Rarest of Conferences

I’ve attended a few conferences in my relatively short career so far, and while some have been more useful than others, candidly, none has really struck me as having been a more productive use of my time than being at my desk.

HHS CTO Todd Park gave a rousing talk at the 2011 Gov Web and New Media Conference

That is, until the 2011 Government Web and New Media Conference, which took place over the last few days in downtown DC. Hosted by the General Services Administration’s Web Managers University, this was a well-organized and structured gathering of over 500 #gov20 professionals discussing our common issues and opportunities.

Literally every five minutes I had a new take-away, best practice, or innovative idea for my work. Multiple breakout sessions on interesting topics were offered simultaneously, so unfortunately I missed some great discussions on topics like 508 compliance, mobile websites, and using video (though they’ve promised to post notes). Typically at conferences I wish I could be anywhere else, not everywhere at once.

Great people, engaging talks, and more new ideas than I expected. I’ve got a lot to process this weekend, but I’m looking forward to hitting the ground running.

I Love This Woman

You know that awful diamond commercial where the guy in the Italian city square yells to everyone about how “I love this woman!!!”? A bit corny and gimmicky for my taste. But after receiving the following email from my wife just now, I am tempted to follow suit:

hey jer – the UNC Asheville game starts at 6:30 and it’s on truTV which should be channel 64 (non-HD) and 841 (HD) if we get it.  i was thinking that we could thaw the two hot dogs left in the freezer and have chili dogs for dinner.  either that or we could order pizza, or I could make the ravioli that i bought last week.  just let me know what you’d prefer.

See what I mean?? Anyone know where I can find the nearest Italian city square?

That’s What I’m Talking About

In a debate about whether a government mandate requiring installation of carbon monoxide detectors in homes is akin to the death of liberty, David Frum cites this William F. Buckley quote that I’ve never heard, but love:

Haven’t been able to find the source for this quote. But it really captures what I see as the biggest obstacle to making progress in political discussion: our leaders’ unwillingness to admit that not everything supported by their opponents will necessarily put the nation on a slippery slope toward socialism and/or fascism. The job of policymakers is not to complain about slippery slopes, but to draw a line on that slope at a reasonable point and say “Here is the best balance between liberty and security.” Right?

Breathtaking Japan Tsunami Footage

The massive tidal surge following the recent 8.9-magnitude earthquake in Japan today was filmed from a helicopter as it deluged a small coastal town. This footage is truly shocking, from the raging fires being carried along by the water, to the people racing away from the rushing water in their cars around the 1:25 mark in this video, to the people waving towels from the windows of their floating homes.

I heard from my friend near Tokyo that she and her family were shaken up by the quake, but that they’re currently safe. Thoughts and prayers with the people of Japan today, and all those who may yet be affected by the aftershocks and tidal waves.

RiDQulous

One of my good friends from college is a very talented actor who has just become Dairy Queen’s newest spokesman. It’s a funny spot, although honestly the guitar that sounds like dolphins freaks me out a little. Bravo to John Behlmann for landing and owning the role. I’m sure the world will be seeing more of him soon.

Dog Proof Fence

For the last few weeks, our dog Wingo has been spending an inordinate amount of time in our backyard, and coming home inexplicably dirty. I finally followed him out there one night to discover that he had found a way through our fence and into the neighbor’s yard — which, conveniently, has a giant hole in its opposite fence, providing access into their neighbor’s yard. As near as I can tell, this pattern continues through several more yards. Who knows what he’s been doing out there in the wide world? Probably smoking cigarettes and stealing other dogs’ lunch money.

In response, Sally and I sealed up the dog door until we had a chance to visit Home Depot this weekend. The result of that trip is the pictured lattice-work “fence,” which is attached to our railing and the existing wire fence by means of plastic cinch ties, and which is at once a terrible eyesore and a great source of personal pride.

Dog-proof fence

To paraphrase Robert Frost, “good fences [that look like they were built with materials purloined from an abandoned construction site] make good neighbors.”

Fat Kid Sandwiches Hit the Big Time

Ever since college my one and only culinary specialty has been a little breakfast dish affectionately known as the Fat Kid Sandwich. The basic ingredients include a fried egg, fried salami, tomato and cheese, all on an english muffin. Dip it in ranch and you’ve got breakfast gold (and you know where it got its name).

Some friends and I prepared about 20 of these the other weekend on a trip to the lovely hamlet of Stanley, VA. My friend Sarah wrote up the meal on her excellent new blog 100 Days of Brunch.

Five Easy Steps Facebook Could Take to Improve Pages for Government

UPDATE: Discussion around this post is happening over at Govloop.

Facebook recently unveiled its new format for Pages. Now, each organization or business presence must take the form of a Page, which is designed to look and operate much like a personal Facebook account, and which — a crucial point — must be linked to a personal profile. Facebook is adamant that all Pages must be tied to personal profiles, which in turn are tied to actual people. This means no “dummy” accounts using other email addresses. Facebook has apparently begun enforcing this rule, reportedly blocking access to some Pages that appear to be tied to dummy profiles.

The old format for Pages was problematic for government agencies on several levels. This new Page format leaves some of these problems unresolved, compounds others, and creates a few new ones. Fortunately, it would be simple for Facebook to address these concerns with a few technical quick fixes, while still preserving the general structure of linking pages to personal profiles.

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