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Tales From, Of the Help Desk
Ever hesitate picking up the phone to call the help desk because you're afraid you'll come across as a complete techno dunce? (You mean you don't know how to get to the command line?) We bet you have some good stories to tell.
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Defense's New CIO?
I'm picking up strong signals that the Obama team is looking at retired Radm. Robert "Willie" Williamson to succeed John Grimes as assistant secretary of Defense for networks and information integration, the Pentagon's top gadget, gizmo, network and data guy.
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Kolodner to Remain Health IT Chief
Dr. Rob Kolodner told me he will stay on as the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, a position he held under the Bush administration, in the new Obama administration. It will truly be a demanding job considering Obama's commitment to health IT.
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Senate Likes Health IT, Too
The Senate is just a bit more generous than their friends in the House when it comes to electronic health records. In its <a href="http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090126_7579.php">version of the economic stimulus bill</a>, the Senate threw in $5 billion for "jump starting efforts to computerize health records to cut costs and reduce medical errors." That's on top of the $18 billion the Senate Finance Committee's bill for e-health records, bringing the total to $25 billion.
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A Web Site for the Grand Bargain?
Former Government Accountability Office chief David Walker, now president of the <a href="http://www.pgpf.org/">Peter G. Peterson Foundation</a>, a pulpit where he preaches about the sins of government fiscal irresponsibility and lack of federal managerial rigor, is also a social networking convert.
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Tech No Stranger to Inaugural Addresses
One last note about the inauguration. It's not surprising that Obama mentioned technology (and science) in his inaugural address. After all, technology -- or its synonym, digital -- will play a supporting role in much of what Obama wants to accomplish. From Obama's speech:
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Obama Unveils Cybersecurity Agenda
Buried under the <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/homeland_security/">Homeland Security agenda</a> section on WhiteHouse.gov is the administration's plan to protect our national information networks. The entire cybersecurity section is copied after the jump:
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Why Are Federal Web Sites So Bad?
Megan Mcardle, a blogger for <em>The Atlantic</em> (which is owned by Atlantic Media, the same company that owns Nextgov), <a href="http://meganmcardle.theatlantic.com/archives/2009/01/whitehousegov_gets_a_makeover.php">wonders why</a> the federal government is so bad at information technology -- and by IT, she means building useful Web sites. She says Obama's new whitehouse.gov site is "smart looking," but "unfortunately, that sleekness has been achieved by tucking even more of that unsightly information out of the way, where it won't mar the vista."
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Obama Reunited With Blackberry
As Marc Ambinder at <em>The Atlantic</em>, blogs: "<a href="http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2009/01/obama_will_get_his_blackberry.php">Obama Will Get His Blackberry</a>."
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A High-Tech First Family
Heard on the National Mall from a young man during the inauguration ceremonies, when, on the jumbotron, the Obama's daughters, Malia and Sasha, and their grandmother, Marian Robinson, walked through the Capitol to their seats:
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CTO Update: Nix Warrior and Kundra
Sources say <a href="http://techinsider.nextgov.com/2009/01/warrior_or_kundra_for_cto.php">speculation</a> that Barack Obama's federal chief technology officer will be either Padmasree Warrior, the CTO at Cisco Systems, or Vivek Kundra, the CTO for Washington, D.C., is not correct.
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Warrior or Kundra for CTO?
Business Week <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jan2009/tc20090115_815265.htm">reported</a> that Barack Obama will appoint as the federal chief information officer either Padmasree Warrior, the CTO at Cisco Systems or Vivek Kundra, the CTO for Washington, D.C.
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What One Doctor Thinks of EHRs
Electronic health records got a lot of attention on Thursday, with House Democrats putting $20 billion in their stimulus package to help pay for digitized medical records and Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., holding a hearing on the subject. During the hearing, Mikulski warned about a "techno-boondoggle" if a network of health records isn't managed properly. What could possibly go wrong? Ask your doctor next time you go in for a visit about electronic health records. I did, and I didn't hear what I expected.
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What's Next: Software Never Events?
Nextgov <a href="http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090112_2005.php">reported</a> on Monday that "more than 30 public and private cybersecurity organizations released a list of the 25 most dangerous software programming errors" so that agencies could put pressure on software vendors to make sure these errors were did not exist in their programs that they sell to government.
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Benchmark for Obama's Web 2.0 Vision
Barack Obama said he will use technology to reach out to Americans to ask for input on policies and to make government operations more transparent. The Obama administration might just have a benchmark on how using technology to engage the public may or may not change Americans' feelings about their government.
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Cybersecurity Subcommittee Takes a Hit
Cybersecurity proponents suffered a loss with the <a href="http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ri02_langevin/prcommitt10609.html">announcement</a> by Congressman Jim Langevin, D-R.I., that he will take a leave of absence from the House Homeland Security Committee and return to the Armed Service Committee, where he served until January 2007, when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked him to serve on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
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24: Art Imitating Reality?
Die-hard fans of the Fox Emmy-winning drama 24 enjoyed two full episodes Sunday night that focused on a breach of the firewall that protects the national infrastructure. Sound familiar?
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Feds: Sick Like Europeans
It's flu season, the time of year when employees call in sick. But if you are a Belgium government worker, flu season seems to last year round. In some Belgium government departments, employees take an average of 35 days of paid sick leave a year, according to a <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123145414405365887.html"><em>Wall Street Journal</em> brief</a> on Friday.
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