Won’t Get Fooled Again: Day 30
As I was searching for some other information, I noticed that documents available from GPO are not "stamped" as authentic. Take at the blue eagle in the upper left corner on the stimulus bill. Come to think of it, this would be another version of the law (see Day 29.) See you on Day 31. Continue reading
Hillary Clinton blogs
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has posted her first message to Dipnote the Department of State blog: Secretary Clinton: U.S. Strengthens Pacific Partnerships, Posted by Hillary Rodham Clinton on Feb 16, 2009 - 12:33 PM. There is also a new Ask the Secretary site, desribed as an "online interactive forum that can allow you to connect with Secretary Clinton directly. While Secretary Clinton travels across the world, you can submit your questions for her using this form. Secretary Clinton will select various questions to answer and they will be posted to this website." Update by Daniel 2/23/2009 - Visitors questions will be displayed at: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/ask/secretary/117297.htm. Answers will also be available on that page. There will also be a link from the state.gov homepage. Thanks to the DipNote blogging staff for pointing this out. Continue reading
Won’t Get Fooled Again: Day 29
Just about at the first full month of the Obama regime. Interesting how there is still no official version of the economic stimulus bill available yet. The best we can do, it seems, is the text in the Congressional Record of the conference report. Looks like we are going to need to do better if this administration promises to follow-up with other blockbuster proposals. Don't get me wrong, I understand fully that the publishing of the public laws is really a joint effort between the legislative and executive branches, with GPO and NARA holding the first chairs of responsibility. And I also understand that prior to the Senate vote they were still going off hand written changes to the conference report. I'm just saying.... See you Day 30.. Continue reading
Distributed Globally, Collected Locally: LOCKSS for Digital Government Information
Since Daniel mentioned yesterday about LOCKSS and digital deposit as recession insurance (which BTW is a GREAT oogly hook for open govt!!) I thought I'd mention a hot new article that Daniel and I wrote for the February 2009 issue of Against the Grain about the new U.S. Government Documents Private LOCKSS Network (citation below). The issue has not officially been released, but we got permission to post to FGI as a preprint. The article describes the LOCKSS model of digital preservation and why that model is beneficial to apply to the realm of digital government information. We describe Carl Malamud's herculean efforts toward better access to government information; Then talk more specifically about the new USDOCS Private LOCKSS Network (USDocsPLN) using those documents harvested by Malamud. The paper concludes with a call to action. Let us know what you think. and by all means, help us move forward with the USDocs network by participating. LOCKSS is great recession insurance and SO much more! Citation: Distributed Globally, Collected Locally: LOCKSS for Digital Government Information. Daniel Cornwall and James R. Jacobs. Against the Grain, 21(1) February, 2009. p.42-44 (p.5-7 of the PDF)
The preservation of federal documents is too important to be left to the federal government alone; we have the makings of a viable system to preserve digital government publications. There are several ways you can help. Join our private LOCKSS Network. Join the LOCKSS alliance, get a server for under $1,000, and contact us. The more servers in the USDocsPLN, the merrier. Notify us of collections of electronic federal documents. LOCKSS staff can show you how easy it is to allow LOCKSS to ingest and preserve your materials. Attack the root problem. Demanding your Members of Congress legislate and FUND a system that will ensure that GPO proactively deposits publications and data through the FDLP and other interested partners. While the USDocsPLN project is a good start and an excellent ad-hoc effort, it should be the government's responsibility to put information in the hands of taxpayers. We should not have to be prying it out of the government’s hands. A distributed digital FDLP benefits everyone.Continue reading
ChangeTracker
ProPublica.org has launched ChangeTracker, a new tool that watches pages on whitehouse.gov, recovery.gov and financialstability.gov, "so you don’t have to"!
When the White House adds or deletes anything— say a blog post, or executive order—ChangeTracker will let you know.The latest changes are listed on the ChangeTracker website, or you can sign up to get alerts via their RSS Feed, Twitter, or email. They also have a guide to show you how to make a tracker for your own website. Continue reading