April 4, 2008 | Volume 5, Issue 2
My Rights Versus Yours
Trade Secret Protection for Electronic Voting Machine Manufacturers and the Threat to Our Fundamental Right to Vote
This paper explores the issues raised by electronic voting machines over the past six years and the importance of transparency and accountability in our electoral process, especially in light of voting as a fundamental constitutional right. It concludes with a discussion of the measures taken by California and Ohio to thoroughly analyze their electronic voting systems, and describes a means for citizens in other states to petition their Secretaries of State to follow suit.
The Suitcase Economy
Argentina's Financial Crisis
On December 20, 2001, Argentine President Fernando De La Rua fled the Presidential Palace in Buenos Aires via helicopter. Riots in the country had left 20 people dead, and unemployment had topped 18 percent. The country had experienced four years of recession, two years of which were presided over by De La Rua. With the country about to default on a record debt, the population’s tolerance for the government ended. All of the buildup, continuing chaos, and economic disorder became known as the Argentine financial crisis of 2001. The Argentine financial crisis of 2001 emerged from poor economic policies of the late 20th century, amplified by the new global system of financial markets.
Redefining Contemporary
Analyzing the Web Development of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Art museums are striving to maintain their relevance in an increasingly digital age. Low-to-no-cost user-centered interactive technologies such as blogs, podcasts and streaming media are now finally being adopted by art museums as tools to connect with a younger, more tech-savvy patron base. In 2004, the Smithsonian-affiliated Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C. recognized the need for a more engaging web presence and set out to redesign its website. Given their goals of stronger brand identity, increased page views and development of online audience participation, this paper examines Hirshhorn’s current technology initiatives and evaluates the web 2.0-inspired site redesign. Functionality and overall usability of the site, the availability of robust, original content, authentic real-time user interaction and the generation of success metrics are key criteria by which both the Hirshhorn case and any other user-focused re-designs are to be judged.