Could SEPTA smart-cards be a logistical nightmare? [LINKS]

SEPTA’s smart-card fares called ‘crazy,’ ‘dangerous’ [Philadelphia Daily News] “WILLIE POLLINS called it ‘crazy.’ Judy Mackey called it ‘dangerous.’ Dozens of their fellow riders packing SEPTA’s public hearings Wednesday agreed that the transit agency’s New Payment Technology fare-collection system, debuting in 2014, could leave a lot of people feeling dumbfounded about smart cards.” Find more of our SEPTA and smart-card coverage here.

Karen Heller: In Philly, the fast track to the cyber-school bottom [Philadelphia Inquirer] “I’m sorry to report that when it comes to poor practices, Pennsylvania is a national leader in virtual education. Nearly 35,000 students are enrolled in ‘schools’ administered by private, for-profit operators that seized on a great opportunity to make nice money for little effort. In the charter gold rush, cyber schools are veritable diamond mines with, as [State Rep. James] Roebuck noted, ‘very little accountability.'”

Can government learn how to ‘fail fast’? [Washington Post]

Hackathon rules have some developers hacked off [Philadelphia Business Journal] “The person who conceived the Philly Enterprise Hackathon says the contest is not a cheap way for its sponsors to contract for app development.” Read more of our coverage of the Enterprise Hackathon here.

Smart-phone app for runners wins Villanova contests [Philadelphia Business Journal]