records databases. The proceedings of the workshop will,
we hope, be published by the end of the month and also available online.
Thursday, April 6
Finally, some experimentation in journalism education
by
JTJ
on Thu 06 Apr 2006 07:26 PM MDT
One of the most important definitions of a university is that it
is (should be?) "a place were new knowledge is made." For decades,
journalism schools and departments have been content to present the old
vocational school model: "Gee, whatever the profession wants, that's
what we'll teach."
The problem is that the
profession is relatively anti-intellectual (i.e. reluctant to explore
new ideas that could be applied to understanding and communicating
socio-political-economic and cultural phenomena) and it has refused to
invest serious, long-term money in trying to understand the changing
information environment.Our friend Cole Campbell, one of
the most perceptive and articulate people in journalism, and his
colleagues at the University of Nevada-Reno are trying to make some changes in the mossy traditions of journalism education.
The key phrase in the announcement below is "experimenting with and creating new forms of journalism." Good on ya, folks. Let's hear about more experimentation.
"Interactive Environmental Journalism:
Now accepting applications
Pursue a Master's
Degree in Journalism with a focus on Interactive Environmental Journalism at
the Reynolds School. Our professional graduate program is an intensive 10-month
immersion in thinking about, experimenting with and creating new forms of
journalism. We are looking for a cohort of up to 15 students who have
journalism skills and are willing to use those skills to experiment with new
technologies to address specific environmental problems. Students and faculty will
collaborate inside and outside of class, working to create what we call Web 2.0
Journalism....
Now THIS is a serious cleaning of the desktop
by
JTJ
on Thu 06 Apr 2006 05:39 PM MDT
Here at the IAJ, we have been shifting an increasing amount of our computer application work to Web-based tools. We do this in (a) a spirit of experimentation, but equally important, (b) it allows us to share ideas, work-product and records with colleagues literally around the world. Hence, it was fun to come across this contest results site that pulls together a couple dozen of most-interesting not-on-your-desktop applications.
And this is just the beginning, we think.
Web 2.0 AwardsAwards for websites excelling in "Web 2.0"
capabilities, such as "user empowerment and open-source applications
online." Includes descriptions and rankings of the winning sites (in
areas such as social networking and tagging), selection criteria, and
an essay. Librarian Gary Price was one of the judges. Sponsored by an
Internet marketing company. URL: http://web2.0awards.orgLII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/21133
Finding and Using Public Records
by
JTJ
on Thu 06 Apr 2006 05:32 PM MDT
Probably familiar to many of our readers, but there are some updates here.Public Libraries Briefcase: Finding & Using Public Records
March
2006 overview of sources for public records, "'records maintained by
government agencies that are open without restriction to public
inspection either by statute or by tradition.' ... Public records are
most frequently used to find information about businesses, such as
financial condition, or about people, such as background checks."
Includes annotated links to starting points for locating public
records. From the Business Reference and Services Section (BRASS) of
the American Library Association (ALA).
URL:TRUNCATED, SEE LII ITEM
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/21103
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