Category Archives: Raleigh

An NC State Sports Trifecta

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ncstate_22 On the weekend of November 2-3, the family enjoyed a trifecta of NC States sports. We started out with football game against rival UNC Chapel Hill. Then we headed over to the PNC Arena for an exhibition game the basketball team was playing. Finally, on Sunday, it was a trip out to the ballpark.

It was a beautiful fall Saturday with a chilly morning and a 12:30 kickoff time. Michaela and David Huff joined us for the game. Jim also joined the family. The tailgate scene was off the chains with Carolina in town. There’s something about the tailgate that draws you in. The sights, the smells, the anticipation. Whatever that is, it was in the air at Carter Finley stadium this past weekend. Continue reading →

Raleigh CIO Gail Roper Visits the Code for Raleigh Brigade

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cfa_brigadeOn Thursday, October 3, a small group of civic geeks gathered at the Raleigh Public Record space at the AJ Fletcher Foundation to host a conversation with the City of Raleigh CIO, Gail Roper during our monthly Code for Raleigh meet-up. She has just over 20 years of experience as a CIO, with past roles at Austin TX, Kansas City, MO, and now Raleigh, NC. Roper’s passion is around digital connectivity, inclusion, and how those factors impact lives. She also believes that access to information can change a persons view on things. Roper’s goal for the City of Raleigh is to not just be the most wired city, but to be the most connected city. Continue reading →

In the News, Sporting my Red Hat

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Image courtesy of Russ Stephenson

Image courtesy of Russ Stephenson

“Raleigh is a great place to call home” said Jim Whitehurst, CEO of Red Hat. Whitehurst led off as dignitaries from all levels of North Carolina government spoke at the ribbon cutting ceremony held at Red Hat Tower on Monday, June 24, 2013.

Governor Pat McCory thanked Red Hat for their commitment to the urban core. Chairman of the Wake County Commissioners, Joe Bryan, highlighted the need for a grocery story in downtown Raleigh. After talking with a few Red Hat associates who live near downtown, Bryan took the opportunity to talk about improving the quality of life for downtown to attract more companies like Red Hat. Continue reading →

Now available on Lulu and Amazon: The foundation for an open source city

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Open Source City stickerIt’s time for another update from my recently self-published book, The foundation for an open source city. First, an excerpt from Chapter one, a section called “The five elements of an open source city” which is the essence of the book and the framework for how to start an open government movement in your city. Then, a brief update on how sales of the book are going and a chance for you to add your review.

The five elements of an open source city

How can you apply the concepts of open source to a living, breathing city? An open source city is a blend of open culture, open government policies, and economic development. Continue reading →

When citizens get angry

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ncga_sunsetSomething is wrong when you begin to lose trust in your government. While we all may not agree with everything that happens at various levels of the bodies we vote to represent and govern us, when the bond of trust comes into question, people get angry. I’m angry at the North Carolina General Assembly (NCGA). Continue reading →

Open source city campaign update

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Open Source CityWith 22 days left to go in the “Open source all the cities” campaign, we’re 94% of the way there with 73 funders. I’m very excited and thankful for all the support. I think we can get to 100 funders before the campaign is over. Can you help me get 27 more funders?

It’s been great to see supportive blog posts from folks like Anthony Pompliano, an entrepreneur in Raleigh interested in improving education, and Luke Fretwell from GovFresh saying, Continue reading →

Open source all the cities – Indiegogo crowdfunding launch

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Cover design option 2My book, The foundation for an open source city, is in the final stages of completion. I’m very excited. I know many of you have been eager to read the book and get your hands on a copy. And lucky for you, I’ve got a great way to reserve your copy before I release it to the general public.

I decided to launch an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign (think Kickstarter, but cooler, and much more inline with the open source philosophy). My goal is to raise $3000 to get the first 500 copies of my book printed. I plan on self-publishing through Lulu.com, Raleigh’s goto open source publisher! Continue reading →

Writing a book about Raleigh being an open source city

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It’s about time to come out of hibernation mode and come out swinging for 2013. I’ve been quiet the last two weeks. Red Hat had their annual holiday shut down from December 24 to January 1 and I decided to extend that until January 3. I head back to the office this Friday.

Over the last two weeks, I spent some time with the family, did a lot of running (I made my goal of running 1,000 miles in 2012), and I played a little too much Skylanders Giants.

Before the break, I was contemplating writing a book about the open government movement in Raleigh with a focus on the characteristics of an open source city. I jotted down a few title ideas and drafted an outline in early December one Saturday morning. And I sat on that for a week or two. Letting the idea marinate. Continue reading →

How we spent Thanksgiving 2012

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Skinny TurkeyOur Thanksgiving break started off hectic—is there any other way? For me, it started off on a chilly morning running the hills of Wakefield (North Raleigh). I was running the Skinny Turkey half marathon. It was my third half marathon of November after running the City of Oaks and the Outer Banks.

The race started at 7:30 am and it was a 30 minute drive from the house to Wakefield High School, where the race started and finished. I was awake early, around 6:00 am, leaving the house by 6:45 am. I decided to run in long sleeves because it was below 40° and a bit breezy. The course was hilly but manageable. I was expecting a decent time and was happy with the 1 hour 44 minute and 14 second finish. Continue reading →