I may have pointed this out earlier, but Peter is spot-on in terms of the need to change the culture.<br><br>Here in NM, state employees are forbidden to use the internet for shopping. A good idea, our legislatures would say. Oh, how about the fact that state employees can't go to office supply stores to compare the price the state is paying for anything like office chairs or printer paper to whatever the state contract calls for?<br>
<br>Oh that even though the state wants to promote agriculture -- including wine makers and chili growers -- state employees use the I-net to view, or connect to, things like the Wine and Chili Festival because, gasp, "That is alcohol-related."<br>
<br>-tj<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Sat, Mar 22, 2008 at 11:49 PM, peter <<a href="mailto:pete@ideapete.com">pete@ideapete.com</a>> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<div bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000">
<small><font face="Verdana">Agreed they are a critical part, but to get
municipalities to understand the fact that to really use any form of
digital technology fully, you need to radically change the way you
operate and do business, well ?? does anyone know of any government
department that understands this and is even trying<br>
<br>
In NM the state and local government is spending a fortune on all sorts
of different protocol and web technology but the oxymoron pops up when
you see that the states AG is trying to make EMAIL an official method
of communication and there are a heck of a lot of government employees
who disagree with him<br>
<br>
( : ( : pete</font></small><br>
<div>
<div>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: maroon;">Peter
Baston</span></p>
<p><b><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: maroon;">IDEAS</span></b></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: maroon;"><a href="http://www.ideapete.com/" target="_blank"><i><span style="font-family: Arial;">www.ideapete.com</span></i></a></span></p>
<br>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
</div>
</div>
<br>
<br>
Richard Lowenberg wrote:
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre>There are a growing number of articles and studies coming out on the failures
and downturns of evermore wifi companies and municipal/regional networking
projects. A lot of lessons being learned. Wireless networks are a critical
part of our developing networked society. Getting the local-global social
model and the economic model to overlay neatly is a necessary, but not an easy
task. Sasha Meinrath's good works and understandings deserve attention.
rl
Hopes for Wireless Cities Fade as Internet Providers Pull Out
By IAN URBINA
Published: March 22, 2008
Excerpt:
"He said that true municipal networks, the ones that are owned and
operated by municipalities, were far more sustainable because they
could take into account benefits that help cities beyond private
profit, including property-value increases, education benefits and
quality-of-life improvements that come with offering residents free
wireless access.
Mr. Meinrath pointed to St. Cloud, Fla., which spent $3 million two
years ago to build a free wireless network that is used by more than
70 percent of the households in the city."
...
In Minneapolis, the Internet service provider agreed to build the
network as long as the city committed to becoming an "anchor tenant"
by subscribing for a minimum number of city workers, like building
inspectors, meter readers, police officers and firefighters.
This type of plan is more viable, according to market analysts and
city officials, because the companies paying to mount the routers and
run the service are guaranteed a base number of subscribers to cover
the cost of their investment.
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/22/us/22wireless.html?pagewanted=1" target="_blank">http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/22/us/22wireless.html?pagewanted=1</a>
----- End forwarded message -----
Richard Lowenberg
1st-Mile Institute
P.O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504
505-989-9110; 505-603-5200 cell
<a href="mailto:rl@1st-mile.com" target="_blank">rl@1st-mile.com</a> <a href="http://www.1st-mile.com" target="_blank">www.1st-mile.com</a>
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</pre>
</blockquote>
</div>
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<br></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>==========================================<br>J. T. Johnson<br>Institute for Analytic Journalism -- Santa Fe, NM USA<br><a href="http://www.analyticjournalism.com">www.analyticjournalism.com</a><br>
505.577.6482(c) 505.473.9646(h)<br><a href="http://www.jtjohnson.com">http://www.jtjohnson.com</a> <a href="mailto:tom@jtjohnson.com">tom@jtjohnson.com</a><br><br>"You never change things by fighting the existing reality. <br>
To change something, build a new model that makes the <br>existing model obsolete."<br> -- Buckminster Fuller<br>==========================================