Cloud computing allows people to access web-based tools or applications as if they were installed on their own computers/smart phones. The cloud metaphor was first used to describe the infrastructure of phone networks, and later, the Internet. Now, clouds are taking on a new meaning. On December 10th, Pittsburgh City Councilman Bill Peduto, N21 LLC and the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy announced an innovative use of cloud computing with the creation of a “learning cloud” in Pittsburgh’s Schenley Plaza. Anyone with a laptop or handheld device will be able to simply point-and-click while in the plaza to learn all about the objects that surround them. Within the “learning cloud” they can learn about the history of the park, the scientific details of the natural environment, or architectural details of the surrounding neighborhood.
“This is the type of innovation will bring to life the objects that surround us every day and also create new opportunities for citizen involvement,” said Councilman Peduto. “We are bringing new education opportunities to the people in a free and open environment.”
The Outdoor Partnership utilizes mobile learning interfaces, geospatial information technology and outdoor high bandwidth communication networks to make this experience possible. Florida-based N21′s president, David Fries, is a Pittsburgh native who was looking to bring his pioneering networks home. He met Peduto at a convention last year. From the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:
Fries, who works at the University of South Florida developing mobile technologies for low-infrastructure environments, sees his hometown — and the plaza, specifically — as the perfect place to debut the concept.
“It’s an intellectual and cultural epicenter,” he said. “It’s a fantastic opportunity to give Pittsburgh a chance to be out front on this technology.”
N21 is working with the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, which operates Schenley Plaza, to organize its information about the area and structure it for mobile access. Signs will alert visitors they’re entering the learning cloud.
“Your device becomes cognizant of the network,” Fries said, and the network pinpoints the user’s location. The user can take a picture of a nearby tree or any other object; the cloud will match the image against its database and then respond to the user with a batch of information about the object. Eventually, Fries plans to have the network send users an automatic stream of facts based on their location.
Councilman Peduto’s office provided a $5,000 grant to help launch the project. N21 and the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy have already applied for a grant from the National Science Foundation for long-term funding.
Even more exciting, this technology can be expanded — imagine the entire city enveloped by a learning cloud — instead of surfing the net, you’ll be surfing the ‘Burgh.
On November 15th the “Legislative Roundtable to End Homelessness in Allegheny County” was held at Duquesne University in partnership with the Community Human Services Corp. (CHS). The event came five years into the county’s 10-year plan to address this issue in our region (you can view that plan here). Participants at the roundtable included PA State Sen. John Pippy; Pittsburgh City Councilman Bill Peduto; Director of Allegheny County Department of Human Services Marc Cherna; CHS Chief Executive Officer Adrienne Walnoha; and CHS Board Member Drew G. Miller. Councilman Peduto had previously worked on the original 10-year plan. The main thrust of the discussion was how to connect all the various resources available — including public and private — to not only best serve the homeless, but to try to solve the problem altogether.
People do not usually become homeless for any one reason. Issues like physical disabilities, mental health problems and lack of a personal support network can aggravate or cause economic woes. Lack of affordable housing and living wage jobs, of course, also play a huge part — including in the increase of entire families becoming homeless. According to the PointParkGlobe.com:
“The city now hopes to solve homelessness holistically as part of neighborhood revitalization projects. Peduto added that stabilizing the neighborhood is a critical component to attracting big corporations into Pittsburgh, such as Google, which has expanded significantly in the city.”
“Today, homeless and housing support services are being used by people who never thought they would need them,” said Peduto. “As the numbers grow, we need to create a comprehensive plan that will address housing needs in the city of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County for the next decade.”
In the video below, Adrienne Walnoha of CHS attempts to put a human face on homelessness and to dispel some common misperceptions. CHS sees intact families who are homeless. They service homeless who are working — sometimes multiple jobs — but who still cannot make enough to afford permanent housing. As she puts it, they used to say that many people were one paycheck away from homelessness, but now it may be one broken car transmission away or one especially large utility bill.
Posted by
Maria Lupinacci on
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Jóvenes Sin Nombres (Youths Without Names) is a group of progressive Latino youth founded last year. It aims to both introduce this emergent immigrant group — the fastest growing in our city — to Pittsburghers and to involve these largely first-generation youth in the community. They take their place proudly in Pittsburgh’s legacy as a “city of immigrants.”
On November 13th at the Ava Lounge, they unveiled a 4 ft by 36 ft mural which they created. Its name is “Pintando Para un Sueño” (“Painting for a Dream”) and it contains images specific to Pittsburgh and our country while also focusing on the members’ personal goals — including higher education. The mural’s name references proposed federal legislation called the “DREAM Act” (Development, Relief and Education of Alien Minors) which attempts to help undocumented youth obtain citizenship provided that they obtain a college degree or serve in the military.
The creation is Pittsburgh’s first Latin-American mural. Councilman Bill Peduto spoke at the unveiling and the mural now has a permanent home on the front of the Latino Family Center in Squirrel Hill. Jóvenes Sin Nombres documented the process of creating the mural which you can view here:
Friday, December 17, 2010
(Doors open at 6:30pm, screening at 7pm, Q&A w/ filmmaker Mark Dixon afterward.)
Pittsburgh Filmmakers, 477 Melwood Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Join Mark Dixon for an evening of environmental fun and film on December 17th at the Pittsburgh Filmmakers, where he’ll be screening a working cut of his upcoming feature film – YERT: Your Environmental Road Trip – highlighting a year’s journey of weird, wild, and wonderful approaches to sustainability all across America. The journey started and ended in Pittsburgh and I had the opportunity to be a part of it. Ever try cutting down your garbage to 1/100th of its normal size? On the road? With a pregnant woman? Come on by to find out how the YERT team did just that and more.
YERT, which stands for “Your Environmental Road Trip,” (http://www.yert.com) is a one-year, 50-state video documentary road trip to explore and personalize sustainability across the country. All throughout the journey, Mark Dixon, Ben Evans, and Julie Evans released fast-paced videos online to share their adventures, including their very own “road rules” eco-challenges (like keeping all of their garbage in the car all year), visits to environmentally significant destinations, and most importantly, interviews with over 800 leaders, businesspeople, researchers, and average citizens from all walks of life. Their videos have exceeded over one million views and their work has been featured on The Huffington Post, Treehugger.com, the Weather Channel, Voice of America, the San Francisco Chronicle, and on NPR stations nationwide via the environmental news program, “Living on Earth.”
The YERT team has been sharing their journey with live audiences all around the country, including presentations and screenings at Sony Pictures; the United States E.P.A.; the Bioneers Conferences in San Rafael, CA; Louisville, KY; Pittsburgh, PA; Portland, ME; the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture 2009 and 2010 Conferences; Duquesne University; Carnegie Mellon University; Chatham University; Bowdoin College; University of Southern California (USC); Slippery Rock University; Arcadia University; Albright College; NYU, Dickinson College; and a number of elementary and high schools, including Harvard-Westlake High School and the Westridge School for Girls. So, please join me on December 17th at Filmmakers and get a glimpse of this fantastic film and project.
Councilman Peduto with Tech-Link teams BioHazard and Grey Matters
Tech-Link is an outreach program of the University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. Their mission is to “introduce students with physical, visual and hearing disabilities to careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).” One activity that they sponsor is the FIRST LEGO League Robotics Camp for students with and without disabilities. The FIRST LEGO League (FLL) is an international competition for elementary and middle school students. The kids use LEGO Mindstorms kits to build and program small robotic devices. The theme for this year’s competition is Body Forward™ and has the kids explore the world of biomedical engineering. The models that they planned and built are meant to solve real life problems.
There are two Tech-Link teams: BioHazard and Grey Matters. Team BioHazard took on the challenge of prosthetic robotic arms/hands. Team Grey Matters project was to improve a left ventricular assist device. Heady stuff! You can view videos of them explaining their projects below.
On November 20th, they presented their ideas in preparation for the December 2010 Body Forward™ FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Robotics Competition in Pittsburgh. Councilman Bill Peduto was a guest speaker at that event. Additional photos from the day are posted below and you can view more videos of the kids at the “Bill Peduto for Pittsburgh” YouTube channel here.
As Pittsburghers, we pride ourselves on being a city of neighborhoods. Eighty-nine separate and distinct geographic areas that together make one city. We take great civic pride in our neighborhoods and we should. There is no questioning it — Mr. Rogers would be proud. But, Pittsburgh (and all cities) is a gathering of people that goes far beyond borders on maps. These communities are every bit as important as the neighborhood we call home. They are part of us and we are part of them. Communities are born when like-minded people gather. Many times the people come from diverse backgrounds. In Pittsburgh, we can see this happening all around us.
FNTV (Footnote) came to Pittsburgh to discuss the topic of communities and here they found a city abundant with the culture of community building. The video they created (view here) focuses on three communities: banjo players, a tattoo studio with a mission, and hula hoopers. As the host notes, “They didn’t set out to start a community, but something beautiful happened.”
This video makes me proud because it captures the reasons we love our city. How do you put a value on community? You can’t. But, it is one of the most important reasons a person feels their life has meaning. And Pittsburgh is rich in it.
![[Twitter]](http://www.billpeduto.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/twitter.png)
![[Email]](http://www.billpeduto.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/email.png)
