Category: Writing
-
The DIY Databases are Coming
“The software revolution has given people access to countless specialized apps, but there’s one fundamental tool that almost all apps use that still remains out of reach of most non-programmers — the database.” AirTable.com on CrunchBase Database technology is boring but immensely important. If you have ever been working on a spreadsheet and wanted to be…
-
Preparing for the Worst, Hoping for the Best: Data Standards, Superstorm Sandy, and Our Resilient Future
Originally posted at OpenReferral In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, many residents of New York City were left struggling. Though a broad array of supportive services were available to survivors — from home rebuilding funds to mental health treatment — it’s often hard for people to know what’s available and how to access it. New York…
-
Scattered Showers of Interest
The establishment, at least a very small subset of it, discovered my work the second week of October. It wasn’t a thunderstorm of interest — more like scattered showers — but when you’ve been in the desert for a while, a little rain can go a long way. First stop on my tour was Washington…
-
Five Ways to Fight ISIS Without Killing People
Like many Americans with a memory, I’m stunned how easily this country can be convinced to support another undeclared war in the Middle East. All the media has to do is run a week of programming alluding to nice folks getting their heads chopped off, then do a big poll that establishes the “fact” that…
-
Tools of the New Economy: Cryptocurrency, Games and POS Systems
The last five years have transformed conventional and alternative economics. During this time period, the Federal Reserve Bank has created created more US dollars than it had in its entire history before 2008 – and it’s still creating around $85 billion/month through its “quantitative easing” program. Many economists, especially those from the Austrian school, are…
-
FLO Disaster Relief Software – Recommendations for NVOAD
Three and a half months ago, I attended the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (NVOAD) Convening in Elizabeth, NJ. It was a fantastic event in which people from over 50 nonprofit, mostly religious, organizations came together to network, troubleshoot the ways they were providing…The post FLO Disaster Relief Software – Recommendations for NVOAD appeared…
-
Occupy Sandy’s FLO Databases
Have you ever been working on a spreadsheet and found that you just couldn’t get all the information you wanted into it? Have you ever looked at the horizontal and vertical cells and wished there were—somehow—a third dimension that gave you the ability to define more stuff? Well, that’s what databases do: they provide you…
-
Sandy, Sahana and Sarapis
When “Superstorm Sandy” hit New York City on October 30th, dozens of relief organizations, hundreds of grassroots groups and thousands of people mobilized to provide aids to those most affected. The challenge of coordinating such a relief effort was felt by everyone involved. How do…The post Sandy, Sahana and Sarapis appeared first on Sarapis.
-
Why I Didn’t Participate in “Occupy vs. Tea Party”
I was initially very excited to participate in “Occupy vs. Tea Party” because I viewed it as a platform to bring the two political movements together through dialogue. The confrontational framing of the “debate” seemed like an obstacle that could be overcome by focusing on problems upon which both “sides” seem to agree: the central…
-
Welcome to the FLO Movement
The free, libre, and open source (FLO) movement has created many of the technologies local communities need to rebuild the world from the grassroots upward. These technologies include entire operating systems with complete suites of free software (ex. Ubuntu Linux, OpenOffice, GIMP), web applications for…The post Welcome to the FLO Movement appeared first on Sarapis.