Boston To Make US 2024 Summer Olympic Bid
As a New Englander, Concordian and person who was born in the great city of Boston, I could not be more proud today.
Boston was selected by the US Olympic Committee to be America’s host-city nomination for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
The city of Los Angeles was favored. Some even thought of San Francisco as the sexy pick. I am willing to bet that there were many in the DMV that thought Washington, DC had a chance.
It was not to be.
The city of Boston, with its history, infrastructure, scores of colleges and universities, and brilliant, hard-working people who are about as fanatical about sports as any in the world, won out.
Developer John Smith, who has spearheaded the effort to bring the Olympics to Boston said, “A Boston Games can be one of the most innovative, sustainable and exciting in history and will inspire the next generation of leaders here and around the world.”
I believe he is right.
There are opponents to the Olympic games being hosted in Boston. Chris Dempsey and Liam Kerr, co-chairmen of the No Boston Olympics committee, and sports writers like Gordon Edes, will have their say. And if you’ve ever followed Boston or Massachusetts state politics, you know that no major infrastructure project goes as planned, under budget and without casualties to the justice system.
But even though I know of the past, I am still excited to see my home city be selected to represent America’s bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics. The Olympics will not make Boston great or elevate it to a world-class city. We already are a world-class city. I think winning the Olympics will be a gift to the athletes and people from all over the world that no other city can replicate the way Boston can deliver.
- Published in Upcoming Events
Top 5 Ways timeRAZOR Is NOT Like A North Korean Missile Launch
North Korea, the clandestine and isolated regime located in between China and South Korea, has one thing in common with timeRAZOR: Neither give in when it comes to a launch!
Of course, North Korea launched a long-range missile to try and put a satellite into orbit (so they say), whereas timeRAZOR launched a “Never Miss Out” application designed to cure people’s FOMO (fear of missing out), satisfy the craving behind YOLO (you only live once), and make everyone as famous as J-LO. Well… Maybe not the last part…
So, even though they are both incredibly focused, driven, and don’t take “NO” for an answer when their leadership teams want to do something, here are the top 5 ways timeRAZOR is NOT like a North Korean missile launch.
5. timeRAZOR’s product did not break apart and plunge into the ocean a few minutes after launch.
4. timeRAZOR has established powerful business partnerships with companies to fill its app with exclusive offers. In fact, timeRAZOR wants to expand their relationships with major brands (click here for brand info). North Korean missile launches? Not so much.
3. timeRAZOR has the largest aggregated database of events, sports, entertainment and nightlife activities in the country, so they can always find something to do. North Korean missile launches come only once every few years, and its pretty much an invitation only event.
2. North Korean missile launches do not come with real-time traffic alerts that tell you when you need to leave so you won’t be late and miss out.
And the number 1 way timeRAZOR is NOT like a North Korean Missile Launch…
1. timeRAZOR fans are excited when timeRAZOR sends them interesting events close to where they live, work and plan to be – so it is easy for them to discover new things to do. And let’s face it… Nobody in the world wants North Korea to send them a missile.
Key takeaways – Get the free timeRAZOR app now for your iPhone and Android and avoid the North Korean missile.
- Published in Start-Ups, Upcoming Events
Dear Yahoo: I Am Terminating My Account
Dear Yahoo!,
I have decided to terminate my account with you.
I’d like to tell you it’s not you – it’s me… And that it’s nothing personal… But… It IS you and it IS personal.
You don’t meet my needs, and have not for a long time. You are a sub-par technological redundancy in my life.
Good luck. I hope you find a way to make someone else happy, and provide services and technology that enhance their productivity.
Sincerely,
Michael Hackmer
- Published in Upcoming Events
Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA) To Showcase Research and Technology Innovators on April 26th
I received an email from Darcy Kohn at Ripple Communications informing me that the Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA), ODNI and government agencies in the intelligence community, are seeking presentations highlighting the latest research and technology that can best benefit agencies involved in national security.
Presentations are conducted before a panel of “75 government scientists and technologists, selected by the ODNI.”
The event, known as the “Innovators’ Showcase,” will take place on April 26th, but abstracts are due Monday, March 19th. Per Darcy, “the Showcase offers industry leaders to gather and share classified projects and technologies with their peers and government agencies and the tangible benefits for national defense and homeland security efforts.”
For more information, visit INSA’s website at: www.insaonline.org.
- Published in Conferences, Events And Contests, Upcoming Events
timeRAZOR Building Toward Launch
timeRAZOR, a new concept being developed by Blue Canopy and mysbx / GovWin founder Jeff White (@Jeff_White1347) and SEO / online marketing expert Victoria Clark (@NotVicki), is building towards a launch. While I am under a total information lock-down, an early glimpse of what is in the works is extremely exciting.
One way to get an early scoop of what timeRAZOR is all about (apart from reading news updates in this space) is to sign up at: http://timerazor.com/s37jv.
You also can stay informed about the company through their daily tweets @time_Razor.
- Published in Start-Ups, Upcoming Events
What is Gov 2.0
I was reading a post from Bill Brantley on GovLoop where he asks “What is the ‘it’ in Gov 2.0?”.
I thought it was an interesting question, and I wanted to include here in GovWin.com. Much like “cloud computing” and other topics, people often do not have a clear explanation for what some of these new technologies and terms really mean.
So, what is Gov 2.0 mean to a government contractor? What does it mean to the government?
Is it all about data? Engagement? Social Media?
In my opinion, Gov 2.0 is about improving interaction and communication. More specifically, it is a mindset – a dedication to using technology to deliver more specialization to a customer / constituent base.
So, yes, conversation is key, because you cannot improve how someone interacts online (either with people or data) without a conversation.
Engagement is crucial to Gov 2.0. And the data or resource is another essential component.
But in my book, they all fall under that desire to use technology to deliver a service or solution that meets what the customer says they want.
- Published in Gov 2.0, Upcoming Events
Gov 2.0 Enters Next Phase: Opportunities and Action
This post originally appears in the govWin.com blog section at: http://govwin.com/node/73572
The 2010 Gov 2.0 Summit in Washington, DC, brought together a high-caliber collection of thought leaders from the federal government, tech industry, SIs, the business community and others.
The conference’s overarching theme was that it is not enough for the government to simply unleash stagnant or trapped data to the masses, but rather harnessing the power of technology to improve and transform what government already does.
Here is a breakdown of some of the key points that were delivered at Gov 2.0:
@Carl Malamud, Founder and President of Public.Resource.Org, identified several examples of IT waste, including instances in which data was actually being transported by car instead of shared electronically. Malamud sees a need for bulk data standards and a serious “national scanning initiative” to digitize data. Malamud had perhaps the line of the conference when he said, “If we can put a man on the moon, surely we can launch the @LibraryCongress into cyberspace.”
@Ellen Miller of the Sunlight Foundation talked about how Gov 2.0 is not just about unlocking data. Otherwise, the government spends time and resources releasing census information on wild horses instead of mining safety reports. The key is for government to focus on releasing data that improves its ability to be critically assessed and improve efficiency. Lastly, Miller stressed the need for citizens to be engaged to help make #gov20 a reality.
Living up to the ideal of transforming government, Todd Park, CTO of Health and Human Service (HHS), discussed his department’s efforts to open data, including its support for
Health2Challenge and HHS’ implementation of the “blue button initiative” which will allow VA and Medicare recipients to download health data from medical providers and hospitals.
Todd Park, CTO, HHS, talks with Tim O’Reilly about how he was persuaded to work in government.
@TimOReilly moderated a session between Aneesh Chopra, Federal Chief Technology Officer of the United States and Vivek Kundra, Chief Information Officer of the United States. Chopra talked about how the government has an infrastructure challenge to satisfy the growth of mobile technology, and the need to double spectrum as part of the solution. Kundra talked about cloud computing and the need to “speed up the democratization of data.” Both proudly unveiled the launch of challenge.gov, an open contest forum for citizens to develop solutions to various government challenges.
BrightScope’s @mikealfred presented one of the most compelling cases on how a persistent pursuit of government data can fuel an innovative business model. By obtaining
data from the Department of Labor, SEC, Census Bureau, EEOC and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, BrightScope is able to provide 401K ratings and financial intelligence, which leads to greater efficiency in the 401K plan market.
On the whole, Gov 2.0 seems to be evolving. The consensus from the sessions and discussions with attendees like David Stephenson (@Data4All), Jack Dangermond @ESRI and others was that Gov 2.0 is now more about identifying opportunities, being innovative when tackling challenges and taking action.
For a complete Twitter stream of the event, click here – www.govwin.com/gov20-summit.
For the latest tweets on #g2s click here.
- Published in Gov 2.0, GovCon, Start-Ups, Upcoming Events
Live Blog, Twitter Feed and Pictures – Gov 2.0 Summit – Washington, DC
govWin’s team attended the
Gov 2.0 Summit, September 7-8,
at the Grand Hyatt in Washington,
DC.
Gov 2.0 brought together innovators from government and the private sector to
highlight technology and ideas that can be applied to the nation’s great
challenges. The Summit featured discussion in areas such as education,
health care, jobs as well as social media, cloud computing and mobile
technologies.
Below is a replay of tweets and comments made throughout the Gov 2.0 Summit, as well as a collection of pictures from the event. If you did not attend the event, this is an excellent way to get a snapshot of the event, and many of the key issues and thoughts presented over the two-days.
For more information on what is impacting the government community, follow us on Twitter:
@govWinTeam. Questions? @ or DM us
through Twitter.
- Published in Conferences, Events And Contests, Gov 2.0, GovCon, Upcoming Events
