David Sasaki
@oso
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“individual freedom, collective self-governance"
Oaxaca, México
Joined February 2007
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I’m sure I'll still share the occasional rant, complaint, or eyeroll here, but all reflective and productive writing (and audio) is now over at Substack:
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I'm glad Iñarritu mentioned the respect that immigrants deserve after the stupid green card comment.
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This 100-minute conversation between
@ezraklein
&
@chrislhayes
on what is democracy today. 👌
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Wow. The chairman of Transparency International's chapter in Chile resigns after being named in the
#panamapapers
🔴 IMPORTANTE | Gonzalo Delaveu presentó su renuncia como Pdte.de Chile Transparente, la que ha sido aceptada por el directorio.
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A great, short interview with an old friend,
@kenyanpundit
, about the lessons she’s learned and what annoys her. Smart, to-the-point, and always insightful.
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The arrest of Elba Esther Gordillo in Mexico today is a major advancement for accountability in the country:
http://t.co/M9aksMx3GI
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1) More than half the world's population lives inside this circle 2) Africa is by far the youngest continent
http://t.co/5T496csRA6
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Amazing: Life expectancy for people with Down syndrome has increased from 25 in 1983 to 60 today.
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I hope that this is how I work with the organizations we fund. And call me out if it isn’t. Thanks to
@lindsaylouie
for putting this together. Four years later, still proud to be working at
@Hewlett_Found
.
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“When did you last change your mind due to a piece of research or evidence?” A great question for 1) job interviews, 2) debates between political candidates. Also, loved this research experiment:
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When I ask for alternatives to Twitter (not that I’m really looking), people point me to LinkedIn. I swear to god, 80% of posts there start with “I’m humbled to share” or “I’m delighted to announce” or “What an honor to be selected as”. 🤢 I much prefer the hellscape!
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Every non-profit deserves at least 18 months of notice from a donor that stops funding. You can't recruit talent and plan ahead without it. I am a proud and loyal
@OpenSociety
alumnus, but
@AlexanderSoros
&
@malloch_brown
need to be better, less disruptive partners.
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"I don’t understand why INGOs need hundreds of people sitting in the North to support Southern NGOs. Resources get tied to HQ and little goes to the South. Real decision-making about what to do and how is still decided by HQ-based Northern experts.”
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Who wants to move to Portugal with me to start a small company focused on team retreats for remote workers? Part real estate, part tourism company, part network of excellent facilitators. I’m also willing to entertain the island of Mallorca.
✈️ Remote onsites: 60%+ of companies we talk to are already thinking about ways to use time together physically to improve culture
The most popular we hear is flying the team into remote locations for ~week. Portugal, Spain, Puerto Rico seem to be the most popular
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I've never experienced the ugly side of Twitter until a gay friend jokingly says I'll marry him. The homophobic comments are disturbing.
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Philanthropy and academia assume that what the world needs is more data and more ideas. I'd argue that we have plenty of good ideas and data, but we're very bad at communicating them in ways that compel action. New report from
@jedmiller
:
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50% of my job is now to draft notes of genuine sympathy to inspiring leaders of civil society organizations facing massive program cuts without clear criteria from
@FCDOGovUK
&
@OpenSociety
. 😔
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How are civil society organizations around the world responding and adapting to COVID-19? Here's a compilation of tweets from organizations funded by
@Hewlett_Found
's Global Development Transparency, Participation & Accountability strategy:
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Here’s a concise paragraph on why the “transparency > citizen action > political empowerment” theory of change no longer holds up.
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I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s discussion with
@bosuntijani
about financing technology for civics. I’m going to make an argument that I’m not fully convinced of. Actually, three arguments.
Join us for 'a deep dive into the future of financing and sustainability in civic tech' on 14 Sep '21.
@oso
,
@bosuntijani
,
@alissa007
join us at
#CTIF21
for this conversation and we are delighted to have them join
Register for this event here:
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When I was in my 20s, I always assumed that I was as smart and well informed as people in their 40s despite their often patronizing tone. Now that I’m 40 and regularly learn from brilliant people in their 20s, my earlier assumption is confirmed.
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Help
@Hewlett_Found
design behavioral insights research on how digital platforms can help governments respond to citizen feedback:
EOIs due on December 15!
Grateful for RT's
@participatory
@TAInitiative
@pahlkadot
@bethnoveck
@Mlsif
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I’m a proud community college alumnus. I got a great humanities education and didn’t go into mega-debt in search of prestige and networking. If there is any truth to higher education being good for social mobility, it’s thanks to community colleges.
Wowed by the community college students I met. Same smarts as privileged peers; more grit.
#communitycollege
#comm_college
#admissions
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I have been working in philanthropy for 13 years. I’m a bit jaded and it’s soon time to move on. But then I have moments like today, where I stumble upon an incredible grassroots initiative and feel soooo fortunate to be able to give them some unsolicited 💰.
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Argentinians are like the Brits of Spanish speakers: the content of their speech isn't special, it just sounds smarter.
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I try to only complain and rant on Twitter, but every once in a while even I must show a little love. Really proud to see
@Hewlett_Found
share grantee demographic data. And I hope there is noisy demand for more funders to do the same:
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Found these notes from a meeting at a foundation I worked at over five years ago. I could spend a lifetime putting the same sticky notes on dry-erase boards. Or I could spend a lifetime earning money as a consultant telling others to put up their sticky notes? 🤔
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Holy moly. MacKenzie Scott, former wife of Bezos, has already given $1.67 billion in philanthropy in just a few months. And here I am doing endless analysis on how we distribute less than 1% of that. Wild.
Following up on the commitment I made last year to give away the majority of my wealth in my lifetime: . (Note my Medium account is under my new last name -- changed back to middle name I grew up with, after my grandfather Scott.)
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Dreaming of an NGO with a section on their website that says “what we don’t do because others do it better.”
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After more than five years of working with
@alfonp
at
@Hewlett_Found
, her time has come to move on to a new and exciting next chapter. I've learned so much from her and am grateful to
@onthinktanks
for asking us to reflect on our roles as grantmakers.
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I’ve watched Lopez Obrador try to become Mexico’s president since living in Monterrey in 2004/5. Hard to believe he’s finally done it. Insightful analysis by
@carlosbravoreg
:
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It’s nearly 2020. How is it possible that this story in
@voxdotcom
financed by
@RockefellerFdn
doesn’t include a single quote from a Kenyan? Imagine an article from a foreign paper about a basic income program in the US without quoting an American. Would never happen.
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I think about this all the time. Those of us born in 1980 in the United States really won the birth lottery. High school before smart phones, the Internet before it sucked, and hip-hop before it mumbled.✌️
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Just learned that NYPD has access to 23,000 real time cameras in private buildings managed by private security camera.
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Each year civil society publishes a torrent of reports warning policymakers about rising poverty & inequality to little effect. What if they spent more time listening to poor people and helping them organize?
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I really think this is what I want to do after philanthropy in 2023. Work for a place-based journalism organization that is able/willing to convince readers to pay for important public good journalism that makes the community stronger. There should be thousands of Texas Tribunes.
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When I was 19-years-old I paid $300 a month in rent to share a 2-bedroom apartment in San Diego just two blocks from the beach. I made about $1,500 working 35 hours a week at a coffeeshop and spent most of my time reading, writing, and surfing. I lusted after a $2,500 MacBook Pro
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If I were limited to one piece of advice to our field: fewer international indexes and more focus on local politics. Some concrete examples:
In tech for transparency, is there time to learn (and adapt, even)? Thoughts on
@AllVoicesCount
findings re "adaptive learning" in several projects, countries.
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.
@TheScienceGuy
on new tech billionaires: "Libertarianism is fine in a world of unlimited resources. But that's not the world we live in."
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Grantmaking decisions of private foundations can feel like a black box. The Transparency, Participation & Accountability team of
@Hewlett_Found
’s Global Development program is trying out
@Medium
to be more open and conversational:
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This chart of international grantmaking from US foundations is amazing. If the various
@OpenSociety
entities were treated as one, I'm sure they'd be high on the list. Still, you can add all of us up together and we still don't match
@gatesfoundation
.
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@DRobichauHF
“Look at the valedictorian scared of the future / While I hop in the Delorean / Scared-to-face-the-world complacent career student / Some people graduate, but we still stupid / They tell you read this, eat this, don't look around / Just peep this, preach us, teach us, Jesus“ ✊
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Having now worked at 4 different foundations, I wish they all had term limits. From my colleague
@HelenaChoi2014
:
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2010 - 2014: Open Data for X
2014 - 2016: Blockchain for X
2016 - 2018: AI for X
2019: Authoritarianism, surveillance, climate change, we're all screwed! 🙈
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The fact that this is just happening now underlines the importance of the work of
@WhoseKnowledge
. Looking forward to the outcomes of their Decolonizing the Internet conference:
Swahili makes history as first African language recognized by Twitter
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The text of Warren Buffet's announcement that he's stepping down as trustee of
@gatesfoundation
is more interesting than the media coverage:
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For too long I hear people assume that behavioral science is a way for governments and companies to nudge their citizens and employees. But what about nudging government officials to become more responsive to the needs of citizens? ❤️ this
@ideas42
work:
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Great look at policy research at African think tanks by my colleague
@sarahtlucas
. I’d love to read it alongside an analysis from an African think tank questioning “can US think tanks lower the world’s highest incarceration rate in the wealthiest country?”
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-
@slashdot
coulda been
@reddit
-
@flickr
coulda been
@instagram
- Ourmedia coulda been
@YouTube
-
@Delicious
coulda been
@Twitter
-
@friendster
/
@Myspace
coulda been
@facebook
-
@yahoo
coulda been, okay, no.
I still wonder what Facebook, Twitter & others will fail to become.
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In the past week alone I had three calls with brilliant nonprofit leaders who asked me “would you be willing to fund X, Y, or Z?” instead of “here’s our strategy and this is why you should give us core support.” It’s odd that I’m the one nudging them to seek unrestricted funding.
Having been on both sides of the funding table, I agree 100% w/
@LilianeLoya
&
@JeffBradach
about the need for funders to provide more unrestricted support. I also believe
#nonprofit
leaders can take actions to help them make the case for their own orgs
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Friends,
@Hewlett_Found
is hiring a program officer to lead the foundation’s efforts to combat digital disinformation and improve campaigns and elections in the United States. Managed by
@Daniel_Stid
. To apply:
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I think I’ve said this before, but really, big props to
@GlobalIntegrity
for the level of financial transparency on their website. A high standard to emulate.
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.
@LarryDKramer
on
@philtalkradio
about social media affects the dynamics between citizens, information and elites:
My take: citizens may be too empowered to protest, not nearly empowered enough to meaningfully contribute.
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Here is a thorough list for donors to check if it makes sense to fund a new innovation toolkit, index, or “knowledge hub” given the dozens that already exist.
We're delighted to launch our BRAND NEW Government Innovation Atlas! 🎇
Take a look at some of the world's best government innovation tools, resources & newsletters — as well as some innovators to follow 🗞️
Please RT to help us spread the word
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My friend
@muzzygator
& I started a new blog! Our first post is about what
@melindatuan
calls the “dance of deceit”
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In the US, every student reads To Kill a Mockingbird. Here's the equivalent must-read for students in 28 countries:
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Grant reports are broken. Is it even worth trying to fix the process? My conversation with
@DennisWhittle
of
@FeedbackLabs
: Please do share your ideas with us.
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.
@Hewlett_Found
began funding in Mexico in 1997. Over the past 23 years we’ve made 350 grants to 85 organizations totaling more than $110M. What can we learn from looking back at it all? I dunno, but I’m excited to be working & learning with
@onthinktanks
:
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You can say “extreme global poverty has been reduced from 90% to 10% in the last 200 years!” Or you can say: “More than 700 million people in the world live in extreme poverty today.” They’re the same fact.
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@MendiNjonjo
Absolutely! “algorithms doping us on the dopamine of being noticed,” as
@brainpicker
put it. Imagine algorithms that awarded us for expressing gratitude & admiration instead of vanity!
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It also sucks to be on the F side of this conversation. I imagine that foundation endowments are massively down across the board and that disbursing more now — which I still favor but don't control — comes at the cost of cutting budgets over the next few years
Foundations: How can we help?
Nonprofits: We need more money
F: Your current restricted grants are now flexible!
N: That’s great, but we need more money
F: Report deadlines extended!
N: Money! We need money!
F: Here’s a toolkit!
N: 😕
F: We’re all in this together!
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One of the worst habits I developed in my 30s was to treat leisure time as an opportunity to rest so that I can come back to work more productive, rather than as a time to seek joy and meaning separate from my work. Hopefully I can change in my 40s.
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This site shows you all open, nearby elected offices you can run for. Great resource even if you're not interested:
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Every day I receive emails from dozens of grantseekers that describe why their work is now more important than ever. For comic relief, I want just one email from an org that says “you know, during this whole pandemic thing, our work really isn't that relevant anymore.”
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There is no special sauce. Just a lot of hard work by under-appreciated community organizers, public teachers, librarians, public officials.
Which is true but we haven’t quite yet found the special sauce to engage ppl in decision making beyond some participation budgeting there and citizen juries here
#GlobalProgress18
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Someone needs to put an end to the coffee naming nonsense. There are only three sensible espresso + milk drinks. Either you're drinking a macchiato, cappuccino, or latte. Don't come at me with your "latte macchiato" or "flat white" or "piccolo" pretentiousness. ✌️
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It's Independence Day in Mexico. Imagine a 4th of July celebration demanding the resignation of the president.
Miles de personas protestan contra Peña Nieto por la visita de Trump La marcha en IMÁGENES
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Astonishing how Mexico ranks almost last in every category of OECD's Better Life Index *except* in life satisfaction:
http://t.co/unq7fYSIx1
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I hope there is good reporting & evaluation on what becomes of the $1B that private foundations have committed this year to racial justice. What’s the right mix of policy, political candidates, educational curricula, research, public narrative? Who decides?
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"While we’ve been busy fighting for net neutrality, Facebook has pre-empted the idea of it in emerging countries."
http://t.co/H93svbJ3Mm
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So happy to see the launch of
@PeoplePowrd
, a global hub with inspiring leadership and a diverse network of organizations committed to making democracy work for more people. Applications for participatory budgeting mentorship are open until Aug 9th!
Hi World! We're a new global hub for
#participatorydemocracy
.
We're here to support organizations & leaders that are building
#participatorybudgeting
,
#participatoryplanning
,
#citizensassemblies
& more. Please share if that's you!
#WeArePeoplePowered
.
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Participatory Budgeting has expanded across the globe. Often, a city government official has to re-invent the wheel without benefitting from the lessons of past experiences. We at
@Hewlett_Found
are requesting proposals for solutions: Deadline: 5/31
How Participatory Budgeting Can Help Cities Modernize Services | EfficientGov
#budget
#citizenengagement
#localgov
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How do governments raise money quickly to pay for the coronavirus crisis while oil & mineral prices are low, debts are high, and climate change continues? Really enjoyed this interview with
@suneetajan
of
@NRGInstitute
by my colleague
@joeasunka
:
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12 years ago I used the wonderful service
@futureme
to send myself an email on my 40th birthday so that I would re-read a 2008 reflection by
@stevenbjohnson
about turning 40. I did so, which inspired my own reflections:
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Did you know that
@Hewlett_Found
has supported 84 civil society organizations in Mexico with over $100 million since 1997? What has been the impact? How has the work evolved? We're seeking some outside help to answer those questions. Deadline 3/18
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Today it's really worth pressing the "translate" button under each of the
#miprimeracoso
stories. Heartbreaking.
No dejen de leer las historias en
#miprimeracoso
y ojalá se animen a venir mañana a la marcha
#vivasnosqueremos
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I ❤️ this campaign & video. I’ve been passed over for numerous opportunities due to lack of pedigree and credentials. And I’ve benefited from a handful of leaders like
@RuthLevine5
who bet on my ability despite my lack of credentials.
I often hear from STARs*: “I have the skills to do the job, but employers won’t even consider me - all because of a piece of paper.”
It's time to “Tear the Paper Ceiling” and see the 70+ million Americans *Skilled Through Alternative Routes.
Learn more -
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In 2024,
@KamalaHarris
could be elected president of the US and
@Claudiashein
could become president of Mexico, both women leading their countries to the next decade.
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In Malindi, Kenya,
@Jackiemungai_
,
@okagwe_
, and
@alkags
remind me that it’s pretty easy to do a lot of good in one’s own community. It’s just a matter of getting started. I love their Lit Initiative:
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I can't believe it's taken this long. To use taxpayer money to fund research that is then only available for a thin slice of society is nuts. It drives me crazy when research about transparency and open government is published in closed access journals.
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Are the demographics of a foundation’s staff related to the demographics of the organizations they fund, as
@VillanuevaEdgar
& others suggest? Are program officers more likely to fund orgs with staff of similar identities? Fertile ground for research:
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Will we look back 10 years from now on how 2020 redefined the social contract between citizens and their governments? It's worth checking out the full 10-minute interview with
@aeyakuze
of
@Twaweza_NiSisi
:
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It’s the weekend. I woke up in sunny San Luis Obispo after 8 solid hours of sleep. A kind stranger brought scones, coffee, and the newspaper to our room. I’m remembering what it’s like to wake up in a good mood, not with exhausted anticipation of 6 hours of Zoom calls.
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I think
@Parliament_Ug
is exemplar of where civic tech ought to head. Rather than coding new platforms with few users, they train politicians, media, and civil society to use social media for transparency, analysis and debate on legislative bills. Cc:
@kenyanpundit
#tictec
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This is a handy little guide. Now when people pitch their “blockchain for X” I can point them to a list of dozens of initiatives that have already fizzled in the past three years. (Starting on page 34) Certainly not for lack of ideas, effort or funding.
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JPAL wrote a 50-page report on “creating a culture of evidence use,” which I will summarize in one sentence: Managers need to ask their teams for the sources of evidence that informed their decisions, and outsiders need to question that evidence.
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Seriously? There’s an International Open Data Conference in September and then a World Data Forum in October? I guess still time to plan for the Galactic Data Summit in November. 🤦♂️ Biggest beneficiaries of open data = conference organizers.
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I think
@twitter
should acquire
@delicious
. Integrate tags and hashtags, create a discussion layer over the internet.
http://bit.ly/hwRJT9
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Still surprises me how many funders and nonprofits are more eager to work with Facebook than against Facebook. As an Omidyar Network alum, I would have never ever guessed they’d be leading the charge against 1) capitalism and 2) social media. What an unexpected evolution.
Facinating part of this
@oliviasolon
piece is how Facebook is trying to get Pierre Omidyar to kill the rival to the alternative Facebook Oversight Board.
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Like a good San Francisco resident, most of my reading these days is on social justice, mindfulness & technology. It occurs to me that social justice seeks to liberate us from our past. Tech seeks our liberation in the future. Mindfulness seeks liberation in the present.
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I feel like we’re seeing a return of foundations funding prestigious universities with the hope that informed elites will make better decisions based on rigorous analysis. Would be nice. Though I worry that informed elites have a branding problem.
NEW: We're investing $50M to develop a new field of research around technology's impact on democracy — helping fill knowledge gaps on how society is informed in the digital age. More on our new support for 11 U.S. universities + research institutions ⬇️
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From a 2012 study in Zambia. Worth following up 3 years later. And replicating elsewhere. I ❤️ 🚴
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Here's what it looks like if you now try to post news to Facebook that has been fact-checked by Snopes & others:
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Interesting thread. I'm still amazed when a single tweet is able to accomplish as much as an entire conference.
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For the past 5 years I've worked with the dream team of
@joeasunka
,
@alfonp
&
@pscheid6
. But all three are abandoning me soon. 😢 We're now recruiting a new program officer focused on gender and inclusive governance. Please help us find great candidates:
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So excited and honored to be joining the
@Hewlett_Found
:
http://t.co/ppm24TpAI6
Thanks for the warm welcome,
@RuthLevine5
&
@kvidyak
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