Scott Walters Exploring Stuff

By Karen Dearne | June 23, 2009 | AustralianIT

http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,25673234-15306,00.html

Interesting item on use of Web 2.0 technolgies to open public debate and enable the public service organisations to use the “power of the cloud”

by Mahesh Sharma | June 23, 2009 | AustralianIT

http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,25672785-5013040,00.html

Global technology companies commercialise intellectual property sitting inside government agencies.

From Asher Moses in the SMH on 16/June/09 posted this article

The NSW Ministry of Transport is developing an official application for iPhones and other mobiles that will allow public transport users to plan trips and track their ferries, buses and trains in real-time.

Good to see NSW Government starting to embrace iPhone and mobile technology at long last.

Note that apart from Oprah and Ashton real content is being distributed through twitter….

CNN’s breaking news feed, ,000 followers to reach one million.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/articles/2009/04/17/1239475041942.html

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/myspace-cadets-sliding-into-addiction-20090403-9reb.html?page=-1

Article from Miranda Divine in the SMH today…. some interesting points!

In a speech to the House of Lords last month, an Oxford University neuroscientist, Susan Greenfield, warned about the effect on the brain of friendship through a screen on MySpace, Facebook, Bebo and Twitter. They can effectively rewire children’s synapses, “infantilising” the brain and eroding attention-span and empathy.

So what do you think?

An article on Fairfax by Melissa Fyfe (March 22, 2009) gives a bit of an insite into a government IT department thats in melt-down. See http://www.smh.com.au/news/home/technology/vic-police-risk-computer-meltdown/2009/03/22/1237656745663.html

The article claims the Victorian Police Force are underfunding, have identified risks but have done little to manage them.

There’s also a bite about outsourcing. Apparently in 1999 IBM took on the IT business are combined with cost overruns and

after IBM had been running the IT for seven years, the force effectively lost control and knowledge of its systems. “Victoria Police operational environments (were) being dragged into gridlock,” the report said. The force has since diversified its contractors

Just an interesting read, make of it what you will.

OK, I’m a little behind the news on this but Google has now finally released Urchin 6.5. Google bought Urchin a few years back and reused some of that technology in the Google Analytics suite. Google Analytics is fine as long as your in the public space but just doesn’t work for intranets and “behind the firewall” knowledgebases.

http://www.google.com/urchin/index.html