Web Headlines
Headlines from around the Web for Monday, March 10, 2008
Compiled by Melanie Bender
IT Harnesses the Power of Project Management
With an ecomonic downturn in sight, Industry watchers argue project and portfolio management (PPM) processes - in some cases augmented with commercial tools - can help IT managers deliver more successful projects, prioritize projects based on business need, and maximize financial resources when deploying technology.
ICANN Looks Toward End of U.S. Agreement in '09
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers is starting to look at how the organization might function after its current memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Department of Commerce expires in September 2009, suggesting it should become independent of Commerce Department oversight. Representatives from countries other than the U.S. question why the American government should have primary oversight of the organization.
U.S. Military Restricts Google Maps
When the Department of Defense became aware that Google's roving photographic vehicles had taken pictures of Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, and that images of the base were loaded onto Google Maps' Street View feature, military officials contacted Google to make clear that Google's image capture efforts are not allowed on bases and other restricted sites.
Online Vote Discussed for Florida
While the Democratic Party debates redoing the Florida presidential primary, advocates of Internet voting say they could orchestrate a voting process that would offer security at least equal to that of an equally rare ballot by mail, while attracting more voters -- and at about half the cost.
New Sign Emerges of IT Job Weakness
According to a CIO Insight analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, for the first time in nearly three years, the number of people employed by IT services firms has declined, ending a 32-month stretch of employment gains in the sector the government tags computer systems design and related services.
CREW: White House Misled Court About Missing E-Mail
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a government watchdog group participating in a lawsuit against the Bush administration over the alleged loss of millions of e-mail messages, asked a federal court to hold administration officials in contempt, saying the Office of Administration’s chief information officer appeared to have knowingly submitted false, misleading and incomplete information to the court in January.
VA Adopts Microsoft's Rights Management Services
When Veterans' Affairs employees send Word, PowerPoint or Excel files, or Outlook e-mail messages to others, they can set permissions on what the recipients can do with those documents. This is one measure the department is taking in hopes of increasing its data security.
States Falling in Line with Read ID
All but four states have made preparations to comply with a May 1 deadline for compliance with the federal Real ID law, according to specialists inside and outside the federal government. However, a number of states are grappling with the technical issues of setting up systems that will ensure that applicants for driver's licenses are vetted for proof of identity and legal presence in the country.
AF Cyberstrategy to Focus on Disrupting Attacks
The new Air Force Cyber Command issued a strategic vision statement Thursday outlining the military unit’s goal of strengthening cyberspace capabilities to defend national interests. The report noted The Cyber Command’s vision is to develop capabilities to defend against cyber attacks, to “create effects†in cyberspace against hostile attackers and to integrate those abilities with the military’s other systems.
Rural Internet Access in Maryland on Hold
Though state lawmakers voted two years ago to set aside the money to build a "spine" of fiber-optic cable in three rural regions of the state where Internet-service providers don't always provide high-speed access, work has stopped at the Choptank River. Enivronment officials declare a $1-a-foot annual permit is required in order for the cables to put in place.
Food Industry Tests Techno-Tasters to Judge Flavor
The successful test of an electronic tongue and nose was one of several in recent years hinting that automated food and beverage sensors may someday match, or even outperform, their human counterparts. Illustrating this point is the USDA, which has begun testing a machine to grade sides of beef.
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