Digital Government
Addressing the Retirement Wave
Dice.com has an interesting <a href="http://career-resources.dice.com/articles/content/entry/the_aging_of_america_a">article</a> about how the coming retirement wave of 76 million baby boomers over the next 18 years will create an even greater demand for technology experts, not just to replace these seasoned workers but also to develop new technologies, like patient monitoring, independent living concepts, assistive technologies and wired pillboxes.
Modernization
Agencies told to avoid links to political sites
Federal agencies with a presence on Facebook and Twitter must be careful not to link to any political Web sites, according to new guidance.
Digital Government
State, local health IT spending projected to be $10B by 2015
Spending on state and local health information technology systems is expected to rise by 19 percent during the next five years, according to market research firm Input Inc.
Digital Government
DHS manager slammed by IG for aiding relative
A Science and Technology Directorate manager violated ethics policies by plotting to deliver agency-funded software to a relative, according to an audit by the DHS inspector general.
People
Federal HR skills may not be sufficient to tackle reforms
A new report indicates that top human capital officials believe many federal human resource professionals might not have the skills necessary for improving the way the government hires, motivates and keeps employees.
Digital Government
Drill tests law enforcement's ability to respond to a nuclear threat
Officials run through warning signs and procedures for following up.
Modernization
White House crackdown on IT might be a moneymaker for vendors
Suppliers of easy-to-configure software say they could receive more business when departments recompete canceled projects, or when they buy smaller systems.
Modernization
Advanced communications support Defense in Pakistan flood relief
The Army, Navy and Marines rely on radios and mobile satellite systems that set up in minutes to coordinate helicopters and large C-130 cargo aircraft flying supplies to ravaged areas.
Digital Government
Count ‘em before they’re Hatched
With an eye to the approaching elections, “Federal Diary” in today’s Washington Post took a quick "heads up" look at the Hatch Act, especially as it relates to social media. The Hatch Act generally forbids feds from participating in political activity while at the workplace or while on government time—or while using a government computer. News articles reviewing the law pop up every fall as elections draw near, but as the paper points out, social media have added a new dimension to the issue.
Acquisition
Are you in OMB's high-risk project crosshairs?
When the White House released a list of 26 high-risk IT projects on Aug. 23, federal CIO Vivek Kundra said it wasn't a hit list. But now some of the biggest names in government are under the gun.
Cybersecurity
Debate Over State's Cyber Strategy
Michael Ono <a href="http://huffpostfund.org/blog/2010/08/22/cyber-security-state-department-model-or-cautionary-tale">posted a column</a> on Sunday at <em>The Huffington Post</em> citing an April inspector general report criticizing the State Department's alternative cybersecurity practice of continuous monitoring. The process is an alternative to the long reporting cycles required in the 2002 Federal Information Security Management Act.
Digital Government
General, This is Called a Tie
Here's a loopy procurement that Defense Secretary Robert Gates should cancel immediately if he's serious about saving money: The <a href=https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&tab=core&id=5d4853031d4c98b503576b7d5161f903>General Officer Transition Course</a> hatched last week by the Army Contracting Center of Excellence.
Digital Government
Testing, Testing ... EHR ... 1, 2, 3
The inexorable march toward the future of health care--one that is digitized, codified and interconnected--has passed another milestone.
Digital Government
More on IT Jobs Registers
The Office of Personnel Management is looking to revamp its centralized hiring register program to make it easier for agencies to search for specific skills. <em>Federal Times</em> <a href="http://www.federaltimes.com/article/20100820/PERSONNEL02/8200301/1001">reports</a> chief human capital officers say the hiring registers -- under which OPM advertises for 13 of the most in-demand federal jobs, including IT - are too broad and insufficient for helping them target the skills they need, according to OPM Director John Berry. For example, the Internal Revenue Service needs information technology specialists with experience writing Java code, but the current registers don't identify candidates with those skills.
Digital Government
How to stop Facebook friends from tracking you
Facebook's new Places feature allows others to tag your locations, and Facebook has turned it on by default. Here's how to turn it off.
Ideas