At the end of each day, the spokesperson for each state agency logs every call they’ve received from a reporter and sends the tally, through an internal website, to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s aides. The site, called Newstracker, was developed by the administration to keep tabs on every agency and was implemented after Cuomo took office — adding structure to a less formal checking-in process used by his predecessors. The daily reports include information about who called and what they were told, as well as data about requests filed through the Freedom of Information Law.
Quotes
In Hidalgo’s update, each new goal shifts from a focus on individual human rights to more social, communal aims. To speak and worship, to live free from fear or want—these are things that we do as individuals. To connect, learn, innovate, and fight tyranny—these are things that we do together. These freedoms don’t replace FDR’s original four, but build upon them, offering a thoughtful set of next steps for anyone thinking about how new social technology can be used to create more equitable communities.
Technology can be hugely helpful in strengthening communities. It can also be a huge distraction. The key is to make sure that new tools serve people first. That’s a self-reinforcing process. The more people there are paying attention and making their voices heard in the discussion about how technology can strengthen offline networks, economies, and places, the more likely it will be that new tools will be designed to make the dialog even more inclusive. In order to change the way that cities are run, the #CivicTech movement should lean more toward civics, and less toward tech.
Every citizen has a seat at the table, and technology’s job right now is to help people understand how they can have an impact on their communities. In Latorre’s words: “The cities that are more open, that are early adopters, are the ones where the citizens are more in charge than the technocrats. The next time you find yourself in a conversation about technology, stop—and start talking about outcomes and goals. Get out of the tiny little box of technology.”
I think it’s very healthy to spend time alone. You need to know how to be alone and not be defined by another person.
Oscar Wilde (via stoweboyd)
Bushwick’s Community Board 4 has been withholding liquor license applications and decisions from the public illegally, state officials said.
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that the Spending and Government Efficiency (SAGE) Commission has released its final report on modernizing and rightsizing New York State government. The final report identified initiatives that represent the most comprehensive reorganization of State government since those undertaken by Governor Al Smith in the 1920s. Collectively, they are expected to save over $1.6 billion once fully implemented, improve service to citizens and businesses, and increase transparency and accountability.
Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you ought to set up a life you don’t need to escape from
Tribes by Seth Godin (via unshakeablefaith)
Epic.
Laggard agencies and agencies mismanaging contracts are going to be more exposed than they ever have been,” said John Kaehny, the executive director of Reinvent Albany and the co-chairman of the New York City Transparency Working Group. “We’ve looked around at dozens and dozens of fiscal transparency sites,” he added, “and this is pretty much the best one out there.
But this is the brilliance of this otherwise kind of boring episode: the discourse it’s sparked. It’s not enough to simply acknowledge that, like the Slate guys, you’re prejudiced against the idea of a physically imperfect woman being able to enchant a hunk like Joshua. You should be asking yourself why that is. Because if we’re going to talk about privilege when we talk about this show, then we should talk about privilege in all respects: like how value is assigned to a woman by how she looks. And how that valuation determines the level of bullshit that people will tolerate from her. It’s a conversation worth having, and a tip of the hat (or flash of the tits?) to Dunham for having the ping-pong balls to challenge not just her critics, but those kinds of appraisals.
So how big of a role will the tech sector have on the 2013 elections?