Community Technology

INSIDE

Star Volunteer
Schrier Confirmed
Internet Crime
Nten Update
Dollars
Linkage
Calendar
What's Hot

Application and guidelines now available online at: www.seattle.gove/tech/tmf. Attend one of the workshops below for detailed information about the Technology Matching Fund and application guidelines:

Saturday, April 9, 10:30-noon Solid Ground Community Room 1501 N 45th Street Seattle, 98103

Monday, April 11, 10:30-noon Douglas Truth Library Meeting Room 2300 E Yesler Way Seattle, 98122

For more information and to RSVP, contact Delia Burke.

The City of Seattle has set up a page of links to help residents find out where to get the latest news and how to help out. To find out about how you and your neighbors can prepare for an earthquake or other natural disaster, visit the Office of Emergency Management’s website. Here you can learn more about the Seattle Neighbors Actively Prepare (SNAP) program and learn more about what you can do to prepare for emergencies.

Seattle, Washington is in recognition of Seattle National Train Day, Starting with 2011 First Annual Celebration on May 7! Washington State National Train Day Association Chapter is seeking business, corporations, organizations, societies, associations and citizens to participate in the Planning Committee and Event Exhibit-Display Entries for this Major Event for Seattle, Washington.

Seattle Mayor McGinn has recognized the importance of our city's railway services. The National Train Day Association Theme for 2011 is "Discovering Rail Line Communities." Seattle's National Train Day Theme is "City of Destinations," meaning the Emerald City Of Destinations.

Be Involved. Join the Planning Committee! Let the greatest railway show on earth begin!

Seattle City Councilman Bruce Harrell is one of the founding members of One Economy’s National Technology Adoption Advisory Council (NTAAC). The bi-partisan leadership forum of more than 80 elected municipal and state officials was formed last month to address solutions and funding initiatives for expanding technology adoption in underserved communities across the United States. See the press release or list of members.

Follow Seattle tech board members:
Ted Schmitt, Chair of the Seattle Citizens Telecommunications and Technology Advisory Board (CTTAB), has created a Twitter follow list of CTTAB members.

What does it take to be a great citizen? Councilmember Bruce Harrell interviewed by the Puget SoundOff teens.

Check out this video, highlighting a recent visit by Comcast to the Tech Center’s Digital Connectors program. Philadelphia's Bill Black, exececutive director of Comcast Foundation, and Walter Neary, public relations director for Comcast Seattle, and other Comcast members made a special trip to Rainier Vista to meet with the Digital Connectors youth on Monday, March 14. The visit was followed by a field trip for the youth to Comcast headquarters in Burien.

Aging and Disability Services (ADS) needs community input. As the Area Agency on Aging for Seattle-King County, ADS prepares a new Area Plan on Aging for King County every four years. The plan guides their decision and funding priorities. Work on the 2012-2015 Area Plan is now underway, but ADS needs to hear from Seattle and King County residents. Residents of all ages are invited to complete an online questionnaire. You can also get there via an article in Seniors Digest about the planning process, or here. People age 60+, adults with disabilities, and family caregivers are especially encouraged to respond. Print copies are available on request.

Responses from this questionnaire will inform development of strategies to promote quality of life, independence and choice for older people and adults with disabilities, which will be carried out over the next four years. Everybody is aging, so everybody should care. For more information about the Area Plan on Aging or the questionnaire, contact ADS planner Karen Winston (206) 684-0706.

q&a

Have a question for Mayor Mike McGinn? Join the conversation with Seattle Channel host C.R. Douglas as he sits down with the Mayor on Wednesday, April 27, at 7 p.m. for Ask the Mayor. Call (206) 681-8821 between 7:00 and 8:00 p.m. or email your questions. Also, follow their conversation on Twitter or Facebook with the Seattle Channel’s accounts. You can also submit questions through Twitter and Facebook as well.

Follow the Seattle Channel on Twitter.com/SeattleChannel and become a fan of the Seattle Channel on Facebook! Friends and followers get up to the minute info on new programs, behind the scene pictures of shoots and interviews and more!

Jay Press, a standout volunteer, started helping out in WCSC’s community technology center more than six years ago.

A little over a year ago, the Wallingford Community Senior Center (WCSC) was suffering financially and considering closing its doors. However, with the help of a generous anonymous donor and a dedicated community of supporters, the WCSC is flourishing and continues to offer essential programming and services to seniors and neighborhood residents.

Before its possible closure, the WCSC had been awarded a Bill Wright Technology Matching Fund Grant to update the computers and software in the technology center. When the crisis was over and WCSC staff and supporters began to think about its future again, they decided to push forward with the project. They successfully purchased and installed six new computer stations, along with Windows 7 and other new software.

Volunteers have always been integral to the core programs of the Wallingford Community Senior Center. Jay Press, a standout volunteer, started helping out in WCSC’s community technology center more than six years ago. Jay began his journey as WCSC’s resident computer guru, supporting the computers in the old technology center. Community members also sought his advice, coming to the technology center to get assistance and have questions answered. Additionally, Jay visited – and continues to visit – seniors’ homes to help them address problems with their personal computers. Old computers find new life in Jay’s care, as he refurbishes them and gives them away to seniors and other folks in the community who might not otherwise have access to home technology.

Throughout the long process of planning, purchasing, and installing the computers and software funded by the grant, Jay provides practical, hands-on support. He even modified the furniture to fit the new flat screen monitors, showcasing his carpentry skills. Jay values challenging himself, and setting up and installing the network and Windows 7 allowed him to gain new technical skills.

Jay continues to volunteer about 25 hours a week at the WCSC. He loves to learn new things as he supports WCSC’s technology center, which keeps him challenged and interested. He’s fond of the WCSC staff, saying it’s “icing on the cake” that the staff is kind, responsive, and appreciative.

To find out more about the WCSC, go here.

The Seattle City Council unanimously approved Bill Schrier as Chief Technology Officer and Director of the Department of Information Technology (DoIT). Schrier has served as director since 2003.

"Bill brings a depth of institutional knowledge and a sharp ability to get things done on time and on budget," said Councilmember Bruce Harrell, Chair of the Energy, Technology and Civil Rights Committee. "I look forward to continue working with Bill to address technology issues in order to improve our service and engagement with the public, creating opportunities for economic development by enhancing the environment to build more fiber, and exploring new hardware and software to make government more efficient."

As CTO, Schrier is responsible to set standards and policies governing the use of information technology in City government. As Director of DoIT, Schrier's responsibilities include the City's data center, computing services, information security, web site, municipal television station, community technology, electronic mail system, 800 MHz trunked public safety radio system, telephone network, and data communications network.

Under his tenure, the Seattle Channel was named "Top Municipal Television Station of the Year" in 2007, 2008 and 2010. In the last decade, the City’s web site (Seattle.Gov) was twice recognized as Best of the Web.

Schrier was named one of Government Technology’s 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers in 2008, and a Computerworld Premier 100 Leader for 2010. He writes a blog about the intersection of information technology and government, how they sometimes collide but often influence and change each other. It can be found here. He tweets here.

The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) was established as a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C) to serve as a means to receive Internet related criminal complaints and to further research, develop, and refer the criminal complaints to federal, state, local, or international law enforcement and/or regulatory agencies for any investigation they deem to be appropriate. The IC3 was intended, and continues to emphasize, serving the broader law enforcement community to include federal, as well as state, local, and international agencies, which are combating Internet crime and, in many cases, participating in Cyber Crime Task Forces.

For a central list of current and ongoing Internet crime schemes and trends, go here. You can also use this site to learn Internet crime prevention tips, saving consumers millions of dollars each year. Visit these sites to learn more and report criminal complaints.

For more security tips, check out the techtalk blog.

This year at the NTEN conference there were more than 2,000 participants and more than 100 sessions. It was one of the largest they have ever had. It was very informative.

Having a small organization does not mean that you have to think small when it comes to technology. One seminar covered this in detail. Remember, being a not-for-profit means you are normally able to get items discounted. Anything from computers to tech support are available, but sometimes you have to shop around. Two good sources for help is Techsoup and idealware.org.

Google has various ways of supporting your non-profit. Look for Grants, Donating AdWords, ads to Email Support. You can find more information here or here. More information can be found here, where you can find more information about the different sessions, blogs, and what others had to say about the conference.

Agree or disagree with me? Drop me a note: Derrick Hall.

Bill Wright Technology Matching Fund
The fund supports projects that reach technology underserved communities, thereby increasing "digital inclusion." The City's goals are to: Increase technology literacy; Provide residents with access to computers, the Internet and other information technology; and Increase residents' use of technology for community problem solving, civic engagement and community building. Visit www.seattle.gov/tech/tmf for examples of past projects and additional funding requirements.
Deadline: May 18, 2011

Cinereach
Supports feature-length nonfiction and fiction films that are at the intersection of engaging storytelling, visual artistry, and vital subject matter. Grantees’ films often possess an independent spirit, depict underrepresented perspectives, and resonate across international boundaries. They favor story over message, character over agenda, and complexity over duality. Grant amounts can range from $5,000 – $50,000 per project and can be awarded to support any stage of production including research and development, production and post-production. There are two grant cycles per year: summer and Winter. Within each cycle, between five and fifteen projects are selected to receive support.
Deadline: Accepting Letters of Intent through June 1

Alcoa Global Service Leaders Scholarship Program
Alcoa will reward 50 secondary and high school students in the 9th, 10th, or 11th standard, grade, or year with full scholarships to a two-week summer session. Those students will join 50 other individuals from across the world for a unique opportunity to study and learn together at Dwight International School (DIS), Vancouver Island, Canada. Scholarship winners will have a unique opportunity to study and learn together at Dwight International School in Vancouver Island, Canada. Students will learn about sustainable leadership and will master key leadership skills through workshops, team-building exercises, games, and excursions.
Deadline: April 22

The online Presidents Desk at the John F. Kennedy Library is well worth the stop. Each of the objects on his desk let you go deeper into the presidency. Try paging through his diary, for instance. They also have other great interactive exhibits, including the voyage to the moon.

Black Public Media offers a wide array of video and audio, exploring unique stories of the black experience. This is the site of the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC), founded in 1979 and dedicated to the developing black digital authorship.

Find parking and check the rates.

"Do Low-Income Households Get Slow Broadband by Design?" Read this interesting article from the New Republic.

Back issues of Brainstorm including techtips and linkage are now available in our online archives. Previous TechTips and Linkage are also available. Click to revisit all previous issues.

Free cable broadband Internet service is available for organizations providing technology training to community members. The free service is offered within the Seattle city limits, based on the City's cable franchise agreements with Comcast and Broadstripe (Millennium). For more information and to download a short form to make application, go to our tech web. If you have questions, email Derrick Hall or call (206) 233-5061.

To subscribe or unsubscribe to Brainstorm, please email us, and we'll add you to our email notification list, or subtract you per your request. If you have ideas for future stories, please let us know and we'll try to accommodate them. We encourage you to visit the City of Seattle's Community Tech pages, seattle.gov/tech.