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Nextgov Launches Soundbytes
Nextgov wants to hear from you: What do you think about body scanners? Transparency? The IT workforce?
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Kempf to Oversee GSA Acquisitions
General Services Administrator Martha Johnson on Friday announced that Steve Kempf, currently the Federal Acquisition Service's deputy commissioner, will take over as FAS acting commissioner on April 3.
Ideas
Supreme Court Sorta Spiffs Up Web Site
The heavily-trafficked <a href="http://www.supremecourt.gov/">Web site</a> of the U.S. Supreme Court -- long criticized for its confusing navigation and lack of information -- has finally been upgraded, somewhat.
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The Nose Knows
Is your nose a snub? Or maybe a turn-up? According to British scientists, the nose could be the newest feature used to verify an individual's identity.
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Broadband Plan: Test Fed Sites
The national broadband plan released by the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday presents federal Web managers with a somewhat impossible mission.
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Stimulus Watchdogs Go CSI
Analysts working for the independent federal board that monitors stimulus spending are using CSI-style tools to fight fraudsters, according to a report about oversight operations that the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board released to the president and Congress on Monday.
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Upcoming: House Transparency Caucus
Some members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee are expected next week to announce the formation of a bipartisan congressional transparency caucus, co-chaired by Reps. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., the panel's ranking member, and Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill.
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Tax Free Smart Grid Grants
Federal grants under the Smart Grid Investment Grant program will not be taxed, the Treasury and Energy Department announced Wednesday. This means that the IRS will provide a safe harbor for corporations receiving grants under the $3.4 billion federal stimulus program, which funds projects that aid the modernization of the energy grid.
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Web Site Woes: USAspending.gov
Inconsistencies will continue to plague <a href=http://usaspending.gov/>USAspending.gov</a> unless the Office of Management and Budget issues better reporting guidance to agencies, according to the Government Accountability Office.
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Tweet Trends
Social networking offers lots of opportunities to share information, join a conversation, reconnect with old friends and meet new ones. Perhaps too many. With Facebook, LinkedIn, GovLoop, Twitter and more, who has time to actively participate in everything?
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Friday is Deadline for Nextgov Awards
Friday is the last day to <a href="http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov_awards/">submit a nomination</a> for the Nextgov Awards. Do you know a colleague who took on personal risks to push through an idea, policy or management change that used technology? If so, please tell us their story.
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Win Cash and IP Rights
Citizens who enter innovation contests that the government plans to launch this year could rake in cash on top of the prize money that agencies are allowed to award. The White House on Monday released a <a href="http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100309_4641.php">legal framework</a> for giving away money and other incentives during competitions aimed at improving open government, spurring research and development and addressing national priorities.
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Want Workers? Get Tech
Wired Workplace blogger Brittany Ballenstedt posted on Wednesday findings from a study conducted by Accenture on Millennials' use of social networking tools at work. (Millennials are the youngest workers among us, those younger than 28.)
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Census Sticking Point
The Census Bureau this week started its daunting task--counting the nation's 300-plus million people--by mailing out advance letters to 120 million households. These letters politely remind citizens that the 2010 census documents will be arriving March 15 to 17 and to please fill out and mail back the quick-and-easy 10-question form.
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FBI's Most Wanted in Your Pocket
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is one of many agencies to embrace social networking, but its use of technology has a greater practical purpose than simple information dissemination.
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Orszag Hints at Flat Budgets
Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag spoke at a Government Executive leadership breakfast on Tuesday and talked about the Obama administration's effort to close the federal government's "IT gap," a situation in which many agencies work on computer systems -- or on no systems at all -- that are woefully behind what the private sector has.
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Real vs. Robotic Mules
On Afghanistan's mountainous terrain, there are places where <a href="http://www.militaryspot.com/resources/item/humvee/">Humvees</a>, the military's four-wheeled and diesel-powered beast, can't go. But mules can. Armed with a knack for survival and "entirely nonpartisan about the contents of its load," writes Susan Orlean in a <em>New Yorker</em> article, the mule has proved a valued trooper in the military.<p>
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Tweeting for Startup Visa
Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and venture capitalists flew in to Capitol Hill last week to promote the Startup Visa Act, a bill to amend immigration law and make it easier for foreign entrepreneurs to stay in the U.S. -- and create jobs here -- if they demonstrate funding from U.S.-based investors. This wasn't just a stakeholders' party. So far, more than 780 voters have sent over 2800 messages to their elected representatives - through 2gov, a nifty tool that channels Tweets to Congress. And 95 percent are supporting the bill.
Ideas