insights from the digital future
The TechCrunch Disrupt conference is underway and I’ll be using this space to index notes and photos from the sessions, the demo floor, hallways, and parties as well as some of the best snippets and quotes from the event. Watch the event live at livestream.com/disrupt Monday – Wednesday May 24-26.
Click here for day two coverage.
Continue reading “TechCrunch Disrupt Photos and Notable Quotes”
It’s possible, according to a new report by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) calling for a New Deal-like public works juggernaut that would eventually connect all major cities located within 100 and 500 miles of each other.
Here in Los Angeles, we’d be happy to see our long-promised subway to the sea come to fruition (it’s still due this year). Check out the U.S. PIRG report below:
The Right Track: Building a 21st Century High-Speed Rail System for America –
One of the greater curiosities coming out of my short trip to Rome was the seemingly-thriving bikesharing system. I saw dozens of kiosks around the area where we stayed (Trevi Fountain / Campo de Marzio / Via Veneto / La Spagna).
BUT WHERE WERE THE BIKES?!?
Turns out that the original bikesharing company – Roma’n’Bike – folded and was taken over by the government transit company ATAC (which runs the buses and the Metro) on June 3rd. Bikesharing rates were changed, rules were altered, and within a month, most of the bikes disappeared. Blogs like the Italian-language http://bikesharingroma.com are not buying into the idea that this is necessarily theft-related. Based on the terms of the bikeshare, ATAC could charge your credit card 250 Euro within 24 hours of the bike not being returned.
Now perhaps it’s the language barrier or perhaps I’m missing something. Are Rome’s 50-150 bikesharing bikes missing or stolen? Or is the entire program broken? I’ve found few answers online and fewer when I was there.
Continue reading “What Happened to Rome’s Bikesharing system?”
The final set of photos from our spectacular seven days of travel to Naples, Capri, Sorrento, Pompeii, and Rome. I’ll provide more detail later but want to get all of these photos up while they’re fresh. View the entire collection of Italy photos in my flickr collection, video from the trip can be found here.