Open data isn’t just a good idea, it’s Factual

Posted: October 14th, 2009 | Author: Steve | Filed under: Technology | Comments

“Decisions. They are made every day. Some are made on the fly such as when a low fuel alert prompts me to stop at the nearest gas station. Some are more considered, involving detailed research and analysis, perhaps on the Internet or consulting with friends or experts. And others are made for us, by our friends and family, or our government. An important question is: are we all, given the data available to us today, making good, well-informed decisions? One thing is nearly certain, if your data isn’t accurate and accessible, a good decision isn’t likely to follow.” - Factual, Inc. CEO Gil Elbaz

As anyone who has ever tried to write a business plan knows, good, reliable data is hard to come by, and can be very expensive. Los Angeles-based startup Factual.com aims to change all that by creating a free “open data platform”.. The company believes that allowing the crowd to create, edit, discuss, share, substantiate or disagree with the data data will bring true accountability and openness to data.

Going Green Today

Posted: May 9th, 2009 | Author: Steve | Filed under: Technology | Comments

There are a lot of websites attempting to make the world more “green” by changing individual behavior. These companies use a number of different methods to accomplish this, such as carbon footprint calculators (CarbonFund.org), simulation games (ClimateCulture.com) or mapping tools (LocalHarvest.org). They all have one thing in common: they require the user to keep using them, to keep coming back.

Making your life more eco-efficient is kind of like losing weight: you have to stay motivated until you start to see results. If you are not seeing results, you are likely to get discouraged and eat the next doughnut that comes along. When that happens, you need someone to remind you to get back on track. When it comes to sustainability, Going Green Today wants to be your personal sustainability coach.

Sensory Transformation: Overcoming Cognitive Overload | The Institute For The Future

Posted: June 18th, 2008 | Author: Steve | Filed under: Technology | Comments

This research paper from the Institute for the Future discusses information overload and the future of various technologies to overcome it.  It is a really interesting read.

Sensory Transformation: New Tools & Practices for Overcoming Cognitive Overload [SR-1057] | The Institute For The Future

My favorite part is where they discuss the social web, especially social bookmarking services like del.icio.us. I love del.icio.us, and I use it quite a bit. The problem, for me, is that I haven’t yet figured out a way to discover those perfect gems of the internet which are ripe for blogging.  What I need to find are relevant stories, research, ideas, products which are just coming onto the scene, and before the mainstream blogs pick up on them.

Technology Explodes

Posted: June 4th, 2008 | Author: Steve | Filed under: Technology | Comments

There has recently been a confluence of extremely interesting news floating about in the past week, leading to some really mind-blowing conclusions:

• Scientist and inventor Ray Kurzweil has been everywhere in the past few weeks, speaking about how the exponential compounding of information will lead to an explosion of new technologies, covering all spectrums from medicine to computing, and it’s going to happen much sooner than most people think. What he is saying is very profound when you combine it with the next two bits…