It's okay to admit you're not fully up to speed on "smart cities" or the "Internet of Things." A lot of people aren't. The talk is so ubiquitous that it might feel like a runaway topic that's tough to break into. Or maybe you're from a small town and think smart-cities and IoT are more of a big-city conversation. But it concerns just about everybody, everywhere. So what does it really mean? As initiatives and projects multiply in the focus of smart cities and IoT -- and while the federal government is actively soliciting comment on a new plan to collaborate with local communities toward smart-city enhancements -- this episode explains the who-what-when-where-why to get us all up on the essentials. Because now is the time to know. Show notes: -Draft "Smart Cities and Communities Federal Strategic Plan: Exploring Innovation Together" and Request for Comments https://www.nitrd.gov/news/RFI-SCC-Federal-Strategic-Plan.aspx -NLC report: "Trends in Smart City Development" http://www.nlc.org/article/new-report-on-smart-cities-released-by-national-league-of-cities -News story, "3 Insights from NLC's Smart Cities Report" http://www.statetechmagazine.com/article/2017/02/3-insights-nlc-s-smart-cities-report -News story, "Greensboro to Participate in National 'Smart City' Program in March" http://wunc.org/post/greensboro-participate-national-smart-city-program-march#stream/0 -News story, "Envisioning Smart Cities" https://smartcitiesworld.net/news/news/envisioning-smart-cities-1352?platform=hootsuite -Callback to EP 07, "The Value of 'Digital Mindsets' in Local Government" https://soundcloud.com/municipalequation/ep-07 -Thought piece, "A City is Not a Computer" https://placesjournal.org/article/a-city-is-not-a-computer/