Why I’m moving to Ohio
Chris O’Brien coined a great post in the San Jose Merc on why I’m headed to Ohio. NOTE: In its great wisdom the SJ Merc took down this story. So this link is a reprint of the article - thanks Chris!
Chris is one of those rare reporters who actually listens, understands and reports truthfully what he heard. I sure wish all my encounters with reporters and bloggers were as rewarding.
Anyway - Chris hits it on the head - I’m focusing on innovating in the area of workforce development, we’re going to use our PeopleAggregator platform and live video Helpto get peopel comfortable using computers and learning the job skills they’ll need - in the future.
We’re going to build LOTS of great interactive multimedia content in the process - and teach folks the job skills necessary to do that - along the way.
Oh yah - we’ll also help build out a software infrastructure that will enable a NEO wide alliance of cities, municipalities and neighborhoods to have their OWN platforms, dashboards, etc. - and mesh us all together.
Another thing Chris got right - NEO doesn’t have the slightest idea what’s headed their way.
Well except for Lev Gonick, George Nemeth, Ed Morrison, Hunter Morrison, Jim Cossler, Kent Smith, Anthony Houston, Mayor Eric Brewer, Jim O’Bryan, Ron Copfer, Angela Seifer, Cara Keithly, Tom Williams, Jorge Delgado, Karen Baker, Bob Chalfant, Susan Sharp, Frank Revy, Bill Calahan, Cindy of the Beachland, Charley Daane, Peter Whitehouse, Nick Berente, Jon Cline, Mark Smith (and Patty), Joe Cimperman, Ben Blanquera, David Akers, Rep. Mike Foley and Anne Hill.
They know - cause they’ve met me. And I’ll be teaching a class at CWRU - called “How to build a Digital City” starting Aug. 25th.
It’s EECS 396 if you’re around. T-Thurs afternoon
Here’s the textbook for the class = http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/748967
and a pdf of it = http://www.box.net/shared/y40efkliqk
I’ll also be starting a new company called “Digital City Mechanics” and starting to tout the meme of ‘digital cities’ - for all!
Think shared servers.
Tags: build a digital city, digital city, digital lifestyle aggregation, EECS 396, NEO
18 comments
Marc, that was a great article. Learned things about you I didn’t know! Visiting SF won’t be the same without you, but hopefully my travels will take me to NEO soon. Best of luck, and thanks for everything!
Welcome to Ohio Marc!
We’re doing some amazing things here, much of which flies way under the radar. I hope to get a chance to meet you sometime - it will be great to have such a visionary amongst us.
Todd Sharp
Medina, OH
CEO, Creator and Sole Developer - SlideSix.com
Welcome back to NEO. We need this vision.
Sounds like great work. have fun Marc!
Welcome back to Ohio. Don’t forget about Columbus either! Congratulations.
Have fun working on NEO! Just had a presentation at a conference last week, showing people the timeline based UI in Videoworks you guys built in 1984. Now Silverlight and JavaFX get timeline based tools as well, guess you were more than 10 years ahead of them.
So I am browsing around reading about clerical attire, and I come across AKMA’s Random Thoughts with a posting about you moving to Ohio… I just moved to Ohio (Amherst, serve in Elyria at St. Andrew’s Episcopal…) and found it all very providential.
Blessings on your move and your new work. Your vision sounds like a fresh breeze.
Katie+
There is already a Digital Cities meme going on, and a friend of mine, the “retired” Chancellor of the Maricopa Community Colleges, is part of it. His name is Paul Elsner, paul @paulelsner.com, and you would love him. He’s my mentor and a futurist.
Hey, Marc! I think we met waaay back when I was a reviews editor at ZiffNet/Mac and MacWEEK, ‘94-’97. I, too, recently left San Francisco after seventeen years… for Oberlin! In fact, I’m writing this from the main floor of Mudd.
(They moved out a bunch of stacks to create an “academic commons”. It’s nice.)
I’ve been planning some tech initiatives out here, but have been too busy buying a house and settling in to give them the attention they deserve. Let’s get together when you’re here. And, yes, I’ll buy you lunch.
Hi Marc.
We’re excited to have you in the region! Seems like a large undertaking but a great vision. If I can be a part of it, please let me know. Stuff like this is exactly what the area needs - vision, leadership & thought.
Welcome.
Welcome to Ohio, it appears you bring something we desperately need to this area.
Welcome to Ohio!
I’m certainly excited to see someone with similar goals coming to our area. There’s quite a few of us here that know the answer to this area’s rebirth is through technology and interconnecting people. I think there’s a number of folks here that would love to give their support and you advance your ideas.
Thanks,
Jason
Nice meeting you tonight. Very interesting to have someone of your background in our backyard. I may even take your class.
Way to go , Marc. I think your concept of Citizen Dashboards and the virtuous cycle are ideas whose time(s) are coming.
Who better to push them along but you ?
I look for you on the Square. Welcome to Cleveland and to my alma mater. And there’s a lot more that could go on your list that have more than a clue. Lots of good people here, many with great ideas.
Just let me help tear down a few of the walls!!!!