Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Oregon Launches Open Data Web Site -- InformationWeek

Oregon Launches Open Data Web Site -- InformationWeek

According to this article in InformationWeek, the Oregon site is better than the federal one because it allows viewers to leave comments directly on the dataset pages. I haven't had time to play with it, but I look forward to browsing the data.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Unshelved by Gene Ambaum and Bill Barnes

Unshelved by Gene Ambaum and Bill Barnes

Here's a hilarious strip about Roald Dahl's character, Mathilda, if she lived in today's world of mind-numbing distraction and ebooks.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

National Day of Unplugging

Sorry, but I hadn't even heard of this. It's tough enough to keep all the balls in the air without disconnecting. I try to disconnect on Sundays, since that's the day of the week when customers, clients, etc., are less likely to expect an immediate response. For me, a day without email or anything technological is a cross between complete irresponsibility and total pleasure. As for disconnecting on a Saturday, that would harm my business. On Sundays, I keep my cell on and in my pocket in case someone in my family needs me.

I think having a disconnect day for people whose business and personal lives does not require that they be immediately accessible to dying relatives, critical business decisions, IT maintenance, etc. is a great idea. However, I think there is a line between self-indulgence and self-preservation. A National Disconnect Day is a great idea for most people, but it's not a good idea for anyone whose responsibilities disregard regular working out.

I tried posting this on geek.com, but I couldn't' figure out the ambiguous capcha word, so I am posting on my own blog.