The EPA is going to turn off it's data service, this is a huge ****ing deal

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JSt0rm

Lifer
Sep 5, 2000
27,399
3,948
126
This is what they used to call throwing the baby out with the bath water. Certain parts of the data no doubt could be interpreted as having a tinge of political motivation, but making it all go away is just unbelievable. Hopefully the information will still be available to those intrepid enough to file requests through FOIA.

you voted for this.
 

Jaskalas

Lifer
Jun 23, 2004
36,437
10,730
136
That being said shutting down a public facing internet tool is one thing; if this move winds up meaning that people won't be able to access the data at all that's different.

Public data must be provided regardless, running a website is by far the most efficient and cost effective means of delivering it.
 
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Sunburn74

Diamond Member
Oct 5, 2009
5,076
2,635
136
And a public facing internet site that provides full datamart services is free somehow? Why should taxpayers fund the electricity and processing cycles to run SQL queries for academia when they're perfectly capable of doing (and paying for) that work themselves? Giving you access to the data doesn't mean I need a website that provides you free ETL services or visualizations of the data.
Tax payers do that already for every major University and every institution that has received an NIH research grant.

Publically funded research is publically owned data.
 
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glenn1

Lifer
Sep 6, 2000
25,383
1,013
126
Public data must be provided regardless, running a website is by far the most efficient and cost effective means of delivering it.

I'm sure you've done total cost of ownership analysis showing that. Because I can put data on media and sneakernet it to you for pretty damn cheap.
 

Jaskalas

Lifer
Jun 23, 2004
36,437
10,730
136
... I can put data on media and sneakernet it to you for pretty damn cheap.

Granted, in practice their implementation probably does not live up to the words I used. But...

Mail delivered media cannot compare to the speed, reliability, flexibility, or scalability of a live, accessible, database. Not to mention the history of FOIA requests handled by people that are often resisted and combated leading to inaccessibility and/or court battles.

You cite a single request from a single person, but you cannot physically provide the sort of instantaneous daily reporting that hundreds, thousands? of groups and/or individuals would ask for. Imagine the internet if google had to mail you media of every single search result. It's not the same service, it would not meet public data standards for this day and age.

Across the federal government, the same open source standard for front end delivery could be deployed. Management would be minimal with shared costs for savings, and practically no man hours for individual requests. The biggest challenge would be data entry from the sources, but that is a cost that already exists. Ultimately, I do think a web accessible database is highly efficient and cost effective.
 

crashtech

Lifer
Jan 4, 2013
10,695
2,294
146
Hillary was the only person that could stop this, if you didn't vote for her then you voted for this.
That flies just about as well as the assertion that those who nominated Hillary bear responsibility for Trump.

How many people voted their conscience this time out? We'll never know, but I think it was damned few. The rest were justified caught up in the partisan fight, voting against the other team's nominee. Sad.
 

JD50

Lifer
Sep 4, 2005
11,929
2,931
136
That flies just about as well as the assertion that those who nominated Hillary bear responsibility for Trump.

How many people voted their conscience this time out? We'll never know, but I think it was damned few. The rest were justified caught up in the partisan fight, voting against the other team's nominee. Sad.

No, that's just how it works in a 2 party system.
 

crashtech

Lifer
Jan 4, 2013
10,695
2,294
146
And it's fake news. Good going guys.


Don't fall for everything at once because we don't like Trump. Neo-Birtherism seems to be a thing. Don't do it.
Calls to action might carry some weight if they weren't continuously being debunked.
 

glenn1

Lifer
Sep 6, 2000
25,383
1,013
126
Granted, in practice their implementation probably does not live up to the words I used. But...

Mail delivered media cannot compare to the speed, reliability, flexibility, or scalability of a live, accessible, database. Not to mention the history of FOIA requests handled by people that are often resisted and combated leading to inaccessibility and/or court battles.

You cite a single request from a single person, but you cannot physically provide the sort of instantaneous daily reporting that hundreds, thousands? of groups and/or individuals would ask for. Imagine the internet if google had to mail you media of every single search result. It's not the same service, it would not meet public data standards for this day and age.

Across the federal government, the same open source standard for front end delivery could be deployed. Management would be minimal with shared costs for savings, and practically no man hours for individual requests. The biggest challenge would be data entry from the sources, but that is a cost that already exists. Ultimately, I do think a web accessible database is highly efficient and cost effective.

I'm not arguing against a web accessible database or for any particular solution (physical media included). I'm merely saying there are other potential solutions to accomplish the same goal. Web-based access should be reconsidered if customer demand, costs, and other considerations made another solution make more sense. Even though I dislike Trump, I don't look at every single news story about something that happens during his administration as proof of his malevolence. He likely had zero influence on this decision of how to provide this data nor would he going forward; POTUS doesn't generally get involved in agency minutia like this. Sometimes the federal government makes decisions you disagree with based on business considerations you're not aware of, and it has nothing to do with who is President or other political reasons. In this case the OP story looks like "fake news" but even if it wasn't then one should take off their partisan glasses before thinking of reasons why something like this may be happening. Hell, I doubt Trump even knew this EPA datamart existed before this news story and still may not afterwards.
 

JSt0rm

Lifer
Sep 5, 2000
27,399
3,948
126
I did not vote for either major candidate, but it's interesting to see how much you assume, and the almost unconscious ease with which you do it.

sure. Your hands are clean. Nobody voted for trump amazing. Only guy is our wallstreet buddy who has disappeared since the election.
 

crashtech

Lifer
Jan 4, 2013
10,695
2,294
146
sure. Your hands are clean. Nobody voted for trump amazing. Only guy is our wallstreet buddy who has disappeared since the election.
It doesn't really matter what you think of me. If you can prove me a liar, have at it. I am on record being concerned about the issue referenced in the OP, but it turns out to be just more hysteria. I got fooled too, this time.
 

JSt0rm

Lifer
Sep 5, 2000
27,399
3,948
126
It doesn't really matter what you think of me. If you can prove me a liar, have at it. I am on record being concerned about the issue referenced in the OP, but it turns out to be just more hysteria. I got fooled too, this time.

crashtech is the only human to never tell a lie.
 

crashtech

Lifer
Jan 4, 2013
10,695
2,294
146
I will. you told me you never lie so you must be telling the truth.
You're like a dog on a bone, right? Is that your schtick? Anyone can see for themselves what I said, you're just trolling me and I'm falling for it.
 

Atreus21

Lifer
Aug 21, 2007
12,001
571
126
how will you feel about voting for trump if millions die as a result?

tenor.gif


Millions don't die as a result of my voting, or not voting, for whatever particular fruitcake we elect to office every few years.