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Carl Malamud on “All The Government’s Information”
Here is another video for your "lunchtime listen." All The Government's Information, Carl Malamud, A Google Tech Talk, (51 min video) May 24, 2006. Carl Malamud was instrumental in getting the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to make its data available through the EDGAR database. In this "Tech Talk" at Google headquarters, he talks about putting SEC data on the web, the Smithsonian/Showtime deal, disappearing information and much more. Carl's latest goal is to put video of Congressional Hearings online. He's succeeding. See: Welcome to Report to the Congress: Congressional Hearings Online and Hi-res video from hearings now available. Carl says, "As an individual you can actually change the way government does things... Sometimes it is hard, sometimes they really don't want to do it and they go kicking and screaming, but that's kind of the business I've been in for the last ten years." Wouldn't it be nice if libraries pushed government as hard as Carl does? Continue reading
Lunchtime listen: “Hacking democracy”
This documentary exposes the vulnerability of electronic voting machines. The film follows investigative journalist Bev Harris as she investigates the security and accuracy of electronic voting systems. It's 1hr 22 minutes so perhaps this will be 2 lunchtime listens. Continue reading
Lunchtime listen: “Who owns culture?”
Lunchtime listens are back!! This is a video of a conversation between Laurence Lessig and Jeff Tweedy of the band, Wilco at the New York Public Library Thursday April 7, 2005 entitled, "Who Owns Culture?" The video below is Lessig's 20 minute presentation -- and what a fine bit of powerpoint IMHO! I've been looking around for the conversation part with Tweedy, but haven't had any luck. If you've got it, please leave me a link in the comments. Continue reading
Google: “We don’t know enough about you”… yet.
There are big privacy implications of relying on private sector companies like Google instead of libraries to index knowledge. One of the biggest problems is that, in the age of the web, search engines don't just index content and help you find it, they also track what you use and how you use it, thus learning more about you. They don't just index what you want to find, they index you too.
An interview with Google's chief executive shows that this is Google's explicit goal.
- Google's goal: to organise your daily life, By Caroline Daniel and Maija Palmer, Financial Times, May 22 2007. "The goal is to enable Google users to be able to ask the question such as 'What shall I do tomorrow?' and "What job shall I take?'" The race to accumulate the most comprehensive database of individual information has become the new battleground for search engines as it will allow the industry to offer far more personalised advertisements. These are the holy grail for the search industry, as such advertising would command higher rates. Mr Schmidt told journalists in London: "We cannot even answer the most basic questions because we don't know enough about you. That is the most important aspect of Google's expansion."
An OpEd in today's Los Angeles Times examines these comments...
- Is Google's data grinder dangerous?, By Andrew Keen Los Angeles Times, July 12, 2007. Still, if iGoogle turns out to be half as wise about each of us as Schmidt predicts, then this artificial intelligence will challenge traditional privacy rights as well as provide us with an excuse to deny responsibility for our own actions. What happens, for example, when the government demands access to our iGoogle records? And will we be able to sue iGoogle if it advises us to make an unwise career decision?
As Keen says, "Google is not our friend. Schmidt's iGoogle vision of the future is not altruistic, and his company is not a nonprofit group dedicated to the realization of human self-understanding." See also: Privacy: "I have nothing to hide"
Continue readingLunchtime Listen: Social Networking in plain English
This quick (under 2 minutes!) lunchtime listen is another "lunchtime watch" and a great introduction to "social networks."
- Social Networking in Plain English By leelefever CommonCraft.com, June 27, 2007 "This video is for people who wonder why social networking web sites are so popular. We think one reason is because they help solve a real-world problem. We'll let the video explain how it works."
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