BE A CONDUIT: Let your voice be heard! We're listening!
I heard a story once about a telegraph operator at a horse track in Saratoga Springs, NY. He sent messages to remote betting boxes in New York City. If he wanted to, he could place bets after the race was over, wait five minutes, and then tap in the names of the winning ponies. Voila! No-risk gambling!
Back then, transparency was lacking because the gatekeepers were few in number. When you’re a major node in the info world, sometimes you don’t have to gamble. It can be easier to take the free winnings and run.
Today, BostInnovation is all about the free flow of information and supporting journalism of all forms; we love seeing people take risks by sharing the news before it’s verified.
We recognize that as the events in our world become more and more widely available in real-time online, news is becoming something we can all participate in generating. If there’s a cause you’re supporting, tell someone. Hear about something you think everyone should know? Tweet it! With luck, someone like BostInnovation will take notice and verify it for the masses.
The pathways through which information travels are no longer limited to telegraph operators and those with the power to decide the news. Now, info flows through you too, but only if you’re a conduit: That means passing along the stuff that matters. I hope it goes without saying that if there’s something the local tech community should know, you can Email me personally about it. (kyle@bostinnovation.com)
Of course, not all beacons of information are bad. The good ones believe their gatekeeper roles come with a responsibility to be honest and fair and provide a voice to those who haven’t found their own. Here’s our take on last week’s local tech news from some of the best modern telegraph operators around:
Monday 1/18
Galen Moore of Mass High Tech reveals an expansion at Cambridge Innovation Center — an incubator for new start-ups.
Brendan Lynch, a writer for Mass High Tech, lists a number of Maine cleantech companies that just got grants from the Maine Technology Institute.
Tuesday 1/19
Brent Frei of Xconomy Seattle lists five trends he sees coming in the future of employment. Thank God for the Interweb!
Mass High Tech reports that Thermo Fisher as acquired Ahura Scientific for $145M. I guess the instrument market in Boston is still pretty lively despite the recession!
Wade Roush from Xconomy reports that the media giants are still buying up great web ideas: Time Inc. acquired StyleFeed in Cambridge for an undisclosed amount.
Wednesday 1/20
Xconomy has a guest post from Sim Simeonov about the current power shift from hardware to software, which is happening in the Boston area and elsewhere.
Pat Brown from Mass High Tech explains that some Maine high school students will get to try their hacker hands at cyber defense in the Maine Cyber Defense Competition.
Wade Roush from Xconomy talks to David Cancel from Performable about what the company is developing: a platform that makes A/B testing easier for small web companies and start-ups.
Mass High Tech’s Douglas Banks takes a look at the efforts of STEM, which helps students make connections with local tech companies! YES! Keep the talent here!
Xconomy’s Wade Roush reports on the formation of CrisisCamp Boston, which we attended this weekend. (Look for an upcoming BostInno video post that’s in the works!)
Thursday 1/21
Mass High Tech reports that Mass. Governor Deval Patrick committed $6M in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into supporting the creation of green jobs in the state.
Galen Moore from Mass High Tech takes a look at Cambridge-based Thinking Phone. They’ve just grabbed some funding.
Friday 1/22
Mass High Tech has a story about some MIT and Harvard scientists that just discovered new particles to aid in the repair of damaged arteries. They’re calling them “nanoburrs” and they could replace stents as the main method for keeping arteries open.
Julie Donnelley from Mass High Tech reports that Lexington-based Antigenics has a cancer vaccine they’re not even trying to get approved in the U.S. Instead, they’re hitting foreign markets.
The Boston Globe explains that Senator Hillary Clinton is urging American web companies to fight against censorship after the Chinese government reportedly hacked into the Google accounts of activists.
Tags: Op-Ed
