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I expect the long term results to be significant. As data becomes more linked, quality will increase, and like a puzzle missing pieces will become evident. With the ability to easily find out answers, useful participation will become something like playing video games, using Facebook, or stamp collecting; creating fun visualizations, adding data, asking simple questions, fulfilling our natural desires to organize in commonly useful ways. It will include young and old people. The only thing holding this revolution back is cynicism. | I expect the long term results to be significant. As data becomes more linked, quality will increase, and like a puzzle missing pieces will become evident. With the ability to easily find out answers, useful participation will become something like playing video games, using Facebook, or stamp collecting; creating fun visualizations, adding data, asking simple questions, fulfilling our natural desires to organize in commonly useful ways. It will include young and old people. The only thing holding this revolution back is cynicism. | ||
Among the many examples | Among the many examples of participatory culture, http://www.openfile.ca is a standout. It's a geographically focused "newspaper" that follows up on community submitted stories, and encourages full community participation in their development. They don't wiki, but they use a Creative Commons license. The [http://data.gov.uk/wiki/RDF UK], led by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Berners-Lee Tim Berners-Lee] (a truly great man), also appears to be sincerely attacking publishing their data in re-usable formats in an open way. Along with many other government initiatives, open inquiry individual and citizen group efforts. Unfortunately, many businesses and non profits still take an opaque, silo approach. | ||
== Current work == | == Current work == | ||
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On to my current work, where I try to balance ideals with realities. To pay the bills, refine technical skills and spread wiki, I work part-time at Concordia's Fungal Genomics lab. That's right, the programme in CED led to supporting scientists working on things like "directed evolution." The goal of the group is to find more efficient enzymes for biofuels. Today's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol#As_a_fuel ethanol] solutions hardly make sense from an environmental perspective, but growing cellulosic material — trees — is beneficial in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_cycle carbon cycle]. Fungi are pervasive in nature as part of the cycle of breaking things down, necessary to create efficient biofuels. So our group analyzes tens of thousands of digital genomic samples, and when a likely candidate is found — they grow it. It's pretty cool stuff, and a breakthrough would be huge. Wiki is successfully used for internal communications and for the project's websites. | On to my current work, where I try to balance ideals with realities. To pay the bills, refine technical skills and spread wiki, I work part-time at Concordia's Fungal Genomics lab. That's right, the programme in CED led to supporting scientists working on things like "directed evolution." The goal of the group is to find more efficient enzymes for biofuels. Today's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol#As_a_fuel ethanol] solutions hardly make sense from an environmental perspective, but growing cellulosic material — trees — is beneficial in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_cycle carbon cycle]. Fungi are pervasive in nature as part of the cycle of breaking things down, necessary to create efficient biofuels. So our group analyzes tens of thousands of digital genomic samples, and when a likely candidate is found — they grow it. It's pretty cool stuff, and a breakthrough would be huge. Wiki is successfully used for internal communications and for the project's websites. | ||
I am called a Fellow at the [http://www.innovationcell.com Health Innovation Cell]] in Toronto. The group analyzes technology and social innovation to make recommendations and implement interventions to make the health system more responsive and efficient. I'm quite happy with the web site, from it's [http://www.wikipedia.org Wikipedia-inspired] front page (great inspiration, [http://www.twitter.com/carlosrizo Carlos]), to use of wiki to manage content, to its potential as a linked data participant. Good projects are under development, and Innovation Cell has also been a strong promoter of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unconference Unconference], participant led conferences | I am called a Fellow at the [http://www.innovationcell.com Health Innovation Cell]] in Toronto. The group analyzes technology and social innovation to make recommendations and implement interventions to make the health system more responsive and efficient. I'm quite happy with the web site, from it's [http://www.wikipedia.org Wikipedia-inspired] front page (great inspiration, [http://www.twitter.com/carlosrizo Carlos]), to use of wiki to manage content, to its potential as a linked data participant. Good projects are under development, and Innovation Cell has also been a strong promoter, in the health field, of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unconference Unconference], participant led conferences. | ||
I'm also an associate of [http://www.equalit.ie Equalit.ie], a technical human rights support group, supporting the technical platform and helping to develop a wiki based publishing system. | I'm also an associate of [http://www.equalit.ie Equalit.ie], a technical human rights support group, supporting the technical platform and helping to develop a wiki based publishing system. | ||
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Well, now I'm really tired of talking about myself. I'm working on several other good, formative projects, but always welcome "on the ground" projects with common factors. Getting experience on an "away from keyboard" project is something I'd like to do someday, but in the meantime I always find capacity for good projects with committed partners. | Well, now I'm really tired of talking about myself. I'm working on several other good, formative projects, but always welcome "on the ground" projects with common factors. Getting experience on an "away from keyboard" project is something I'd like to do someday, but in the meantime I always find capacity for good projects with committed partners. | ||
{{Blikied|June 14, 2010}} | {{Blikied|June 14, 2010}} | ||