The idea of receiving something for free has been around for centuries. Certainly, I like the idea – and I’m not just talking about the free hug movement.
I mean: Who doesn’t like receiving something – say a new car or clothing -Â for free?
But the notion seems more fitting for an autonomous collective (especially one depicted by the British comedy group, Monty Python), where a group of people has agreed to provide labor and services for everyone’s well being with the exchange of money lower on the priority list.
I typically don’t focus on crime issues - I prefer edible items such as tofu skin (also called yuba). I also covered enough criminal justice issues at my previous job.
But ShotSpotter, a Silicon Valley-based company which uses sensor technology to alert police to gunshots, gave me reason to pause.
As in: Huh?
The reason the sensors apparently are needed – at least in Richmond, Calif. – is that residents reportedly hear gunfire on such a regular basis that they no longer feel it’s imperative to call for help.
As in (for rational thinkers):Â No need to dial. The computer will get it.
This Chinese lion dance team performs during the Lunar New Year celebration in Seattle's Chinatown in 1921. The group also helped raise money for famine relief in China. Photo source: PEMCO Webster & Stevens Collection (courtesy of the Museum of History and Industry and spotted in an outdoor, public display by The Wing Luke Asian Museum)
As you’ve noticed, I’ve been on a run with Chinese dragons and lions lately – what with the Year of the Tiger that started Sunday.
I know it’s a day after the Lunar New Year began – and people still are celebrating. I thought I’d continue with one more post about lion heads used during Lunar New Year festivities.
Why?
Well, to quote singer (and pop philosopher) Kenny Rogers: “You’ve got to know when to hold them, know when to fold them.”
I’m holding on to this idea for just a bit longer.
I’m also doing this because I recall a person telling me years ago that the past is prologue.
While two branches of the federal government have embraced social media, it looks like the Supreme Court is doing what it does best: Hearing cases and issuing opinions. Photo source: Supreme Court of the United States
As I was scanning The New York Times article about President Obama’s State of the Union speech, I came across the part in which Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito apparently disagreed with something that the chief executive said.
The Times reported that Alito, as he was sitting on the House floor, appeared to have mouthed the words, “No, it’s not true.”
Based on the judicial branch’s Web site – which has a blue background, simple navigational buttons and a photo of the Supreme Court – the justices seem to be a pretty sober-minded group of intellectuals.
Which is fine. Being a sober-minded group of people is part of the duty of representing the judicial branch of the federal government.
But isn’t the 21st century about digital transparency and being a hipster, tech geek in the United States?
Where are the Twitter, Facebook and flickr icons? Where’s the YouTube introduction of the justices, say, enjoying a barbecue on the Potomac?
Flowers rest on Google's sign in Beijing. Photo source: hunxue-er's photostream on flickr
I thought I’d give the Google-China news hours to pass from Thursday’s developments before I typed my thoughts.
My initial ones: The dramatic twists continue, the rhetoric fascinates and with everything in life, it’s best to remember that what you think might be the core of the debate, the center of the action could just be a diversion to the main attraction.
Or it really could be the center.
We also know that much face has been lost in this brouhaha. By the way, senior Chinese leaders don’t like to lose face – that’s why closed-door meetings with them are preferred.
Given that Google brought its charges – that Gmail accounts were hacked and intellectual property was stolen – so publicly how will Google and the Chinese government save face?
The Seattle Public Library and other systems are facing tighter budgets. But city governments and people are, too. Photo source: Seattle Public Library
Since I left my full-time job last year and became a father a few years ago, there is one place that I’ve truly enjoyed visiting: The public library.
My visits to libraries wherever I was have gone up and down, based on my age, interests and point in life.
But I’ve always gone back – even during an era when it’s easy to argue that information is at your digital fingertips with the Internet and especially hipster phones such as the iPhone.
There are many reasons why I’ve returned to libraries over the decades:
They offer a quiet place to read, reflect and study.
I’ve used libraries in Silicon Valley (as a kid), Guangzhou and Beijing (as a foreign language student), New York City (as a graduate student) and Seattle and its suburbs (as a parent and just ordinary person).
Yes, I’ve been fortunate enough to travel in the past.
Here’s a catch: Libraries need money to operate (meaning to stay open at the least)Â - and budget cutbacks have arrived.
I’ll get to some lighter things for this blog soon.
But I’m glad I read The New York Times article by John Markoff and Ashlee Vance about hackers and safety concerns of software companies because it reminded me of information swirling in the Google in (or possibly out of) China drama.
That is: Exactly what was the target of the hackers from China who broke into Google?
I don’t know whether all the online copy moving about Google’s possible exit from China is good - meaning that there’s plenty to read – or somewhere else on the charts – meaning that there’s plenty to read.
But a quick visit to the People’s Daily revealed an article about Google investigating whether its own employees in China had participated in what executives have described as sophisticated attacks on the Internet giant, including hacked Gmail accounts of activists critical of senior leaders in Beijing.
This graphic illustration was part of a U.S. art show last year about design changes in China. It also captures business change, too. Image source: Portland Art Museum
I thought that kicking off 2010 with a video of California jellyfish moving gracefully in the water would be a colorful, neutral and fun way to begin the New Year.
Well, the sound you heard emanating from China in recent days, including Monday, was the popping cork from the Google-Chinese government brouhaha getting louder and more dramatic – in numeric terms, words being used and ensuing actions.
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