Dear Sen. Cardin,

Recently it has come to my attention that you are sponsoring S.968, titled “Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011 “. I wanted to reach out as a concerned Marylander and as a technologist who is an advocate of civil liberties online.

First and foremost, I respect the intent of the bill. The artists and innovators who have put their entire lives into creating intellectual property deserve protection from piracy and infringement.

As a technologist, my entire career has focused on building new capabilities that support our national security. I am by no means an aficionado of legalese or a policy nut. However, I can see when technology and policy are colliding in ways that will impact the overall good of a community. Looking through this bill, I see many areas where authors who are well intentioned but poorly informed, have created openings for exploitation and abuse by corporate interests. This undoubtedly will have incredible impact on the evolution of information sharing and collaboration online. In addition, enforcement and censorship tactics in the bill will have a ripple affect breaking basic foundational concepts of the internet.

There are plenty of smarter people than I who also highlight SOPA’s problems. If you have not already, I suggest you read Vint Cerf’s open letter to the sponsors of this bill as well: http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-57344028-281/vint-cerf-sopa-means-unprecedented-censorship-of-the-web/

Representing Maryland, I ask that you promote greater involvement by the technology and academic community in the authoring of the bill. I have attended many of the Governors Cyber Maryland events, either as a panelist or guest and the consistent theme is about establishing Maryland as the leader in Cyberspace. This is a perfect opportunity to show that leadership.

Thank you for your representation, commitment and I hope you consider my comments.

Regards,
Chris Ensey

This is a post in response to a retweet by @deadairdennis: “RT @RyanE1984: Question. What websites do you visit every day for Tech news?-( @censey should have a good answer for that.” – I thought about a quick answer and could not come up with one that would fit in 140 characters so I decided to post about it.

First off, I am not endorsing any of these sites and buyer beware on your satisfaction with the content.  Secondly, I am going to give you the opinion of someone that does Tech stuff for a Tech company.  This doesn’t make me an expert on any of these subjects, just dangerously versed.

There are many tech blogs out there and more importantly many categories of “tech” with varying degrees of quality.   So for me the task of reading these everyday is a scan at best to pick out the most relavent articles vs the junk with tends to clog the blogosphere.

Types of Tech: Very few sites cover all bases and the ones that attempt to end up marginalizing their content.  For example, Gadget blogs are great at talking about new phones and accessories but should stay aware from bake-off’s between DSLR’s. I decided to break this down some since the problem is bigger than just Tech as a generalization.

On to the reading…
Consumer Technology:  This covers Gadgets, Photography, AV, and Automotive
- Ars Technica:  Probably the most legitimate out there right now.
- Gizmodo:  Once my favorite blog in this area, they are now the Perez Hilton of gadget expose reporting. *
- Engadget:  They self link like assholes, but they have a pretty level headed approach to the space they cover. *
- The Unofficial Apple Weblog:   News and rumor for the fanboys.  (Also read Daring Fireball, MacTipsAndTricks)
- BaltTech:  Yes some home cooking here.   As long as Gus stays true to making this a blog about Baltimore I will keep reading.

Professional Technology:  Hardcore Science, Enterprise Equipment, Military and Avionics, Datacenter Tech, Green and Energy stuff, etc.
- Slashdot.org:  The original, and still one of the very best.  Their user comments are also goddamned hysterical.
- Layer 8′s Blog:   Cool stuff on Space tech and other types of stuff that blasts off. *
- DefenseTech:  An ok blog on Military tech, I am sure there are better ones out there.
- MedGadget:  Medical technology and other healthcare information.

Lifestyle Technology: Make my life cooler, faster, more integrated
- Lifehacker:  I know some of these are super obvious but c’mon!   Avoid some of their PC optimization tips, they can be unfounded.  *
- Make:  Great tips on how to build, modify and adapt commonly found stuff into cooler stuff.
- IkeaHacker:  Take hard to pronounce products form Ikea and turn them into useful home solutions.
- Troxel:  Mostly design stuff but its still tech in nature.
- BookOfJoe:  This is a fantastic design and tech blog.   Always worth a look.

Social Tech:  Social Sites, Integrated Gadgets, Frameworks, Web Tech, Trends
- O’Reilly Radar:  Gov2.0, social media helping citizens, cool projects and more. *
- MakeUseOf:  Like Make but for social sites.
- TECH.BLORGE: On here for the name alone.   Cross over between social and consumer but sometimes they get a scoop.
- WebAppers:  Do you build for the web?  This blog is for you.  (You may also like Smashing Mag for design / typography stuff).

Malicious Technology:  Security focused, Threat analysis, Virus / Malware, Internet Horror.
- Krebs on Security:  Great Site, new and he is on a hot streak of great reporting.  Enjoying his coverage of ATM Skimmers lately.
- Threatpost:  Getting the latest on things that will screw up your computer and probably steal your identity or cash.
- Zero Day:  Oddly enough some overlap with Threatpost since they share contributors but still worth checking.
- Cryptome:  This is a weird one.   This guy blogs about Government conspiracy and spying guides.   Not for most people.

* next to the sites that should be read in RSS format only.

Want my entire list?   Here is the full OPML file that you can import into supported feed readers.  Warning! this has a few hundred feeds in it.
Update:  Here is a link to the Google Reader Bundle with the above mentioned Blogs.   OPML file for just the featured blogs is also linked from here.

The last nail is certainly not in the coffin but I am almost an OmniWeb Convert.
Why would a lifer in the Mozilla fold now take to the sexy curves of the native webkit browser world?   It all comes to bloat and instability in Firefox 3.5.  After a suggestion from my friend Grant, I gave the OmniWeb browser a fair shake.   I am going to run down the highlights and low lights in this post from a perspective of someone who just wants shit to work.

Pro’s:  (For OmniWeb)
- Native Webkit kicks ass.   You can’t quite keep track of these performance numbers between Firefox / Safari / Opera / the rest (Chromium?), but this feels fast.
- 4 hours of browsing later:  it still feels fast.   Firefox was a life of restarts to keep the performance consistent.
- Tab Management:  I am growing to like the tabs on the left side with thumbnails of what I am browsing.   This was not immediate.
- Developer friendliness:  Being able to leverage the Inspect capability of OmniWeb makes me a better web citizen.
- Form size management:  I can resize any input field in the browser:  Slick.

Con’s:
- Firefox Plugin’s:   Duh.
- No Automated way to manage AdBlocking lists.
- Native Spell check lets you know you misspelled something but no suggestions?!!  WHY?!
- No easy way to import my bookmarks from Firefox:  (No easy way to export them either)
- The Googles / Facebook wreak havoc:  Sites that are perpetually updating with new data tend to never render the title bars correctly.  Take Gmail as an example where I can’t get a decent read on when I have a new mail message.  I think this bug was fixed in the latest webkit however.

If someone has any tips or tricks to make the OmniWeb experience a bit more friendly please pass them my way.  I am going to keep updating this post as I continue to become more acclimated.

Looking for new ways to connect with your city online?  Here are a few tips and tricks to not only get more done in Baltimore while at your desk, but also connect locally, fill out your social calendar and see the city in a new light.

Public Services:
City Payments Online:
I love living in Baltimore City, however interaction with our city services can be a huge hassle especially in person!   Rather than fight lines, loose time at work, or even sit on hold waiting for an operator many services offer online equivalents.   Our right as citizens to pay parking tickets, water bills and taxes all are available at Baltimore City’s payment center (http://cityservices.baltimorecity.gov/paysys/).  If you pay with a electronic check all fees are waved, however for credit payments they city does charge a “convenience fee”.

CityTrack 311 Request System:
Do you have a “Rat Rubout Request”, see a public property that could use a good mowing, or have a case of the bed bugs?   CitiTrack Service Center (https://baltimore.customerservicerequest.org/web_intake_balt/Controller) is here to save the day.  From Animal control to Workspace Health inspections, many non-urgent 311 related requests are available for assistance through Baltimore CitiTrack.  Users can even check back for updates to see the progress of their request.

Housing:
Maryland Housing Search:  The housing locator’s service allows people to locate available housing that best fits their individual and family needs. The service can be accessed online 24 hours a day and is supported by a toll-free, bilingual call center M-F, 9-8 EST.   http://www.mdhousingsearch.com/About.html

Housingmaps.com which is a great mashup of craigslist listings and google maps, which allows you to search based on price, for sale or rent and by neighborhood.   Pair this up with the Baltimore Crime Maps(http://crimebaltimore.com/) and Loc.alize.us (http://loc.alize.us/#tag:baltimore) photography maps and you can get a feel for the neighbor hood before you move in!

State Department of Taxation:  Home owners who want to look up city property tax or appeal your current taxes?  Check out the city’s tax website (http://www.dat.state.md.us/) and click Real Property Data Search to look up current taxes.  This site hosts the appeals process for tax assessments (http://www.dat.state.md.us/sdatweb/appeal.html) as well as the application for Homestead Tax Credits (https://sdathtc.resiusa.org/homestead/).

Arts and Entertainment:
If you are looking for great food or night life there are two easy places to go that host a extensive list of options.

Baltimore based Localist.com takes all of the meetups, concerts, exhibitions, and festivals and provides a social web experience which connects people based on their individual tastes.   If you are into technology, wine, 80′s hair metal, or sausage…Localist has something for you.  Localist also provides suggestions based on your profile and event history which can be shared with friends on Facebook so you can get others involved.

Another home town favorite, 600block.com has the most extensive list of Baltimore specific happy hours, specials, and restaurant reviews I have ever seen.   Similar to Localist, 600block provides a great way to collaborate with your like minded foodies, track your eating habits and save some cash!   I pair this service with OpenTable‘s Baltimore (http://www.opentable.com/start.aspx?m=18) listings to book reservations at local hot spots.    Best of all they have a free iPhone application!

So you have been out late at local hot spots, getting great deals on food and drinks and now you want to get some exercise in?   MapMyFitness provides a great resource for connecting with runners and riders in the area.   You can map your routes and track mileage elevation, calories burned and monitor your weight.   There are dozens of trails already mapped out in the Baltimore area which can be exported to your iPhone or shared with friends on social media sites.

BMore Tweets:
No listing of cool resources today can go without some sort of Twitter reference. If you are new to Twitter and want to connect locally your first stop should be Social Sun, Maryland’s social media directory.  Other resources include the Baltimore directories at WeFollow(http://wefollow.com/twitter/baltimore) and Twibe(http://www.twibes.com/group/Baltimore).  The best way to digitally stream line your life is by connecting in real time with those around you.

“Blogtimore, Hon”(www.blogtimore.com) is a meta site for Baltimore Bloggers.   Awesome way to get a sick blog roll going with local writers, artistic types and general opinion / rant blogs (thx @newglitterati).

Have some other suggestions on getting more done online in Baltimore?  Please add comments!!

Came across two things recently that I am thinking about using in my future presentations given a rigorous test:
First off is Prezi, which seems to have a neat way to presenting information in a Flash based mini app allowing the user to create very eye catching transitions and allow the viewer to manually zoom and resizing various frames in the larger palette. Click below to check it out…

The Good:   Easy to use, easy to export. Slick looking
The Bad:   No way to do an embedded presentation in your website (yet), Snap to Grid would be nice, supported media still limited.

Next is Pixton:  This is a Comics / story board generator.   Basically, you can pull different layouts and pick characters and make them say whatever you would like.  Right now it is geared towards generating some funny pairings of characters but some of the selections can be leveraged for more formal presentations.

The Good:  Animated Comics, Categories geared towards education, humor, easy to use.
The Bad:  Limited business categories. Interesting choices for dirty word filtering (blocked “analytics”) which keeps your comic from being published.

For the past few months I have been experimenting in my ability to lead two lives on twitter.com.
@censey:  Tweeting w/ Baltimore friends, collaborating on web technology, sharing stories of interest and keeping up with my family.   The normal things that make me happy, expand my social interests, and provide a means to collaborate on my hobbies.

Then I have my alter ego:  Which I will continue to keep under strict NDA.   This is for hardcore business.  The business of finding new connections, potential clients, thought leaders in my space, and resources I can bring back to my team at work.  In this life, I am building a list of targeted followers that are in a very niche space (mostly federal gov’t / defense).  My comments are relatively PC, zero fluff, and my real personality tends to be a watermark on the brand I am portraying.   I have been advised that this defeats the point of twitter, and that “brands” should not have a place here but in the spirit of the experiment, I am pushing onward.

Within in this experiment I have learned a few things:
1.) Twitter is a great networking tool.  In a few months my ability as either the brand or talent writing in 140 character blocks has gained me incredible growth in connections.
2.)  Double lives are hard to keep apart.  I have slipped up and blended my pool of followers, often cross referencing RT’s and content.  I found that searching, using web apps like Monitter or Mr. Tweet, that I follow users and forget which context I am in.   This doesn’t pose an immediate problem, but I would like to keep my spheres of influence intact.
3.) It can be overwhelming.   Tracking the two rivers of thought can be very difficult and the result is a distilled product for my followers of both identities.
4.) Software doesn’t really support this yet.  Seems like as the apps mature we might get there.  Currently, I am using TweekDeck and Twitterific side by side.  They tend to look similar and can handle the load but Twitterific is not great and TweetDeck crashes occasionally.

Does anyone out there keep multiple twitter ID’s going simultaneously?  How do you manage them?  What are your reasons for the separation?  Any plans to merge those entities?  If so how would you go about it?

This is an interesting begining of what I can see as a interop format for bridging the gaps between custom web applications, the browser is the OS? getting closer and closer…

Microformats:  A microformat is a web-based^[1] approach to semantic markup that seeks to re-use existing XHTML and HTML tags to convey metadata^[2] and other attributes. This approach allows information intended for end-users (such as contact information, geographic coordinates, calendar events, and the like) to also be automatically processed by software.

via @AmyIris, and Wikipedia