Lesson for Plainfield IT? Westerville goes to Google Apps

Home page of City of Westerville, Ohio.

Is there something for Plainfield to learn from Westerville?

Westerville, Ohio is shifting its network operations to Google Apps.

The city is considerably smaller than Plainfield (at 35,318 vs. 47,829 in 2000), but has an EQUIVALENT WORKFORCE of about 500 who rely heavily on email, according to a notice on Google's enterprise website concerning the shift (see here). (The item caught my eye because Westerville is home to my alma mater's sister institution, Otterbein University.)

After issues with scaling Novell's Groupwise to the increasing needs of the city's networked workforce reached a crisis point, their two-person IT team reconnoitered possible solutions. (For an outline of their IT objectives, see here.)

Here is how they addressed the challenge --

...[w]hen we decided that GroupWise was no longer feasible for our city, we conducted a comprehensive evaluation that included the top hosted solutions, including Microsoft's hosted BPOS. We came away impressed with Google Apps' value and features. Google's solution was platform-agnostic, so we could easily support users on a variety of platforms. It was also less costly and came with capabilities like document sharing and Google Sites for building intranets. We felt that we could accomplish more with Google Apps for less money.

Our migration of all city departments – which included bringing over every single email, as well as calendar events and contacts – took just six weeks. We didn't lose data and we never had a major issue.

Our move into the cloud has freed IT staff time to focus on projects that provide more value to the city, departments, and the residents. We now have time to invest in new IT initiatives to help us grow our economic base. For example, we are working to build a newly-approved community data center – or 'community cloud' as we call it – which will provide access to services for small and medium business owners that typically only larger corporations enjoy. As far as we know, it is the first community data center in the country...

-- as detailed on the Google Enterprise blog (see here).

Google is hosting a live webinar this afternoon at 2:00 PM, at which Westerville's IT team of Todd Jackson and Bryan Mundy will discuss how they came to their decision to move 'to the cloud', how it is freeing them up for additional IT initiatives, and how it is saving their city money.

The webinar is free, but you must register. If you are interested, check it out here.

While you're at it, check out Westerville's well-organized and attractive website (see here).

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• US Census Community Profiles:  "Westerville, OH" | "Plainfield, NJ"
• Google Enterprise:  "Westerville, Ohio has gone Google" | "Google Apps"
• Websites:  "City of Westerville" | "City of Plainfield"
• TechRepublic:  "Invitation to Webinar on Westerville move to Google Apps"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Jawdropper at gunshot-detection technology hearing

During last Thursday's Plainfield Planning Board presentation on the proposed gunshot-detection technology, a jaw-dropping statement was made concerning response times.

Councilor Storch was closely quizzing Director Hellwig about the percentage of gunshot incidents responded to currently and response times, as compared to the proposed technology.

The statement was made that the Police Division currently responds to 25% of gunshot incidents, but would be responding to 100% with the new technology. (Left unexplained was whether the 25% current number represented an ESTIMATE of the total number of incidents, or whether there is only a 25% response to  KNOWN incidents -- an important distinction that should be clarified by someone.)

But the jawdropper came when Storch was quizzing about response times and Capt. Steve Soltys offered an example of a call coming in about gunshots on West 8th Street but the Police Division's response being delayed because the Spanish-speaking caller spoke no English and 'the language line' had to be deployed (presumably a live, interactive phone translation service), which added to the response time.

Does this mean that Plainfield's 911 team has shifts on which there are no Spanish-speaking operators at all?

That is not a good situation for the public's safety.

Something more the Council needs to look into?

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Pale performance at Planning Board

Plainfield's Planning Board took up again last night the matter of the proposed gunshot-detection system that has been floated by the Robinson-Briggs administration.

Public Safety Director Martin Hellwig, Capt. Steve Soltys and City Administrator Bibi Taylor were at the Planning Board last night to answer questions preparatory to the Board's adding the Shot Spotter gun-detection proposal to the five-year capital improvements plan.

I was surprised by board member Ron Scott Bey's question of Director Hellwig to explain how the cop on the beat actually learns of the gunshot. I had assumed the board would have had a complete overview in its first go-round as the Robinson-Briggs administration made its pitch.

Silly me.

The board members had a list (a full page, single-spaced) of carefully thought out and phrased questions for members of the Robinson-Briggs administration.

City Administrator Bibi Taylor came well prepared (along with a tote full of backup materials), and skillfully addressed the questions of vendor selection and financing.

Taylor explained that the state had a distaste for 'sole source' vendors, but that there was an exception made in the case of 'proprietary technology', which she explained would fit the present case with ShotSpotter.

She also explained that the search for funding for the cost of $1M was continuing (the Council had previously approved submission of a request for UEZ funding -- for which there is no guarantee).

Mr. Hellwig, on the other hand, did not seem as well prepared to deliver crisp detailed answers to the questions board members had about the new technology as to how response times would be affected, what the pressures to increase personnel would be, and comparative data from other communities (especially New Jersey) where the technology is already deployed.

In particular, I was struck by the lack of handouts for the board.

If this was the second go-round, and there was a list of questions the Board wanted answers to, why wasn't Hellwig prepared with handouts for the board and a presentation that marched succinctly down their list, answering each point at issue?

(After years of watching folks present to both Council and various boards, I am still amazed at the presumption that complicated issues -- often involving matters that cry out for charts or maps or photos -- can be addressed with WORDS ONLY. And I am NOT arguing for one of those god-awful PowerPoint abuses so much in favor; just an old-fashioned handout. For instance, the question about how the cops get the lead on the gunshots could have been addressed with one of several illustrations of the technology that surface with a Google query. Presto!)

Beyond the question of the effectiveness of Hellwig's presentation, it seems that no one is doing any real due diligence about the proposed technology.

There are questions raised about ShotSpotter's effectiveness in communities ranging from Chicago (see local TV story here) to San Francisco (see SF Appeal story here) to Charleston SC, which recently abandoned its ShotSpotter system (see Examiner story here).

Doesn't ShotSpotter offer a try-before-you-buy option which would allow everyone to see how the technology works IN A REAL PLAINFIELD SITUATION (not just a demo at the Rock Avenue ballfields) before rolling out the really big bucks?

Bernice was also at the Planning Board; for her reportage see here (2 items).

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• CBS2 (Chicago): "Police say gunshot-location system not effective when tested here"
• San Francisco Appeal:  "ShotSpotter skepticism remains: Magic bullet or waste of dough?"
• Charleston Examiner:  "Charleston police abandon ShotSpotter system"
  
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Plainfield police license plate scanner a bummer?

Plainfield cops are getting a chuckle out of the story recently floated by Public Safety Director Martin Hellwig in the Courier (see here) on the license plate scanning technology the Police Division is trying out.

Seems the unit has been on the fritz since the Courier story on August 9. Bummer.

As my mom -- who had a jaundiced view of most technology -- would say, 'just one more thing to break'.

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• Courier: "Plainfield police using license-plate scanners"
• Website:  "PlateScan" -- The technology being tested.
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Guest Column: An IT professional on Plainfield's IT moves

Plainfield's City Council approved a salary ordinance (MC 2009-18) Monday which puts the Robinson-Briggs administration on track to hire an Information Technology (IT) Manager (Level 1) with a salary range of $70,000 - $110,000 (see the state's Civil Service title description here).

Guest blogger for this post is Nat Singleton, a retired IT professional. Nat worked for IBM for twenty years as a telecommunications manager in systems architecture and network development and consulting. For IBM, he worked on assignment in Europe on the establishment of SWIFT, the worldwide financial funds transfer system. After retiring from IBM, Nat spent fifteen years with Unisys, as a manager responsible for risk assessment on projects for several Fortune 500 companies, including PSE&G. Nat is a twenty-five year resident of Plainfield, a member of the board of the Plainfield Area YMCA, and a former commissioner of the Plainfield Municipal Utilities Authority.

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CITY PUTTING ITS IT CART BEFORE ITS HORSE

With the passage of the salary ordinance establishing an Information Technology manager's position, the Robinson-Briggs administration and the City Council are embarking down a path they hope will solve the problems of the city's IT infrastructure.

They are hoping that this new hire will create and manage a new IT infrastructure that will bring the City of Plainfield into the 21st century, technologically speaking.

The problem here is one of putting the cart before the horse.

Let's look at how it seems this will roll out and the possible costs involved.

First, an IT Manager will be hired with a salary of $70-110,000, exclusive of health and pension benefits.

What will this person do?

Let's clear away first what they probably WON'T DO.

The Administration has given no indication whether the new hire will do any of the following --

1. Network design and implementation.
2. Man the Help Desk.
3. Problem solving/troubleshooting hardware and software issues.
4. Teach people how to use the system.

Well, you may ask, what DO they do?

The new hire will manage, which means they will - whoops! - need a staff (according to the Civil Service description, up to ten people)

The new hire (plus any staff that is added) will have to begin by doing what should have been done in the first place, BEFORE anyone was hired: perform a Needs Assessment.

A Needs Assessment is a specific methodology done by trained IT professionals which, when done correctly, should provide an organization a road map of where they are now, where they need to be, and how to get there. Unless the new hire is a seasoned hand with many such Needs Assessments under his or her belt, it is best done by outside professionals.

That will add a cost of $30,000 to $60,000 to the first year's expenses for the assessment.

So, if the manager hires a staff of say three persons and has an outside needs assessment done, we can quickly see the City's financial commitment -- with benefits -- ballooning toward $400-500,000 in the first year alone.

All of this comes with no guarantee of success.

IS THERE A BETTER WAY?

Is there a better way, you might ask? Is there a way of thinking outside of the box where the same thing can be done for less money?

I think so. Nowhere in the Administration's headlong rush to get an IT manager has the phrase ‘shared services’ come up. I can only surmise that the Administration is unaware that Plainfield already has a cost-effective, highly competent and well-thought-of IT organization in place, one that is ALREADY paid for by the taxpayers.

That organization exists at the Plainfield Public Library. Why not be creative for a change, go outside the box, and make the Library the technological hub for the City of Plainfield?

This would provide a logical extension of the Library's expertise and experience, good public relations for both the city and the Library, and allow us to say 'the buck stops here.'

How can we determine if this is feasible?

Easy. Before anything else is done, hire the Library to perform the Needs Assessment.

Based on the results, we will be able to know if the Library can become the City's technology hub and whether it really makes sense for the city to continue going down the path of creating its own independent IT staff.

Finally, Plainfield might even be able to get the state to fund such a project as a pilot for developing a future technology role for libraries in the state of New Jersey.

-- Nat Singleton

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-- Dan Damon

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Cellphone withdrawal sets in

LG's Xenon is a really great phone!

I am in the grip of cellphone withdrawal.

Without warning on Friday afternoon, my new LG Xenon went on the fritz.

Calls would come in but I could not pick them up. Callers reported they got static when they connected. I could not access my voicemail or send files.

Saturday I trundled over to the ATT store on Route 22 near Sears. The young man was most helpful and spent nearly an hour tinkering with the phone. Diagnosis: Dead. As I had told him. He told me corporate has its ways.

Still being under warranty meant ATT will replace it. Calling the service number I was given, I spent nearly 45 minutes on the line with an extremely polite and methodical customer service rep in India who walked me through the steps to satisfy her that I had not put it in the washing machine or dropped it from a great height. When I commented on the procedure, she told me corporate had its ways.

Passing muster, I opted for the $12, 1-2 business day FedEx delivery and was sent on my way. The new phone may arrive today, and I'll be relieved to be able to get back to my voicemail (the box must be full!) and having old pal Frank D'A call just when I'm on the road and cannot pick up.

The Brick was, well ... well-named.

Far cry from the days back in real estate when cellphones were just becoming popular, and were called 'bricks' for good reason. I refused to get one, arguing that if I was out with customers, there was ABSOLUTELY NOTHING that was more important than being focused on them and a cellphone call would be an UNWANTED distraction.

Now, my friends still active in real estate tell me, they can sometimes find it hard to keep a client's attention because THE CLIENTS are on their cellphones so much.

How times have changed!

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-- Dan Damon

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City Hall phones still out

Plainfield City Hall's phone saga continues.

As of 7:45 8:15 AM this morning, service is still out as far as I can tell, after calling about half a dozen numbers in several buildings and getting the message 'your call cannot be completed'.

That's a step up from yesterday, when the response was a rapid busy, then a disconnect. There is no information available on the city's official website.

The situation was called to my attention yesterday by a reader's email saying she had not been able to reach the Tax Collector's office to find out what's happened to the tax bills (that's another story).

Others confirmed that they were unable to reach City Hall officials on Wednesday because of the outage, and the Courier even mentions the fact that it was unable to reach City officials for comment on the Connolly story because the phones were down and they did not respond to emails (see story here).

One story making the rounds is that the problem is the result of two payments that were inadvertently switched -- those to the phone service and to Leon's Catering.

Say it isn't so.

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-- Dan Damon

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State accuses Verizon of FIOS bait-and-switch

Verizon began rolling out its FIOS network in Plainfield last summer.

Plainfielders have seen Verizon's FIOS service roll out considerably since workers began installing the fiber optic network last summer.

And I know of several who have the service and are pleased enough that it is cheaper than Comcast.

So, I made a mental note when a small item about AG Anne Milgram suing Verizon over FIOS advertising cropped up in the Ledger the other day (see here) to print it out and go back and read it later.

Hitting the 'print' button, I went back to work on CLIPS, only to be distracted by hearing the printer whirring as it printed page after page after page after page. What on earth was going on?

Turns out I was printing from the Ledger's 'blog' entry or early posting of the story, in which the comments made by readers are appended. And that was the answer the mystery: The half-page item was followed by more than 27 pages of comments. At an average of 5 comments per page, that meant nearly 150 readers had taken the time to log on and comment on the FIOS situation.

The Attorney General outlines the complaints as follows --

• Billing customers at a higher rate than the originally quoted price
  
  
• Billing inconsistent amounts for the same services
  
  
• Failure to provide promotional gifts, and
  
  
• Failure to honor requests to cancel the service.

Milgram says the state has received 266 complaints.

Verizon says it's a rollout glitch.

Who ya gonna believe?

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• Ledger: "NJ sues Verizon over deceptive FIOS advertising"
  

-- Dan Damon

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IT: They blinked, thanks to McWilliams and the public

They blinked.

The administration of Plainfield Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs blinked at Monday night's Council meeting, withdrawing the ordinance setting up the $130,000 position of Information Technology Director.

Owing to the persistent and incisive questioning of Councilor Annie McWilliams, who chairs the Council's IT committee, with the support of Councilors Adrian Mapp and Cory Storch.

You really owe it to yourself to check out Councilor McWilliams' three blog posts on the matter (see here: First, second, and third), which garnered numerous comments from readers.

You will also learn that the County's IT director changed her position 180° between her initial conversation with McWilliams and her presence at the IT committee's meeting.

Welcome to politics, Union County style!

The Robinson-Briggs administration has promised to make a presentation at the March 9 agenda session -- POWERPOINT ALERT! POWERPOINT ALERT! OFF THE STARBOARD BOW!

It would be nice if the Council amends its rules to allow the public to comment on the Administration's presentation BEFORE the Council goes into the agenda-setting portion of the meeting. Goes with the transparency thingie, don't you think?

Mark your calendar.

City Council Agenda Session
Monday, March 9
7:30 PM
At City Hall Library
515 Watchung Avenue
Parking and entry at the rear of the building

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-- Dan Damon

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The public needs to weigh in on the Robinson-Briggs IT ripoff tonight

As Spiderman learned, sometimes the public can show its gratitude by helping the hero.

In Plainfield's case, that would be hero Councilors Annie McWilliams (chair of the Council's Information Technology [IT] committee), Adrian Mapp and Cory Storch.

What's at issue is tabling the Robinson-Briggs administration's IT salary ordinance, the passing of which would allow the Administration to dip into the public purse once again to reward its friends (rumor has it the job has already been promised).

Councilor McWilliams summarized the issues and unanswered questions in a blog post last week (see here).

The urgency expressed by the Robinson-Briggs administration is questionable.

The salary proposed sounds excessive.

The Administration has not submitted a long-range plan.

The Administration has not explained why a consultant wouldn't be a better option until a long-range plan is put in place.

What is the Council to do?

The Council should have INDEPENDENT, NON-POLITICAL, TECHNICAL ADVICE on the matter before moving forward.

In the early years of Al McWilliams' first term, the Council felt it needed an outside opinion about the budget the Administration submitted.

Exercising its prerogative, the Council hired an outside expert -- John Surmay, who is now the County Health Officer -- who parsed every line of the budget for them and helped the Council negotiate the changes that became the final version of the budget.

Did it make relations between the Council and the Administration tense? You betcha.

Was the Council within its rights? You betcha.

Councilor Burney wrote on Friday to explain why he will not support spending $6,000 on musical events at the County Office Building Plaza this summer unless he gets answers to his questions, explaining that, in his own words, "my responsibility is to the taxpayers of Plainfield".

If $6,000 should give a Councilor pause, shouldn't $130,000? Plus more for a supplementary staff plus more for benefits? Could we be talking a quarter of a million dollars here?

So Councilors McWilliams, Mapp and Storch need a fourth vote tonight to table the salary ordinance. That would allow the Council time to make a reasoned decision.

Which is where the public can help the heroes.

As they did with Spiderman.

City Council Business Meeting
Tonight, 8:00 PM
City Council Chambers/Courthouse
Watchung Avenue and East 4th Street

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• Positive Change (McWilliams): "IT in Plainfield"
• As I See It (Burney): "Music in the Park" (it's really about 'Music in the PLAZA')
  

-- Dan Damon

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Raritan Valley Line WiFi hotspots: What's your mileage?

With about 900 Plainfielders using the main and Netherwood stations of the Raritan Valley Line on a daily basis, I am curious for feedback on the Comcast WiFi connection noted in a story in today's Ledger (see here) and earlier in eWeek magazine (see here).

Feeling the pinch from Verizon's FIOS rollout, Comcast and Cablevision are looking for a way to retain customers -- at least that's the 'hook' for today's story.

It is also said to be FREE, though that should be qualified by noting you will have to log on with your Comcast username and password -- so guess what? It's FREE if you're already shelling out to Comcast.

But that's a minor catch, as connectivity vendor Devicescape finds in a new survey (see here) that 91% of commuters EXPECT WiFi, and are willing to pay for it.

Comcast is said to have rolled out the test in January, and may use the results as a gauge to whether to roll it out on a national basis.

So, here are my questions --

• Are you aware of this WiFi test by Comcast?
• How and when did you find out about it?
• Is it available at Plainfield's two stations?
• Have you tried the WiFi access with your cellphone or laptop?
• How would you rate the service?

The story also notes that the service is available at the STATIONS ONLY, NOT ON THE TRAINS.

Which leads naturally to the next question: When will WiFi be available on commuter cars of the Raritan Valley Line as it is on some other railroads per the image below?

P.S. For those annoyed by their Comcast bills, be aware that you can negotiate a reduction in line with Verizon's FIOS fee by telling the customer service rep you are looking into FIOS and asking what Comcast can do to meet Verizon's prices. You will be pleasantly surprised.

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• Ledger: "Comcast turns to WiFi in effort to retain customers"
• eWeek: "Comcast Providing Free Wi-Fi to NJ Commuters"
• Devicescape: "WiFi comes of age"
  

-- Dan Damon

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League inspires a wish for Plainfield

Dr. Yood wondered what Plainfielders attended the League of Municipalities convention and what workshops they participated in (see here). I'll answer part of that question, but first a wish for the City.

I wish that we could join the towns that put their public meetings online in an easy, cost-effective manner.

Forget the lights blinding those in attendance at Council meetings, as on November 24 (see here), taping a meeting that then needed to be edited before it could be put up on the city's public access cable channel, PCTV-74.

In Branchburg (see here), residents can watch real-time webcasts of Council and board meetings. And look up agendas and minutes. (Did I mention that the Council also gets an e-packet of everything in advance?)

Costs an arm and a leg, right? Not necessarily.

Branchburg paid $21,000 to set up the system and $9,000/year for the continuing service. Sounds way cost-effective to me.

And without the bright lights and the time lag in editing, and the fact that not all Plainfielders have cable (and fewer will as Verizon FIOS comes online) and therefore are left out of the mix.

There are actually two systems out there --

• IQM2: This is a full-service system that streams the meetings in real-time and consolidates agendas, attachments and minutes for both the Council and the public. This is the service used by Branchburg (webcasts here, township page here).
  
  
• MakeAMotion.net: This service, which I saw live at the League trade show, allows the Clerk's staff to set up the recording of the meeting with a touchscreen that has four simple steps: Prepare, Record, Stop, and Process. Once the video is processed, it is available on demand to viewers through the city's website. The system supports up to 8 cameras and mikes, making sure that all the action and speakers (including the public) are seen and heard. And the cameras work in low-light settings like City Hall Library, meaning attendees won't have to be blinded for the public good.

Regardless of how tight times are, I think the Council should investigate moving into the 21st century, and putting the Mayor's communications staff back to work communicating.

WHO WAS AT THE LEAGUE?

To answer Dr. Yood's question partly, I spotted most of the Council members and several Department and Division heads -- though Mr. Peck was NOT spotted. (I am also told the Planning Board was there in strength.)

While not everyone who attends sees fit to enlighten the folks who paid the tab for the trip, some have, as note below --

• Cory Storch: Councilor Storch noted (see here) that long-range financial planning and workshops on 'going green' drew his -- and everyone else's interest. Storch opines that there is such momentum to the benefits and savings of going green that even Plainfield may find itself joining the parade;
  
  
• Annie McWilliams: Citywide councilor-elect Annie McWilliams also reports on the long-range financial planning worshop -- at which she was lucky enough to get a seat (the crowd spilled out into the hallway outside the meeting room);
  
  
• Rashid Burney: Councilor Burney made two reports from Atlantic City -- one on the updated ARC (Access to the Region) report involving -- for Plainfielders -- getting a one-seat ride to New York City (see here). Also, he was struck by two different vendors -- Swiftreach, which specializes in emergency communications with residents via reverse-911, email and texting; and the GEM vehicles, street-legal electric vehicles that get up to 30 miles per charge and cost only $6,500 each. Read more about these ideas here.

This year's League Convention seemed less well attended (the lot across from Angelo's where I always park was about a quarter full as opposed to full). Even the parties (no, I wasn't invited) were said to be less raucous. The convention was sober almost to the point of being somber.

That would have pleased my Puritan forebears.

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• Courier: "Branchburg to get web video of municipal meetings"

-- Dan Damon

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Councilor Storch asks a stumper question

The topic was information technology and Plainfield City Administrator Marc Dashield was presenting.

Councilor Cory Storch's question was simplicity itself: Does this mean that we'll be able to get our information packets by email?

The answer is that even when the $1.1 million IT project is completed in July or August, it won't make a difference to the Councilor's question, since the packets could be emailed NOW, even without the fancy bells and whistles that are coming.

The truth is that the weekly packets, already prepared in digital format (using MS Word) could easily be converted to PDF file (also using MS Word) and emailed to Councilors on Friday evening. So what's the holdup?

The good news on the information technology front is that the $1.1M project to network City Hall and the Annex is expected to be complete by July/August. With a data center in the Annex which will house all the city's servers, workers will be completely networked, with no more standalone computers.

The aged Centrex phone system will be replaced by a VOIP (internet-based) telephone system. (This is a good thing.) Unspecified were plans/expenses for including outlying facilities such as the DPW Yard and the east and west end fire station (read: more expenses).

The bad news is that this project only addresses connectivity, not productivity.

It was productivity that Councilor Storch had in mind with his questions. Another one he raised was whether the $1.1M project meant that residents would now be able to file permit applications online. The answer is no.

There has not even been a discussion yet of what is referred to as 'e-government', making it possible for residents, businesses and taxpayers to do everything from apply for permits to paying taxes and other bills online. And when that is eventually discussed, you can be sure there will be more money needing to be spent.

One item that was NOT mentioned, either by Mr. Dashield or Council members, was whether the new network would include having a dedicated email server for elected officials and employees. It is a matter of continuing concern, especially given how important email has become as a part of the normal course of conducting business, that City employees have a jumble of email options (some even using free webmail accounts) and there is no attempt to preserve this correspondence, which is in fact a part of the public record. Not to mention that elected officials all used private emails.

Finally, Mr. Dashield did not address whether the ever-popular government productivity tool, Solitaire, would be hosted on the network or reside on individual computers.

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-- Dan Damon

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Hot spots in Plainfield? Try the Library.

Plainfielders looking for a hot spot should check out the Library.

A wireless Internet hot spot, that is.

For years one of New Jersey's most technologically advanced public libraries, it is now going official with its free internet access wireless hot spots.

The Plainfield Public Library has had an extensive wireless zone for some time, but has now made it easier for laptop users (whose batteries often run out while their owners are surfing the Web) by bringing power outlets to a select number of study carrels.

"The hard part -- literally -- has been installing the power outlets to the carrels," says Library Director Joe Da Rold. "As we learned years ago when hardwiring our computer network, the main level's concrete floor -- which is the ceiling of the library's lower level -- is nearly two feet thick, and presents a devil of a challenge for extending hard wiring in the building."

But where there's a will there's a way, and Director Da Rold is proud of his team's success in bringing power to eight of the study carrels throughout the main floor. Each powered carrel is specially marked.

Da Rold suggests users with questions should inquire at the Reference Department.

What will users want next? Wireless printing?

Stay tuned ... er ... logged in.

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-- Dan Damon

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ARCHIVED POSTS OF PLAINFIELD TODAY FROM 11/03/2005 THROUGH 12/31/2006 ARE AT
http://plainfieldtoday.blogspot.com/

Verizon Wireless setting users free?

Plainfield users of Verizon Wireless can take heart! Tom Johnson's front page story in today's Ledger reports that the big V is readying plans to open its network to any compatible device. Can you say 'spooked by the Google phone announcement'?

Big changes are on the way. Too bad not before my contract rolls over next month.

How about you?

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Ledger: "Verizon to open network to any compatible device"
NY Times: "Verizon Plans Wider Options for Cellphone Users"

-- Dan Damon

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ARCHIVED POSTS OF PLAINFIELD TODAY FROM 11/03/2005 THROUGH 12/31/2006 ARE AT
http://plainfieldtoday.blogspot.com/

Union County's Sequoia voting machines hackable

Beating NJ to the punch, California has thrown the spotlight on the Sequoia voting machines which are used in Plainfield and throughout Union County.

Fearing that the machines can be hacked ''with little chance of detection and with dire consequences," thus allowing results to be altered, California Secretary of State Debra Bowen has established a series of requirements she wants in place to ensure the integrity of the voting process.

Her action comes less than two weeks after the NJIT team assigned to examine New Jersey's electronic voting machines reported that it found 33 flaws in three printer models being considered by the State. (Links to reports and Attorney General's determination at end of story.)

New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram on Friday announced she is withholding certification on the paper-trail upgrades to the state's voting machines until the 33 flaws are addressed. [More here.]

Secretary of State Bowen has proposed a series of security safeguards that seem to me to be well thought out and would greatly reduce the chances of tampering.

It is significant that the Sequoia spokesperson in reports of both the California and New Jersey processes complains that the results were 'taken out of context,' and 'reflected unrealistic, worst-case scenarios.'

One of the problems here is that no MSM news source is monitoring these state-by-state reviews in a larger framework.

Bowen's security requirements, as reported by the LA Times include--

• Reinstalling the software before the Feb. 5. election to ensure it has not already been tampered with;
• Placing special seals at vulnerable parts of the machines to reveal tampering;
• Securing each machine at the close of each day of early voting;
• Assigning a specific election monitor to safeguard each machine; and
• Conducting a complete manual count of all votes cast.

The New York Times additionally reports Bowen is requiring --

[the] banning [of] all modem or wireless connections to the machines to prevent them from being linked to an outside computer or the Internet.

While efforts to ensure the security of the voting process from a technical standpoint are laudable, recent experience in Ohio -- where votes disappeared even after court orders they be retained for examination -- shows us that political operatives at work in the election machinery can wreak great havoc.

As Brad's Blog reminds us, it was Joe Stalin who said, "The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything." You don't have to be as cynical as Uncle Joe to get the point.

---

More information --

• [Breaking] Home News: "AG withholds OK for voting machines with paper backup"
• Star-Ledger: "N.J. balks on printers for voting machines"
  
• Los Angeles Times: "State decides to secure electronic voting machines" -- Archived here.
• New York Times: "California Restricts Voting Machines" -- Archived here.
• Star-Ledger (archived): "Study: 2008 election paper trail unreliable"
• NJ Division of Elections: "Website" | "NJIT Reports" (PDF) | "AG denies certification"
• Voter Resources: "Protect Our Votes" | "The Brad Blog" | "Election Transparency Project" | "Election Protection" | "Voter Protection Resources"
  

-- Dan Damon

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ARCHIVED POSTS OF PLAINFIELD TODAY FROM 11/03/2005 THROUGH 12/31/2006 ARE AT
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Union County before the QWERTY tyranny

The Caligraph's non-QWERTY keyboard

The Ledger recently reported on the discovery -- rediscovery, actually -- of a circa-1882 Caligraph. The early typewriter, the third marketed in the United States, was used in Union County courts by Charles Addison Swift, who obtained it while serving as clerk of the grand jury in the 1880s.

The story concerns the misadventures of the historic machine, which will now be displayed in the grand jury room in the County Courthouse in Elizabeth.

What interests me is the keyboard, which features separate keys for upper- and lower-case letters and is definitely not the QWERTY arrangement to which we are accustomed today.

The story, though, is only partly correct in asserting QWERTY was developed because keys in other configurations jammed.

The keys jammed because typists were able to type faster than the primitive mechanisms' keys could recover to their starting position, hence the jamming.

The QWERTY arrangement was arrived at just exactly because the awkward placement of the most-used keys -- splitting them up -- slowed typists down and reduced the jamming problem.

But the idea of non-QWERTY machines, on which typists could whiz along, never really went away. In 1936, an alternative layout was patented by Dr. August Dvorak, who taught at the University of Washington.

As the Wikipedia article points out --

Dvorak studied letter frequencies and the physiology of people’s hands and created a layout to adhere to these principles:

• It is easier to type letters alternating between hands.
• For maximum speed and efficiency, the most common letters and digraphs should be the easiest to type. This means that they should be on the home row, which is where the fingers rest, and under the strongest fingers.
• The least common letters should be on the bottom row, which is the hardest row to reach.
• The right hand should do more of the typing, because most people are right-handed.
• It is more difficult to type digraphs with adjacent fingers than non-adjacent fingers.
• Stroking should generally move from the edges of the board to the middle. An observation of this principle is that, for many people, when tapping fingers on a table, it is easier going from little finger to index than vice versa.
  

What many people do not know is that most of today's computers are set up to allow the user to reprogram the keyboard layout to conform with the Dvorak pattern. The key covers, which can easily be snapped off, can then be reapplied to reflect the new keyboard arrangement.

Check out the Microsoft tutorial here.

---

More information --

• Ledger: "Innovation made local history in the write way"
• Typewriter Museum: "The Virtual Typewriter Museum"
• Microsoft: "Alternative Keyboard Layouts"
• Keyboard Tutorial: "Introducing the Dvorak Keyboard"
  

-- Dan Damon

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Burgdorff ERA email system attacked by worm scam

Plainfield Today just learned (at noon) of an email worm scam attack on Burgdorff ERA email system users early this morning.

The screenshot above shows the message that was in some agent's mailboxes when they logged on to the real estate agency's servers.

That's the scary part.

The good part is that the Metro area's IT manager, Charlie Batilo, was johnny-on-the-spot, notifying all agents via an email blast that the message was a scam.

Not only that, he explained the action he was taking (blocking the link in the message) and outlined the corporate policy on handling patches (they are pushed from the corporate servers to the system users without the users having to intervene in the process).

Kudos to an organization that knows how to keep its business communications as safe as possible!

-- Dan Damon

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Revamped ELEC website sucks

Election Law Enforcement Commission Homepage

In my humble, humble opinion, it sucks.

I use the ELEC site periodically -- which means at election times. Have done so for years, without problems.

Well, except the clunky way the search engine works, but that's another matter.

When I tried to get some reports during this past June's Primary Election cycle, it was like butting your head against the wall.

Clicking on the report search button caused my browser to freeze. OK, I fired up IE (NOT my browser of choice), and tried again. Ditto. I rebooted and tried over. Results consistent.

There were no indications on the site that indicated things had changed -- EXCEPT, there was a small note that the site was 'powered by Crystal Reports'. I didn't remember that from the last time I used the site.

I called the number listed on ELEC's front page and was quickly connected to what sounded like a young man who very politely asked what seemed to be the problem.

When I told him I was using Firefox as my browser, he said it was not supported. When I said that I had also tried Internet Explorer but that it, too, froze, he said that I needed to update my Java runtime environment.

OK.

That didn't work either, so I sort of gave up on the reports and wandered off. After all, there ARE other things to do in life, even for a political junkie.

A few days later, a friend, a candidate's wife, called to complain that she wasn't able to access the reports.

A day or two later, I ran into another friend on the way to a Council meeting. She said she, too, was unable to get at the reports.

So, I went back to take another look. This time I spotted TWO links I had never noticed before. One was to a help line specifically for WEB related questions. The other turned out to be a popup window entitled "Best Viewing Requirements"

That nice little popup window repeated the information the gent had given me over the phone.

What's wrong with this picture?

I can't believe the state government thinks we should all be using Internet Explorer. Firefox has about 13% of the market and is growing. What about Opera? What about Apple's Safari, including the new public beta of its Windows version?

Sheez!

Would be glad to hear if the mileage of other people matches my own.

dandamon at comcast dot net.

-- Dan Damon

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