Ideas
Follow the Bonuses
I am greatly heartened to see all the moral outrage that the AIG bonuses are bringing out in our politicians.
Ideas
More Questions About Health IT
Two doctors in a <em>Washington Post</em> <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/16/AR2009031602618.html">Op-Ed</a> today called into question President Obama's huge $50 billion investment in electronic health records for every American, which was part of the economic stimulus plan.
Ideas
Confirmed: Kundra Back on the Job
<a href="http://personaldemocracy.com/about-us/#micah">Micah L. Sifry</a> at techPresident is <a href="http://techpresident.com/blog-entry/breaking-news-cio-vivek-kundra-back-job">reporting</a> that recently appointed federal CIO Vivek Kundra was seen at his desk today -- apparently back on the job after <a href="http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090313_9027.php">taking a leave of absence</a> last week after former work colleagues were arrested for a contract kickback scheme. Nextgov is still waiting for the White House to confirm this information.
Ideas
Grants.gov Upgrade 90 Days Away
For those of you who saw <a href="http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090311_8266.php">my story</a> about the Office of Management and Budget directing agencies to update their grant management systems in preparation for a spike of stimulus-related applications, Jason Miller over at Federal News Radio has an <a href="http://federalnewsradio.com/?nid=35&sid=1625260">update</a>:
Ideas
Questions for FBI and Kundra Vetting
One of the odd things about the FBI raid on the chief technology officer's office in the District of Columbia on Thursday -- and there are a lot of odd things -- is where was the FBI's communication with the White House?
Ideas
'The Crappiest Generation'
Something light for Friday (and Friday the 13th, for that matter). A look at how the younger generation just doesn't understand how good technology has made their lives.
Ideas
What Does Transparency Look Like?
Obama has made <a href="http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090122_6430.php">transparency</a> a "touchstone" (his word) of his administration and promises to apply it to tracking stimulus spending. But more and more people are asking questions like, "Exactly what is it?" And, "How do you define it?"
Ideas
FBI Raids Kundra's Former DC Office
Ben Smith of Politico.com <a href="http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0309/FBI_raids_office_of_DC_CTO_Obama_appointee.html?showall">reports in his blog</a> tat the FBI has raided the Obama federal CIO's Vivek Kundra's old chief technology officer office in the District of Columbia.
Ideas
It's Here: The Security Comic Strip
How funny can data theft, data loss, fraud and identity theft be? Pretty funny, according to portable storage device (read flash drives) <a href="http://www.cososys.com/">CoSoSys</a>. IN a press release sent out this morning, the company said it launched "a series of comic strips intended to educate the public regarding the embedded threats of portable and lifestyle devices."
Ideas
Kundra: Dead Man Walking?
How should Vivek Kundra, the newly appointed federal chief information officer, approach his job? How can he bring about the <a href=http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090305_9385.php>change he talks about</a>?
Ideas
Cyber an NSA, Not a DHS, Thing
The debate over who controls cybersecurity in government is heating up. The news that Rod Beckstrom would resign this coming Friday as director of the National Cybersecurity Center elevated the struggle between who will control cybersecurity in the federal government.
Ideas
Stimulate This
TechAmerica, the technology industry association formed by the merger of the Information Technology Association of America and AeA, sponsored a luncheon today where they offered the industry's take on the estimated $100 billion set aside for IT in the recently passed economic stimulus bill.
Ideas
What Stimulus Spending Looks Like
If you're still confused what the economic stimulus spending will look like, consider this <a href=https://e-center.doe.gov/doebiz.nsf/d76fbc294818822885256d98006c63b6/0b37b72285cd2c7185257569006d57e6?OpenDocument>"notice of intent"</a> to issue a grant that the Energy Department posted on Thursday.
Ideas
$250B Ain't What it Used to Be
Obama's economic stimulus package has nearly tens, if not hundreds, of billions of dollars worth of information technology spending in it, but don't expect that to help out the IT industry.
Ideas
Obama Still Hearts YouTube
Tech Insider <a href="http://techinsider.nextgov.com/2009/03/no_more_youtube_for_obama.php">cited yesterday a report</a> that the White House had dropped YouTube as its platform for Obama's weekly addresses. "After taking some heat from privacy advocates, the Obama administration has switched from using YouTube to post President Obama's weekly addresses to Vimeo."
Ideas
No More YouTube for Obama
After taking some heat from privacy advocates, the Obama administration has switched from using YouTube to post President Obama's weekly addresses to <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>, <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-13739_3-10184578-46.html">according to CNet's Chris Soghoian</a>.
Ideas
A New Way to Manage an Agency
In this month's Government Executive magazine, Nextgov's Tech Insider blogger Robert Charette, a risk management expert who consults with federal agencies, <a href=http://www.govexec.com/features/0309-01/0309-01s2.htm>argues</a> that agencies would meet their missions better if they adopted risk management techniques as part of their strategic management plans.
Ideas
A Look at Agency Stimulus Tracking
A quick scan of the stimulus tracking sites shows that most agencies like to use text - a lot of text - to present information. That makes navigating a bit tedious. But some departments, like the <a href=http://www.hhs.gov/recovery/>Health and Human Services Department</a>, looks to have put a bit more effort into designing their site, using graphics and thinking about how to package content.
Ideas
Moving Tech Front and Center
The federal information technology community must still be pinching themselves to make sure they are not dreaming. Almost every administration relegated IT to the back rooms, thinking of the computer guys as propeller heads, and chief information technology officers as someone who were there to <a href="http://www.cio.com/article/20909/Federal_IT_Flunks_Out">fix the secretary's BlackBerry</a>.
Ideas