Author: Ruby Sinreich

Off to PDF

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PDF Conference/UnConference These days, folks interested in how the Internet is affecting politics have more than one conference to choose from. My pick for the very best in this increasingly crowded field is the Personal Democracy Forum. The web site and annual conference were founded by Micah Sifry and Andrew Rasiej several years ago.

My only major complaint about the conference has been that it’s too short (only one day), and that it’s overly focused on folks with famous names. Fortunately, this year PDF is also having an unConference, the perfect antidote to my concerns. I’ll be there talking about local blogging and who knows what else.

They’re also using a snazzy system that allows participants to make their own profiles, write reviews of sessions, and build networks with each other (of course). For example, here’s my profile. I’ll be moderating a very challenging, but hopefully also very mind-opening, session called “Is Cyberspace Colorblind? Addressing Race and Class Online.”

Follow the PDF2007 tag to see what emerges.

Blogs make journalists better

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Here’s a great example of how the open culture and format of blogs can make journalism better.

The Carrboro Citizen recently ran a story about growth in Chatham and Orange Counties. While reading it, I thought the author wrote “Chapel Hill North” when she was in fact referring to “Carolina North.” Another reader noticed that while the raw numbers were correct, some of the percentages were off.

The editor and author gratefully noted the corrections and changed the story (at least the online version).

Editor | 14-May-07 at 8:50 am

Thanks. Fixed the Carolina North reference. Good golly.
I’ll check on the growth rate. I imagine it is an annual number.

kmr

Susie | 14-May-07 at 9:27 am

I checked the numbers and 1.5% is actually the projected annual growth rate for Chapel Hill’s population — the increase from 2005 to 2035 (from 52,394 to 81,297) is estimated at 55%, according to Triangle JCOG projections.
The Chatham County employment increase is also incorrect — 0.7% is the annual growth rate, 24% is the projected increase over the 30 year period.
Thanks for pointing this out. I’ve corrected the information in the story, and I’ll be sure to keep my numbers straight next time.

It must be my birthday

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…because this is a great present: the Tap is back!

The mock heavy metal group immortalized in the 1984 mockumentary, “This is Spinal Tap,” will reunite for a performance at Wembley Stadium in London as part of the Live Earth concerts scheduled worldwide for July 7.

The original members of Spinal Tap will be there: guitarist Nigel Tufnel (played by Christopher Guest), singer David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean) and bassist Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer). Rob Reiner, who both directed “This is Spinal Tap” and played the fake documentarian Marty DeBergi in the film, will also be in attendance.

[…]

Spinal Tap has reunited several times since the film, but hasn’t for a number of years. For the band — whose last album was 1992’s “Break like the Wind” — the occasion warranted a new single: “Warmer Than Hell.”

– Mock metal group Spinal Tap to reunite

It actually is my birthday, by the way. I’m six squared.

Save the blogs

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I just took a survey being done by some folks at UNC about blog archiving and preservation. Click here to take the survey, or here to learn more.

The purpose of this research is to survey bloggers’ own perceptions on digital preservation. It is hoped that the results of this study will inform development of recommendations for impacting stewardship of weblogs at the level of creation, and the development of strategies for capturing the content of blogs for perpetuity.

– blogs and preservation

Draft the Bush twins

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According to Lawrence Korb, a former senior Pentagon personnel official now affiliated with the Center for Defense Information and the Center for American Progress:

The current use of ground forces in Iraq represents a complete misuse of the all-volunteer military…

If the United States is going to have a significant component of its ground forces in Iraq over the next five, 10, 15 or 30 years, then the responsible course is for the president and those supporting this open-ended and escalated presence in Iraq to call for reinstating the draft.
– Experts: Force increases may not be enough – Military News, Marine Corps News, opinions, editorials, news from Iraq, photos, reports – Marine Corps Times

And… Continue reading “Draft the Bush twins” →

Save Habeas Corpus!

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Mr. Habeas The ACLU has launched a new campaign styled after missing-persons ads: FindHabeas.com. You can friend Mr. Corpus on MySpace, download a buddy icon, make your own t-shirts and stickers, sign a petition to Congress, and send postcards from the past (a reminder of how long he’s been around).

Habeas corpus isn’t a fancy legal term, it’s the freedom from being thrown in prison illegally, with no help, no end in sight and with no due process. No president should ever be given the sole power to call someone an enemy, wave his hand, and lock them away indefinitely. The Founders made the president subject to the rule of law. They rejected dungeons and torture, and instead chose due process and fairness.

The concept of habeas corpus is a centuries-old legal procedure that is even older than the United States. The first recorded use of the phrase habeas corpus dates back to 1305, to the reign of England’s King Edward I.

So when the 109th Congress passed and the President signed the Military Commissions Act of 2006 and, in a specific context, effectively abolished the writ of habeas corpus for certain people, they were turning away from a centuries-old tradition that is a cornerstone of our Constitution, and our freedom.
– Find Habeas: About habeas corpus

Check out the site and spread the word. This may seem like just some legal wrangling but it’s actually fundamental to a functioning democracy!

Electric nomad

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As I am an itinerant worker today, in search of quiet places to sit with good access to an electric outlet.

Twenty-four hours ago, this happened about a quarter mile from my house:
Umstead Drive Umstead Drive

And wouldn’t you know it, I was in the middle of leading a remote presentation using a web conference, voice over IP, and video! Amazingly, I completed the presentation without too much trouble (sans Internet) by relying on my battery powered laptop and cell phone.

I think nearly 10% of the community is out of power. Community updates and reactions are here: http://OrangePolitics.org/2007/04/turn-on-the-lights/