Tech Policy

Mapping Crime in Chicago

For a glimpse of the amazing things you can do with public information and Google maps, check out chicagocrime.org.  I read about it on worldchanging.com (Simming the City) this week.  A couple of programmers took a city crime database and linked it to Google maps so that users can create maps of crimes.  For example, you can create a map of all the crimes reported on March 2, 2005 at 2 p.m.  (Let's just say that was not the best time to be wandering around Chicago)

This use of mapping technology ties into one of the early conversations on this blog about using maps and Internet applications to get information from commuters about where road work is needed.   It is a great way to get information out of databases and into the minds of the public.

Now, if we can just figure out a good way to link Google maps to E-Grid?

May the Farm be with You

This is really funny, via Kos.

Update on Climate Change Search Statistics

It has been some time since our last Update on Climate Change Search Statistics. There is a difference in the chart this time! Until this month, I was not including Global Warming on the chart, because it was overshadowing all other results by a factor of four or five. This time, however, I get to include the trend on global warming because searches for the term "hybrid car" overshot searches for "global warming" in April'05 as per overture. So, here you have it, the  effect of a  Two Plus dollar a gas on our search statistics!

 

P.S. Overture screwed up in March, and would not allow me to track the February results, so I have assumed the same numbers from January 2005 for February 2005.

Google on the Dark Side?

I knew that google was becoming a portal sooner or later, given it's acquisitions of several other entities including blogger, but when the actual prospect of a Google Home Page looking like this, is quite disturbing. I am also getting increasingly concerned about the amount of data and information that Google tracks already. Is Google's mask coming off? What do you think?

The Huffington Post

Saheli* points out that The Huffington Post has got off the ground. Indeed an impressive line up. It will be interesting to see where this goes. Who is paying for this, btw?

Inaugural address by Susan Hockfield

In her inaugural address, MIT's new President Susan Hockfield highlighted two areas where MIT can contribute greatly. First is the convergence of Engineering and Life Sciences:

Combining our historic strength in engineering and our newer strengths in biology and the brain and cognitive sciences, we are already opening unprecedented opportunities for educational innovation, invention and discovery. Geographically and intellectually, we are bringing together our computer scientists and life scientists, our linguists, philosophers and engineers. And we are already seeing a torrent of new collaborations, insights and results.

Second area is Energy and the Environment, some thing that TechPolicy writers take very seriously.

Tackling the problems that energy and the environment present will require contributions from all of our departments and schools. Many MIT faculty are working already on new routes to renewable and sustainable energy. We need to advance this scientific and engineering work, while focusing our efforts and magnifying their impact, through our world-class expertise in economics, architecture and urban planning, political science and management.

To this end, we have begun working with the faculty to develop a major new Institute-wide initiative on energy. This initiative will foster new research in science and technology aimed at increasing the energy supply and bringing scientists, engineers and social scientists together to envision the best energy policies for the future.

More information on the inauguration can be found here.

U.K. to go Nuclear Power Route?

Last month I was told by one of my good contacts in UK, that after the May elections, Tony Blair was planning on pushing for nuclear power in UK. This would be, he said, Tony Blair's big, bold stand on how to proceed on climate change issue in UK. David Altig reports today on Macroblog about a Telegraph article speculating on this. David also points that this weeks discussion on Becker-Posner blog is about Nuclear power. I am sure that they will talk about many issues we have discussed here previously.