Ideas
There's an App for That
If you've ever had a burning desire to read Zachary Taylor's inaugural address, wondered about the exact wording of the Mayflower Compact or simply forgotten the 17th Amendment, don't worry. There's an app for that.
Ideas
Nominate a Colleague for an Award
Do you know a federal manager who recently took risks to push through a bold idea, policy or program that uses technology to make government work better or improve public services? If so, we'd like to hear your story by <a href=http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov_awards/>nominating</a> your colleague for a Nextgov Award.
Ideas
IBM to Merge Contracting Systems
The government announced on Thursday that IBM U.S. Federal has won a $74.4 million dollar contract to consolidate disparate systems that track contractor performance. The reconfiguration is intended to make it easier for federal acquisition workers to monitor the purchase of equipment, supplies, information technology and telecommunications services governmentwide, according to the General Services Administration, the agency that awarded the contract.
Ideas
Swab for Security
The latest screening technology to hit airports nationwide is perhaps less controversial than full-body scanners but less familiar to travelers: Explosive Trace Detection units that test swabs of luggage and passengers' hands for explosives.
Ideas
Social Networking: In. Blogging: Out.
Teens and young adults are moving away from blogging and using Facebook and other social media sites in increasing numbers, according to a <a href="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/posttech/2010/02/facebook_social_networks_incre.html" target="blank">recent study</a> from the Pew Research Center.
Ideas
Another Government Dashboard
The Office of Management and Budget on Tuesday announced the debut of another <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/jsp/Utilities/index.jsp" target="blank">IT dashboard</a>, this time as a window into the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.
Ideas
Crowd-Sourced Digitization Kicks Off
A new experiment in crowd-sourced digitization kicked off last week with the inaugural meeting of the International Amateur Scanning League. This new club's first task will be to organize its volunteers to digitize 1,500 DVDs from the National Archives and Records Administration so that the content can be shared on YouTube, the Internet Archive and Public.Resource.Org's Public Domain Stock Footage Theater for free.
Ideas
The Administration in 140 Characters
The Democratic National Committee last week announced a new job opening sure to invite a flood of responses. The position? <a href="http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/socnetsmanager" target="blank">Social networks manager</a>, otherwise known as Barack Obama's twitterer.
Ideas
DARPA's Mad Science?
Wired had a field day decrying Darpa's proposed project, BioDesign, as a "mad science" project to "re-write the laws of evolution to the military's advantage, creating 'synthetic organisms' that can live forever -- or can be killed with the flick of a molecular switch." If that sounded just a little alarming, the fine print of Darpa's FY2011 budget didn't help placate enraged readers.
Ideas
Xbox to Aid E-Health?
The Xbox, Microsoft's powerful video game console, may soon be good for more than just virtual basketball games and war simulations. Company researchers currently are looking to adapt the device to various healthcare needs, including the transfer and display of electronic medical records.
Ideas
OSTP Launches New Web Site
The Office of Science and Technology Policy on Wednesday announced the launch of its redesigned <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ostp" target="blank">Web portal</a>, which updates the old site's features and incorporates a few new ones.
Ideas
Get Ready for Cyber ShockWave
A Washington think tank will host a simulated cyberattack on the United States on Tuesday to demonstrate how the government would respond to a large-scale attack on the nation's computer systems and networks.
Ideas
Taking Twitter Too Far?
Sun Microsystems Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Schwartz late last week announced his resignation on Twitter. His <a href="http://twitter.com/OpenJonathan/status/8620937722">tweet</a> incorporated a bit of haiku -- Financial crisis/Stalled too many customers/CEO no more -- and fell just below the platform's 140-character maximum. When major private sector players start using social media to break news, will others follow suit?
Ideas
Operating Status: Down
With record-breaking snow pounding the Washington area over the weekend (and more expected tonight and tomorrow), much has been made of the Office of Personnel Management's decision to close the federal government two days in a row. Feds in the DC/Maryland/Virginia area have been so anxious for news that OPM's operating status page has been down for brief periods on both Sunday and Monday nights.
Ideas
Use E-mail or Pay $15,000 Penalty?
Small businesses that don't have email may find themselves in trouble with the Labor Department, according to The Pension Department, a New York-based consultancy.
Ideas
OGOV Compliance Site Launches
Over the weekend, the White House quietly launched a new Web site aimed at tracking agency compliance with an open government directive released in December.
Ideas
Crowdsourcing Contests Continue
When it comes to brainstorming solutions for just about anything, federal agencies under the Obama administration like to turn first to their employee suggestion boxes -- which often are attached to major rewards.
Ideas
DHS Launches Its Open Gov Site
The Homeland Security Department launched an online tool for citizens and those involved in security to suggest ideas for enhancing transparency at the agency.
Ideas