Walking the surface tension between now and what's next.noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)Fri, 4 Oct 2024 21:59:30 -0400Blogger http://www.blogger.com80125http://waterbugblog.blogspot.com/en-usnocopyright 2006online learning, Columbus, democracy, technologyLearning, media and democracy in digital environment.Learning, media and democracy in digital environment.Richard Jamesrjames01@cscc.eduRichard Jameshttp://waterbugblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/why-i-do-not-like-itunesu.htmlEducationOhioTue, 3 Feb 2009 11:06:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17589825.post-3622056492995199532I attended the eTech Ohio conference yesterday where it was announced that Ohio has created an iTunes U portal for free educational content. Ohio took the somewhat unique step of populating the site with content from community organizations along with educational institutions. eTech is soliciting more content and you can read the criteria in this pdf file.The project is so new there are not yet 3rjames01@cscc.edu (Richard James)http://waterbugblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/wikis-in-workplace-beginner-guide.htmlwikiMon, 19 Jan 2009 16:52:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17589825.post-1117806151200489933I am making a presentation on wikis to the local chapter for the Society for Technical Communication this coming Wednesday. My draft slide deck is here. Comments welcome:Wiki for the Workplace: Beginners GuideView more presentations or upload your own. (tags: wiki collaboration)I'll get the Creative Commons credits added by Wednesday. Interesting how some edits appear here while others do not. 0rjames01@cscc.edu (Richard James)http://waterbugblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/disappointed-in-dtv.htmlDTVFCCMedia ReformTue, 9 Dec 2008 19:07:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17589825.post-9169608591240119731Anyone else underwhelmed with digital television? OK I admit I will never be confused with an Engadget blogger. For someone who works in educational technology and was a TV producer I am oddly a relic when it comes to television consumption. I am not a cable subscriber. I want to retire someday and I would rather pay myself a $100 a month than a cable company (I suspect the economy will drive 0rjames01@cscc.edu (Richard James)http://waterbugblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/build-public-idea-infrastructure.htmlcColumbusColumbus2012innovationTue, 9 Dec 2008 08:46:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17589825.post-582052351225851360The Dispatch reported today on some creative urban design ideas developed by OSU students. These include:• Seasonal beach: Greg Grippa suggested setting up a sandy retreat at North Bank Park for a month every summer. Boat rentals and a pool could accompany the beach. • Bus alerts: COTA already posts live information on the Internet about where buses are, but it also could send text messages to 0rjames01@cscc.edu (Richard James)http://waterbugblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/tranist-and-broadband.htmlBroadbandMass TransitOhioSat, 6 Dec 2008 08:09:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17589825.post-5439476240521088999Could it be that the right combination of crisis and consciousness will create the will to build passenger rail in Ohio? It seems every economist agrees that massive infrastructure spending is needed to get the economy growing again. The debate is over what to build or repair. As noted in the previous post, a likely candidate is broadband infrastructure.But rail could be a beneficiary too. The 0rjames01@cscc.edu (Richard James)http://waterbugblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/media-moment.htmlBroadbandFCCMedia OwnershipMedia ReformThu, 4 Dec 2008 22:14:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17589825.post-1177720837306202596No, it is not a moment of on screen performance but the opportunity to redirect media and internet policy in the United States. Media reform activists are energized by Obama's clear positions on preserving network neutrality, reversing policies promoting media consolidation, and rebuilding public media for the digital age.The reform group Free Press just released a policy paper filling in some 0rjames01@cscc.edu (Richard James)http://waterbugblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/crew-and-columbus-missed-opportunity.htmlColumbus CrewThu, 27 Nov 2008 18:06:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17589825.post-5293169504360512077Well the Crew gave me an excuse to resume blogging and we'll see if few posts fueled by fan exuberance jump starts a wider range of reflection. As a segue, here is one more point on the Crew.Andrew Miller, at Elephants on Bicycles, expressed what has been haunting the back of my mind: The Crew kind of blew it with the MLS Cup victory celebration.Why did the Crew only announce the statehouse event0rjames01@cscc.edu (Richard James)http://waterbugblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/massive-crew-wins-mls-cup.htmlColumbus CrewMon, 24 Nov 2008 20:08:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17589825.post-3848384022858610886Technorati Tags: Schelloto. Columbus Crew, MLS0rjames01@cscc.edu (Richard James)http://waterbugblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/mvp-mvp.htmlColumbus CrewThu, 20 Nov 2008 23:09:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17589825.post-3381808154379246760Congratulations GBS! You are the 2008 MLS MVP!Catch the game with fellow fans this Sunday at Studio 35 in Clintonville.0rjames01@cscc.edu (Richard James)http://waterbugblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/facebook-sued.htmlFacebookpatentsThu, 20 Nov 2008 22:59:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17589825.post-1673836847021074134Columbus company sues Facebook, claiming that " it created the platform that Facebook uses to manage and store information. Leader said it applied for a patent on the technology in 2002, two years before Facebook was founded."Any merit? One analyst says it is weak but may result in some fine paid by Facebook.Technorati Tags: Columbus, facebook0rjames01@cscc.edu (Richard James)http://waterbugblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/support-consider-biking.htmlFri, 14 Nov 2008 12:02:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17589825.post-5735186279223988954Bicycling magazine recently named Columbus as one of the five "Cities to Watch" for bicycling accommodation. Monacle, an international design magazine that annually ranks the world's most livable cities, referenced a high expectation for Columbus' plans to become "one of the United States most bikable communities." Much of this is owed to the work of Advocacy bu the organization Consider Biking.0rjames01@cscc.edu (Richard James)http://waterbugblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/do-what-you-do.htmlCrewFri, 14 Nov 2008 11:43:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17589825.post-6686896701507894409That is what Crew Striker Alejandro Moreno tells his teammate before every game. What they do lately is win, and that is what they did last night to win the Eastern Conference Championship and advance to the MLS Cup next weekend. Here are some sites captured by the Columbus Dispatch. (Go here to see it at proper scale.)The goals:Technorati Tags: Columbus Crew, Crew, Columbus0rjames01@cscc.edu (Richard James)http://waterbugblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/were-not-done-yet.htmlColumbus CrewTue, 11 Nov 2008 12:38:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17589825.post-8223095972097764224The Columbus Crew are raking in season awards and powering their way through the playoffs. The Crew faces the Chicago Fire Thursday night for the conference championship. Chad Marshall has won defender of the Year.Sigi Schmid has won Coach of the YearRobbie Rogers is a candidate for goal of the year.And Guillermo Barros Schelloto is a favorite for league MVP.0rjames01@cscc.edu (Richard James)http://waterbugblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/now-we-all-see-greater-opportunties-in.htmlTue, 4 Nov 2008 23:16:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17589825.post-38736513300435642210rjames01@cscc.edu (Richard James)http://waterbugblog.blogspot.com/2008/02/relive-citizen-summit-sort-of-on-wcrs.htmlColumbus2012WCRSTue, 5 Feb 2008 15:50:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17589825.post-1328967802487771664WCRS will be airing an hour and a half special on Tuesday Feb 5th and Thurday Feb 7th at 4pm on WCRS 102.1/98.3 LPFM. Hear the Mayor Coleman's speech on his vision for Columbus' 200th Birthday in 2012, keynote clips, and commentary by ColumbusUnderground.com’s Walker Evans and Get Urban America’s Kyle Ezell.Tune in Feb 5th and 7th WCRS 102.1/98.3 LPFM0rjames01@cscc.edu (Richard James)http://waterbugblog.blogspot.com/2008/02/table-conversation-keeping-2012.htmlColumbus2012Sat, 2 Feb 2008 09:34:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17589825.post-6160346676746161690Perhaps equally important as the solutions favored by the most participants in the Bicentennial Summit is the possibility of ongoing conversation about them. I think much of the energy that was in the room Tuesday night came from seeing so many people who cared about the same things and were willing to act on it. This civic spirit will be worth at least as much or more than the $1billion bond 0rjames01@cscc.edu (Richard James)http://waterbugblog.blogspot.com/2008/01/citizen-summit-and-desire-to-destiny.htmlColumbus2012Wed, 30 Jan 2008 08:53:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17589825.post-3813537737495622160The citizen summit held last night at the convention center was an interesting reading of the pulse of Columbus. Through anonymous voting on strategies to address key priorities -- such as education, transportation, business development and the arts --1500-plus attendees got to steer the civic agenda for at least one night.We patted ourselves on the back and said very clearly we can do better. 5rjames01@cscc.edu (Richard James)http://waterbugblog.blogspot.com/2008/01/wisdom-of-crowds-experiment.htmlColumbus2012Sat, 26 Jan 2008 21:26:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17589825.post-6347542134486956381I created a wiki that I hope will gain some energy and contributions in the wake of the bicentennial citizen summit coming up on Tuesday.Wiki business is tricky business. It is a great tool fueled by great vision for group collaboration. Unfortunately, other than wikipedia, they rarely catch on. Let's see what happens.Technorati Tags: Columbus2012, Wiki, columbus0rjames01@cscc.edu (Richard James)http://waterbugblog.blogspot.com/2008/01/bike-plan-redux-innovation.htmlBikingColumbus2012Fri, 11 Jan 2008 18:49:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17589825.post-4339420612318504990A few more thoughts on the bike plan occurred to me on the way home tonight (while riding my bike no less!).One is that a City-wide bike program has to link with COTA. The COTA Bike 'n Bus program is a great way to facilitate adoption of biking. Bike 'n Bus provides infrastructure where either none exists or is perceived by novices as too daunting. This connection can be leveraged by building and0rjames01@cscc.edu (Richard James)http://waterbugblog.blogspot.com/2008/01/future-of-columbus-cycling.htmlBikingColumbus2012Fri, 11 Jan 2008 15:42:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17589825.post-3765205693151480971My intent was to comment here on the proposed Columbus bike plan in parts. The massive 212 page document is impressive in its scope and a lot to digest. I only focused on what appeared to be the meat of it: sections 4 through 7. Life got in the way and I only got around to submittingmy comments toady.Others have blogged their opinions (Columbus-ite and X-ing Columbus) and have some pointed 2rjames01@cscc.edu (Richard James)http://waterbugblog.blogspot.com/2008/01/home-grown-radio.htmlWCRSMon, 7 Jan 2008 14:50:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17589825.post-7429557982231737236WCRS (operated by the local non-profit Simply Living) has been on the air for a few months now broadcasting syndicated programming (much of it from Pacifica) and working out the engineering puzzle to make this low-power station receivable in most of Central Ohio. Now WCRS is trying to implement its intended purpose: to be a source for local news and dialog about a sustainable and democratic 0rjames01@cscc.edu (Richard James)http://waterbugblog.blogspot.com/2008/01/blog-reinvention.htmlMon, 7 Jan 2008 11:52:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17589825.post-2027504803562343337After a long layoff I am going to try to get back to more waterbugging. I am going to keep most all of the ed tech blogging on Learning Curve, my work blog. My intent is to to give Waterbug a more local focus in 2008. There are two immediate events that can drive the dialogue: the bikeways plan and the Columbus Bicentennial Citizen Summit coming up January 29th.Over the next few weeks I'll share 0rjames01@cscc.edu (Richard James)http://waterbugblog.blogspot.com/2007/03/will-state-of-ohio-give-away-last.htmlBroadbandCommunity MediaMedia ReformWed, 21 Mar 2007 08:43:00 -0400tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17589825.post-795487867523693691Bill Callahan reports that legislation has been introduced that effectively eliminates local control and public interest requirements video franchises in the State of Ohio. Ohio Senate Bill 117, modeled after AT&T-backed legislation passed in Michigan, is intended sweeten the return on phone companies video over broadband services by eliminating local franchising. Cable companies are OK with 0rjames01@cscc.edu (Richard James)http://waterbugblog.blogspot.com/2007/03/challenge-of-climate-change.htmlGlobal WarmingSustainabilitySat, 10 Mar 2007 17:17:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17589825.post-6557299360819257139"We cannot solve the problems climate change is making manifest simply by cutting emissions and building sea walls. That's because climate change is not an issue, it is a symptom: it is not a discrete problem to be solved but part of the warp and weave of problems that define and worsen our civilization's inability to sustain itself. If we want to stave off the collapse that will inevitably come 0rjames01@cscc.edu (Richard James)http://waterbugblog.blogspot.com/2007/03/big-media-is-threat.htmlColumbusFCCMedia OwnershipThu, 8 Mar 2007 08:20:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17589825.post-1528293963590310336Sentiments such as the one above were common last night as a couple hundred citizens gathered in Columbus to provide testimony at the Future of Media hearing attended by FCC Commissioners Michael Copps, Jonathan Adelstein and Robert McDowell. Hear is bit of what I heard:Panelists and citizens alike told stories of how minority-owned broadcasting was central to bringing attention to injustices in0rjames01@cscc.edu (Richard James)