Community Mobilization

API tracks Cicadas in Cincinnati

There have been numerous uses of Google Map APIs  to track everything from crime statistics to Relay For Life events to... well bugs. A Cincinnati real estate blog recently reported on an effort by Mt. Saint Joseph University to crowd source Cicada emergence throughout the country. The Map AIP is a collaborative effort by the community to upload Cicada sightings and create a brood by brood map of their emergence year after year. The university is collecting valuable information about the physical location of the Cicadas and the community will benefit with more accurate predictions of when and where Cicadas will emerge each year.

Virtual Eco-Tour

Some friends at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars have put together a nice article on the Eco-tour of Second Life. Developed by UC Berkley Graduate Student Stephanie Gerson, the tour looks at how some virtual spaces are examining real world ecological issues and developing solutions. I have always maintained that one of the best uses for this virtual spaces is as a 3-D collaborative platform for big problem solving. I am glad to see an issues such as the ecology being tackled.

IBM Lists Next 5 Trends

IBM released their take on the next 5 big innovations. They website has a number of report links at the bottom with  research on the trends but what is interesting is that I did not seem to see them tied together in any way. I am real disappointed that they did not take a few of the major issues facing the world and overtly showcase how any one or combination of trends would make an impact on them. Health care, global warming, aging populations, water shortages are all major global concerns that are easily tied into the Next 5 but I believe that IBM did not want to go to far out on the limb to showcase the great impact that these advances could have.

World Future Society 2007 and 2008 trends

The World Future Society has compiled their 2007 and 2008 trends into great U-Tube videos. I have embedded them below. They are eye opening and provide a real sense of long term view and long term importance of considering ecological impacts on business and our lives.

Changemakers

Changemakers.net is a fantastic resource for online programs seeking solutions to large scale world problems. Recently Changemakers listed a $5 Million dollar grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. They list grant challenges as well as competitions for ideas and implementation strategies. I really like the diverse nature of the site as well as the various funding opportunities within.

Chinese Smartmobs protest chemical factory build

Smart Mobs reports that the citizens of Xiamen, China used their cell phones and SMS to call together a mob of people to protest the construction of the PX chemical facility in their town. Similar to the Tiananmen square student protests in 1989, the event drew on widespread community opposition and focused the energy on the issue head on and in a very public manner. The plans for the PX Project have not been scrapped yet but here is valuable learning lesson on the power of fast, and cheap mass communication

Crowdsourcing Illness

I just saw an amazing website called whoissick.org. The system essentially allows anyone to upload, using their cellphone, information about their illness anonymously. Whoisisck.org has a few major categories and I believe that it is meant to track flu and cold outbreaks in certain areas. The one thing I do not like is the meter that shows number of illnesses in the last 8 weeks. As more people learn about this more will post and we will see an artificial jump in number o reports. Once there is a stable user base the  numbers will be accurate. I think if there is a sufficient adoption you could have on heck of an epidemiological tool. Moreover a real powerful product delivery / placement tool. If you see a jump in cough and muscle ache make sure you are distributing extra Tamiflu and cough medicine to that locale's pharmacy.

Flying Your Conscience

Since I have moved to Cincinnati I now am facing a few new realities that concern air travel. Yes I am still on a Delta Hub but now I am near CVG, the most expensive airport in the USA. So when planning a trip to NYC I found direct tickets to all 3 airports close to $1,000.00 That is absurd, especially since this is donor money! Now I could fly out of Dayton (20 more minutes in the car) and connect through Cincinnati for the low price of $225 but that is 2 flights and a big carbon foot print. The kicker is that the American Airlines flies direct to La Guardia from Dayton. After the bad American Airlines customer service experience incident I refuse to fly with them under any circumstances. In conclusion I will be flying Continental into Newark and taking the train into the city. It is the best compromise I can find to save donor money, keep a smaller carbon footprint, and avoid giving American a single red cent of my money.

Food Desert

Yes, I spelled it correctly! Food Desert. No not the sweet stuff that you eat after a meal but the complete lack of a grocery store in the geographic area surrounding your house. Grocery store - where you can get fresh fruits and vegetable as well as raw meats and other produce. These areas tend to be serviced exclusively by fast food, and corner convenience market where the corn and peas come in cans, and the meat is prepackaged in a bun. This Food Desert phenomenon occurs often in lower income areas where grocery chains have decided that it is not profitable to operate, literally cutting off residents from fresh provisions. The effects are being cataloged in volume in the form of obesity and health statistics. As part of a national focus on obesity and health related issues it is crucial to examine the underlying factors, and lack of access to fresh foods, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and raw foods may be significantly contributing to the decline of American health.

Portion Size is Important

I just found an amazing visual guide that helps you understand what 200 calories looks like in terms of real food. It gives a metric weight as well as photo of some of the more common foods and how much of them is equal to 200 calories. Considering that so many of us made a resolution to loose weight I think it is a  great website to have handy! Thanks Wisegeek.