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Asking About Cookies
Bev Godwin, director of online resources and interagency development for the White House new media team, <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Cookies-Anyone-the-http-kind/">asked</a> the public on Friday to weigh in on the decade-old federal policy that does not allow agencies to use persistent cookies on their Web sites.
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Howell Addresses Interior Lawsuit
Today at <a href="http://www.affirm.org/">AFFIRM's</a> annual leadership awards luncheon, OMB deputy administrator for E-Government and information technology Mike Howell, formerly CIO at the Interior Department, was awarded with organization's top prize for executive leadership in federal information resources management. Following the award Howell made some brief remarks about leadership and then addressed a controversial topic.
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Archives Strategizes for Gov 2.0
The National Archives and Records Administration is out with a <a href="http://www.archives.gov/about/plans-reports/strategic-plan/2009/nara-strategic-plan-2006-2016-update.pdf">draft 2009 strategic plan</a> that lays down a marker for some ambitious changes, including expanded responsibility for e-records management -- and departmentwide telework. The strategy states:
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Why We Need E-Medical Records
We recently came across this <a href="http://cbs11tv.com/local/medical.mistake.military.2.1091010.html">story</a> from a CBS affiliate in Dallas-Fort Worth about 20-year-old Colton Read, who serves in the Ninth Intelligence Squadron at Beale Air Force Base, Calif. He entered the David Grant Medical Center at Travis Air Force Base near Sacramento to have his gall bladder removed and ended up with his legs amputated.
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Homeland Security 2.0
The Homeland Security Department sent out a <a href="http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/pr_1248296963736.shtm">release</a> this afternoon announcing the redesign of <a href="http://www.dhs.gov">DHS.gov</a> and the launch of an official DHS <a href="http://www.youtube.com/ushomelandsecurity">YouTube channel</a>:
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Nixon Tape Transcripts 'Interpretations'
It likely is impossible to produce a perfect transcript of the infamous Nixon tapes because audio fidelity was not taken into consideration in designing the White House tape-recording system, reports Steven Aftergood, author of an e-newsletter and blog on government secrecy published by the nonprofit Federation of American Scientists.
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Recovery Board Won't Fix Ham Goof
The independent board overseeing stimulus spending will not correct information on Recovery.gov that indicates the government is paying more than a million dollars for two pounds of frozen ham, a spokesman for the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board said on Monday.
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Show Me The Plan!
I don't know if Roger Baker is a "<a href="http://techinsider.nextgov.com/2009/07/rock_star_cios.php">rock star</a>" CIO, but I do think Mr. Baker is an extremely competent one who seems intent, along with his boss, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki, on creating a new standard for IT governance, risk management and project accountability in the federal government.
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Rock Star CIOs
When names were being thrown around for possible top technology posts in the Obama administration, many tech titans said the White House needed some tech "rock stars" who could use their star power to dislodge the federal government from its 1960s era tech and bring it into the 21st century.
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GAO Shines Light on FISMA's Failings ... Again
The Government Accountability Office once again shined a glaring spotlight on the <a href=http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09546.pdf>failings</a> of the Federal Information Security Act, reporting Friday that "significant weaknesses in information security policies and practices threaten the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of critical information and information systems used to support the operations, assets, and personnel of most federal agencies."
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Battle of the Browsers
Microsoft's ubiquitous Web browser, Internet Explorer, has scored some headlines this week, though not necessarily positive. Only a week after Nextgov editor Allan Holmes <a href=http://techinsider.nextgov.com/2009/07/feds_want_their_firefox.php>posted</a> a blog about State Department employees demanding Firefox, a popular IE alternative, Federal News Radio's Jason Miller <a href=http://federalnewsradio.com/?nid=35&sid=1719202>reports</a> about complaints from federal grant applicants frustrated by the Grants.gov portal, which doesn't support Firefox or Google's new browser, Chrome.
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Recovery.gov Maps Go Deeper
Recovery.gov on Thursday retooled the maps on its Web site, as the official stimulus-monitoring portal prepares for a more thorough refresh later this summer.
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Data.gov Copycats
Government transparency enthusiasts have launched a public-service Web site that pulls and repackages federal data - fulfilling the aim of the White House's "democratizing data" campaign.
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More Comp for Federal Web Sites
Our colleagues at the blog Tech Daily Dose, <a href="http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/07/federal-rulemakings-made-easy.php">wrote about</a> a new site launched by transparency researcher Jerry Brito at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, to make it easier for the public to find and comment on federal regulations -- a direct competitor to the government's Regulations.gov.
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Hold On to That Laptop
It may be a good idea to keep that laptop as a carry on where you can keep an eye on it -- not <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/07/15/2009-07-15_sting_nabs_stickyfingered_jfk_airport_workers_going_through_luggage.html">packed in your luggage out of sight</a>.
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Feds Want Their Firefox
Top government executives -- even the very top, politically appointed execs -- need to understand that federal employees have some strong opinions about the technology they use in their jobs. That was evident at a town-hall event Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held for the department's employees.
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Hold on Groves Explained
After weeks of speculation, Sen. David Vitter, R-La., has finally revealed his reasons for placing a hold on the nomination of Robert Groves to be Census Bureau Director. Vitter was one of the only votes against a procedural motion yesterday that resulted in a voice vote on Groves' nomination, <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hXx_Z-rGJjGfdC5MFYs7vCq4fQzwD99DRK2O6">which was confirmed</a>.
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Recovery.gov Contract Details Coming
The General Services Administration will release by early next week a redacted version of the potential $18 million contract to upgrade Recovery.gov, GSA officials said on Monday. Government transparency advocates had been calling on GSA and the board overseeing stimulus spending <a href="http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090710_7638.php">to publish the agreement</a> that will cost taxpayers $9.5 million through January 2010 and up to $18 million if all options are exercised.
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