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Using FOIA Data and Unix to halve major source of parking tickets

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Re: Using FOIA Data and Unix to halve major source of parking tickets

#131

Post by onion2k »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #5
kasey_junk wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He also spends a lot of time corresponding the old fashioned way to get the data & cleaning it for mechanical evaluation. His hobbies make me feel bad about my own...

You could have these hobbies!

I realise you're being positive and helpful, but I don't think many people could actually have these hobbies. The technical side is within reach of most HN readers, but you also need to see the problem in the first place and understand that it's actually solvable. Most people would assume that any effort would be wasted as the authorities would prefer to keep their revenue generator, so they'd never go through with the project. It takes a pretty special and creative person to have the idea, do the work, and actually get results at the end.

Re: Using FOIA Data and Unix to halve major source of parking tickets

#132

Post by snuxoll »

ghaff wrote: post #20
rlpb wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Criminal proceedings are usually public in most countries. Where do parking tickets fall? Even if not technically criminal, some might, for the same underlying reasons, consider it acceptable for "someone well-off whom you don't like and who doesn't seem to mind getting tickets on a regular basis" to have this illegal behavior on the public record. "Don't want your name tarnished? Don't park illegally." [Edit: on the…

What you say is true. It's also the case that there's a lot of information that is nominally public--often for very defensible reasons--which historically took significant effort to get at and, even then, only in a very limited and manual way. Today, a lot of that information is at least a lot more accessible to everyone (though in this case it still took a lot of work) and, furthermore, it can be mashed up with othe…

Voter registration records being a perfect example - anyone can look up my address because the state makes it incredibly easy to pop my name into a website and there it is.

Re: Using FOIA Data and Unix to halve major source of parking tickets

#133

Post by ekianjo »

xbryanx wrote: post #77
acct1771 wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm kind of on a negative streak these days, so forgive me, reader, but...why in god's green earth aren't these the government's hobbies?!

When is...dear educated technologists...the last time you even slightly considered working for city government? Alas, our best and brightest aren't serving the people. They toil at advertising.

the government, serving the people? Since when? Do you think they install cash grabbing radars on the roads to better serve us?

Re: Using FOIA Data and Unix to halve major source of parking tickets

#134

Post by ekianjo »

dmix wrote: post #125
garmaine wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not just competitive, but better paying. Take Taiwan and other East Asian countries—government service is desirable, high paying, and a really prestigious job. And lo and behold, their government services really do work very well.

This is why I'm fiscally conservative while also believing public servants should make market rates. Which also means pushing back against obsessing about total employment counts at x rate but rather focusing on the specific utility of individual agencies, policies, and projects. Sadly public salaries and jobs in general are low hanging fruit targeted by short-sighted political campaigns while all other gov spending…

why should they make market rates? they have job security forever? Risk in the private sector should be rewarded somehow.

Re: Using FOIA Data and Unix to halve major source of parking tickets

#137

Post by gadders »

acct1771 wrote: post #8
toomuchtodo wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You could have these hobbies!

I'm kind of on a negative streak these days, so forgive me, reader, but...why in god's green earth aren't these the government's hobbies?!

What, work to reduce their revenue?

Re: Using FOIA Data and Unix to halve major source of parking tickets

#138

Post by dantheman »

ekianjo wrote: post #134
dmix wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is why I'm fiscally conservative while also believing public servants should make market rates. Which also means pushing back against obsessing about total employment counts at x rate but rather focusing on the specific utility of individual agencies, policies, and projects. Sadly public salaries and jobs in general are low hanging fruit targeted by short-sighted political campaigns while all other gov spending…

why should they make market rates? they have job security forever? Risk in the private sector should be rewarded somehow.

also the people attracted to job security forever are rarely the best. and the best want to work with the best.

Re: Using FOIA Data and Unix to halve major source of parking tickets

#139

Post by TheCapeGreek »

garmaine wrote: post #124
mLuby wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is something the public can control. Make government positions competitive with corporate ones and you'll get a bunch more talented (and patriotic) "educated technologists" working in government. Likewise with teachers. It's not difficult, just costly.

Not just competitive, but better paying. Take Taiwan and other East Asian countries—government service is desirable, high paying, and a really prestigious job. And lo and behold, their government services really do work very well.

This doesn't always work out. Case in point with Greece. Decades of cushy government jobs and tons of people flocking to those positions to be lazy and do nothing, with policies that amount to tenure so they'll never be fired.

I do agree that government jobs should be more competitive in the job market, just with caution.

Re: Using FOIA Data and Unix to halve major source of parking tickets

#140

Post by [deleted] »

onion2k wrote: post #131
toomuchtodo wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You could have these hobbies!

I realise you're being positive and helpful, but I don't think many people could actually have these hobbies. The technical side is within reach of most HN readers, but you also need to see the problem in the first place and understand that it's actually solvable. Most people would assume that any effort would be wasted as the authorities would prefer to keep their revenue generator, so they'd never go through with t…

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