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The Spread of the TSP Scam?
Fellow blogger Alyssa Rosenberg at Government Executive's FedBlog writes that the <a href="http://govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=41938&dcn=todaysnews">Justice Department's phishing test</a> for its employees may have <a href="http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/2009/02/justicedesigned_tsp_scam_reach.php">spilled over to the Commerce Department</a>.
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Alliant SB open for business
GSA sent out an announcement that Alliant Small Business is officially accepting task orders. In case you forgot, the contract was <a href="http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20081218_2311.php">awarded</a> to 72 companies back in December. Today's announcement means the protest period is over and GSA is finally ready to move forward with part of the <a href="http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20080306_3378.php">troubled</a> contract vehicle.
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Obama's BlackBerry Addiction Explained
Salon.com has a Q&A with Dalton Conley, chair of the sociology department at New York University and author of the new book, "Elsewhere U.S.A.," which, Salon.com explains, "describes not only the rise of the familiar texting, instant messaging, e-mailing culture that has transformed the old 9-to-5 into the 24/7, but the underlying cultural and economic factors driving even high-paid workers to feel like they should be working more hours."
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One Obama Promise Unfulfilled
National Journal has a new feature on its Web site called "<a href="http://promises.nationaljournal.com/ethics-reform/post-bills-online-before-signing-them/">The Promise Audit</a>," which sports the tag line, "Tracking President Obama's Progress on Campaign Promises."
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Desperately Seeking an IPO Chief
The Government Accountability Office on Jan. 28 faulted the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments for failing to appoint a director of a joint Defense/VA Interagency Program Office to manage health information sharing between the two departments.
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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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