Alan Gutierrez

The Wiki is taking off now. The Neighborhoods Planning Network has used it as a collaborative writing environment, as has the Mid-City Neighborhood Organization. There are a lot of new links and articles. Nonprofts are eager to contribute their material to the Wiki.

For those who do not know, nor care what a Wiki is, I’m telling people that it is a a web site maintained by volunteers, rather than saying that it is a web site that anyone can edit. The former is more true than the latter, since I do block people that add Wiki spam.

I would like to see the Wiki become the center of research projects, community lead, community driven, that seek to answer questions of governence and development. Wiki articles are going have a footer of next actions and unanswered questions. If the answers do not arrive, a Wiki volunteer is encouraged to call or email sources with the information.

I’m going to announce new Wiki articles as they arrive at the Think New Orleans weblog.

The Unified New Orleans Plan web site. Click on any page and you will see the front page. People are flustered by this. There is no there there. It’s day 329. Well, it’s not the only web site that is empty around these parts.

I’m pleased, actually. They got one thing big thing right.

I’m pleased to see that the content of the UNOP will be released under the Creative Commons. There is a link to the Creative Commons license they chose. This is the only web site in New Orleans that I know of that has made this decision. The Creative Commons license tells you exactly how you can share the information.

We get a lot of email from lawyers, to our mailing lists, with stupid email disclaimers. They think they are sharing information? These disclaimers do not apply to me, of course, because I have my own disclaimer.

What ever they post at UNOP, it will be more accessible than anything posted almost anywhere else in New Orleans civic web sites.

Tomorrow morning in the early morning, I’m off to Santa Fe, New Mexico for a public meeting of the EAC, a discussion of ballot design and polling place signage. Most notably there will be discussion of the recent Orleans Parish election and the effect of Katrina on the adminstration of the election. Mark Folse has provided me with some local opinion to consider while I consider the research presentted at this confab.

The Geek Dinner is on Friday. We’ve got so many people saying they’ll be here. Someone please tell me that the Stormhoek wine is on its way!

I’m going to Santa Fe for another Think New Orleans related information thing, while at the same time Ann Arbor blogger David Bardallis will be visiting me from Ann Arbor. David had planned this trip for some time, but mine is on short notice. I need help! Can someone help me fetch David from the airport? Who wants to show him around town while I’m away. (I’ll be back for the Geek Dinner, of course.)

Dave Coustan sent it my way. Not sure what this is about. I’m sure that some of my media friends can light the way.

Who is Quintron and Miss Pussy Cat and when you read this [interview with Mr. Quintron], how does it make you feel? (Since I’ve not yet read it yet myself.) Update: Oyster has pleanty of information about Quintron and Miss Pussycat.

You are all invited to the New Orleans Geek Dinner at 910 Esplande at 7:00 pm on Friday, July 14th, 2006. Wine from Stormhoek. Please contact myself, Maitri or Morwen to let us know you are going to show. Bring food, as this is a Potluck. Vince Keean from the Publius Foundation has come all the way from Detroit. Dave from Suds and Soliloquies will be there.

It’s true. MacBooks discolor easily. I noticed that mine looked nasty sometime over the weekend.