Digital Government

Public service on display at the Griffith Observatory

Blogger Steve Kelman is impressed with what he finds when he visits a former student who is now deputy director of the Los Angeles observatory.

Digital Government

FAR Council considers justifying sole-source awards

Congress demands a good reason for awarding a contract worth $20 million or more without hosting a competition for the work.

Digital Government

Would Patton survive in today's PowerPoint military?

Would Patton or MacArthur survive in the modern military's PowerPoint culture? Some of our readers doubt it.

Modernization

Agencies update Web sites in preparation for Hurricane Earl

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Hurricane center have updated their home pages in preparation for Hurricane Earl.

Digital Government

Regulators nudge up simplified acquisition dollar thresholds

Regulatory changes offer modest benefits for both small businesses and large companies.

People

NASA opens photo-sharing site

NASA is inviting the public to add information and other comments on its historic photo collection on Flickr Commons.

Digital Government

FDA unveils performance management site

Online system will allow public to monitor agency's activities and drug approval process.

Digital Government

Contractors want to review troubled technology projects with OMB

Vendors say administration officials should allow them to weigh in on fixing the management of high-risk initiatives and should keep companies abreast of development interruptions.

Modernization

Agencies use old and new tech to monitor, prepare for Hurricane Earl

The National Hurricane Center relies on satellite images supplemented by advanced equipment that accurately measures wind speeds, while FEMA taps in to social media to help residents prepare for landfall.

Digital Government

DISA says more employees willing to make move to new HQ

Officials convinced most hard-to-replace employees will transfer from Arlington, Va., to Fort Meade, Md., due to flexible work hours and telecommuting.

Digital Government

How secure is your facility?

Two federal judges--one who decides Social Security cases, and another who presides over immigration cases--this week detailed the growing threat of violence that they, along with their families, face.

Digital Government

Navy Saves Trees With Digital Signatures

Navy Chief Information Officer Rob Carey approved an <a href=http://www.doncio.navy.mil/PolicyView.aspx?ID=1919>electronic signature policy</a> for the Navy and Marine Corps on Aug. 27 in a move designed to save paper, improve security and save money.

Cybersecurity

Intel's Mobile Cyber Claim

<em>The Baltimore Sun</em>'s financial columnist, Jay Hancock, <a href=http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/business/hancock/blog/2010/08/intels_infineon_acquisition_a.html>wrote</a> on Monday that Intel's <a href=http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100830_9604.php?oref=topnews>announced purchase</a> of mobile chip maker Infineon is actually a smarter deal than Intel's acquisition of McAfee, which was made public on Aug. 19.

Digital Government

HHS Kicks Off EHR Certification

The Health and Human Services Department announced on Monday that it selected the first two organizations that will review whether electronic health record system meet the standards and certification criteria the federal government has set.

Ideas

Feds Bid Up Labor Costs?

For years, federal managers have complained they lose workers to the private sector mostly because they are not able to pay them as much as the private sector offers. The best and brightest go to companies for more money, as well as a faster track to upper-level management and a more entrepreneurial spirit. At least that's what most former feds have told me. Oh yeah, also because they face a huge college tuition bill for their teenage children, which is much harder to afford on a government salary.