Here is a rad and inspiring interview with Hugh McGuire, founder and Head Rockstar of Librivox. What a good, good man.
At the end of the show, he talks about where the “Librivox model” can go, and brings up the need to make basic data available to the public for urban planning, environment, health, and political purposes. One group that’s working on making such data available in the public domain is CivicAccess. They’re currently trying to make electoral information freely available to everyone who wants to use it because, at present, the database that links postal codes to electoral information (e.g. based on your postal code, who’s your MP?) is a licensed one. And the license ain’t cheap — it starts at $2900 — fine for marketing companies but not so accessible for citizens’ and not-for-profit groups. CivicAcces want to do the same with the 2006 StatsCan Census information and other civic data. More good people!
-SIO