Category Archives: Knight Foundation

Blast from the past… or, Google never forgets

Posted on Monday, September 8, 2008 by • No comments yet

A friend just showed me Google’s newspaper and book archives online… wow.  He searched my name and found some oldies I had nearly forgotten from 15-20 years ago…

  • An opinion piece I co-wrote for the New York Times based on my policy research.
  • The Chicago Sun-Times about my engineering work… “Michael Lewis could do for recycling what Henry Ford did for the automobile industry.” [Disclaimer… didn’t quite work out that way.]
  • A book I co-authored published by the U.S. EPA about innovative small businesses.

Y’know… I recall physically clipping those articles and mailing them to people in an envelope with a stamp.

Using online services to fight vs. commit crime

Posted on Wednesday, September 3, 2008 by • No comments yet

I like CraigsList and am in awe of its unfathomunable scale (estimated value: $9 billion).  And occasionally people will draw comparisons to our comparatively tiny start-up, Front Porch Forum.

So it was interesting today when someone pointed out that the local versions of both services are in the news this week here in Burlington… but with different spins…

CraigsList for being used to commit crimes (alleged prostitution) and…

Front Porch Forum for being used to fight crimes (vandalism, theft, speeding).

College Students Rush FPF

Posted on Tuesday, September 2, 2008 by • No comments yet

We tend to get high marks from local college students… a little surprising coming from the “Facebook Generation”… we love to hear it.  And the other day we had a rush of 200 UVM off-campus undergrads register in response to this note from their student government president…

Live off campus? Join Front Porch Forum

If you live off campus then you should definitely join the Front Porch Forum. Front Porch Forum is an online community or your neighbors. In my forum (the South Union Neighborhood Forum) I receive word about trends in vandalism, break-ins, road construction, yard-sales, help-wanted, help-offered, and all sorts of other things going on just a few doors down from mine. Living downtown means you have neighbors and you’re a resident of a community. Front Porch Forum offers you one easy connection to that community. Check it out!

“Citizen sleuths track taggers, online” from BFP

Posted on Monday, September 1, 2008 by • No comments yet

I like Joel Banner Baird’s opening in his Burlington Free Press article today…

Take notice, Burlington vandals, taggers and would-be thieves: Little Brother is watching you.

And he’s swapping notes with his (and her) neighbors — and the police — on Front Porch Forum, a community-based online network serving Chittenden County…

And he goes on to shed some light on the story we discussed here.  And I just noted a comment left on the Free Press site by wordwhip99…

The po po do the best that they can. And just like every thing else, and everyone else, there’s room for improvement. There’s good cops, and crappy ones. There’s good folks around town, and lazy uncaring ones. Etc. But what it really boils down to is that Americans seem to always rely on someone else to take care of their problems.

It’s a community problem here and cannot rely on just the cops to reduce or solve, but ALL the community members. The parents. The (failing) education system. And so on. Stop looking the other way and speak up when someone throws a candy wrapper or bottle on the ground.

Well, I could go on… I know I speak up, and I applaud others that take some kind of action, as well as Front Porch Forum.

Have you done anything to help your community today?

E-State VPT Show

Posted on Friday, August 29, 2008 by • No comments yet

Vermont Public Television recently broadcast an hour-long show about the May 29, 2008 symposium in Burlington that explored the community impact of Vermont becoming an “e-state”… that is, full broadband and cell coverage of the entire state.  Lots of compelling speakers, including a bit about Front Porch Forum.

FPF posting unleashes torrent of good will and kid stuff

Posted on Tuesday, August 26, 2008 by • No comments yet

Well… one moment it’s Burlington neighbors coming together through Front Porch Forum to share news of a rash of property damage (looks like the police may have caught the vandal due to this vigilance).  And the next, it’s a lovely story from Huntington about neighbors rallying to help… well… read for yourself…

We just wanted to post a quick “thank you” to many old friends, neighbors, and quite a few new friends who were so incredibly generous during my sister’s unexpected visit with her three boys.

As a result of my request for car seats on the Front Porch Forum, we got an outpouring of support from so many people — in the form of car seats, play dates, toys, art camp, childcare referrals, loaner kids equipment, the use of a cabin, the use of guest rooms in other houses, babysitting, a borrowed car, and lots and lots of moral support.

My nephews (age 10, 7 and 7) all have new friends here in Vermont. They attended multiple birthday parties and even a few sleep-overs while they were here. Thank you! One of them, who is somewhat slow to make friends, said “Next summer, I want to spend 6 weeks in Vermont so I can play with all my friends.”

Once again, we feel truly fortunate to have landed in such an incredible community. Thank you!

About Blog

Ghost of Midnight is an online journal about fostering community within neighborhoods, with a special focus on Front Porch Forum (FPF). My wife, Valerie, and I founded FPF in 2006... read more

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