Oakland startup builds “social democracy” app

Ever find yourself frustrated with the back and forth group messaging, conference calling and group emailing that often precede decision-making in small groups? An Oakland-based startup seeks to end that with a social decision making application they say is designed to deliver “social democracy” in group decision making, based on a concept they call dynamic…

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OPD launches anonymous tip by text service

Nixle spokesman Travis Scott holds up his phone to show how citizens can now text message crime related tips to the Oakland Police Department.

Oakland residents now have the ability to send completely anonymous texts or E-mail tips about crimes to the city’s police department, officials announced last week.

In response to a rash of homicides, with five deaths in a span of 18 hours from Monday, October 1 through Tuesday, October 2, Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan

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At Tech Liminal, digital workers find a place to connect

Tech Liminal in downtown Oakland bills itself as a tech “hotspot and salon.” It’s a shared office space for professionals who work at home and a DIY workshop for office workers. Tech Liminal is one of two “coworking” spaces in Oakland registered in the Coworking Wiki, a world directory of these alternative offices.

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West Oakland group hopes to fight air pollution with cell phones

A chain-link fence behind which are a copule concrete barricades in the foreground and an elevated freeway in the background.

Circled by three freeways, scattered with industrial factories and a stone’s throw from one of the largest ports in the United States, West Oakland has a high pollution rate. That’s why this neighborhood has become the centerpiece of a new partnership between a local environmental justice group and a high-tech research company to develop a cell phone that can measure pollution.

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New cell phone service helps stranded drivers

By CHRISTINA SALERNO  audio slide show by HENRY JONES and CHRISTINA SALERNO Sept. 16 — With fewer than 200 people a month using the bright yellow call boxes that dot Bay Area freeways, transportation authorities are turning to a different device to help stranded motorists: cell phones. Drivers with a flat tire, empty gas tank or…

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