There is nothing like energetic conversation of motivated people to help pull me back into focus. For the last month or two, I’ve sometimes found it hard to focus on increasing digital inclusion. There’s been so much to worry about … Continue reading →

For most of the last ten years, Katherine and I have participated in National Novel Writing Month, an organized effort to encourage people to write a fifty thousand word novel during the month of November. A number of the works … Continue reading →

It’s a rewarding feeling when I’ve been involved in a range of diverse activities, and then they all come together at once. This happened for me in the last week of October. But to explain, I have to start with … Continue reading →

Last night was PBDD’s first fundraiser, Laughing Matters, and it was a success on all fronts. Thank you to those who helped organize it and to everyone who came out to support us and the People’s Resource Center. Following is the … Continue reading →

Ever since starting PBDD, I’ve confronted new experiences: starting a non-profit, running board meetings, being my own boss, promoting our cause to strangers. And now, it’s time for another one: hosting a fund-raiser. To date, PBDD has been living within our means, … Continue reading →

In the fifteen months of PBDD’s existence, we have seen a tremendous amount of activity and movement. This blog post highlights some recent as well as anticipated changes. We started by sending queries to existing refurbishing agencies, and a few brave … Continue reading →

Last week, I joined hundreds of my colleagues from nonprofits, libraries, industry and the public sector at the Net Inclusion Summit 2016 to share and discuss issues related to digital inclusion. A full trip report will be coming, but I wanted to … Continue reading →

Sometimes, you’re walking along in life, and there’s an unexpected surprise. It could be finding a five dollar bill on an empty street, or a bakery on a street where you didn’t expect one, or a beautiful flower poking up … Continue reading →

One year ago today (February 11 2015), I filed articles of incorporation as a non-profit with the State of Illinois. By all measures I think that it has been a good year. With the anniversary, I find myself scheduling a second … Continue reading →

Community is important. I don’t remember being taught this, at least not explicitly. But as a child I knew I was part of a family, part of a community. As I grew, I found myself part of  groups that hung out … Continue reading →