Entries from October 2008

Twitter Vote Report

October 30, 2008 · Leave a Comment

Perhaps the most effective and awesome appropriation of twitter has surfaced in the creation of Twitter Vote Report – an aggregator that allows voters to report unsatisfactory polling conditions via twitter, SMS, phone call or a to-be-released iPhone app.

This is quoted from an email sent by JooYoung, whose colleagues at a co-working space in BK helped develop the service:

On November 4th 2008, millions of Americans will go to over 200,000 distinct voting locations and using different systems and machinery to vote.  Some voters will have a terrific experiences, and others will experience the same problems we have been hearing about for years – long lines, broken machines, inaccurate voting rolls, and others will experience problems that we haven’t heard about before. That’s why a new citizen-driven election monitoring system called Twitter Vote Report (www.twittervotereport.com) was just launched. Using either Twitter.com, iPhone, direct SMS, or our telephone hotlines, voters will have a new way to share their experiences with one another and ensure that the media and watchdog groups are aware of any problems.

As news outlets and blogs will report on Election Day stories, www.twittervotereport.com is an invaluable resource for thousands of voters to get immediate help. From questions like “where do I vote” or “how do I make sure that my rights are being upheld,” Twitter Voter Report augments these efforts by providing a new way for voters to send text messages (aka tweets) via cellphones or computers which will  be aggregated and mapped so that everyone can see the Nation’s voting problems in real-time.

Imagine a nationwide web map with pins identifying every zip code where Americans are waiting over 30 minutes to vote or indicating those election districts where the voting machines are not working. Collectively we will inform each other when the lines are too long and ensure that media and watchdog groups know where problems exist.”

Categories: technology + us.
Tagged: , , , ,

BBC’s The Box

October 26, 2008 · 1 Comment

BBC is tracking a shipping container as it makes its way around the world for a year.  This is being done in the interest of observing globalization and the world economy.  You can track the box and learn about what is is carrying and the process of loading, dealing with customs and shipping goods.  Right now The Box is in Shanghai.  BBC has really got something interesting going here – they talk about trade in general in each city that the box travels through, and pair some with a video clip of the box in transit.

Categories: made in china
Tagged: , , , ,

using social media to organize real life.

October 17, 2008 · Leave a Comment

Thoughts before bed last night:

The gap between social media tools and physical, social interaction is growing narrower, but there is still a dissonance when transitioning between a 2-d medium (even if it’s in real time) and the 3-d world.  I think that location-based mobile apps can start to bridge the gap, but how can we make that type of technology truly ubiquitous?  We use tech devices as reference or support while engaging with people physically, but will devices ever become as much a part of interaction as verbal conversation or physical interaction & body language?

Categories: technology + us.
Tagged: , ,

Heck yeah!

October 7, 2008 · Leave a Comment

thanks, mom!

Categories: miscellaneous.