Open House Project Poetry Slam

by

Here’s a little fun for your weekend. Yesterday, the Open House Google Group turned into an outright poetry slam.

David Weller kicked it all off with this submission titled “Government data” …

Info, not information Data, now, well, data? Databases galore Needing some more

Government info Is data consumed The truth as we know it Can I make a profit?

Then Joshua Gay added “Three Haikus for Internet Transparency and Change in 2009” …

“I will execute…”– Ha! WhiteHouse.gov launched already–Haha!

I see my shadow on recovery.gov, Punxsutawney Phil.

Good start, kind of. Now, make sure we can read the bills– that is, all of US!

Not to be outdone, GovTrack.usJosh Tauberer added this limerick…

There once was a man named Mike Honda, A congressman us geeks are quite fond ‘a, In markup sessions takes on the chairman, a hulk, so that we the people can get our data in bulk.

His friend maverick Joe likes transparency too, Senate votes in XML he says long overdue, At party politics he snorts, Because the public should see those CRS reports.

And last we hear of the executive’s new plan, For a CTO and CIO… …perhaps YesWeScan?

And to top it all off, Sunlight’s John Wonderlich added what he called “An old haiku”…

Opening Congress blog net nerds bring scrutiny, Sunlight Foundation

and a new limerick:

The power that sprang not from Kings, but the merit the populace brings, thrives on data and docs, not closed doors with locked locks. Online access gives ideas new wings.

I always knew the open government movement was full of talented people…But they never cease to amaze.