- Feb 8, 2001
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A lot people have asked me what I base my opinions on. Some have called me some nasty, nasty names in doing so, but hey, this not about me!
Well, FYI, after I finish with my dose of Daily Kos and chew through the Huffington Post, chuckle along with Ann Coulter and grin with The American Spectator (both MUCH funnier than the first two!), I wander off to the WWW sites run by The Sunlight Foundation.
The Sunlight Foundation
As a policy wonk, I like to see what everyone else is saying and I like to read source documents. But that is just me.
Obviously, I will never be a Congressman, but you can be just like me by checking out some actual source data, not just the opinion of your favorite partisan blogger or party hack.
Let's check them out, shall we?
Lately, one of my favorites,
Open Congress.org
OpenCongress brings together official government data with news coverage, blog posts, public comments, and more to give you the real story behind what's happening in Congress. Small groups of political insiders and lobbyists already know what's really going on in Congress. Now, everyone can be an insider just like me.
OpenSecrets.org
OpenSecrets.org is your nonpartisan guide to money?s influence on U.S. elections and public policy. Whether you?re a voter, journalist, activist, student or interested citizen, use this free site to shine light on your government. Follow the money, count cash and make change.
I get a LOT of laughs here -
FedSpending.org
A project of OMB Watch, which "exists to increase government transparency and accountability; to ensure sound, equitable regulatory and budgetary processes and policies; and to protect and promote active citizen participation in our democracy. They envision a more just and democratic society, one in which an open, responsive government protects people's health, safety, and well-being, safeguards the environment, honors the public's right to information, values an engaged and effective citizenry, and adequately invests in the common good." Kinda windy, but sounds good to me!
But, when I just need a break in my day over that second shot of espresso, I click over on to -
EarmarkWatch.org
Why investigate and evaluate earmarks of all things?
Through earmarks, members of Congress can secure millions of dollars of funding for a recipient (a private company, nonprofit, university, or a state or local government) or a specific project (building a road, purchasing or setting aside land). Earmarks receive little or no debate from Congress as a whole; they are not subject to competitive bidding or administrative review, and most earmarks are not examined by the press. Now, that is not so nice, is it?
Need high value, machine readable (!) datasets generated by the Obama Executive Branch of the Federal Government to make up your mind and influence others? I go to -
Data.gov
Some of you are techies and may have some interest in using your expertise in the furtherance of good government -
I urge you to consider working on The Fifty State Project in your spare time, when you are done trolling here -
Wiki on The Fifty State Project
Up for an apps development contest that will make a difference?
Apps For America 2
Just as the federal government begins to provide data in Web developer-friendly formats, the Apps for America 2: The Data.gov Challenge hopes to demonstrate that when government makes data available, it makes itself more accountable and creates more trust and opportunity in its actions. The contest submissions will show the creativity of developers in designing compelling applications that provide easy access and understanding for the public, while also showing how open data can save the government tens of millions of dollars by engaging the development community in application development. Cool!
I don't think this app is going to be a winner, I really don't, but where else can you play
F.B.I. Fugitive Concentration
Just so you know that this is not all about me, I am dedicating this post to someone I admire, and am inspired by, from a distance of course - cute mommy Jennifer Pahlka.
Jennifer is the General Manager and Co-chair of the Web 2.0 events at TechWeb (formerly CMP). Before moving over to focus on Web 2.0, she launched the Enterprise 2.0 brand for MediaLive before the company's acquisition by CMP in 2006. Earlier, Jennifer spent eight years at CMP running the games group, where she oversaw the growth of the Game Developers Conference (GDC) and launched a number of new programs, including the Independent Games Festival, known as the Sundance of the game industry. Her roles included publisher of Game Developer magazine and Gamasutra.com, the premier website for game developers, and executive director of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA). A graduate of Yale University, she lives in Oakland, CA. She blogs at blog.web2expo.com and blog.pahlka.com.
Game on, Jen!
Well, FYI, after I finish with my dose of Daily Kos and chew through the Huffington Post, chuckle along with Ann Coulter and grin with The American Spectator (both MUCH funnier than the first two!), I wander off to the WWW sites run by The Sunlight Foundation.
The Sunlight Foundation
As a policy wonk, I like to see what everyone else is saying and I like to read source documents. But that is just me.
Obviously, I will never be a Congressman, but you can be just like me by checking out some actual source data, not just the opinion of your favorite partisan blogger or party hack.
Let's check them out, shall we?
Lately, one of my favorites,
Open Congress.org
OpenCongress brings together official government data with news coverage, blog posts, public comments, and more to give you the real story behind what's happening in Congress. Small groups of political insiders and lobbyists already know what's really going on in Congress. Now, everyone can be an insider just like me.
OpenSecrets.org
OpenSecrets.org is your nonpartisan guide to money?s influence on U.S. elections and public policy. Whether you?re a voter, journalist, activist, student or interested citizen, use this free site to shine light on your government. Follow the money, count cash and make change.
I get a LOT of laughs here -
FedSpending.org
A project of OMB Watch, which "exists to increase government transparency and accountability; to ensure sound, equitable regulatory and budgetary processes and policies; and to protect and promote active citizen participation in our democracy. They envision a more just and democratic society, one in which an open, responsive government protects people's health, safety, and well-being, safeguards the environment, honors the public's right to information, values an engaged and effective citizenry, and adequately invests in the common good." Kinda windy, but sounds good to me!
But, when I just need a break in my day over that second shot of espresso, I click over on to -
EarmarkWatch.org
Why investigate and evaluate earmarks of all things?
Through earmarks, members of Congress can secure millions of dollars of funding for a recipient (a private company, nonprofit, university, or a state or local government) or a specific project (building a road, purchasing or setting aside land). Earmarks receive little or no debate from Congress as a whole; they are not subject to competitive bidding or administrative review, and most earmarks are not examined by the press. Now, that is not so nice, is it?
Need high value, machine readable (!) datasets generated by the Obama Executive Branch of the Federal Government to make up your mind and influence others? I go to -
Data.gov
Some of you are techies and may have some interest in using your expertise in the furtherance of good government -
I urge you to consider working on The Fifty State Project in your spare time, when you are done trolling here -
Wiki on The Fifty State Project
Up for an apps development contest that will make a difference?
Apps For America 2
Just as the federal government begins to provide data in Web developer-friendly formats, the Apps for America 2: The Data.gov Challenge hopes to demonstrate that when government makes data available, it makes itself more accountable and creates more trust and opportunity in its actions. The contest submissions will show the creativity of developers in designing compelling applications that provide easy access and understanding for the public, while also showing how open data can save the government tens of millions of dollars by engaging the development community in application development. Cool!
I don't think this app is going to be a winner, I really don't, but where else can you play
F.B.I. Fugitive Concentration
Just so you know that this is not all about me, I am dedicating this post to someone I admire, and am inspired by, from a distance of course - cute mommy Jennifer Pahlka.
Jennifer is the General Manager and Co-chair of the Web 2.0 events at TechWeb (formerly CMP). Before moving over to focus on Web 2.0, she launched the Enterprise 2.0 brand for MediaLive before the company's acquisition by CMP in 2006. Earlier, Jennifer spent eight years at CMP running the games group, where she oversaw the growth of the Game Developers Conference (GDC) and launched a number of new programs, including the Independent Games Festival, known as the Sundance of the game industry. Her roles included publisher of Game Developer magazine and Gamasutra.com, the premier website for game developers, and executive director of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA). A graduate of Yale University, she lives in Oakland, CA. She blogs at blog.web2expo.com and blog.pahlka.com.
Game on, Jen!
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