Technologies – Page 26 – Public Intelligence Blog

The Japanese company Blest has developed one of the smallest and safest PLASTIC-to-OIL conversion machines out on the market today. It's founder and CEO, Akinori Ito is passionate about using this machine to change the way people around the world think about their plastic trash. From solving our landfill and garbage disposal issues to reducing our oil dependancy on the Middle East, his machine may one day be in every household across Japan.
While holding up a bag of trash, he states, “It's a waste to throw away, isn't it? This is a treasure.”

Comment: a comment from a YouTube viewer asking the energy-use of this machine is highly relevant, especially for poorer regions and it would have been better to have included much more info in the video. However, it's interesting to think that those in the trash recycling business may have received a new economic prospect.

Thanks to “Hacker News”

2010/08/212010/08/23

Google Watch: Google is the only source, “Do Not Track Me” List, WSJ “What They Know” Series

Civil Society, Commerce, Counter-Oppression/Counter-Dictatorship Practices, Government, Mobile, Power Behind-the-Scenes/Special Interests, Privacy, Technologies

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) has a requirement to provide a secured, hosted environment that provides web-based access to geospatial visualization services and Open Geospatial Consortium complaint web service interfaces. The Schedule of Supplies/Services provides for the period of performance from 20 September 2010 through 19 September 2011 and two 12-month option years.

This acquisition is for Commercial Geospatial Visualization Services for NGA. Google is the only source that can meet the Government's requirement for worldwide access, unlimited processing, and Open Geospatial Consortium complaint web service interfaces. See Full National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Release
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“Do Not Track Me” gains traction in Washington

by John M. Simpson (Aug 15, 2010)
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“What They Know” Series by the Wall Street Journal

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A comment on the Google wi-fi/wi-spy issue:

“Most of my sources say that Google and Facebook have been bankrolled by the NSA and CIA vendors and they are in complete collusion with each other. I believe Americans will live to regret their participation with Facebook and Google.” –Glen Woodfin (source)

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Related:
+ 2009 Arnold Google: The Digital Gutenberg (also: The Google Legacy, Google 2.0: The Calculating Predator)
+ Inside Google
+ Google = King of Malware
+ Journal: Google, CIA Invest in ‘Future’ of Web Monitoring
+ Street views privacy issue
+ Time For Google to Grow Up: Open Wi-Fi Privacy Mistake Must Be The Last (EFF.org)
+ Seriously? Eric Schmidt Thinks There Should Be No Anonymity Online? (Forbes – Aug 11, 2010)
+ EFF Warns of Untrustworthy SSL, Undetectable Surveillance (Aug 16, 2010)
+ Google CEO: Young web users will need to escape online posts (Aug 20, 2010)

2010/08/19

Code for America

Civil Society, Collective Intelligence, Government, Open Government, Technologies

Code for America was founded to help the brightest minds of the Web 2.0 generation transform city governments. Cities are under greater pressure than ever, struggling with budget cuts and outdated technology. What if, instead of cutting services or raising taxes, cities could leverage the power of the web to become more efficient, transparent, and participatory?

Friends of Code for America

2010/08/182010/12/25

Worth a Look: CrowdMap (Beta)

Advanced Cyber/IO, Analysis, Augmented Reality, Citizen-Centered, Collective Intelligence, Collective Intelligence, Counter-Oppression/Counter-Dictatorship Practices, Earth Intelligence, Geospatial, Historic Contributions, info-graphics/data-visualization, InfoOps (IO), Intelligence (government), International Aid, IO Mapping, Journalism/Free-Press/Censorship, Maps, Methods & Process, microfinancing, Mobile, Officers Call, Open Government, Policy, Reform, Research resources, Technologies, Tools, Worth A Look

Crowdmap (Liquida)

Crowdmap allows you to…

+ Collect information from cell phones, news and the web.
+ Aggregate that information into a single platform.
+ Visualize it on a map and timeline.

Crowdmap is designed and built by the people behind Ushahidi, a platform that was originally built to crowdsource crisis information. As the platform has evolved, so have its uses. Crowdmap allows you to set up your own deployment of Ushahidi without having to install it on your own web server.

Reference: How to Use Twitter to Build Intelligence

Journal: Tech ‘has changed foreign policy’

Continue reading “Worth a Look: CrowdMap (Beta)”

2010/08/162010/08/16

Project Masiluleke: The Mobile Phone as Life-Saving Device Against HIV/AIDS in South Africa

01 Poverty, 02 Infectious Disease, 07 Health, Geospatial, Mobile, Technologies

Project Masiluleke is a South African project that aims to find solutions for the country's growing AIDS pandemic. The project is unique in that it enjoys the collaboration of a group of leading South African and international partners in the clinical, technical, philanthropic, development and design arena's. The project was unveiled globally at the annual Pop!Tech Conference in Camden, USA in October 2008 and will be officially launched in South Africa in 2009.

Intended Impact

In a country where less than 5% of the adult population knows their HIV-status and more than 24% is HIV positive (close to 40% in provinces like Kwazulu Natal), Project Masiluleke has the potential to:

Bring large numbers of people into testing without spending millions on expensive and often unsuccessful awareness campaigns,
Empower people to know their HIV status by testing privately and accurate for the disease, in the privacy of their own homes,
Involve adherent ARV patients as role-models and mobile support agents, through the virtual call centres,
Keep patients on treatment and increase treatment effectiveness, through regular doctor's visits and clinical support.

Project brief (pdf)