On Sunday, June 30 we continued to dodge the spotty, crazy weather here in North Carolina. I don’t remember ever having this much rain to start off the summer. We tried to get to the beach early today, before the rain came through. Lucky for me, I scored a few waves during low tide. Continue reading
Surf check at First Street
We arrived on the Outer Banks on Friday, June 28, after a three hour drive from Raleigh. We unpacked the Jeep, settled in, and watched a nasty round of evening storms pass through.
On Saturday morning, we were eager to hit the beach, but the weather was not cooperating. When I woke up at 6:30am, it was raining, so I rolled over and went back to sleep. As the rest of the family got their day started, Zander and I went up to NY Bagel to grab some breakfast for everyone. After that, we started making plans for the day, trying to anticipate what the weather would do and plan around it. Continue reading
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
On July 2, 2010, the photo voltaic system installed on our roof by Southern Energy Management that included 18 solar panels was turned on. We finally started generating renewable energy. I looked at the project as a long-term investment, not a quick way to make money. But overall, the right thing to do for the environment.
I was inspired by Thomas S. Friedman’s Hot Flat and Crowded. In the book, he says that there should be solar panels on every rooftop in America. So we found a great company to partner with and we did our part. Not quite an early adopter, but jumping on the bandwagon.
I get a lot of questions about how much the system costs and how it works. It seems like a good time to share this information (as I’ve been meaning to for a long time). Plus, I saw a post that June was solar energy month in NC and decided to share our story. Continue reading
It’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.
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
And I’m published! This is it folks. After months of hard work and a longer than anticipated editing process, you can get your official copy of my book, The foundation for an open source city, at Lulu.com.
It tells the story about how Raleigh became an open source city and showcases the open source culture, government policies, and economic development in Raleigh. Beyond that, this book acts as a guide for other cities to pursue their open source city brand.
I will publish the eCopy version later this week after a few minor changes, then I’ll be investigating how I can add both the paper back and epub versions to Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Continue reading
Image credits opensource.com
I gave the latest iteration of my “Open source all the cities talk” (slides) at BarCampRDU on Saturday May 18, 2013. When I got to my slide on how to get involved, someone in the room asked me if this was posted on the web. And I was like….no, but that’s a great idea.
There are a number of events or ways you can make our local government in the Triangle region more transparent, enhance citizen participation, or improve collaboration between citizens and government or regionally between municipalities. Here are a few events coming up and some other ways to get started. Continue reading
If you are interested in getting an early, signed copy of my book, The foundation for an open source city, now is your chance. I’ll still honor the $20, $35, $60, and $120 options from my “Open source all the cities” IndieGoGo campaign through May 15, 2013. while supplies last. (updated May 19, 2013) Continue reading
The foundation for an open source city book is done. I’m waiting on the latest print copy to review before the big order. Until then…we’re getting ready for the launch party. It’s a few weeks away and I’m getting very excited! Merri Beth is using Shutterfly to create the invitations. And it’s about time we “Open source all the cities.” Continue reading
On Thursday, April 11, I gave a talk called “Open source all the cities” at the monthly meeting of the Triangle Linux User Group (TriLUG). The presentation is a look at the open government movement in Raleigh, a preview for my book The Foundation for an Open Source City, and a overview of the different apps and platforms the City of Raleigh has deployed in the Open Raleigh portal. Continue reading