May 30, 2009 by Robert.

When I first saw the TED demo of PhotoSynth by co-creator Blaise Aguera y Arcas, I was awed and intrigued (not at that unusual).

But, as with so many novel ideas, I didn’t really grasp what it was about, didn’t fully understand it, didn’t know what to do with it at the time.

 The idea of simulating 3-dimensional movement using a database of 2-D images intrigued me.

 To me it was a novelty, for sure. I imagined it as a way to archive history — not just  to simulate 3-dimensional spaces, but to travel backwards in time.

 Virtual time travel — maybe there’s something to that idea.  Or maybe not. Forensics? Crime scene investigation? Environmental monitoring?

 That was before I carried a digital camera around in my pocket, before I posted so many images to Picasaweb that I have a hard time managing them, before I became a regular user of a social network on which people are posting new images several times a day.

 And then I began to appreciate what PhotoSynth could do with “current” photo.  After all, time is just another dimension to consider: all the photos in any database are in a sense “historical” photos.  Each photo represents a point in time, a point in 3-dimensional space, a vector (directional view), a magnification factor, etc.

 We can intentionally attend to certain dimensions and filter-out others. We can create applications that assist us in filtering-out or enhancing certain dimensions. And we can index or otherwise annotate those dimensions with metadata (”Africa trip”, “Capetown”, “Eilene”, etc.)

Posted in media, web 2.0, ventures, Linkedin, development, design | 1 Comment »

May 29, 2009 by Robert.

I applied for a job at Google yesterday that I found posted online. I copied-and-pasted parts of my resume into their forms, and then attached a cover letter and a .doc version of my resume according to the instructions.

“Microsoft Word format, huh?” I thought to myself, “That’s awfully magnanimous of them.”

They could have invented an entirely new Google Resume Format (.GRF) and announced it with great fanfare at the latest SXSW. They could have forced prospective Google applicants to find and purchase and register an entire suite of applications, download a bunch of drivers (along with a development kit) in order to install a special Google Resume Tool (included).

Mac format? Forget it — buy a cheap PC. Or an Android phone for that matter. If you were truly serious about working at Google, you’d do it in a heartbeat, right? Er — I mean, you’d already be using an Android.

But no. They didn’t do all that.

Google just instructed me to use the common standard .doc format, which I did. Then they asked me a few optional survey questions — beyond the mandatory racial/sexist questions — which of course I dutifully answered. (What happens if you decline to answer?)

“Have you ever operated a profitable business that was not a technology buisness?” Ha! Good question! Yep, done that.

“Have you ever started a nonprofit?” Hmmm. Another interesting question. Yes — as a matter of fact — yes, I have. (Well, I was part of a group that founded a nonprofit. That counts, right?)

And then they asked me if I’ve ever set a record (local/state/national). And I paused.

And then dread crept over me. “Holy cow — they caught me! Here I was thinking that this was just a survey, answering the questions candidly from memory.” But I now see that they were just messing with me!

Have I ever held a record? Google wants to know if Robert Marston ever held a record? Like they don’t know?

For crying out loud, why would Google ask me for information about me in a job application? What more could Google possibly want to know about me that Google doesn’t already know?

“Crud!” Panic started to set in. “This is no job application survey — it’s fodder for a new database that they’re building. Or worse, an authentication process to see if I’m really Robert Marston! Oops! The casual wording and ease-of-use lulled me into dropping my guard.

“What have I told them already? Have I said too much? I shoulda recorded every one of my answers. If there’s a cross-examination later, I might slip-up under pressure or over-think the answer…”

Ahhh! It’s not fair! They’re way too good!

Then I calmed down and realized that they’re really not asking for information. They’re simply measuring variability in my answers and my ability to recall facts. And probably measuring my typing speed, too, to see if I’m hestitating or slowing down. I wonder what they can tell from all that biofeedback? (I saw the The Matrix — I know how it works.)

They want me to believe that this is a job application like any other. They want it to appear as though it was my idea to apply for this job. And if/when they respond to my so-called application and grant me a so-called interview, I’ll go along with the whole charade. I’ll pretend like I’m a candidate and that I’m being evaluated against other candidates and all that. (wink-wink, nudge-nudge)

As though Google doesn’t already know the outcome.

Awesome. Bring it on — I’m ready.

Posted in just for fun, jobs, Linkedin, development, marketing | 1 Comment »

May 29, 2009 by Robert.

This video is a very clever presentation and whimsical commentary on New Media, posted by Michael Wesch, professor of cultural anthropology at Kansas State University in 2007.Don’t read the comments on YouTube — they’re mostly vulgar spam.I find it humorous to see that the YouTube video attracted a storm of comments *protesting* and *correcting* the author on factual matters, leading the author to post a quick revision and promise a new version “soon.” Ahem.And now the YouTube video is an epithet to good intentions in a web 2.0 world.Notice that the author was also apparently inundated with inquiries about the music in the background. I wonder if that was their intention. Many indy bands have been made famous over the years by licensing their music to be used in videos that “go viral.”Note to self: be sure to prominently credit the source of all content, or at least post a companion website somewhere which leaves a breadcrumb-trail to the information, providing Wikipedia with a verifiable “source.” And remember to use a disposable email address.

Note that the project was:

If only they’d used a more “nimble” tool for producing video, they could have responded more rapidly and continued the conversation (affordably, or even profitably) rather than being overwhelmed/bored/whatever (used-up by The Machine).But it’s still interesting, effective and fun as anthropology, if not profound.Already, the “crowd” has taken ownership, and is advising, crafting, revising, innovating, and even promoting (as I’m doing here). With 9 million+ views and counting, copied-and-translated into many languages, could this “modern antiquity” become a classic?

Posted in media, web 2.0, education, Linkedin, video, design, wordpress, marketing, RSS | 1 Comment »

May 28, 2009 by Robert.

 We’ve passed a historic milestone with more than 50% of North America living in cities.  That number is expected to grow — some say to 80% or more.

 Here’s a thought: instead of gobbling-up farm land, cutting-down forests, and plowing-up pristine wilderness… why not combine urban renewal with urban farming? Why not use poorly-planned sections of a city, under-performing commericial real estate projects, empty shopping malls and retail storefronts for farming?

Does the idea of a farm in a shopping mall sound silly to you?  This video may change your thinking:

I suspect that if we’re shipping fresh California produce across the Pacific Ocean to Japan and elsewhere, and bringing tomatoes in from Mexico and grapes from Chile… there has got to be a pretty good profit margin on organic produce that can be reliably grown year-round near or directly within

• densely-populated 
• residential areas
• downtown and retail centers (with offices and restaurants)
• airports, railroads, and ocean ports

The recession is hurting shopping malls and the recent string of big-box store closures have blighted otherwise high-traffic areas across America.

One draw-back to urban farming — the creative re-use of retail or warehouse space for farming –is job density. Indoor farming is not very labor-instensive (not like a retail store, anyway).

But a farmer’s market does provide some jobs.  And it could enhance a community, and it could help to revive foot-traffic in an otherwise sluggish strip-mall or shopping district.

So, despite minimal job creation, a suburban farm supplying organic produce to local stores, restaurants, and food services could help to increase the tax base of a community.  And the location might also be used for adult education or recreational gardening classes.

Is there a big empty warehouse or stand-alone building in your town that might make a good indoor farm?  Would you like to turn a portion of your property into a demonstration farm?  Are your solar panels generating more power than you can use?  Please let me know.

 If you’re interested in the latest on this topic, or if you’d like to educate me on this topic, please follow @grownupfoods on Twitter.

Posted in city planning, community development, urban renewal, public policy, social ventures, suburban infill, infill development, ag tech, agriculture, organic farming, redevelopment, ventures, jobs, development, nonprofit, investing, politics, Linkedin, finance, energy, small business, stimulus, schools, renewable energy | No Comments »

May 26, 2009 by Robert.

 There is a growing demand in America for government transparency, and Obama is promising to come through.  But transparency is useless if nobody is watching.  Data, by itself, is usually not very interesting until someone turns it into information.  

“Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants…” (Louis Brandeis, What Publicity Can Do, Harper’s Weekly, 1913)   

 Sunlight Foundation Intern Andrew Berger looked to the career and early writings and public speeches of Louis Brandeis to understand how Brandeis idea of publicity and sunlight relates to the current government transparency movement and citizen engagement.

“The Web has also made possible types of information sharing and citizen engagement that did not exist even a few years ago, much less in Brandeis’ time. It has become easier for a person to turn from passive reader to active participant in politics. But it remains just as true today that a person has to become ’sufficiently interested’ in order to do so. To an extent, techniques like data visualizations, which really seem to have taken off in recent years, are important not just for the specific content they present, but for their potential to drive interest in government information…”     

 When people get a taste of good open information from the government, they’re not going to be easily satisfied with whitewashed rhetoric and idealistic speeches.  Get ready, folks: with transparency comes accountability… and a bigger appetite for information.

Posted in public policy, social ventures, politics | No Comments »

May 22, 2009 by Robert.

 I’ve been tracking the dollars in the $3 million give-away and thought I’d share an interesting graph.  It tells a story about the organizations involved… but perhaps you see it differently?

 Here’s what I did.  Each time I voted at Target’s Facebook profile, the site replied with a tally of the current stats.  The first couple of days I didn’t bother to grab the numbers.  But after a while (as is my custom) I started to get curious about how the numbers are changing over time, and what it might mean.  So I started to collect samples.

 Now, these are not scientific samples — the samples are not evenly-spaced.  That is, they were taken at different times of the day, sometimes with a day-and-a-half inbetween.

 FYI, the sampling interval is roughly between 24 and 30 hours.The above Fig. 1 shows a sample of performance data from the Target Bullseye Gives Challenge on Facebook, in which Target is splitting $3 million between 10 organizations.

 Sample 1 was taken at about the 4th day of the challenge (40K+ votes).  Box 1 suggests that even after 40K votes, the Red Cross shared climbed steeply for 2-3 days while all other organizations declined in %-share.  Box 2 shows that St. Jude CRH surged back to regain the largest share of votes. The number of total daily votes at Sample 1 was about 10K, and it has increased to about 20K per day.

 The chart clearly shows that 2 of the organizations stand out from all the rest.

  The top 2, St. Jude and Red Cross, have demonstrated the ability to rally Facebook voters.  There are interesting implications, and it would be very telling to map spikes in actual votes against campaign pushes (emails, ads, etc.).  Hopefully, Target or Facebook will release the statistics.

 Without the details, some assumptions must be made.  We may assume, for example, that some people are “one-time-voters” and other people continue to vote every day, at every opportunity.  Since we don’t know exactly how that plays-out, we can assume that the ratio/trend is constant across all organizations.  But it would be interesting to know.

 Is the daily increase in votes due to a growing base of “repeat” voters, or lots of “one-time” voters?

 In boxes 1 & 2 above, the slope of the lines indicates that one of the top 2 organizations was adding new votes very quickly during those periods.  The other organizations show a gradual decline, suggesting that most organizations are “holding steady” while the organizations with a larger voting base are taking a bigger and bigger share.

 Implications for Operation Gratitude At this point, with the gap in total votes so wide (and widening), it would take a SIGNIFICANT boost in daily votes for OpGrat to make much of a dent in the final “% share” of total votes.  For example, at the current pace, OpGrat will end-up with about 7.1% of the total ($214K).  (The top 2 are on pace to capture more than 26% each.)

 If OpGrat were to add 10,000 new votes over the Memorial Day weekend (all other trends holding steady), it would increase OpGrat’s share to roughly 7.8% ($297K).  At that rate, each new vote is worth approximately $8!

Posted in finance, military, social ventures, Linkedin, nonprofit, CSR, philanthropy, marketing | No Comments »

May 20, 2009 by Robert.

Jacqueline Novogratz founded and leads Acumen Fund, a nonprofit that takes a businesslike approach to improving the lives of the poor. In her new book, The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World, she tells stories from the new philanthropy, which emphasizes sustainable bottom-up solutions over traditional top-down aid.

Posted in energy, shelter, small business, ventures, social ventures, public policy, health, stimulus, finance, philanthropy, CSR, investing, nonprofit, Linkedin, development, politics | No Comments »

May 13, 2009 by Robert.

May 2009 is the 11th annual “Military Appreciation Month” in the USA.In honor of Military Appreciation Month, here’s a plug to help raise a good chunk of money for Operation Gratitude:  

 http://beam.to/vote_for_operation_gratitude_on_facebook  

 Target Corporation donates $3 million each week to their communities.  In a clever Facebook campaign, Target has setup a challenge to Facebook users to vote for one of 10 charities.  The split of the votes will determine the portion of the $3 million that each organization gets. 

 Here are some suggested ways for businesses to participate, from the National Military Appreciation Month organization website: 

• Offer specials, incentives, and discounts to active and retired military ID Card holders.
• Offer special discounts to the public in honor of NMAM.
• Display the Flag and POW/MIA flag during May through June 14, Flag Day.
• Interview military personnel for in-house newsletters.
• Recognize veteran and/or active duty employees and their families.
• Offer bumper stickers, flags, pins and ribbons for employees and customers.
• Make use of Chamber of Commerce, city business committees, and organizations – get them to participate.
• Recite Pledge of Allegiance before meetings.
• Decorate with patriot themes.
• Luncheons to honor employed Guard, Reservists and Retirees.
• Use military themes during meetings.
• Display large banners at employee entrances to reflect pride and thanks for employees called to active duty.
• Place NMAM banners to your website, flyers newspaper ads and inserts (See links page).
• Contribute to the Armed Forces Children’s Education Fund, Inc.
• Contribute to FreedomPens.org
• Seek media recognition regarding your NMAM events – Let others know what you are doing.

National Military Appreciation Month (NMAM), as designated by Congress, provides a period encompassing both the history and recognition of our armed services with an in-depth look at the diversity of its individuals and achievements.  It allows Americans to educate each generation on the historical impact of our military through the participation of the community with those who serve encouraging patriotism and love for America.

 This month gives the nation a time and place on which to focus and draw attention to our many expressions of appreciation and recognition of our armed services via numerous venues and also to recall and learn about our fast American history.  

National Military Appreciation Month (May 2009) includes Loyalty Day (1st), VE Day(8th), Military Spouse Appreciation Day (8th), Armed Forces Day (16th), and Memorial Day (25th).  

This very important month honors, remembers, recognizes and appreciates all military personnel; those men and women who have served throughout our history and all who now serve in uniform and their families as well as those Americans who have given their lives in defense of our freedoms we all enjoy today.  

It recognizes those on active duty in all branches of the services, the National Guard and Reserves plus retirees, veterans, and all of their families - well over 90 million Americans and more than 230 years of our nation’s history.  Let us celebrate them just as we celebrate the other important entities that make up this wonderful country of ours.

Posted in social ventures, military, Linkedin, nonprofit, marketing | No Comments »

May 7, 2009 by Robert.

Here’s a shameless plug for two causes that I support.  If you’re in the Los Angeles area on May 29th, make a point of seeing Witt’s Daughter at the Fine Arts Theater in Beverly Hills.  The tickets are $10 online or at the door.  $2 of each ticket will be donated to Operation Gratitude, so bring a big group of friends!

A representative from Operation Gratitude OpGrat Founder & President Carolyn Blashek will address the audience and give an update on the 2009 fundraising, care-package,  and letter-writing effort.

Cpl. Lex McMahon will MC, and lead Q&A afterward with the cast and crew.

Operation Gratitude is the nonprofit, all-volunteer organization that sends care packages and letters of support to troops deployed overseas. Its mission is to lift morale, put a smile on a service member’s face and express the appreciation of the American people for the sacrifices of the men and women defending our freedom. 

Posted in military, Linkedin, philanthropy | 2 Comments »