Tom Watson MP

Library data

Tom — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:43:49 +0000

[in a weary voice] Do you know anything about an organisation called the OCLC and how they license the use of local library book information?

Method of escape

Tom — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:14:13 +0000

This picture of a man texting from a Segway whilst the LA fires light up the sky behind him is causing an online rumpus. Some seem to argue that the person in question is a form of modern age imbecile, whilst others, in making their case for his innocence, prove that we truly live in a post-ironic age. Whatever your view, it’s a captivating image.

Email Christmas Cards

Tom — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 11:39:00 +0000

They’re environmentally friendly, no doubt but do they just show a lack of respect. What do you think? And if they’re acceptable to send these days, where can I get a design?

Tories want pre-nuptial agreements

Tom — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 08:25:46 +0000

Fascinating ‘talking point’ story today. Former Conservative leader, Iain Duncan Smith wants British couples to sign pre-nuptial agreements. This is one of those issues where my age - or eight years of marriage - is prohibiting me from seeing the upside to the argument. I am genuinely interested in your views on this. Could they work in the UK?

Another story that demonstrates the opportunities and perils of using social media

Tom — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 08:00:42 +0000

If anything convinces me that the people who design public services (and commercial for that matter) need to get closer to their audience using social media, it is the story of American company Mortrin. They launched a little video for the start of International Babywearing Week basically saying that carrying your child in a sling is a fashion choice. To add insult to injury, they made the crass assumption that it was only women who carried their baby in such a manner. Cue a massive online fightback.

Facebook kicks out neo-Nazi groups

Tom — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 16:22:22 +0000

According to Web Pro News, Facebook kicked out a number of neo-Nazi groups last week after complaints from Members of the European Parliament.

George Osborne’s judgment

Tom — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 21:38:45 +0000

George Osborne will fly too close to the sun, a wise parliamentarian said to me nearly two years ago. And right now he appears like a gambler on a losing streak, desperately chasing that next big media win. Only this time he’s done it in a way that could talk down the pound. That is regrettable and also pretty stupid.

To see Philip Hammond doing live broadcasts at 5pm on a Saturday evening suggests to me that the Tory High Command know he’s in deep trouble too. No politician wants to give up their Saturday evening to do telly, particularly those a grand as Mr Hammond. He’ll have been ordered into action. Iain is doing his duty too but I detect a weariness in the tone of his defence.

But when you have former Conservative Treasurer Lord Kalms calling on Mr Osborne to go, surely it must only a matter of time before Mr Cameron is forced into the reshuffle he said he wasn’t going to do.

DCMS consultation on video game classification

Tom — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 12:08:06 +0000

Have your say on how games should be classified.

PS Don’t you think that the Consultation Co-ordinator sounds like a Dungeons and Dragons character?

Knight Pulse

Tom — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:29:38 +0000

Discussing the future of information.

Predictive medical informatics

Tom — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 19:17:20 +0000

Google believe that they might be able to predict an outbreak of influenza two weeks before the American Disease Control authorities currently do.

This has profound implications for the way the public sector handles the outbreak of a virus. Just off the top of my head I can think of the following advantages to a two week ‘heads up’ on an outbreak:

1. Immediate public information campaigns.
2. NHS can reschedule staffing rotas to deal with the anticipated increase in patients.
3. Vaccination programmes can be stepped up around the geographic source of the outbreak.

In the case of an outbreak of pandemic flu, the early warning could be vitally important.

4. Scientists would have a fortnight’s advance notice to develop a vaccine, ensuring they can get to people before the peak of the curve.
5. Government could significantly scale up the co-ordination of all the authorities in advance of the outbreak spreading to large numbers of people.

I’ve asked officials to look at the google model very seriously to consider how we can build it into the UK’s plans for tackling flu and other virus outbreaks.