Creating an App to make Open Data useful

After a class about Open Data and how we can use it, our professor told us to think of a project such as a website, a data visualization (infographics) or an app that would make data more useful and friendly.

My idea was to create this app in which you could search the product you're buying or the service you're hiring and see how many complaints about this product or service were registered on the Brazilian consumer protection organisation, named Procon. I obviously picked the Brazilian example because I'm from Brazil, but this could be adapted to any country with a system that registers this kind of complaint.

Here's a quick pitch on my idea. Sorry for the gaps and the pronunciation mistakes, I was a little sick when I recorded it.

So, would you download this app? Tell me how could it be improved! 

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VinED!

Today, during SM as Practice class, Ms. Caroline Beavon introduced us to the wonders of Vine (in case you're wondering, no, she didn't get us drunk or anything like that). Do you know Vine? Well, it is the new Twitter Video app.

Basically, you can record videos up to 6 seconds just by taping your iPhone's (I think it works with Android and Windows phones too) screen. And you can start and stop the recording as many times as you want, meaning you edit your footage while doing it.

It may seem a bit confusing at first, but Vine has really caught me, and I must admit I'm completely VinED. And to get you into it with me, I found some cool links about Vine that are worth sharing:

• Vine's Twitter
• Vine's Blog
• 10 artists to follow on Vine - by Tribeca Film Festival 
• Pro tips for making your own stunning Vine - by Mashable
• Why Vine's going to grow into something huge - by Wired

Vine's still have a few issues with filtering content and searching for friends, but hopefully this will be fixed soon. Remember we're talking about a newborn here, since Vine was launched only about a month ago.

Give it a try! I hope you enjoy it. By the way, you can follow me on Vine, my username is julianageller.

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