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"the tech is mostly out there but no one is bringing it together to really reshape communities and help spread information" I beg to differ! :-) That's exactly

by adrianh 18y ago

"the tech is mostly out there but no one is bringing it together to really reshape communities and help spread information" I beg to differ! :-) That's exactly what we're doing at EveryBlock.com. We do the work of bringing together news and a whole lot of public data for public benefit.

johngeraci 18y ago
Yep, Everyblock is doing exactly that, and I commend you all for your work on that. What DIYcity is trying to do is spur more and more projects along these lines to happen - we want to sow the seeds of 1000 Everyblocks. We're doing that by providing a community where people all over the world can exchange ideas on how best to do this, collaborate, and find support for their ideas and their applications. That may not be worthwhile to you per se, but 500 people in 50 cities around the world think it's useful.
aditya 18y ago
you're right - but where is the EveryBlock API so we can use all that awesome data to actually create interesting mashups that will make life easier? :) In general, I agree with john, the more open-ness and access, the better it will be for everyone involved.
- adrianh 18y ago
  Hey aditya, I was responding specifically to your confident assertion that "no one is bringing it together," which is a bit of a stretch, in fairness to the many projects that already exist. Lots of people are doing this sort of thing, both at the local level and national level: EveryBlock, the Sunlight Foundation, MySociety in the UK, independent one-off projects...
  - aditya 18y ago
    yeah -- didn't mean to underplay what all these people have been doing, it isn't an easy problem to solve (possibly why you're all working on it, right? :) The point I was trying to make was, the data is out there (especially with Twitter) - if you're an interested hacker and you understand your unique local problems, why not figure out a way to build the tools that will help your community based on all the public data sources available, as opposed to waiting for EveryBlock (or anybody else) to expand their coverage. I'm sure you've thought about the problem more than I have but de-centralization and encouraging communities to build their own tools seems like a much better longer term model, no?

by adrianh 18y ago

johngeraci 18y ago

Yep, Everyblock is doing exactly that, and I commend you all for your work on that. What DIYcity is trying to do is spur more and more projects along these lines to happen - we want to sow the seeds of 1000 Everyblocks. We're doing that by providing a community where people all over the world can exchange ideas on how best to do this, collaborate, and find support for their ideas and their applications. That may not be worthwhile to you per se, but 500 people in 50 cities around the world think it's useful.

aditya 18y ago

you're right - but where is the EveryBlock API so we can use all that awesome data to actually create interesting mashups that will make life easier? :) In general, I agree with john, the more open-ness and access, the better it will be for everyone involved.

adrianh 18y ago
Hey aditya, I was responding specifically to your confident assertion that "no one is bringing it together," which is a bit of a stretch, in fairness to the many projects that already exist. Lots of people are doing this sort of thing, both at the local level and national level: EveryBlock, the Sunlight Foundation, MySociety in the UK, independent one-off projects...
- aditya 18y ago
  yeah -- didn't mean to underplay what all these people have been doing, it isn't an easy problem to solve (possibly why you're all working on it, right? :) The point I was trying to make was, the data is out there (especially with Twitter) - if you're an interested hacker and you understand your unique local problems, why not figure out a way to build the tools that will help your community based on all the public data sources available, as opposed to waiting for EveryBlock (or anybody else) to expand their coverage. I'm sure you've thought about the problem more than I have but de-centralization and encouraging communities to build their own tools seems like a much better longer term model, no?