Tech

‘Do or Do not. There is no try.’ And more from AFFIRM’s Monthly Speaker Series

Technology is an enabler. It gives us the ability to harvest big data, mobilize in ways unknown to previous generations, and shows us the means to improve every aspect of society. But that’s all. It just gives us the means, not the action. Some industry leaders are looking to turn means into action. One ofRead… Read more »

Opening Data to Improve Public Health: Launch of the California Public Health Data Portal

Health and Human Services may be the (or one of the) most important agencies to engage with open data. Public health departments, in particular, analyze and understand threats to the public’s wellbeing— a vitally important civic function. Your local Department of Public Health, for instance, strives to keep you up-to-date of your risk of contagiousRead… Read more »

Top Hurdles of Spend Analytics

With the stagnant economy, cost control has become the new mantra of every business. Businesses are deploying various strategies to contain costs and maintain profitability. Amongst such strategies is control and visibility into spending with external suppliers. Spend analytics is the process of aggregating, cleansing, and analyzing corporate spending data for the purpose of reducingRead… Read more »

A Smarter Approach to Public Safety

The job of a public safety employee never ends. First responders don’t have the luxury of clocking out at 5 p.m. Threats to public safety can happen at any given hour, and officers must always be alert and ready. Keeping citizens safe is a top priority for public safety officers, regardless the time of day.Read… Read more »

GovHack’s National Prizes – Analysis

I’ve done some work analyzing who actually won the National awards at GovHack based on the official results at govhack.org/2014-winners/, and this is what I’ve discovered…There were 87 National GovHack awards given out to Projects and Teams, with one GovHack subcategory (Best Science Reporting) unawarded. Of these, 66 awards were awarded to Teams for theirRead… Read more »

Who Won GovHack’s National Prizes?

I’ve done some work analysing who actually won the National awards at GovHack based on the official results at govhack.org/2014-winners/, and this is what I’ve discovered… There were 87 National GovHack awards given out to Projects and Teams, with one GovHack subcategory (Best Science Reporting) unawarded. Of these, 66 awards were awarded to Teams forRead… Read more »

Transforming Federal Data Into Smart Business Analytics

Transforming Data Into Smart Business Analytics Check out my in-studio Tech Talk interview with John Gilroy at WFED Federal News Radio in Washington, DC. Learn how Federal agencies can achieve more by leveraging Tableau Software to see and understand all sizes and types of data. The segment titled Transforming Data Into Smart Business Analytics airedRead… Read more »

What We Should Learn from Apple

It’s been about 10 years. Apple went from creating one of the most interesting and successful media playing devices, the iPod, to generating the flagship mobile experience for consumers. Of course, I’m talking about the iPhone. The iPhone is simple, elegant, user friendly, and it just works, but the trick in the iPhone and theRead… Read more »

How to Build Partnerships the Right Way

In government, we often talk about the importance of building public-private partnerships. In San Jose, they aren’t just talking about building partnerships – they’re actually doing it. The Silicon Valley Talent Partnership, a facilitator of public private partnerships, is working on ways to leverage Silicon Valley’s highly skilled constituents for volunteer efforts to address someRead… Read more »

New Music Copyright Legislation

In the early 20th century, you could only listen to music by attending live performances. Then you could listen to it on recordings. Then radio, vinyl, 8-tracks, cassettes, CDs, Napster iTunes and now through various streaming services like Pandora, Rdio, and Spotify. If the technology to record and listen to music evolves so rapidly, whyRead… Read more »