Ever found yourself in a situation where you need to drive around the block looking for a decent parking spot? Here’s a great free service to help you with your parking woes. Parkopedia is a nifty service that’s touting itself as the “Wikipedia for parking”.
The service has been co-founded by Anthony Eskinazi (who’s also behind ParkatmyHouse) and has been around for quite some time now, although it only recently underwent a makeover.
The free service features an extensive and impressive database of over 15 million parking spaces spread across 5759 towns in 20 countries.
Searching for a parking spot? Just enter where you’d like to park in the search bar and the service lists all available spots on an interactive map, complete with filters, street-view, information and even reviews. At the bottom of the map, Parkopedia lists the addresses of each spot, its distance, operating hours and the pricing.
Parkopedia also features a nifty price calculator on the left that tells you exactly how much you need to pay based on the From/To values you enter. There’s also a ‘Places Nearby’ tab that lists interesting places to visit in the area.
Parkopedia has also made it extremely easy to access its database on the move by offering an iPhone app as well as a mobile version of the website. Apps for the other mobile platforms are currently in the works. Alternative, the service also has a SMS system for UK folks.
The service also lets you embed its maps on your websites and is even licensing out its parking data.
Well, it’s been a little over a week since Chris Dodd embraced the fact that he was a liar concerning his post-Senate career, and embraced this by misrepresenting the biggest issues facing the movie industry. In that week, he’s apparently been reading from the MPAA “book of propaganda” and is getting better at it. In a speech to theater owners, he’s tied together so many falsehoods that someone might actually believe some of them! I’ve embedded the whole speech below — it’s really a piece of work — but let’s dig into a few sections.
Let’s begin with perhaps the single biggest threat we face as an industry: movie theft. At the outset, I want you to know that I recognize and appreciate that NATO members are on the front lines every day when it comes to preventing camcording. Further, I want you to know that the member studios of the MPAA deeply appreciate the efforts you make every day to stop the hemorrhaging of movie theft in your theaters.
Let’s begin with perhaps the single biggest lie: that copyright infringement is “theft.” It’s not. Stop saying it is. It makes you look like a dishonest fool, who is in no way capable of actually helping the movie industry adapt to the changing marketplace. As for the “camcording” threat, the MPAA still loves to talk this up, but still ignores the fact that the real issue is industry insiders leaking movies themselves…
Nearly 2.5 million people work in our film industry. The success of the movie and TV business doesn’t just benefit the names on theater marquees. It also affects all the names in the closing credits and so many more –middle class folks, working hard behind the scenes to provide for their families, saving for college and retirement. And since movies and TV shows are now being made in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, movie theft harms middle class families and small businesses all across the country.
Those who steal movies and TV shows, or who knowingly support those who do, don’t see the faces of the camera assistant, seamstresses, electricians, construction workers, drivers, and small business owners and their employees who are among the thousands essential to movie making. They don’t see the teenager working their first job taking tickets at the local theater, or the video rental store employees working hard to support their families.
Yeah, this has become a favorite trope of the industry lately. About all those poor key grips suffering from movie infringement. Of course, this is also a lie. File sharing has no direct impact on those people at all. They don’t make any royalties on films. They were paid (not particularly well by the MPAA studios, mind you) for the job that they did, and move on to the next job. Where they suffer is when the MPAA and its member studios fail to embrace smarter business models, such that they have trouble financing new movies. But, as we’ve seen, the box office continues to do well, and indie filmmakers who are embracing new models are doing increasingly well. Perhaps the issue is that the MPAA should be helping filmmakers understand and embrace new models.
But I guess that’s just outside of Dodd’s realm of expertise.
We must continue to work together, pushing for stronger laws to protect intellectual property and more meaningful enforcement of those laws. We must also educate parents and students and everyone else about the real world impact of movie theft on jobs and on local tax revenues, and on our ability to make the kinds of movies and TV shows people wish to see.
Fascinating that he claims this in the weeks after two separate, well respected research organizations both pointed to tons of evidence that stronger enforcement doesn’t work. Nice work, Chris, you’re parroting the failed policies of your predecessors, rather than showing any form of leadership.
After three decades in Congress, I have some idea how to attract the attention of a Congressman or Senator. When you return to your states, invite your local governor, state legislator, congressman and senator to your theater and fill it with those who work with you along with video store employees and their families. Tell them about the importance of these issues to you and to your communities. If you become that educator, you will leave a lasting and indelible impression on those who will make decisions about your future.
In other words, show them a good time, since the logic behind our positions makes no sense at all. However, if we entertain them for free, perhaps they’ll feel indebted to give us protectionist, anti-competitive, anti-innovation policies that will help us wring a few extra dollars out of consumers, rather than innovating to add more value.
What I’m about to say isn’t quantifiable in economic terms. I can’t put a dollar figure on it for you. I can’t give you an unemployment number or some other gripping statistic – but as I stand before you this morning one week into this job, I want you to know that it is as important as all data you will have thrown at you during CinemaCon. Our lives are getting more and more complicated. We are increasingly connected to the world by the power of emerging technologies, but at the same time we seem to be increasingly disconnected from each other by the same technology and stream of information and distractions.
And yet, in the midst of all of this, if you drop by a movie theater in America or anywhere around the world on a Friday or Saturday night you will see neighborhoods coming together. You will see people turning off their phones and BlackBerrys. You will see families and friends settling in for two hours in a darkened theater. And even though everyone’s eyes are on the screen, it is somehow still a communal experience – unlike any other. The value of that shared experience crosses economic, political and even generational boundaries.
Going to the movies together as a community has stitched together the fabric of American society in a way that few other institutions ever have or could, providing a nation of incredible diversity with a common cultural vocabulary and a common understanding of ourselves. What’s at stake as we face these challenges is nothing short of the preservation and renewal of this quintessentially American communal tradition.
If I’m reading this correctly, he’s basically debunking the entire first part of his speech. The thing is, that “shared experience” is the same thing we’ve been talking about on Techdirt for ages. It’s why the movie industry shouldn’t fear file sharing. It should be working towards improving and enhancing that shared experience, because that kind of shared experience can’t be pirated.
I find it hilarious that Dodd appears to be suggesting that if the MPAA doesn’t get stricter enforcement laws, people will suddenly stop wanting to come together as a community to share such experiences. Does anyone take this kind of thing seriously?
What if the next time you watched an episode of Law & Order, the suspect’s guilt wasn’t confirmed by DNA evidence or witness accounts, but through an incriminating Facebook photo? In much the same way that DNA analysis revolutionized forensic science only a few decades ago, social media is changing the ways that police officers serve and protect.
Instant Information Sharing
Websites like Facebook and Twitter can help law enforcement officials quickly share information with a large audience. Instead of waiting for the local news channel to cover a story, police departments can instantly post important alerts online for users to view directly. Police websites display various types of media, from surveillance video footage to photographs of wanted suspects.
“[Using social media] is so much easier and so much more effective,” said Constable Scott Mills, Social Media Officer for the Corporate Communications Toronto Police Service. He cited an incident in September 2010, when gunshots were fired at Central Tech high school in Toronto. As soon as he established contact with officers on the scene, Cst. Mills began tweeting updates with the hashtag #CTGun. Anxious parents could follow the situation, quickly receive reassurance that everyone inside the school was safe.
“In the traditional way of doing things, you’ll get a major incident like a school shooting and the phone at the police department is ringing off the hook, with media as well as concerned members of the community asking the same question: ‘What’s happening?’ Now, I can tell them to start following a specific hashtag, and I take control of the virtual scene. We’re saving parents hours of worry, and we’re not getting deluged at the scene with people asking us what’s going on,” said Mills.
By using an open forum like Twitter to provide real-time updates on breaking news, law enforcement officials are further able to reduce instances of misreported information. “Before, police officers would get extremely frustrated because the local TV station didn’t cover something important, or maybe they got something wrong,” said Lauri Stevens, founder of LAwS Communications, a consultancy that specializes in advising law enforcement agencies on how to use social media. “Now if the news gets something wrong, the police can just point to their own efforts in social media.”
Helping Cops Connect with the Community
In addition to sharing urgent updates, social media engages the community, and encourages better interaction between law enforcement and civilians. Many police departments have set up Facebook pages or Twitter accounts that provide information about outreach programs or local events, in addition to soliciting for witnesses or information related to ongoing investigations. The Santa Cruz Police Department recently launched an iPhone app that lets users view Nixle alerts and submit crime tips directly from their phone.
“The major goal is to help prevent and solve crime together,” said Cst. Mills. “But if you don’t have an engagement strategy driving people to your website and driving people to follow you on Twitter and Facebook, you’re just talking to yourself.” In an effort to develop their own engagement strategy, the Dallas Police Department became one of the first in the United States to employ a social media officer. In February, Sr. Cpl Melinda Gutierrez was tapped to manage the department’s Facebook and Twitter accounts, which had over 5,700 “likes” and 3,700 followers, respectively. This is tangible evidence of a more gradual shift: as law enforcement agencies realize that social media provides the unique opportunity to open up a dialogue with the community, they’ve taken steps to make their online voices heard.
New Investigative Tools
But perhaps the most transformative effect that social media has had on law enforcement comes from the new ways that police are using platforms like Facebook, YouTube and Myspace to actively aid in investigations.
Traffic police in Delhi started a Facebook page that allows civilians to become digital informants, encouraging residents to post pictures of traffic violations that are reviewed for possible citations. Recently in Massachusetts, one student found his stolen laptop by remotely hacking into its hard drive and posting a video of the perpetrator to YouTube. In the United Kingdom, law enforcement officials are cracking down on cyber-bullying by issuing online warnings to offenders, based on tips from teachers. Some police officers are even creating dummy profiles on Myspace to infiltrate street gangs. By posing as fellow gang members, they are able to gain access to photos, videos and profile information that sheds light on possible criminal activity.
This particular practice could become even more effective with the advent of new technology. In June 2010, the United States Air Force requested bids for the development of a “Persona Management Software,” which would let an individual manage a unit of up to 10 fake identities on social media sites. These non-existent personas would have background, history and supporting details, allowing the controller to seem legitimate when “friending” targets in order to gain access to private profile information.
Modern Technology = Modern Concerns
If the prospect of being fake-friended by a government agent made you break out in a cold sweat, you can take some comfort in the fact that you’re not alone. Nearly all of the tools and opportunities provided by social media are accompanied by potential safety concerns, both for law enforcement and civilians.
One dilemma surrounds the user’s reasonable expectation of privacy. Without a warrant, what information should law enforcement be able to access? In potentially life-threatening situations, should social networking sites provide private information and personal details to police?
According to a spokesperson from Facebook: “In very rare instances our policies and the law (ECPA) allow for emergency exemptions. One hypothetical is a kidnapped child where every minute counts. It is in this type of instance where we have verified an emergency that we feel a responsibility to quickly share information that could save someone’s life. However, the sharing must in our judgement be in the best interest of the user.”
Another chief concern involves the balance between protecting the identity of police officers and allowing them to directly interact with the community. Cst. Mills is a firm advocate of maintaining a visible presence on social media, although he cautions officers to maintain separate professional and personal profiles.
“In the same way that you go out on street patrol, this is patrolling the virtual world,” he says. “And in the same way that we show our faces on patrol, we need to show our face online.”
But officers still face risks: in October 2010 during a DUI traffic stop, Phoenix police recovered a CD with the names and photographs of over 30 police officers and civilian employees, including several patrol and undercover officers. All of the information on the CD had been obtained from Facebook profiles. For the same reasons that many police officers have unlisted phone numbers, there is a level of danger associated with law enforcement officials posting information on social media that is accessible to the public.
For most law enforcement officials, however, the biggest hurdle presented by social media stems from lack of education and fear of accountability. “I think in the beginning, police officers heard a lot about stupid cops who got into trouble or got their department in trouble because they said embarrassing things,” said Stevens. Stevens is also the creator of The SMILE (Social Media in Law Enforcement) Conference, a seminar that helps law enforcement officials incorporate social media into their processes.
“But it’s definitely easier than it was even a year ago,” she said. “There is less debating about whether or not to get on social media. Now it’s about – we understand we need to do this, so how do we go about it?”
Microsoft is jumping on the one-swipe mobile payment bandwagon by introducing Near Field Communications (NFC) technology to Windows Phone 7, according to reports.
Traffic police in Delhi started a