Category: Government

Vivek Kundra and some lessons learnt about tech in gov

Last night I heard Vivek Kundra speak about innovation, technology and Gov 2.0 at a dinner hosted by AIIA and Salesforce. It was a fascinating talk in that it exceeded my expectations significantly.

I had reasonable expectations that his experience as CIO of the US Federal Government and his insights to the US open government agenda would be interesting, but he also talked about the “epic war between the status quo and progress”, the inertia in government, the major shift in power from gov to the people, how tech in enabling a new form of democracy, the need to hire great people (and get rid of those not on board) and how issues like SOPA demonstrate that the people can overturn traditional power broker agendas through grassroots efforts.

He also spoke about the need to reform gov IT procurement practices to demand good services from the sector, to put them on notice and to engage smaller innovative players in the market. It was fascinating to see someone who was so senior in government take that strong a stance, but it makes sense. Government is the number one purchaser of tech, so how it engages the market has a profound impact. And as a huge customer, government should be able to demand the best possible service. At the same time, without great people internally who are empowered and incentivised, it’s hard to drive progress.

When asked how to actually drive tech innovation in government, policy, procurement and workforce reforms were very important, but fundamentally workforce. Vivek said that there needs to be rigour in hiring practices, a culture of getting the best people into the public service, a culture that rejects blockers and gets rid of those who don’t get on board with progress.

Some comments from Vivek that I thought useful and thought provoking (as captured by live tweeting on #gov2au from the evening):

  • The danger is to not move, to play safe. It’s vital to move and be thoughtful but bold to use the opportunity.
  • Often Gov collaboration is stalled by an us vs them attitude. This needs to be overcome.
  • It is now easier to innovate and compete due to new tech, and those that innovate dominate, as they fill the space.
  • Indian gov drove aggressive FOI changes, results of the transformation was short term pushback and issues, but longer term transparency and improvement of gov.
  • NBN is an enormous and exciting opportunity for Australia and for open government and Australia can play a leadership role.

I have to say, it was very interesting and stimulating. It kicked off some great discussions in the group too.

I have seen a few people respond to the Vivek coverage quite negatively. There is, of course, a lot of hype and fluff out there around Gov 2.0 and “cloud”, but it doesn’t mean you don’t listen critically, research what people say and come to your own conclusions. I am constantly surprised by people who insist on loudly voicing blatant cynicism, pessimism and general negativity, seemingly oblivious to the fact that this establishes a narrative that undermines the (often) valid and good points they are trying to make, whilst making it harder for other people to get actually get things done.

I would like to put out there that the more leadership shown by everyone in the tech community, especially the Gov 2.0 community and the media, the better a chance we all have of achieving great things.

Be the change you want to see, and all that 🙂

I highly recommend people check out Vivek’s talk from the AIIA Summit on Cloud. It was a good example of thought leadership by a person who has actually got things done, a change agent who has made a difference. I’ve been told you should be able to watch it and all the summit talks online here tonight.

Thank you to Loretta form AIIA and Phil from Salesforce for agreeing to have Vivek speak to the Gov 2.0 community. A big thanks to Vivek too, it was great to meet you 🙂 People can follow Vivek on @vivekkundra on Twitter.

It is worth mentioning that neither the AIIA nor Salesforce asked for anything in return for doing a Gov 2.0 discussion with Vivek, Salesforce paid for the dinner after the talk, and in the interview below I spoke with Vivek off the cuff without any direction from AIIA or Salesforce.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNMj4jd3q88[/youtube]

TRANSCRIPT

Pia: So I’m here with Vivek Kundra, he’s here in Australia touring around and talking to a lot of people and I just thought I’d take the opportunity to ask him a couple of questions for the Gov 2.0 community peeps out there, around Australia.

So, hi, welcome to Australia.

Vivek: Thanks for chatting with me, I appreciate it.

Pia: Yeah, that’s cool. Can you just give us a bit of an overview about your ideas on driving tech innovation in government. What you see to be the core things you need to do?

Vivek: Well obviously it always starts with the people and one of the most important things that needs to happen in government, around the world, is they need to be able to hire the right kind of people to drive innovation and be change agents. You can’t legislate and you can’t essentially mandate innovation itself so it starts with that.

Secondly I think you need need bold leadership. If you look at what President Obama did, he made technology a central part of how his administration was going to achieve some of the policy objectives that he had set out.

And the third, you need to be able to distrupt the status quo by making sure that you have a culture that celebrates failure. That doesn’t actually go out there and punish those that are at the bleeding edge.

Pia: And, I mean, if you’ve got that leadership  at the top level and you’ve got your, you’ll always have your enthusiastic geeks at the grassroots level, how do you drive that change in that rather large middle level?

Vivek: I should think it’s easier if you have a number of people on the front lines. The geeks kinda banding together trying to find a new way. But you’ve got to be able to make sure is that the middle management, unfortunately a lot of times you have people who are incentivised by the number of dollars that they manage and the number of years they’ve been in the job and that’s where from a political leadership perspective it’s very very important to make sure that you’re reaching out and embracing those that are on the front lines that understand the issues and understand the innovation that must be driven, and frankly reward those managers that are going to support, encourage and embrace that notion and that culture and those people.

At the same time the reality is, and we don’t talk about this often, we also have to be able to make the hard choices. If there are managers or people that are getting in the way, the Dr No’s, they are basically in deleriction of their duty. And what I mean by that is that’s not what the people of a country expect of their government. They’re basically putting their personal interests over the interests of the people.

Pia: OK, and finally ‘cos we don’t have a lot of time, what are your observations and thoughts about what is happening in Australia and some of the opportunities and challenges for Australia? Seeing you’re here and seeing what’s going on.

Vivek: Well I’m actually very excited. I think it’s amazing country with an entrepreneurial culture, to the number of meetings I’ve had and meeting people like you who are doing some amazing work in the public sector, whether it’s been public participation, fundamentally rethinking what a modern democracy looks like.

I’ve also seen some of the really really bold steps that are being taken to invest in strategic infrastructure. So the National Broadband Network is one example. You look at what’s happening as far as the government’s concerned. You’re seeing some of these technologies come into the goveernment.

But the fear I have is that you want to make sure you continue on that trajectory. It’s very easy for those people in the government who want to preserve the status quo to win out. And I think there is an epic battle going on between the past and the future. And it’s really really important that, from a policy perspective, that there are appropriate incentives for those who are architecting the future, to be the ones that are driving the country.

Pia: And do you think that epic battle presents a bit of a power shift from small groups of people to the broader community to engage…

Vivek: Well absolutely, it’s clear. We see it every day, whether it’s in Australia or anywhere else in the world. Therre is this shift in power from a few government officials behind closed doors to the masses, it’s real. And technologies that didn’t exist before exist today that have made this possible in terms of the very structures that are needed.

So the ability for anyone with a front row seat to their government with a mobile device. That’s amazing! We don’t think about it, we take it for granted, but now every citizen can be a co-creator. Every citizen can be a watchdog and hold their government accountable. Every citizen can actually go out there and be part of the digital public square and that is what I think is super exciting about the time we are living in.

Pia: Yep, sure. Well thank you very much.

Vivek: Thank you.

Pia: And I look forward to next time you come to Australia.

Moving on – the journey continues

Today is a complicated day. I’m both sad and excited in equal measure about what this year may hold in store.

I’m sad because this is my last day working for Senator Kate Lundy as her IT Policy Advisor and inhouse geek. Kate headhunted me almost 3 years ago at BarCamp Canberra, though we had known each other for a few years beforehand from when she was the Shadow Minister for IT. I was quite wary of going to work in a political office, but my curiosity about how the machine works combined with a desire to help make good tech policy and an immense amount of respect for Kate brought me into one of the most interesting, fun and challenging jobs I’ve ever had.

I particularly wanted to better understand the legislative and executive arms of government. How ideas turn into policy and policy into implementation. As a result, along with doing my job I’ve spent time researching the history of democracy, of Australian politics, of the ideological and historical premise of all the major Australian parties and the interaction between party politics and democracy over the years.  I’ve also spent time coming to understand some of the layout, responsibilities and challenges of a multi-tiered system of government.

I have learnt a great deal in this job about government, but also about human nature. Working in an electoral office gives one some insight to the difficulties faced by many, but also some insight to the challenge in maintaining a constructive and respectful dialogue. I think it is human nature to try to boil issues down to black and white. But we are essentially grey creatures with enormous complexity, and I think democracy is about finding ways to have a transparent, informed, respectful and constructive dialogue with all the people on complex policies and implementation, so governments can best implement the best policies for the communities they serve.

I have been lucky to work for a politician who is passionate and knowledgeable about technology and good policy. She has been a valuable teacher and mentor. I shall always be thankful for the wisdom, patience, compassion, critical thinking, strategy and policy development I have learnt in this role and from Kate. I’m sure these skills will continue to serve me well.

My work on Kate’s website, the Public Spheres, Open Government, assisting Kate in linking together different tech policies across a variety of portfolios are all things I am proud of. I also feel very lucky to have met and worked with such inspirational people from many different walks of life through this role and in Kate’s office.

Meanwhile, having developed some understanding of the legislative and executive arms of government, I realised that I wanted to have more experience in the administrative arm of government. I had done some tech work in a previous life within departments but always as the outsourced person. I knew I wanted to really get in and contribute to the public service, as well as learn more about the implementation of policy and the delivery of government services to citizens.

As such, I’m excited to say I am hopefully moving into a role in the APS in the coming weeks and I hope my efforts there will be broadly useful to others in the APS. I can’t say more at this stage as it is being finalised at the moment, but I’ll update this post in the weeks ahead with more information.

By working within the APS, I hope to get a better personal understanding of the specific challenges facing the APS with regards to technology, and hopefully assist in developing strategies to be a more agile, responsive and citizen-centric public service. I will also continue helping to move the Open Government agenda ahead both in my own time and, where appropriate, within my new role. My commitment to Open Government (and Gov 2.0) lies in my understanding that it provides a path to a public service and democracy that is most relevant to, engaged with, responsive to, representative of and accountable to its citizens.

I’ll finish by saying that after three years in her office, my respect for Kate has only grown. She is a person who has engaged fully in her role with integrity, responsibility, grace and a firm grip on her own principles. She is a politician that makes me believe politics isn’t just a dirty word and I wish we had more like her. Even in spite of the fact the last time I socialised with her, I ended up with a fractured scaphoid! I have learnt a keen respect for the torque of a 2 stroke, especially on a motocross track.

My shiny black carbon fibre cast. Shiny!My shiny black carbon fibre cast. Shiny!

So, I’m diving into the deep end and I look forward to seeing how well I swim. Wish me luck 🙂

OSDC 2011 Talk – Open Government, what is it really?

Below are my notes from the talk I gave at OSDC (Open Source Developers Conference) 2011 on open government, where I tried to go into some of the practicalities of open government implementation and projects. I had a great response from the packed room, so thanks everyone for attending (and for encouraging me to blog <hide>) 🙂

The changing relationship between citizens and government

Most citizens have a very limited relationship to government. We tend to see government as an amorphous body that removes our garbage, provides our hospital and local school, and makes us pay taxes. Politicians tend to get a pretty bad rap, and are assumed to be simultaneously stupid and extremely strategic.

But “government” in Australia is a large and complex entity run by a democratic Parliament, this makes it a tool of the people, an entity accountable to its citizens.

The proliferation of and now mainstream usage of the Internet, brings citizens closer to governments than ever. It also makes governments more accountable and transparent (whether intentionally or not). So the government is now more a tool of the citizen, and as such we need, as citizens, to engage with governments.

As citizens we are more empowered than ever. We can research, make public comment, self-organise into clusters of interest and advocacy, cross check facts, hold people to their word, develop new ways to do things and much more. The line has blurred between governments and citizens. Indeed, we are starting to even properly accept the idea that people who work in government are, themselves, citizens.

Citizens have much to contribute to government policy, implementation and vision, and governments are just starting to understand and engage with that opportunity.

Gov 2.0 is about using the new technologies at our disposal, primarily the Internet, to co-design the next era of democracy in collaboration with citizens. It is about a more transparent, accountable, engaged, participatory and responsive government approach to serving the needs of citizens.

Open Government and Gov 2.0 are often used interchangeably, but “open government” has been used for many years, usually to relate to things like Freedom of Information laws and transparency in legislative processes, whereas Gov 2.0 is more specifically looking at how we can use modern technologies and communications to make government more open, engaged with, relevant to and ultimately co-created with citizens.

“There’s a clear vision from the top, not only in the US and the UK, but in many other countries, that now is the time for government to reinvent itself, to take the old idea of government “for the people, by the people, and of the people” to a new level.” — Tim O’Reilly

In Australia we have a strong, highly skilled and completely awesome Gov 2.0 community. These are people who work in, for or with government to implement Gov 2.0. This community has people who are into software/web development, user experience, accessibility, open data, mobile development, public engagement and much more.

It is a community driven by the ideals of open government, and a really inspiring and exciting community to be involved in. I highly recommend to any of you interested in following or getting involved in Gov 2.0 to check out the following:

  • The Gov 2.0 Google Group mailing list – https://groups.google.com/group/gov20canberra?hl=en
  • GovCamp’s – a great opportunity for Gov 2.0 practitioners to get together, share knowledge and find ways to collaborate. They are starting to run all around Australia after I ran the first one in October. The next one is this weekend in Sydney (BarCampNSW)
  • Follow the #gov2au hashtag on Twitter, and some notable Twitter users in this space are @CraigThomler, @trib, @chieftech, @davidjeade, @gov2qld, @sherro58 & @lisa_cornish from AGIMO, @FCTweedie & @OAICgov from OAIC, and many more including me @piawaugh :). I’ve got a far more complete Gov 2.0 list on Twitter that I’m continually adding to that may be useful at http://twitter.com/#!/list/piawaugh/gov-2-0
  • There is a Gov 2.0 Ning group and OzLoop Ning. Craig Thomler also runs a good blog worth subscribing to. Craig and Kate Carruthers put together a website on Gov 2.0 and the Centre for Policy Development did a great collection of essays by people in the community on Gov 2.0 in 2009 which is available online.

What is Gov 2.0

Most elements of what we call Gov 2.0 can be boiled down to three concepts:

  1. Open Data
  2. Citizen Centric Services
  3. Public Engagement

Open Data

Open data is about taking the vast majority of government datasets and information which doesn’t have privacy or security issues, and putting it all online in the most useful way possible. In a practical sense, for data to be most useful (both to the public but equally important for other parts of governments to be able to leverage the data), it needs to have permissive copyright (such as Creative Commons BY), be machine readable, time stamped, subscribable, available in an openly documented format (open standard), have useful metadata and wherever possible have good geospatial information available.

This last point about geospatial information is vital for making data interactive and personalised to a citizen’s needs, as it helps aggregate and map information relevant to where a citizen is.

Achieving open data is a difficult process. There are three key steps to take, each with its own challenges:

  1. Just get it online! This stage is where an organisation just tries to get online whatever they can. It often means the licensing is not entirely clear or permissive, the data format is whatever the organisation uses (which may or may not be useful to others), the data may be slightly out of date and it often isn’t clear who the contact for the data set is making followup hard. This stage is however, extremely important to encourage as it is where every organisation must begin and build upon. It is also important because to achieve quality open data, major changes often need to be made to systems, workflows, technologies and organisational culture. Access to imperfect data in the short term is far better than waiting for perfection.
  2. High quality data! This is the stage where issues around quality publishing of data have been teased out, and an organisation can start to publish quality data. It is hopefully the point at which the systems, culture, workflows and technologies used within the organisation all facilitates open data publishing, whilst also facilitating appropriate settings for secure data (such as sensitive privacy or security information). This stage takes a lot of work to achieve, but also means a far lower cost of publishing data, which helps amongst other things, keep the cost of FoI compliance down.
  3. Collaborative data! This final stage of open data is where an organisation can figure out ways to integrate and verify input from the public to data sets to improve them, to capture historical and cultural context and to keep information up to date. This is also a challenging step but where government departments and agencies can engage the public collaboratively, we will see better data sets and greater innovation.

There are examples of each of these stages, but it is important to remember that they are stages, not static. Some good examples of open data initiatives in Australia include:

It is also important to consider the broad ramifications of open data. One can think of many positive case studies for open data. Examples of transparency or innovation or a strong public record. But there can be unforeseen negative consequences. For example, I heard of a case where the mapping of the ocean above Australia was made public, and within a very short period of time a particular species of fish was driven almost to extinction by fishers who used the data to plan their fishing season.

This is not a reason to not pursue open data, but rather a reminder to always consider things critically and thoughtfully.

Data visualisation

Nowadays I can’t overemphasise the importance of data visualisation. As a technical person I was quite cynical in the value of data visualisation. It seemed a waste of time when you can just read the data. But using data visualisation tools effectively can create two core benefits:

  • Informed public narrative – most people are really busy. Busy with their jobs, their personal lives, their hobbies. So expecting them to take time to really understand complex issues is not only unrealistic, it is unreasonable. Presenting information visually is a great way to lower the barrier to understanding and then engaging in an informed public debate. People will understand in seconds the information from a well constructed visualisation, but to glean the same information from papers and spreadsheets takes a lot longer.
  • Policy development & load testing – interactive data visualisation tools such as SpatialKey, Tableau or one of the many great FOSS tools available create a new way to engage with and glean new knowledge from data. By being able to pull together many different data sets into a single space, one can then explore, test and experiment with policy ideas to determine the effectiveness of a policy to meet its goals.

Citizen Centric Services

Citizen centric services is about putting the user experience first to create a personalised and unique experience for citizens. It is better for citizens as it makes their experience better and more seamless, and it is better for government who can more effectively serve the needs of citizens. Citizen centric services requires good data and metadata, especially good geospatial data as location information is an extremely effective way to personalise government services, information and projects for citizens.

Constant feedback loops that engage the input and ideas from citizens are extremely important to establish effective citizen centric services, and to ensure the iterative improvements over time to keep services relevant and responsive to the changing needs of the population.

Some examples of citizen centric services include:

Public engagement

Effective, constructive and collaborative public engagement greatly improves the capacity of government to build the knowledge and experience of citizens into policy and projects. Public engagement strategies work best when they are underpinned by strong community development, a clear and collaboratively developed goal, a genuine interest in the inputs of others, and a process that is as low a barrier to entry to engage in as possible.

Basically we are moving towards an era of democratic and governmental co-design.

There are some great examples of public engagement out there, including our Public Sphere consultations, the Queensland Police use of Facebook throughout the natural disasters a year ago (which showed how social media is great for timely updates, but also for managing misinformation quickly and crowdsourcing to help most effectively deploy resources in disaster management), the Census 2011 social media strategy, the growing number of public consultations on government policy and strategy such as from the Gov 2.0 Taskforce and much more. The need for public engagement has also been pushed in several recent policy agendas. The GovHack events last year were also great as they showed how effective engagement with the general public can result in highly innovative and rapidly developed new applications and knowledge when open data is made available and when usage of that data is encouraged.

FOSS and government

FOSS has provided a natural fit for a lot of Open Government initiatives, due to the widespread use of open standards, the ability to rapidly deploy, the large developer and support communities around mature FOSS projects such as Drupal and WordPress, the competitive and thus reliably sustainable nature of commercial support around mature FOSS projects, and, most relevantly, the cross over of values and practices between Open Government and FOSS.

In January 2011 AGIMO released the Australian Government Open Source Software Policy which has three principles:

  1. Principle 1: Australian Government ICT procurement processes must actively and fairly consider all types of available software.
  2. Principle 2: Suppliers must consider all types of available software when dealing with Australian Government agencies.
  3. Principle 3: Australian Government agencies will actively participate in open source software communities and contribute back where appropriate.

The third principle in particular represents a fundamental shift in how government sees and engages with FOSS, technology and the community. It is very exciting! It clearly demonstrates the value of collaboration so prevalent in the Open Government agenda.

In July 2011, after six months consultation, AGIMO also released the Australian Government Open Source Software Guide V2, a really useful document for departments and agencies to help them comply to the policy directive where they must consider Open Source in their procurement processes.

Both the Open Source Policy and the Guide are available along with other information at http://www.finance.gov.au/e-government/infrastructure/open-source-software.html

Open Government policies

The Open Government or Gov 2.0 agenda is nicely encapsulated in the two major policy documents, Ahead of the Game and the Gov 2.0 Taskforce Report. These two reports form the blueprint of Gov 2.0 for the Australian public service.

It is also worth looking at the Office of the Information Commissioner paper Principles of Open Public Sector Information and other resources at http://www.oaic.gov.au/, the Attorney General’s Principles of IP (which explicitly encourages Creative Commons), and the various useful web policies provided by AGIMO including the Gov 2.0 Primer.

Conclusion

Open Government and Gov 2.0 both represent an ideal.

They represent a goal for us to be continually aiming for but they are not achieved with a single switch of policy. Achieving true open government is necessarily a constant and evolving challenge, and given I am here speaking at an Open Source Developer’s conference, we all understand the difference between an ideal, and striving for the ideal whilst operating within reality.

Government won’t get it exactly right all the time every time, but we are in an extremely exciting time for open culture, and with a government position in Australia that firmly supports openness through policy, in legislation and in implementation of projects, we need to continue to encourage and support progress.

When you are sitting on top of a hill, watching people walk up towards you it’s more constructive to lend them a hand than to kick them down when they are only half way up 🙂 No matter how tempting it may seem 😉

Thank you.

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-08-21

  • YouTube pls? 😉 RT @rob_sheridan: Spider keeps building webs in doorway. He just likes watching my AAAAAIWALKEDTHROUGHASPIDERWEB dance. #
  • African Hunting Dogs are amazing. They have 80% success rate w hunts (lions have 20%) & take food back to young & sick at den. Incredible. #
  • These animals are beautiful! Going to post video of her climbing a very high pole for some meat later today. #dubbozoo http://t.co/zPs2a39 #
  • Wow, for up close & personal w a Sumatra Tiger, photos to come! Loving the wild African dogs, elephants, wombats, so much awesome! #dubbozoo #
  • Fascinating RT @stephenodonnell: Fighting back against dictators shutting down the Internet http://t.co/9EjimWd #
  • You are now officially on my list 😉 MUST READ via @crystalsinger RT Have you seen this yet? http://t.co/sbctNH7 #
  • Went into a pub in Dubbo tonight only to be rickrolled. Srsly uncool Dubbo. The worst was the 12yr old barman not understanding my rage. #
  • Ah Sydney, how I have missed thee 🙂 #
  • Currently listening to Blonde Redhead as recommended by a friend. Pretty cool 🙂 http://t.co/g1LE9Yv #music #
  • Am going to Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo today. So VERY excited! 🙂 Here with a good photographer friend so will post some stuff. #
  • Gorgeous morning in the blue mountains. Am out for a run. Love it! http://t.co/C10y1N2 #
  • Most entertaining reporting of #qt ever RT @CrabbTwitsard: An easy rhyme! His words are music: To my ears, thank God – Ed Husic. #
  • Fascinating RT @maxious bothkindsofpolitics.org unlocked the Citizen Auditor achievement. Though Commonwealth Gazette hardly gov2 😉 #gov2au #
  • Treating myself to lunch today (at the Quince & Almond). Yum! http://t.co/1IXmzsj #
  • A discussion point emerging for #govcampau is the importance of collab across govt. Should be interesting 🙂 #gov2au http://t.co/H582KHn #
  • .@citizen_cam more money is always asked for, but I hope you have lots of other ideas for a 10yr strategic national cultural policy 🙂 #
  • .@jodiem Hmm, I'm optimistic. I see social media adoption in some traditionally highly conservative areas, ppl are starting to understand 🙂 #
  • .@jodiem Yeah, to be fair I think it's a matter of hearing horror stories, not understanding the medium & drawing uninformed conclusions. #
  • .@ibeardslee Heh, nah 🙂 I'm here to help raise all boats, naming and shaming rarely works 😉 #
  • .@jodiem Interestingly facebook/twitter was brought up as examples that "undermine" online mental health initiatives. Curiously out of touch #
  • Current great question from journo about CRC funding & how 'often linked to irrelevant things like patents'. Interesting #npc #mentalhealth #
  • Journo saying we don't tend to have cyberbullying amongst adults. Oh rly? #npc #
  • Listening to ?'s from press about helping young ppl with mental health using the internet. They're v skeptical <grin> http://t.co/k0DWKY4 #
  • RT @grmsn LinuxCon 2011 Keynotes Streamed Free – http://t.co/3KNyqCA #geek #
  • After great feedback & edits, please check out "Without Warning" http://t.co/RBq9M0l It's my fav so far 🙂 #music /cc @mideion @purserj #
  • Heh, that's me! 🙂 But only for the powers of good 😉 RT @kwebb: @piawaugh Mistress of misdirection B-) #
  • Clever but simple. Alacrity use mobile numbers as identifiers for users to create personalised interaction (through browser apps). #gov2au #
  • Alacrity at mobile gov event saying a mobile strategy doesn't just mean iPhone app. Giving useful advice about access/compatability #gov2au #
  • #gov2au RT @lubnaalam: How do we engage multiple users in one single screen ? Nsquared @mgovnicta #
  • Just saw an awesome collaborative app by nsquared for learning electronics for primary school kids. #gov2au #
  • .@jufemaiz add stuff to Wiki anyway and I'll make sure it is discussed. 🙂 there is also a datacamp happening in Brissie 24th Sept #gov2au #
  • Listening to guy from nsquared say that children using tech doesn't create isolation, they naturally work together/collaboratively #gov2au #
  • Gets me every time! </tinytantrum> RT @steve_evil: @piawaugh <insert joke about small stature meaning you're always under the rader here> #
  • RT @doneas: At gov e-cluster 3 x 10 min presentations on mobile government plus discussion #gov2au #
  • #gov2au RT @GovConnections Vivek Kundra, 1st US federal CIO, offers some parting thoughts on public service. #govcon http://t.co/pYNJm3a #
  • I love wearing jeans at a suit event. I feel special, like an undercover agent… below the radar 😉 #
  • Currently in an event about Mobile Government by the eGov Tech Cluster at NICTA. Should be interesting #gov2au #
  • Fascinating RT @nicchristensen Looks like a interesting line up: Australia's 1st national investigative journalism conf http://t.co/nusxlVd #
  • Finding my media & #gov2au lists pretty vital for keeping up to date 🙂 Funny to see followers. Main tweet stream for occasional distraction #
  • Currently reading, considering wrt #gov2au RT @CentrePolicyDev Analysis of 20 yrs opinion research on public service http://t.co/7H3AYdd #
  • .@benpobjie Don't let them push you out, otherwise they win 🙂 We'll have to compare war stories sometime 🙂 #
  • Having an incredible week. Lots of amazing & inspiring people to talk to, hang out with, learn from & occasionally share my own insights 🙂 #
  • .@bxmx Yeah np. I thought msg was just as relevant here 🙂 Many amazing peeps in gov doing awesome work, not always externally obvious :/ #
  • Heh, @Du4 you can't invoke politics and star wars together, then complain about the results 😉 #palpatinewasright #
  • Awww, puppy #Po enjoying some grass. Reminds me I need to see kung fu panda 2 soon 🙂 http://t.co/jDIzpiu #
  • That's it, I'm leaving to eat something not disgusting. Thanks all! @GeordieGuy @paulwallbank @Davidramli @renailemay @j_hutch @ScottRhodie #
  • .@govfresh How could it not be!? 🙂 Hopefully recording and publishing everything will also make it useful beyond the day too #govcampau #
  • .@Reemski Hope you can come, would be great to have a local gov perspective 🙂 /cc @RuthEllison #govcampau #
  • Come on, an enormous Hummer with "No carbon tax" & "our democracy is dead". I do hope @grogsgamut gets a photo #noctrally #noctrly? #
  • The #govcampau registrations are already at 52 & there are only 100 places! So get in & register ppl! #gov2au #opengov http://t.co/b6GKdqW #
  • .@Davidramli There's a place for quality analysis by journos who have unique position to follow info/trends /cc @renailemay @ScottRhodie #
  • FFS RT @joshgnosis RT @mcdonaldmatt Anti same sex marriage rally:"there is no greater evil than same sex marriage & it's a threat to us all" #
  • .@renailemay Hah! 🙂 I think tech reporting in Australia is quite high quality (& largely apolitical). Important to recognise & support 🙂 #
  • Telstra in NZ suggest "breaking monopolies" RT @lukehopewell TelstraClear CEO slams NZ's 3 strikes copyright law (ZDNet) bit.ly/pAgRZl #
  • Everybody in da house! RT @AuSenate @AboutTheHouse Senate dept is taking its first tentative steps on Twitter. Can we get a retweet? #gov2au #
  • .@alexkidman Surely, it can be both! A pointless gadget we buy because we WANTS it, so we make ourselves more productive to rationalise 😉 #
  • Ai knows!!! Is making me sad. RT @GreenJ so much spam this morning. #
  • Congrats! 🙂 RT @GrogsGamut From tmrw writing weekly posts @abcthedrum. Lots of graphs or protest signs. Whichever feels the most Drumish #
  • My band "Clamourous Penguins" are playing Thurs week at the Pot Belly. Hope to see some of you there! 🙂 #music http://t.co/8rU1bG2 #
  • Sometimes I wish I lived in Canberra. Simple but very useful. http://t.co/go4kwlp #gov2au #
  • I'm a little obsessed with this song atm but it is such an amazing remix! So I'm tweeting it again! http://t.co/HUjxnD0 #music #depechemode #
  • HAAA haha! #lols #idonotfollowpplwithmarketsintheirprofiles #longhashtags RT @chrisdubrow hi my name is Mark from Etsi … You discriminator #
  • Love it! You draw me in then make me giggle 🙂 RT damonism I think it's a reasonable heuristic for deciding someone is a nob #
  • .@Weinberg_for_PM Erk, auto-responses usually make me unfollow :/ #
  • .@Jim_Croft Yes, it'll be fun. Techie types talking to techie types. None of this fluffy "managerial" foo 😉 #gov2au #govcampau #opengov #
  • <grin> RT @benrhughes sometimes I'm frustrated I'm not represented by the left or right. Then I look at what they represent & feel better 😉 #
  • Is it bad that I choose to not follow anyone with the word "markets" in their profile (with one or two notable exceptions). #
  • Interesting blog RT @Gov2u Here's our take on #Cameron #039;s attempt to shut Social Media: http://t.co/9TIpa7O #gov2au #opengov #
  • I just RT'd this, but it's fascinating. Obv there are points up for debate 🙂 @infobeautiful Left vs Right concept map http://t.co/azyN2iE #
  • .@Ragertarian I hope so! #govcampau needs @dannolan to have any semblence of credibility! 😉 PS – it would be awesome if you cld come Dan 🙂 #
  • Argh, I've never used Wikispaces before, does anyone know how to make it such that I don't have to approve new members? #govcampau #gov2au #
  • Good piece by @ashermoses RT Censoring mobiles and the net: how the West is clamping down http://t.co/cLaoXLM via @smh #
  • .@stokely Yays! That's right folks, Gov 2.0 here in action 😉 I hope to get to ppl engaging gov at all levels so constructively 🙂 #gov2au #
  • OK #gov2au #gov20 #opengov & #opendata peeps, check it out! Sept 10th #govcampau will ROCK! See you there 🙂 http://t.co/H582KHn #
  • Totally. Life is grey. RT @benrhughes well, people are people. They're multi-faceted. Sometimes awesome, sometimes not. But I still like em. #
  • Briefly saw @latikambourke on the TV this morning, yay you! 🙂 #
  • Need feedback on this song please. It's an early demo, but one of my favourites so far 🙂 "Without Warning" http://t.co/hCfT2ID #music #
  • "Without Warning" – the most difficult song I've yet collaborated with @mideion on. It's a very difficult & tragic s… http://t.co/hCfT2ID #
  • Haaa hahaha! Q: "Can you destroy the earth", The Tick "egads I hope not, that's where I keep all my stuff!" #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-08-14

  • I love garage sales. LOVE them 🙂 http://t.co/DGmAka0 #
  • Is Oct long weekend 1st weekend in October? Is it a long weekend for all? Is Sydney to Adelaide too far for 3 days @moldor @Rog42 @zerohash #
  • Am at Pot Belly to listen to a few bands, including some friends of mine. Always fun to go out and gear some good Aussie music 🙂 #
  • Thanks @Steve_evil for the tour.@CanberraRep is awesome 🙂 Amazing work you've done with an empty old school hall! #
  • Zambrero, my favourite take away place in Canberra (right now) 🙂 Nommy Mexican food! #
  • Perfect Sat = sleep in (after mercy drive to Harden, friend didn't get off train @Yass), theatre, lunch, gym & Pot Belly for live music 🙂 #
  • Just put up another remix of "Not Sure" with better drums by @mideion mixed in. Forgot to put it up earlier 🙂 http://t.co/7C9en8Y #
  • Yay! RT @KateLundy: Getting there….. http://t.co/uHjVKNj on games classification! #r18 #
  • Got another song to release tonight (hopefully!). This is the hardest one I've yet had to write or record. Tells a tragic story :/ #
  • .@jclacherty Heh, I'm sure I'll get to that, just started from the start 🙂 "Gravity, she's a harsh mistress" 😀 #
  • Have just discovered The Tick, one of the funniest things ever. So much lols! #
  • Just got hold of the first Game of Thrones book, I may not sleep tonight 🙂 #
  • Going to see "Life X 3" at the theatre tomorrow. Looks great! Who else is going? http://t.co/IYSTIqM /cc @CanberraRep @steve_evil #
  • RT @ideahive: RT @Mushin: Interesting if you're into collective (un)consciousness & self-organising groups & systems. http://t.co/gn53AaL #
  • Hah! RT @crystalsinger: lol. Outlook is all like, "DO NOT WANT MOAR EMAILZ!", you're just bein' mean to make it work. I'd bluescreen too 😉 #
  • Have to RT to #gov2au 🙂 @dnwallace: Clever Govt. engagement http://t.co/FHF8fOo @myen #gov2 @census2011 #
  • So much awesome! RT @dnwallace: Clever Govt. engagement http://t.co/FHF8fOo @myen #gov2 @census2011 #
  • OK, who of my awesome tweep or #fb friends are going to PyCon & live in Sydney? I know someone in need of couch to surf on for two nights 🙂 #
  • "My teeth snapped like trees" and now I feel ill. There are good reasons to never ask a wordsmith about a painful accident.#squeamish #
  • My work computer occasionally bluescreens when plugging Ethernet in. Troubleshooting it looks related to Outlook being open. Ridiculous #gar #
  • Wow RT @KateKendall: Must-read piece on UK riots by @rustyrockets: 'Big Brother isn’t watching you' – http://t.co/sMCmhZj HT @whatjanesays #
  • Watching the watchers? RT @russellbuckley: Fascinating pic: Police apprehend suspect, surrounded by spectators' mobiles http://t.co/uYSRije #
  • Great presentation about AR-UX: The generation of the pervasive User by @alexmyoung http://t.co/bem0A3U #tech #AR #geek 🙂 #
  • Awesome to catch up, and too rare! RT @trib: Back from very pleasant lunch with my friend @piawaugh #
  • .@mstremeski I never said he didn't use other swords, but he did beat many enemies armed only with wooden swords. Read book of five rings 😛 #
  • Yes show is annoying & Katie's assertions offensive, but some ppl *have* wanted to get involved & represent 🙂 /cc @aimee_maree @katsbud #
  • I largely concur @aimee_maree, esp wrt "some can be highly intelligent" <vomit> but @katsbud didn't do wrong thing… http://t.co/SggaZ9l #
  • Interesting RT @wwjimd: #Tunisia A Digitally-Driven, Leaderless Revolution http://t.co/BSsnvmp #
  • Musashi used a wooden sword, and he never lost #delayedawesomeanswers RT @tribalscientist: Oh, SCA? Not using metal weapons, then? #
  • Heh, totally 🙂 /cc @crystalsinger: @piawaugh Frakkin' bots! :-/ #
  • Totally! RT @daniels_den: @piawaugh What a BSG 'Frak' #fail by the bot. Shame the Firefly 'Goram' isn't more popular. #
  • And now to sleep, perchance to dream 🙂 Night world! #
  • And #bsg FAIL. I demand this bot be educamated! RT @_spell: @piawaugh 'Frak' could be Freak, Frank, Frag, Frau, Fray, Fran, Flak or Frat. #
  • Testing the relative 1337ness of a spelling bot. Frak (sp?) #
  • Wow! Tonight learnt some medieval swordcraft from a master. Had assumed a strength thing, but fascinating power generation + strategy 😀 #fb #
  • Enjoying remix of our song "Everything Dies". Diva (Featuring @Mideion) by Mario Gonzalez via #soundcloud http://t.co/MxtPmuU #music #
  • RT @dizzydeep: Social media case study by Brisbane City Council #localgov SM use in emergency http://t.co/QH5NdrS... http://t.co/TQmTeMg #
  • RT @tag_egov RT @digiphile: If open government is to be citizen-centric, it needs to be search-centric. http://fb... http://t.co/K22XqIc #
  • .@wombat1974 When people bring up that argument (& they do) I say we're creating more effective, efficient & engaging gov 😛 /cc @merejames #
  • .@merejames I think emergence of public servants engaging online (partic within their jobs) as doing that /cc @silkcharm @becsmog @dnwallace #
  • Ever listen to a song and you find your whole self responds to it? I love musical immersion 🙂 So many amazing musicians out there! #fb #
  • Interesting! Crikey series on "Quality Journalism" (by journalists so pinch of salt required <grin>) http://t.co/yLwFedJ /via @crikey_news #
  • Interesting article RT @theriverfed There is a context to #LondonRiots that can't be ignored @guardian http://t.co/mcNE1Ub #
  • A happy puppy is a clean puppy 🙂 #Po http://t.co/ux5nT29 #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-08-07

  • Today's awesomeness brought to me by the Cure, NIN, soundcloud, @mideion, Tea Party, Pixies, the Matrix soundtrack and the letter A 🙂 #
  • Spent the morning cleaning, now going to spend the afternoon playing (games, music, with puppy). Hooray for sunny weekend days! #
  • For the amusement of @Suni1i 🙂 http://t.co/tnzrwp7 #
  • Went into the store to get a clothes hamper. Came out with a kid sized wheelie bin because it was so cute. I'm just a big kid anyway 🙂 #
  • Haaa hahaha 🙂 RT @swearyanthony: @piawaugh freedom is the same as shiny, right? #
  • One of my favourite things about @soundcloud is finding incredible some remixes of songs I love. http://t.co/W7yYzmg #depechemode #music #
  • This is cool, thanks @crikey_news Walk the world in one minute: http://t.co/pjMApBA #
  • Haha! 🙂 RT @steve_evil: @purserj @piawaugh everyone know that it's been plaits or nothing since the 4th dynasty #
  • I like your logic AJ 🙂 RT @ajtowns: @piawaugh war is just the way people with pigtails respond to not being taken seriously #
  • .@wireghoul ah, shall modify my hair then, ta muchly 😉 #
  • Why do ppl take you less seriously with pigtails? Don't they realise it is *the* hairstyle of choice for war? #makingstuffup #
  • Is it sad I'm actually considering buying this book? #ac2 http://t.co/iw4amVF #
  • Heh, Nero, Nemo, whatever! 🙂 #bookswithonelettermissing #
  • Neromancer – the heartwarming story of a cyber cowboy junkie who goes looking for a fish #bookswithonelettermissing #
  • LOL!! RT @crazyjane13: 'Necklace of terror'? REALLY, Today Tonight? #
  • Governor Alex Chernov says what better place to host #iawards than Melbourne, the tech capital of Australia. I feel healthy debate coming 🙂 #
  • Phew, got them all I think 🙂 #iawards #
  • #iawards for ICT educator of the year was Jo Stewart-Rattray (SA) #
  • #iawards for secondary school project goes to Villanova College for their Physics Engine (QLD) #
  • #iawards for security goes to Pure Hacking for PureWAF managed web app firewall service (NSW) #
  • #iawards for tourism and hospitality goes to Centium Software for GuestPoint (QLD) #
  • #iawards correction to sustainability & green it award actually goes to CSIRO Tasmanian ICT Centre for South ESL Hydrological Sensor #sorry #
  • #iawards for tools and infrastructure award goes to Transmax for STREAMS intelligent transport system (QLD) #
  • #iawards for R&D goes to Alacrity Technologies for closes loop environment for wireless (ACT) #
  • #iawards for sustainability & green IT goes to CSIRO ICT centre for Phenonet (ACT) #
  • #iawards for start up company goes to Trueoaks for 99dresses #
  • #iAwards for industrial application goes to Blast Movement Technologies (QLD) for Blast Movement Monitors #
  • #iAwards for financial industry application award goes to Suncorp & Thoughtworks (NSW) with merit to Auditflow Publishing #
  • #iAwards Export Achievement goes to CargoWise GLOW (NSW) #
  • #iawards for eLogistics and Supply Chain goes to SolveIT Software supply chain network optimiser #
  • #iawards for eLearning goes to Janison (NSW) cloud assessment with merit award for the Australian ehealth research centre #
  • #iawards for eInclusion & eCommumity goes to InfoExchange Australia (VIC) #
  • #iawards for eHealth went to the Australian ehealth research centre with merit to Edge Box #
  • #iAwards egovernment award went to Transmax, STREAMS motorway mgkt (qld) #
  • #iAwards Huawei Australia won the first award for communications #
  • Hah 🙂 RT @carolduncan: .@2011Census What about people who are, um, having a 'sleepover' at home of someone they shouldn't oughta be at??? #
  • Interesting RT @google: New: When patents attack Android. http://t.co/qZdipn6 #
  • Woot! In ur tweets, bringing da awesums RT @2011Census: #AusCensus data reveals 98 per cent of @2011Census Twitter followers are awesome. #
  • Ian Birks (AIIA): Australia has leaders across the spectrum of technology innovation and business & the #iAwards recognise & celebrate this #
  • I love it how "live streaming" is so loosely interpreted these days… #
  • The 2011 iAwards are about to start, be interesting to see different category winners 🙂 #iAwards It's being recorded & put online later #
  • Currently looking at work for the Australia Centre for Broadband Innovation http://t.co/i785MH3 #iAwards #
  • .@normnz That comment was specific to context of R&D where collab nonexistent. Of course more commercial collab would be good 🙂 #iAwards #
  • .@sadieandlance NP 🙂 The recommendations being made are *very* interesting but they'll be online later I'm told. Will tweet later. #iAwards #
  • I've heard synergy and synergise several times in the last hour. Must. Stop. Brain. Exploding… #
  • John Grant: single biggest thing going wrong (with IT industry) is capability to collaborate. Let's get serious about it & fix it. #iAwards #
  • Jane Treadwell (eGovernment, ICT & Transformation, World Bank) currently discussing IT procurement & diff between BAU & innovation #iAwards #
  • Jane Treadwell saying how Cloud services & online App stores provide means for small innovative companies to get into gov market #iAwards #
  • John Grant, Chair of the IT Industry Innovation Council talking about innovation & the issue when only underpinned by fiscal policy #iAwards #
  • Dr Robertson: 3 skillsets needed for commercialisation: Research, Engineering & the skills to translate innovation to market use #iAwards #
  • OK Labs getting a shout out from Dr Phil Robertson at #iAwards as great developers of innovation (with Open Source) that have succeeded OS #
  • Dr Phil Robertson saying patents aren't everything, but are critical. #iAwards <- I feel patents are massively overrated wrt tech innovation #
  • Dr Phil Robertson (NICTA) Academics are rewarded on publications not implementation, diff skillset & needs consideration #iAwards #
  • Prof Reg Coutts: every time someone digs up some uranium or something everyone relaxes & goes back to old models. Need new models. #iAwards #
  • Prof Reg Coutts says in Australia ppl rarely want to hear about small innovative companies. Unis & NICTA could work better together #iAwards #
  • Interesting to hear about background of Australia Hears. Dr Saunders talking about diff between gov procurement vs investment. #iawards #
  • Speech at #iAwards panel on Australian innovation strengths (eg well educated, ease of biz setup) & weaknesses (eg collab, r&d funding). #
  • Currently rocking my morning http://t.co/FQZrXDj #music #industrialdub #ting @soundcloud #
  • Nice RT @donkey: A winters day motorcycle commute can be such a drag (/cc @piawaugh) #manawatu http://t.co/zThpCFt #
  • Heh, awesome RT @VancianNotions: lord of the rigs – a conman's truck drivers epic journey. #bookswithonelettermissing #
  • .@kattekrab Poop :/ I need some other excellent friend in Melbourne to stay with. HAve a lovely trip and catch up when you're back 🙂 #
  • I *LOVE* @soundcloud! Just had someone remix a song I've collaborated on http://t.co/DwH6yJZ Original at http://t.co/xbbGsdA #music <3 #
  • I don't know why ppl make a huge fuss over riding a motorbike in winter. It's extra work keeping hands warm & avoiding ice, but wonderful! #
  • Interesting RT @pgsimoes: Matt Damon Explains Why The Perception of Teachers Must Change [VIDEO] http://t.co/P2pIyod (@edudemic) #
  • RTing to #gov2au & #fb 🙂 HILARIOUS! RT @IDEALAW: Facebook will destroy your children's brains [or…not.] http://t.co/nW2PMo7 #
  • HILARIOUS! RT @IDEALAW: Facebook will destroy your children's brains [or…not.] http://t.co/nW2PMo7 /cc @tribalscientist #
  • Enjoying a drink at the phoenix in civic. A new fav handout methinks 🙂 #
  • Attended funeral service for Rob Chalmers. Lovely service with great stories from his life. 60yrs in Aus Press Gallery. Proud to be related. #
  • Am attending the iAwards in Melbourne on Thurs with @katelundy (AIIA, ACS & Pearcey awards event). Should be fun 🙂 http://t.co/4ZbFsmj #
  • Currently reading insightful speech by Terry Moran AO http://t.co/vKtSjhs "Democracy and us" #gov2au #opengov #gov20 /via @ozloop #
  • .@aimee_maree Yeah, I'm the same 🙂 Hey @2011Census, any chance of the ability to have multiple ancestry options per parent? 🙂 #
  • This is brilliant. Beautiful graphics, funny, insightful, informative. Love it! Nice work http://t.co/UTWXvWd @2011Census #gov2au #gov20 #
  • Yes! Totally! Where and when? Evening right? I have some super cool stuff to show you 🙂 Might be fun to have an informal group once a week? #
  • Playtimes are fun. For @br3nda @jdub #puppy http://t.co/XyOHsyu #
  • Po is very glad to be home. He had his first stay in a kennel whilst I was away 🙂 /cc @Br3nda @jdub #sookydogs http://t.co/Gpxqdnh #
  • Sunny all week this week in Canberra, I'm going to ride Bumblebee (my motorbike) to work a bit I think 🙂 #woot #
  • .@SMinney It's still a good solution but not for problem of getting around (more so for the problem of others' entertainment) /cc @elerimai #
  • .@i386 ARGHLSGLSADKLKEOI!~!! </endshorttantrum> 😉 /cc @purserj #
  • .@RealNickHodge Wow, I'm not even angry, I'm impressed! 😉 /cc @swearyanthony #
  • Hah! You really captured it there. RT @wombat1974 "you raise a very interesting point, fuckknuckle. Please expound on it, dipshit." #
  • Wow, I love it when people abuse you, and then say "nah, I *do* wanna have a conversation". The lack of self awareness is incredible. #
  • Currently looking at winners of MyRegion photo competition. Some incredible photos from all around Australia! http://t.co/07lGykA #pretty #
  • .@jzb Hah! That would totally rock, but I fear I have not yet earnt such a privilege. Watch this space 😉 /cc @garethgreenaway #
  • Back at work, wading thru mountains of email, news, events, briefs. Perhaps should caffeinate seeing I've been up since 0400 (flew from Tas) #
  • I'm going to NICTA eGov event on mobile government on 17th Aug, thought some #gov2au peeps might be interested 🙂 http://t.co/437aQh0 #gov20 #
  • Free wireless, coffee, headphones+awesome music, new msgs from friends: these are a few of my fav things (waiting for plane at Melb airport) #
  • Back online & back to work this morning. Had amazing week in Tasmania, another step closer to starting a martial arts school in Canberra 😀 #
  • Yesterday I saw someone I hadn't seen for 15 yrs who told me I looked exactly the same. Looks like the alchemy lessons paid off 😉 #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-07-31

  • More Launceston. Very pretty. Back at work on Monday. http://t.co/po6IxBF #
  • Hanging out in beautiful Launceston. http://t.co/hs7Y7kL #
  • For the martial arts peeps, check out my Shi Fu's 18 Hands of Lohan http://t.co/xDcEKIt & Linked Rings Boxing http://t.co/6HFQEww #kungfu #
  • Note to all friends with little girls, check out "The Fairies", Aussie kids franchise. Opening in Canberra tmrw 🙂 http://t.co/umZhnKb #
  • Thank you to @NathanFillion for his noble quest to #endswampass http://t.co/pCRUrVE #geek #gamer #
  • Rob Chalmers, veteran journalist died yesterday. An inspiring passionate man who served the press gallery for 60 yrs http://t.co/uTIoEm1 #fb #
  • Thanks all. :`/ Sad when you lose someone awesome, esp when you could have spent more time with them. @ashulz @camcgr @davidramli #
  • Just got some awful news :/ Not having phone access meant finding out badly. We should take opps when we get them & not wait until too late. #
  • Rob Chalmers is incredible. 60 yrs in the press gallery – a treasure of knowledge http://t.co/zKk8VuT He's my cousin, I hope he recovers :/ #
  • Just watched first episode of My Little Pony cartoon on recommendation & it is hilarious 🙂 I'm on holidays! 😛 #
  • K, bedtime now. #
  • One of the things I love about Youtube is quickly finding & listening to music. Currently listening to http://t.co/ATO0Sti #depechemode #fb #
  • Sorry, just one more. Massive Attack, Depeche Mode and John Carpenter. Lovely remix on #soundcloud http://t.co/VUmg3hX #music #fb #cantsleep #
  • Just found a beautiful remix of Depeche Mode, Florence and the Machine & Imogen Heap on #soundcloud http://t.co/HFGhTMQ Enjoy 🙂 #music #fb #
  • Wow, bbpress (forum plugin) is really quite nice. Yay for WordPress integration & in this case s2members integration (Kung Fu school). #
  • Currently listening to NIN remixes and doing some website work. I love holidays 🙂 You can do whatever you like! See http://t.co/qhepCbK 🙂 #
  • I shall work on it, I'm here another 4 days, should be enough 😉 @trib @DavidBromage #
  • .@trib Hah, @davidbromage just beat you to the same joke! 🙂 #
  • Have been visiting horses today, reading Kung Fu texts, entertaining a 4 yr old, training and cooking. Feeling awesome. #perfectday #
  • Just had a friend's 4 year old girl quote CJ from West Wing to me. So much teh awesome! 🙂 #
  • This is ridiculous and hilarious! "We're from Tassie… Our bogans will stab you" http://t.co/VwlG9zv #newyork #
  • Just was told about Lounge Against The Machine. Too funny 🙂 http://t.co/p0AGSZf #music #
  • In Tasmania having an amazing time training and hanging with my Kung Fu Master & his family, but stuck with 0 (yes, 0!) mobile coverage. #fb #
  • Heading down to Launceston (Tas) for a week to train with my kung fu master. Should be fun 🙂 Esp given my snow boarding bruises <grin> #
  • Trying so hard to not feed the trolls, but cannot believe the audacity of ppl trying to capitalise on #Oslo tragedy to spread hate speech. #
  • Awful title but interesting post, esp for those who question value of pseudonyms RT @bug_girl: Why Google+ hates women http://t.co/YUsjpRu #
  • Interesting RT @TonySearl: Why we should abolish the university exam http://t.co/bGyDNve via @ConversationEDU #
  • Wow, awesome! RT @avancampen: So. Cool. RT @MFBorman: Very cool in-car augmented reality! » http://t.co/gM1BFVC #
  • You need more buffer 😉 RT @jethrocarr: dd if=/dev/flat/heater of=/dev/jethro/body <— even with bs=20M, I'm still not getting warm 🙁 #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-07-24

  • Anyone in or willing to travel to Melbourne keen to go the the sequel to the Phantom of the Opera (27 Aug)? 🙂 http://t.co/iN7k4TB #tragic #
  • Having either a big birthday bash (Oct) or 5th Nov party. In either case it'd be a masked ball in a theatre. Who's in? 🙂 #fb Deets to come! #
  • After several years of owning them, I've finally put up some paintings by my awesome friend Sue 🙂 #fb #homemaking http://t.co/HsG8CGy #
  • "Breathe" remix, now with additional rock added. Would love feedback please! 🙂 #soundcloud http://t.co/yYGSxWZ #music #
  • Stuch saying Aus having fossil fuels industry boom conflicts with reducing carbon footprint. He's confusing exports w consumption. #insiders #
  • It's interesting how there is a lot of talk about privacy, but the T&Cs of online tools is hardly considered until things go wrong #insiders #
  • Joining a Google+ "hangout" for #insiders Currently waiting and having to install plugin… See how it goes. #
  • MWAH HAHA. My fav is "Caution, THIS IS SPARTA!" Cross posting from Google+ due to no integration 😉 http://t.co/B39JJCI /via @loquacities #
  • I live my new t-shirt, thanks @katsbud 🙂 I won it at a #girlgeekdinner ages ago. Have to go again now 🙂 /cc @sundress http://t.co/Y9BywW4 #
  • And I could use practise 😉 RT @swearyanthony: @Bondles careful. If you mock @piawaugh she turns into the cutest little killer ninja ever. #
  • Relaxing in a hot hot bath after 2 days boarding at perisher. Awesome. Going again asap 🙂 #
  • Had a wonderful weekend boarding. Today took a very fast blue run and nailed it! Squealed all the way down 🙂 #
  • So much the awesome RT @ConwayH: Oh yes @piawaugh @louisevmorris http://t.co/W8dp1l3 #
  • Hanging at the snow with @sundress today 🙂 had an awesome time. http://t.co/uao8SF0 #
  • Girl geeks go to the snow 🙂 /cc @sundress @katsbud http://t.co/WIN5xsj #
  • I am amused. #angrybirds @ toys r us http://t.co/GWJb7Jg #
  • Stunning subset in yass 🙂 http://t.co/Ds7lblW #
  • Due to some pikers I have a spare 2 free places in a cabin at Perisher this Friday night. Anyone want to come skiing/boarding? 🙂 DM me. #
  • Sucker Punch: wow! Incredible movie. Visually stunning, amazing action, dark, disturbing. Highly recommend. Incredible music too. #
  • Just saw some boys practising Parkour in Yass. Awesome. I need to get training 🙂 #
  • Saw Bridesmaids last night, excellent movie 🙂 particularly awesome to see the cute guy from IT crowd in a good role 🙂 #
  • Yest I went on a horse ride in Canberra. Turns out ACT has some weird legislation about not going above a trot on public horse rides. Argh! #
  • Heh, cool RT @brainpicker So you know, every sci-fi ship to scale http://t.co/lxUklli /VIA @abigailbelfrage #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-07-17

  • .@camcgr Totally :/ But on the flip side, I got to stay in my warm cocoon of a bed 🙂 Always a silver lining I say 😉 #
  • Ooh, a project to create open real-time collaborative video suite. 13 days left for pledges. Check it out http://t.co/WRPR7Su /via @iluciv #
  • .@allanonau Heh, sure 🙂 I'm just having a moment of total respect for all you parents 😉 #
  • Just had friends stay for a few nights. 3 kids can really generate a lot of washing up!!! #
  • Watching series 2 of Beached Az (thx YouTube), my fav one so far is the clams. Oy, gimme a beat. http://t.co/07hixPi #
  • Awesome. RT @sebsharp: Carpe DM #twittersayings #
  • Cool RT @neerav: Reading: about origins of the quote from #spiderman "With great power comes great responsibility." http://t.co/SXEl07y #
  • There is a new cool robot at questacon. Interesting discovery: when robot eyes turn red, you instinctively step back and assume danger 🙂 #
  • Having an awesome 24 hours, catching with lots of awesome ppl 🙂 #
  • Woke up at 5, unable to get back to sleep. Why?!? #grumble Going to try to continue with my blog on online culture over the weekend 🙂 #
  • .@fayezgase no problem 🙂 Our welding with the internet dies remind me of this tho http://t.co/hxBkoca 😉 #
  • Interesting article, amazing how our minds adapt to new tools & opps: search engines replace memory http://t.co/sf5mnkK #
  • .@maxious It's worth remembering gov is always a work in progress. Current status /= fait accompli /cc @sherro58 @alankerlin @craigthomler #
  • .@sherro58 fair point but I think there's diff between bashing & raising concerns. Obv there's ses leaders too /cc @alankerlin @craigthomler #
  • Want! Where did you get it? 🙂 RT @haikugirlOz: Kisses from my nephew after he received his angry birds Tshirt #awesome #
  • <blush> Thx! 🙂 RT @gavintapp: Great discussion happening at #gov2au lunch on online trust and reputation. @piawaugh is smart lady. #
  • Margaret: diff media for diff demographics. For example, young ppl (under 22) aren't on Twitter. #gov2au I think this needs community devel #
  • Margaret talking about AR, gamification, mobile devices, social media, geo location, the cluetrain manifesto. #gov2au #
  • Margaret: young ppl are not limited by our perceptions of what the web is. Australia us streets ahead of the UK with this stuff. #gov2au #
  • Margaret (Reading Room): we are at a fundamental tipping point, social media. I think she's saying the mainstreaming of social media #gov2au #
  • Hah!! Today is Embrace Your Geekiness Day. I've got #gov2au lunch, #BSG Python & gaming planned. Et tu? 🙂 http://t.co/mEmz1N4 #fb #EYGD #
  • Haha, scrabble slogan: "it's your word against ours!" #
  • I'm an aunty!!! I can feel the weight of responsibility already 😉 Congrats to Touie & Chrissie with their baby girl, born last night. #fb #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-07-10

  • Does this count as 'fair use'? Six strike story as previously mentioned. http://t.co/TVBsyG8 #
  • .@grumpymojo yeah. It says AT&T, Verizon, Comcast corp. #
  • Looks like it, paywall RT @tericee: @purserj This may be it, but I can't say for sure since I don't have subscription. http://t.co/uCs0KB4 #
  • Wow, on page 13 of the fin review today a tiny article saying several ISPs are implementing a six strike rule. Scary. #openinternet #
  • Preach brother RT @lukehopewell: I hate you, YouTube pre-roll ads #
  • Was reminded of one if my fav snl clips earlier. Natalie Portman, rapping. http://t.co/WpVFyJv #awesome #
  • Sometimes there is nothing better than hanging in your own house, puppy for company + good movie. Just finished 4th resident evil, love it! #
  • Currently on a lively motorbike ride out to bungendore. Stunning day, just a little windy. 🙂 #
  • Bought some fancy new shoes today, so if anyone has a fancy event I can come along to in the coming 3 weeks, I have boots and can travel 🙂 #
  • I'm excited! Only weeks to go 🙂 RT @alexmyoung: squeaky, windblown and perfect http://t.co/Sr8WpjH /cc @piawaugh #
  • Just watched someone buy 4 chocolate bars and a diet coke. Had to giggle. #
  • I remixed our latest Gibson song, the one about Jonas the cyborg dolphin and war, enjoy 🙂 http://t.co/HeUwT6W #music /cc @mideion #
  • Nice remix of The Fragile #NIN http://t.co/EFmEVYf #music #
  • Have rewatched Resident Evil and Underworld series over the last week. Inspired me to out running longer and to gym, got a way to go 😉 #
  • Heh, love the #firefly one 🙂 RT @cheeky_geeky: The funniest #AskObama tweets – http://t.co/pKPKMGT (RT @HuffPostComedy) #
  • Ooh, sounds interesting 🙂 RT @deangroom: Submission going up. Using Quake over Second Life for Transmedia Learning #
  • Wow, virgin mobile just silently changed me to automatic credit card payments wo permission & then charged me to fix it. Unbelievable. #
  • Day three of my holiday and I'm already going stir crazy. Methinks I need to get out and about. I'm off to the gym 🙂 #fb #
  • Very excited, getting my very large print of a polar bear soon 🙂 From http://t.co/44sblZq Beautiful and inspiring photos of the Arctic! #
  • OK, am now playing with Google Plus, will Tweet progress updates 🙂 #
  • Hah! Or Apocalypse Ow… RT @thomasrdotorg Apocalypse No #moviesthatarebetterminusoneletter #
  • Hey @cagetheelephant, is it possible to buy your 2009 album just for download rather than through iTunes? I saw I could with the new album. #
  • Another song for music (& games) lovers out there! Ain't no rest for the wicked http://t.co/xu9ZKtu #borderlands @CageTheElephant #
  • Heh, forgivable *only* when it's the Blues Brothers, right? 😉 RT @purserj "we've got both kinds of music. Country and western" #
  • Got this in my head, so thought I'd share 🙂 Rollin' rollin' rollin' http://t.co/kWwN4gr #
  • Attended US Embassy 4th July celebrations. Walking away w Yankee cap and American gangster dvd set. Surreal but fun 🙂 http://t.co/AhlgPhs #
  • Haha, when zombie movie meets soft rock RT @chrisjrn I BLESS THE RAAAAAAAAAAAAAINS #toto #
  • .@JohnFMoore: @jasonbirch @piawaugh 🙂 Australia and the UK IMO are neck and neck. Spain is doing gr8 for #opendata #gov2au #
  • Watched the new Transformers movie, was fun 🙂 Best part was watching Alan Tudyk combine Wash and Alpha so well 😉 #firefly #dollhouse #