InfoMania Tech Report: Year in Review

Great moments in records management policies

FOX 5 Reporter Snags McCain Campaign Blackberry Loaded with Info

Thompson reports that one Blackberry she purchased from the campaign for $20 "contained more than 50 phone numbers for people connected with the McCain-Palin campaign, as well as hundreds of emails from early September until a few days after election night."

Just another little reminder that email is not private.

On election eve

Tomorrow morning election officials will arrive at their assigned polls at 5 AM. There is an elaborate process of unsealing the machines, signing witness documents, arranging the sign in books, to ensure that the election is properly conducted.

Through out what promises to be a very busy day, election officers will work to administer the election. They will have to cope with anxious voters, and in many cases, long lines.

There will be partisan poll workers who are too aggressive with voters, who will have to be informed that they need to tone it down. There will be some partisan polls workers who engage in inappropriate voter challenges. It will be the job of the election officers to make sure that poll watchers do not cross the line of what is appropriate. At the same time it is the role of partisan polls workers to make sure that election officers do not violate election rules. Both play a crucial role in a democratic society.

Election officers must remain at the polls until the votes are counted. In a presidential year that could be as late as midnight. That means working for nineteen hours in a politically charged atmosphere.

In addition to the usual tensions, this year election officials must cope with unprecedented mistrust in the voting machines.

This is a difficult job, please treat the elections officers with respect.

Convention communications in the age of social media

Qwest said it added about 2,600 data lines, 3,400 voice grade circuits and 140 miles of single strands of copper and coaxial cable to handle the Democratic National Convention.

The company issued a statement Friday saying it expects the volume of calls, e-mail messages, instant messages, text messages, blogs, videos, and other data to be unprecedented.

"Qwest is well prepared to handle all of the data content that will be streaming through the Democratic National Convention," said Chuck Ward, Qwest's president in Colorado. "Never before has speed played such an important role in a national convention and Qwest is excited for the world to see the capabilities of our network infrastructure."

At least 35,000 politicians, media and delegates from across the U.S. are expected to attend the Democratic National Convention 2008 next week. Much of the focus will be on presumptive Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama who is expected to capture the party's official nomination.

Qwest said it added about 2,600 data lines, 3,400 voice grade circuits and 140 miles of single strands of copper and coaxial cable.

I had not previously considered the impact of social media on the physical requirements of communications infrastructure. Hope it all works.