This weeks’ latest batch of Agri-IT related news;

 

The UK’s National Trust has opened up the Wimpole Estate Farm to 10,000 web users who will decide on which animals to purchase, which crops to grow and whether to regain lost hedgerows.

Online farmers will run the farm through discussions that end in votes, with the first option past the post the winner. Not sure how successful this experiment will be…

Details here à http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/may/04/farmville-live-project-real-animals-national-trust?CMP=NECNETTXT766%29

 

The ‘Mix Tank’ app which enables farmers in the US to get the combinations of herbicides, fungicides or insecticides in the right order à http://www.agriculture.com/news/technology/spray-better-with-new-mobile-app_6-ar15057

Closer to home, I think that there is a need for an ‘app’ that allows the farmer to check whether the chemicals they purchase at point of sale are in regulation, what do you think?

 

A platform called ‘Jolitics’ has been active for well over a year now, which allows ordinary citizens to collaborate on the creation of proposals for change to government.

A proposal goes through three stages: Debate,Vote and Campaign. Debate with fellow Joliticians on the proposal. Vote Yae or Nae on a proposal. Campaign your government to implement the proposal.

This was launched first in Ireland and is owned by a guy called Michael Birch who founded the ‘Bebo’ social network à https://jolitics.com/p/about/

 

Google and Apple fight it out over the use of ‘Voice’ to do EVERYTHING on your smartphone; search the web, make a call, create and send a text, find the nearest Chinese restaurant to you. This is being rolled out as we speak and mass adoption predicted in 6 months.

This will open up the smartphone market even more to our members and the elder generation users in general. I am hoping that this technology will smash down the barriers and allow everyone to see the real benefit of smartphones.

http://mashable.com/2011/10/03/iphone-5-assistant/