Rewriting history under the dome

Online ‘encyclopedia’ allows anyone to edit entries, and congressional staffers do just that to bosses’ bios
WASHINGTON — The staff of U.S. Rep Marty Meehan wiped out references to his broken term-limits pledge as well as information about his huge campaign war chest in an independent biography of the Lowell Democrat on a Web site that bills itself as the “world’s largest encyclopedia,” The Sun has learned.

The Meehan alterations on Wikipedia.com represent just two of more than 1,000 changes made by congressional staffers at the U.S. House of Representatives in the past six month. Wikipedia is a global reference that relies on its Internet users to add credible information to entries on millions of topics.

Matt Vogel, Meehan’s chief of staff, said he authorized an intern in July to replace existing Wikipedia content with a staff-written biography of the lawmaker.

The change deleted a reference to Meehan’s campaign promise to surrender his seat after serving eight years, a pledge Meehan later eschewed. It also deleted a reference to the size of Meehan’s campaign account, the largest of any House member at $4.8 million, according to the latest data available from the Federal Election Commission.

Add comment Datestamp: January 29th, 2006

NPR : Tailor-Made Cartography

Google Maps Story
Google’s popular mapping service has inspired people to add their own information to maps. The resulting “mashups” are maps overlaid with clickable icons that provide a unique look at fast-food restaurant locations, crime statistics and other data sets.

[See my latest project Purpool for another example…]

Add comment Datestamp: January 28th, 2006

Environmental Fugitives - Diane Wilson and Warren Anderson

**Special Edition** Audio Podcast

Diane Wilson and Warren Anderson are both fugitives. Fisherwoman Diane Wilson has been charged with criminal trespass for hanging a banner at a Dow Chemical/Union Carbide facility that said “Dow - Responsible for Bhopal”. She received a six month jail sentence for that, which she is due to serve.

Warren Anderson was the CEO of Union Carbide back in 1984 when the Carbide plant in India spewed toxic gases into the surrounding community and killed more than 20,000 people. He visited Bhopal shortly after the incident, and agreed to return for any legal proceedings. After leaving, he was charged, along with Union Carbide, with manslaughter for those thousands of deaths. However, Anderson and Carbide have refused to return to India to face trial. In the eyes of the Indian courts, they are fugitives from the law.

Add comment Datestamp: January 28th, 2006

Another Wal-Mart Fact

Take Action to change Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart controls 25% of the U.S. toothpaste market. Jeff Hess suggests that even if you have to shop at Wal-Mart, buy your toothpaste elsewhere. Wal-Mart tracks this stuff religiously, and they just might take notice.

Add comment Datestamp: January 27th, 2006

iPod Specials

What is birdPod?
BirdPod is an Apple iPod loaded with bird songs—and lots more. Unlike a typical bird song CD set, birdPod’s bird songs are organized to enable quick identification of bird songs in the field. We think birdPod is the best tool yet for learning bird songs. And, it’s fun!

Add comment Datestamp: January 25th, 2006

Jesus was a Liberal, Stupid!

“Jesus says in the Bible *over 3,000 times* to tend to the poor. Not once does he preach to deny homosexuals the right to marriage.”

Check out this interview with the fiesty duo, James Carville and Paul Begala. Or read their new book “Take It Back : Our Party, Our Country, Our Future.”

Add comment Datestamp: January 25th, 2006

wikiHow

The How-To Manual That Anyone Can Write or Edit

wikiHow is a collaborative writing project to build the world’s largest how-to manual. With your contributions, we can create a free resource that helps people by offering clear, concise solutions to the problems of everyday life. wikiHow currently contains 4754 articles written, edited, and maintained primarily by volunteers.

Add comment Datestamp: January 24th, 2006

Community Impact from (whom else?) Wal-Mart!

Wal-Mart Facts*
“We firmly believe there are few things more important than contributing to the educational growth of our associates and the people in the communities we serve.”

*Brought to you by Wal-Mart

[This is another Wal-Mart Facts site–not sponsored by Wal-Mart, but PBS. It says: “Despite a well-publicized ‘Made in the U.S.A.’ campaign, 85 percent of the stores’ items are made overseas, often in Third World sweatshops.” And then there is this one too.]

Add comment Datestamp: January 22nd, 2006

Fair Use Report and Recommendations

Report: Will Fair Use Survive? Free Expression in the Age of Copyright Control

From the Free Expression Policy Project at the Brennan Center for Justice, NYU School of Law.

The result of more than a year of research — including many firsthand stories from artists, historians, Web bloggers, and others — “Will Fair Use Survive?” documents how the rights to fair use and free expression are being threatened by an intellectual property system that is perilously out of balance.

The report includes six recommendations for change. Documentary filmmaker of “Hoop Dreams,” Gordon Quinn, proclaims that the report “is part of a wider movement to educate people about fair use, and it’s going to help us users organize and reassert the right to fair use.”

Add comment Datestamp: January 19th, 2006

Time Lapse Video- LA to NYC

LA to NYC
I am doing this trip in reverse next week–only my video inside Jetblue won’t look so cool.

Add comment Datestamp: January 19th, 2006