Authority and the “Civil Contract” of Palestinian Photography

The following is part of a series of short posts on photographic practice in Palestine. In the fall of 2014, Al-Azza’s work was exhibited at Tufts University, an event facilitated by Amahl Bishara and her students, a few of whom are featured here in the series. Though focused on the work of Mohammad Al-Azza, the posts speak to the broader situation of artistic practice in Palestine and its effective censorship under the ongoing occupation, but also to questions of intimacy and the public role of photography in the context of conflict

Civic Hackers’ User Experiences and Expectations of Seattle’s Open Municipal Data Program

This study examines the challenges and the expectations that civic hackers bring to the use of open government data, building on Gurstein’s theory of barriers to effective use. Civic hackers are hobbyists who use open government data for social good applications. Drawing on individual interviews and a focus group with fifteen total civic hackers in Seattle, Washington, we synthesize findings on their experiences using open government data, including their expectations for the kinds of data formats, metadata, API functionality, and datasets that should be provided on the city’s open data portal. Respondents report challenges using the data, including low data availability, outdated datasets, limited API functions, proprietary formats, lack of metadata, and untidy datasets. These acted as barriers to their effective use of open data. Respondents expect higher quality data and more usable data portal functionality, in part because of their professional experience in the technology sector. In our discussion, we examine the organizational structure of the open data program, and the constraints it poses for the achievement of respondent expectations. Our analysis points to a demand for an additional, third party civic institution (like a local newspaper) to host cleaned data for wider use.

Michael Young

Young was on Myers\u27 search committee and the two following. Young began collecting after Myers\u27 death and may have been influenced by Myers\u27 example. Young recalls the so-called U-Haul collection from the Corn Belt library system and a discussion with Myers about their potential value for IWU. He speculates how Myers would have felt about IWU\u27s library changes. Young shares his opinions about libraries and disagrees with how Myers\u27 collection was dispersed. Young recalls asking Myers to keep an eye out for a specific set Young was interested in; Myers called him about a year later when he spotted it in a local store. He tells a story of wanting to acquire a book from the auction that Myers once loaned him and how he couldn\u27t buy the lot then but that he was eventually given a chance to buy it later. Young tells a stiry of a student researcher that Myers loaned books to (see also Sarah Vales Florentine interview). The interview concludes with several observation about Myers\u27 and other presidents\u27 leadership and personal characteristics over the time he\u27s been at IWU

An Exploration of the Best Practices for Securing Contractual Helpdesk Services

Contractual Helpdesk Services, which include offering customer service to consumers who have an issue, problem or concern, is a growing industry. For smaller companies outsourcing helpdesk services is becoming more and more popular as there are many technical aspects and high investment costs required to develop the infrastructure needed to support these services. Contracting Helpdesk Services alleviates smaller companies from being concerned with technical issues, doing research on the value proposition of emerging products or services, and in some cases even alleviates the need for hiring additional staff to take customer support calls. This paper explores best practices companies should consider when contracting for the services of a call center environment. The Contractual Helpdesk Service has evolved from just a Business to Consumer model to a Business to Business model via affiliation

A Decision Model For Contracting Helpdesk Services

Contractual helpdesk services, also known as call center outsourcing is a growing industry. Helpdesk solutions, which offer customer service to consumers who have an issue, problem or concern, are an integral part of many organizations\u27 wider service function. For smaller companies, outsourcing helpdesk services is becoming more and more popular given the technical expertise and high investment costs required to develop, implement and maintain the infrastructure needed to support these services. Contracting for helpdesk services helps to alleviate smaller companies from concerns with technical issues, retaining employees dedicated to continuous research on the value proposition of emerging products or services, and in some cases, the need for hiring additional staff. While the basic principles for negotiating an outsourcing contract apply, this paper explores the special considerations pertinent to contracting helpdesk services. These include determining an optimal solution by mapping business requirements to specific call center resource options, determining the optimal call routing structure given budgetary considerations and understanding technical problems associated with the call center environment and developing a satisficing plan to address problems should they occur. As the technologies, including telecommunications and call routing options, that form the basis of helpdesk services evolve, so does the importance of helpdesk services as they move from cost centers to profit generating ventures

Diverse Voices: A How-To Guide for Facilitating Inclusiveness in Tech Policy

The importance of creating inclusive policy cannot be overstated. In response to this challenge, the UW Tech Policy Lab (TPL) developed the Diverse Voices method in 2015. The method uses short, targeted conversations about emerging technology with “experiential experts” from under-represented groups to provide feedback on draft tech policy documents. This process works to increase the likelihood that the language in the finalized tech policy document addresses the perspectives and circumstances of broader groups of people— ideally averting injustice and exclusion.https://digitalcommons.law.uw.edu/techlab/1022/thumbnail.jp

Final Report from the Models for Change Evaluation

Note: This evaluation is accompanied by an evaluation of the National Campaign for this initiative as well as introduction to the evaluation effort by MacArthur's President, Julia Stasch, and a response to the evaluation from the program team. Access these related materials here (https://www.macfound.org/press/grantee-publications/evaluation-models-change-initiative).Models for Change is an initiative of The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundationto accelerate juvenile justice reforms and promote fairer, more effective, and more developmentally appropriate juvenile justice systems throughout the United States. Between 2004 and 2014, the Foundation invested more than $121 million in the initiative, intending to create sustainable and replicable models of systems reform.In June 2013, the Foundation partnered with Mathematica Policy Research and the University of Maryland to design and conduct a retrospective evaluation of Models for Change. The evaluation focused on the core state strategy, the action network strategy, and the national context in which Models for Change played out. This report is a digest and synthesis of several technical reports prepared as part of the evaluation