This article was posted in VentureBeat today about how YouTube analytics tool, Insight, allows you to see who is watching your video and where. The post talks about the impact of Obama’s speech from Cairo about tolerance between the West and the Muslim world. Author, Eric Eldon, goes into the numbers, which don’t seem like a lot, until you think about who in these countries has the ability to stream full speeches in their home or office. Good food for thought. The full post is here...

Tell me more …

What if you had the ability to designate where a small portion of your tax dollars were spent instead of giving 100 percent of your income tax to incompetent politicians?  What if government agencies could compete directly for a small piece of your federal income tax returns for special initiatives? The crowdfunding model that is being tested in journalism could also help spur innovation and transparency in government by making agencies compete for money using social media and a good, old-fashioned charm offensive. Let’s call this new tax regime ‘Flex Filing.’

Part of the democratic process is electing leaders who are responsible for spending public money, but in many ways, it’s like throwing your money into a black box.  In 2008 the U.S. Government spent over $3.16 trillion on the military, forests, education, health care, roads, bridges, tunnels and a million other things. Some of the government’s priorities I agree with, such as investing money in scientific research, while others I oppose, such as two wars and domestic spying. ‘Flex Filing’ would enable you track your tax dollars and follow the results from start to finish.

Tell me more …