Month: August 2019

August 20 2019

Links related to my comments on the Rose City Politics episode about Smart Cities:

Smarter Cities by IBM – Better World International
In 2009, IBM began their mission to create Smarter Cities. This was their “comprehensive approach to helping cities run more efficiently, save money and resources, and improve the quality of life for citizens”. They launched an initial ‘Smarter Cities Campaign’ that same year, which saw 800 experts being deployed to 130 cities around the world to help them address their most pressing issues. During a three-week period, they offered expert suggestions on how to make the cities smarter.

Against the Smart City (“The city is here for you to use”)

Barcelona is leading the fightback against smart city surveillance
“Now we have a big contract with Vodafone, and every month Vodafone has to give machine readable data to city hall. Before, that didn’t happen. They just took all the data and used it for their own benefit”

The city vs. Big Tech
Summary of the problems inherent with the Sidewalk Toronto bid

The NYPD Was Systematically Ticketing Legally Parked Cars for Millions of Dollars a Year- Open Data Just Put an End to It (See also: TED Talk: How we found the worst place to park in New York City — using big data)

Google says it forgot to mention there’s a mic in its home alarm system Nest

When Google Fiber Abandons Your City as a Failed Experiment

Are New York’s Free LinkNYC Internet Kiosks Tracking Your Movements?
“According to privacy watchdogs, the rollout of the kiosk’s cameras have shown how the mission has already expanded beyond its initial purview. In 2016, LinkNYC disclosed that the kiosks “may” contain cameras; by 2017, the cameras were operational. LinkNYC’s privacy policy states that cameras do not keep video records for more than seven days and that the camera footage is used to “improve the services.” But opting out is not an option: Just by walking down the block, it is possible to be swept into its audio or video feeds, which can capture a nearly 360-degree view of their surroundings”.

OLITA (Ontario Library Association)
— 2019 Digital Literacy
— 2018 The Mid Life Crisis of Makerspaces 
— 2017 We Got Game
— 2016 Privacy in Public: Implications for Libraries
— 2015 Open Data, Open Heritage

Open Data to Open Knowledge Via City of Boston

Toronto Public Library – Digital Literacy
— Digital Innovation Hubs
— Pop-Up Learning Labs
— Computer Learning Centres
— Youth Hubs
— eLearning

August 17 2019

“Concepts which maintain power / Concepts that challenge power“

Owning demand gives companies a compounding advantage, but needs to be bootstrapped. When a company is just starting out, it not only doesn’t own demand, it has all the disadvantages of competing against others that do.

In order to grow their demand high enough to become a beneficial flywheel, Barton’s companies use a Data Content Loop to bootstrap their demand and create unique content and index an industry online (homes for Zillow, hotels and flights for Expedia, companies for Glassdoor).

– Expedia: Prices for flights and hotels that before you’d have to get from travel agent
– Zillow: Zestimate of what your house is likely worth that before you’d have to get from broker
– Glassdoor: Reviews from employees about what a company is like that before you’d have to get from a recruiter or the company itself

Making Uncommon Knowledge Common [ht]

Apparent Gender-Based Discrimination in the Display of STEM Career Ads — “women disproportionately click on job ads, so bidding algorithms charge more to advertisers to show to women, so men see more job ads” [ht].

August 7 2019

“Uncertain and afraid“, John Green / vlogbrothers, YouTube.

Andy Baio loves the video game Elsinore (“Hamlet meets Groundhog Day”) “Parts feel like interactive narrative theater a la Sleep No More, but you’re constantly changing the fates of the people around you in unexpected ways.” … pairs nicely with…. Ryan North’s To Be or Not To Be.

“Collecting Your Thoughts Is Good. Organizing Them Is Even Better“, New York Times. Google Keep and Apple Notes are much closer in functionality to Evernote than I had thought.

Twitter thread on how The Simpsons handle French and Quebecois