Mayor Landwehr's Blog

To Tweet, or Not To Tweet

Our office is 100' from the Governor Hotel, site of the possible hostage event that looked very real this morning, but later turned out to be a non-event. The SWAT team was getting dressed out and armed right outside our window. Very tempting to Twitter a photo of all the armament. Good idea? What if the bad guy is on the Internet and sees what the good guys are up to? I decided to upload just a bland shot of a police car blocking traffic, and not the shot shown below.

Here in "Mayberry," it was a mini-lesson in how, and how fast, news is getting pushed out. It's also a time to consider thniking twice about what, and when, we post information for the world to see.

Maybe it's not just a fad.

If you're in business, politics, medicine, education . . . in fact, if you're breathing on your own . . . the information sharing and policy-making force of the Internet is not going away like 8 track tapes and bell bottoms. I was invited to help with a panel for the Missouri Municipal League annual meeting next week. This clip is at the beginning to get the audience "oriented."  It's a little unsettling.

I Stream, UStream, We All Stream for More Access

Local government is stumbling into the future and it feels good. Anyone with an Internet connection can now see City Council meetings by clicking a button on the city's web page.  At this point we are just posting meetings the following day. We are close to streaming LIVE. Pats on the back to IT Director Bill Betts and JCTV's Dan Yaeger for helping with the project.

The cost of this huge technical advancement? Less than $500.00.  We stream them on UStream.com

Here's the link:  http://www.jeffcitymo.org/council/streamingvideos.html

Embarq Announces Digital TV Service Coming 7-31

City staff announced tonight that there will be second digital cable TV provider in the community very soon. Embarq will be providing competition to Mediacom by the end of the month.  It will be available only in neighborhoods that have DSL capability (but you will not have to use DSL to get the TV signal). Details will be announced at the August 3 City Council meeting. The signal will include the Public Access Channel (JCTV) where city council meetings are broadcast live. No information yet on what the service will cost. 

Having some competition is good. On a broader level, it is clear that technology in the near future will make the box in your house not just where you watch Desperate Housewives or the Cardinal game. It will be the portal to all information coming in and going out, and the primary way you relate to the rest of the planet. The separate worlds of TV, phones, and computers will all be offered in one system, and I am sure the controls will be too small for me to handle.

". . . except on Tuesdays it might be on Channel 7.4"

Friend Steve Mays posted an recent ominous (to some) article by Henry Blodget titled "Sorry, There's No Way to Save the TV Business." His thesis was that TV incumbents will no longer be able to support their cost structures  due to market and technological forces. 

At Monday's city council meeting it was reported that the only Public Access Channel in the Capital City might (after the carrier's year long adjustment to digital) be found on Channels .2, 12, 12.2, 21 or 81 . . . or maybe not at all. This was two weeks after a company representative appeared at a city council meeting and reported that all is well -- and it's just a matter of everyone installing the free box that will not be free next year. Six days later they told the News Tribune there were "a few problems" that still needed attention. 

Well, the problems still exist, evidenced by the report Monday night.

It is pretty clear that public access is not a priority for Mediacom .

I will, therefore, add one factor to Henry Blodget's list of reasons why incumbent TV will be dead in ten years: 

self inflicted wounds.

Your grandchildren will laugh.

Presiding Commissioner Marc Ellinger and I walked over to MODOT for a meeting Wednesday. On the way up to Director Pete Rahn's office there is a piece of history.

These two receptacles on the first floor used to have pay phones. Fifteen years ago nervous contractors and lobbyists had to wait in line to call back to the office or check on a sick child. Those days are now gone. 

The question is:  how can MODOT implement "adaptive re-use" here?

---- Time out area for misbehavior?

---- Meditation space? Mediation space?

---- Non-denominational confessional?

---- Confidential free zone for whistleblowers?

---- Chairman Mike Kehoe's new office?

Send us suggestions by posting comments. 

The Capital City Insider -- a Treasury of Local Lore

I don't know much about podcasting, but I want learn more. It's relaxing to spend a few minutes listening to the spoken word -- without the intensity of video or even music. We have a very robust local podcast site, The Capital City Insider. The creator, Mike Cooper, has been doing podcasts about Jefferson City for over a year. When he interviewed me last week for his 22nd production, it was an excuse to learn a little about this corner of the digital world. 

I was surprised at Mike's reaction when I wanted to return the favor and interview him for Highstreetbeat. He apologetically declined and told me that his podcasting is "not about me." He said he keeps the focus on the people and subjects he presents. I thought about that for a few minutes, and I began to appreciate his approach. Too many presenters color their content with their own egos. Check out his 22 sessions. They're very worthwhile. And he has some great things up his sleeve, so stay tuned.

One of his first posts has a nice video description of podcast basics.

Downtown Walking Tour Program Goes Digital

The Convention and Visitors' Bureau is adding a new dimension to the typical (sometimes dry?) walking tour. Visitors can now check out mp3 players that provide an audio description (courtesy Ron "Voice of God" Medin) and -- what's really cool - video depictions of the buildings' earlier appearances. The narrative was written by Ralph Bray. It just takes about 20 minutes. 

What a great downtown we have! The building where I work -- shown here -- was once a place where they sold hides and furs -- and where they played keno, roulette, poker and faro on the second floor.

Here's an interview with CVB's Steve Picker and Sarah Stroesser, part of half hour show that aired on JCTV in March. This segment talks about the podcast program.

If it gets any smaller . . .

Tom Piper showed us his new iPod Shuffle recently. The tiny device will hold 1,000 songs. I expressed concern about misplacing it. 

Technical advisors Mays and Kopp pointed out the solution could be simply inserting it within one's anatomy. 

I am not sure about the physiology, but this photo proves size is no longer a problem.

The Internet and Political Input: Opening Questions

Tonight the President launched his plan to use to the Internet to listen to America: the White House is Open for Questions. Certainly any way for political leaders to listen better is a good idea. 

Having spent thirteen years on the other side of the podium, I am interested, and open to the concept, but I am fundamentally skeptical. Lately we seem to instinctively accept any new technology. Here are two initial questions. 

1.  Who monitors the data? Is there any objective oversight, or is this completely subject to what the politicians want to tell us? Who is in charge of selecting the questions to be answered and the responses that will be aired? Will the raw data be available for public examination?  (They may conveniently say they cannot release the data, citing question # 2 below!)

2.  What precautions are in place to preserve privacy?  When you register to ask a question on the website and "vote" (their term) you have to reveal your name, zip code and email address. What governmental agencies and private interests will have access to your comments? Will elected officials running for office be allowed to "mine" this data for their campaigns and fundraising? Will my comments be available to employers or the media? Is the raw data available to the entire world under the Freedom of Information Act? 

I am open to the idea. But right now I am skeptical of the intentions of those who are promoting it. This could be the greatest idea since the telegraph, or just another distraction from real issues at hand. Or worse, just a way to assemble data to be used for another purpose.