THE CITIZEN PRO/AM
Like many of my blogs, today’s post was inspired by a compelling article I recently read. It’s called Democracy is for Amateurs: Why We Need More Citizen Citizens, and it really speaks to the Naked Civics philosophy. Let me start off by sharing the last sentence in that piece: “It’s time to democratize democracy again.” Continue reading
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BIG DATA: VERY INTELLIGENT. BUT VERY WISE?
You get a red notification on Facebook and you click on it. It’s your friend (or likely more of an acquaintance than anything) and he wants you to support his band by “liking” his Facebook page. So you click on the link and show him your support. Every click of that mouse has been captured and is now waiting to be analyzed by anybody with the gusto to do it. This is happening all around you, hundreds and hundreds of times throughout your day. Continue reading
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WANT INNOVATIVE EMPATHETIC DESIGN? TAKE A HIKE!
Last month Smithsonianmag.com came out with a provocative piece on innovation. A lot of what was said resonated with me, but I found myself having a hard time agreeing with everything I read in the stimulating article. Actually, it wasn’t so much that I didn’t agree with it as I think the great point it makes need not be as limiting as how the author defines it. Continue reading
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WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS … BECOME AN ENTREPRENEUR
I don’t think I’m biased when I say that what I’m about to lay out is one of the coolest educational experiences a kid can have outside of the classroom.
Lemonade Day, a nation-wide experiential learning program that planted its roots in Texas in 2007, will be celebrated this Saturday, May 5th in dozens and dozens of cities across the continent. Around 120,000 children will be putting their entrepreneurial skills to work as they get their hands dirty and sticky by making lemonade, convincing people to buy it, and running the cash registers (or tool boxes, paper bags or whatever is handy). Continue reading
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99 BOTTLES OF BEER ON THE WALL, 99 BOTTLES OF BEER …
OK, I lied. This isn’t about beer. It’s about beverages in general and specifically it’s about the container, i.e. your sometimes not-so-eco-friendly bottle. When you want to slake your thirst you want liquid. The bottle is secondary. But as we all know, oftentimes that bottle has primary impacts, especially when we’re talking about the billions of plastic bottles that hold our water and sodas. A mere quarter of those containers make into the recycling bin, and that’s not to mention all the petroleum that is needed to produce something that not only is easily replaced but has absolutely no effect on the thing you were trying to buy in the first place: a beverage. Continue reading
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WHEN IT COMES TO VALUES, IT’S ALL ABOUT THE ASK
Want to ensure that the products and services you’re buying respect your values? How about asking a friendly question to the folks you are doing business with? In other words, why make them guess in the dark when you can be their free R&D? Continue reading
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