07/01: Hola from Mexico!
Those of you who have spent any time in my Texas ranch know my love of Aztec civilization. The pool house has a very Aztec influenced architecture, with future plans to make a water slide similar to Atlantis. I went down that once on a bet from Bruce Willis, but never again.
My love of Aztec architecture and a phone call from a friend got me on the next plane to Mexico City. My friend, Salvador Guilliem of Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History, is leading the archeological dig in Mexico City. He thinks he found an 800 year old pyramid, which would totally revise recorded history of the Aztec people.
On the plane, I was seated next to an employee from the FBI who was also heading to Mexico, but for pleasure. We talked about the never solved case of Dan Cooper who jumped out of a commercial plane on its way to Mexico with a bag filled with stolen cash some 35 years ago.
The FBI had turned to a relatively new technique known as ‘Crowdsourcing’ to solve the case. They posted details of the case on their website and invited the public to review the case and suggest steps to solve it. The FBI person said that there was a lot of interest in the case, with a number of new approaches being sent in.
Crowdsourcing is the technique of opening up a task or challenge for anyone to solve. Putting the details on the web for peopel to pour over can result in new ways to solve a problem. Allowing the public to build off of each other’s thinking furthers this process and truly taps into ‘the wisdom of crowds’. Texas is doing this by installing cameras along the Mexico border and letting anyone view the cameras on the web to report crossings.
As we landed, we both exchanged contact information and promised to let the other know if we see the infamous Dan Cooper in our travels. I’m off to see Salvador and the designs for my new water slide.
The FBI had turned to a relatively new technique known as ‘Crowdsourcing’ to solve the case. They posted details of the case on their website and invited the public to review the case and suggest steps to solve it. The FBI person said that there was a lot of interest in the case, with a number of new approaches being sent in.
Crowdsourcing is the technique of opening up a task or challenge for anyone to solve. Putting the details on the web for peopel to pour over can result in new ways to solve a problem. Allowing the public to build off of each other’s thinking furthers this process and truly taps into ‘the wisdom of crowds’. Texas is doing this by installing cameras along the Mexico border and letting anyone view the cameras on the web to report crossings.
As we landed, we both exchanged contact information and promised to let the other know if we see the infamous Dan Cooper in our travels. I’m off to see Salvador and the designs for my new water slide.
