The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
schenkelberg's review against another edition
3.0
A powerful, well-written, and deeply perceptive book by Gavin Newsom. In it, he artfully describes and explains our crumbling institutions of government, then supplies a plethora of examples and even more ideas about a new, people and community-driven system of governance that will rise from rubble of our monolithic systems, enabled by technology. Newsom is a solid writer, and his energy and initiative in his field is contagious.
niceread's review against another edition
3.0
The book had some interesting examples of how to improve citizen participation in government through technology, but his naive faith in technology and belief that privatization will solve everything was a little hard to take after awhile. I wouldn't have guessed that this guy was an elected democrat, but I guess that is how far to the right the Dems have moved.
jmanchester0's review against another edition
5.0
Government right now is functioning on the cutting edge - of 1973.
Part of the point of this book is making government more participatory. To truly have a government for, by, and of the people. It‰ЫЄs going to take some work, because as my girlfriend wrote in the margin of this book, ‰ЫП[the government would] rather not know what we want so they can keep voting however they want.‰Ыќ They don‰ЫЄt really want our participation.
Well, too bad. They‰ЫЄre going to get it, if 2017-2018 is any indication.
This isn‰ЫЄt going to be easy. There are so many ways we are behind technologically - and they all connect to money and power. Politicians don‰ЫЄt want to give up their power, so they don‰ЫЄt want to change. Companies don‰ЫЄt want to give up their monopolies, so it‰ЫЄs harder to introduce things like city-wide free wifi or solar panels.
Oooh! How do we fix this:
Because the government doesn‰ЫЄt have an official PR department to help burnish its image, people go about their daily lives oblivious to how enriched they are by it.
This way:
Overcoming bureaucracy, updating the museum pieces of governance, revealing the real people who make up our government, restoring trust: technology can help us do all of these crucial things, if we allow ourselves to embrace it.
Some fantastic thinking about bringing our country into the digital age. Into the 21st Century. It seems like it‰ЫЄs about time.
We need to engage people in the democratic process. We need to reinvent government.
And this book offers quite a variety of solutions. From using apps to X Prizes, the author gives some excellent ideas to really make this a government of the people.
We need to work together and start implementing them.
Part of the point of this book is making government more participatory. To truly have a government for, by, and of the people. It‰ЫЄs going to take some work, because as my girlfriend wrote in the margin of this book, ‰ЫП[the government would] rather not know what we want so they can keep voting however they want.‰Ыќ They don‰ЫЄt really want our participation.
Well, too bad. They‰ЫЄre going to get it, if 2017-2018 is any indication.
This isn‰ЫЄt going to be easy. There are so many ways we are behind technologically - and they all connect to money and power. Politicians don‰ЫЄt want to give up their power, so they don‰ЫЄt want to change. Companies don‰ЫЄt want to give up their monopolies, so it‰ЫЄs harder to introduce things like city-wide free wifi or solar panels.
Oooh! How do we fix this:
Because the government doesn‰ЫЄt have an official PR department to help burnish its image, people go about their daily lives oblivious to how enriched they are by it.
This way:
Overcoming bureaucracy, updating the museum pieces of governance, revealing the real people who make up our government, restoring trust: technology can help us do all of these crucial things, if we allow ourselves to embrace it.
Some fantastic thinking about bringing our country into the digital age. Into the 21st Century. It seems like it‰ЫЄs about time.
We need to engage people in the democratic process. We need to reinvent government.
And this book offers quite a variety of solutions. From using apps to X Prizes, the author gives some excellent ideas to really make this a government of the people.
We need to work together and start implementing them.
c_bulin's review against another edition
3.0
Overall it was an easy read. Technology is treated as too much of a panacea in my opinion, but some of the barriers he mentions are legitimate. When he sticks to topics he is more familiar with (the government side of the engagement coin) he does much better than when he speaks of technology, in my opinion.
freddsch's review against another edition
3.0
Read it for an essay. Seems to be a lot of people talking about a lot of good things but repeating themselves and kinda lacking a direction.
jentrification's review against another edition
3.0
easy read, polished off in a few hours. some repetitive concepts from other books that i have read (the end of big, etc)
smcscot's review against another edition
2.0
I picked this one up, because I like Newsom, and I'm interested to see what he could do as a Governor. I lived in SF when he was the mayor there, and he was far better than any Mayor who did the job before him or after. He was the most progressive, and made the city more liveable and cleaner.
The premise of the book, however is about how governance needs to move into the 20th century and embrace technology. This in and of itself is a great theory, the issue is that 1. you have to get the government behind it, and 2. you have to get the people to embrace it.
Ultimately the book was too long just to talk about this thesis. If there was a little more biography (other than snippets about businesses he's owned, and snippets of his time as Mayor), infused the book wouldn't feel so redundant.
If he does get into office, I would like to see some of this happening. I do think he's a great candidate. Lets just hope he hasn't transitioned into the career politician land of corruption.
The premise of the book, however is about how governance needs to move into the 20th century and embrace technology. This in and of itself is a great theory, the issue is that 1. you have to get the government behind it, and 2. you have to get the people to embrace it.
Ultimately the book was too long just to talk about this thesis. If there was a little more biography (other than snippets about businesses he's owned, and snippets of his time as Mayor), infused the book wouldn't feel so redundant.
If he does get into office, I would like to see some of this happening. I do think he's a great candidate. Lets just hope he hasn't transitioned into the career politician land of corruption.
hilary_baribeau's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting and valid points, but written from the standpoint of a politician, some of the arguments fell flat.