Mary Rose Cook

Last Saturday, I went to Rewired State, a hackday where people made useful apps that use government data. The Guardian hosted us and gave us delicious free food. We got some free beer in the evening, too.

I did an app called Voxpomp that lets you search statements made by MPs in Parliament and then cross-reference the results with the news stories of the time.

It was a great day - lots of nice people and interesting conversations. I would love to see a Dewired State that was about using technology to let people build their own data sources and communities away from the government.

You can see all the hacks on the Rewired State project page. My favourites were:

• One Click Organisations. Answer a few questions and the legal framework for your organisation will be drawn up. You can also use the app to maintain your members list and propose and vote on motions. I kind of wish the app could work outside of the assumption of a voting democracy, but it is only in its early stages.

• Section 44. A place to document instances where people were stopped and searched under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act.