Ideas
Drones: Playstation Mentality?
As the CIA increasingly is making drone strikes the centerpiece in the war on terror, it is shaking the boundaries of international law and risking "developing a 'Playstation' mentality to killing," warned a senior United Nations official last week.
Digital Government
Another Call to Cut Federal Pay
A new report by the libertarian Cato Institute marks the latest call for the government to freeze or cut federal wages and start overhauling federal benefits to reduce costs.
Digital Government
TSA now handling watch list checks for all domestic flights
Federal Computer Week
Digital Government
Agriculture secretary touts benefits of rural broadband funds
The service received $2.5 billion from the $7.2 billion included in the stimulus for broadband access and adoption, while the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration received the rest.
Digital Government
FAA continues to deploy new system in Gulf as air traffic nearly doubles
Pilots must rely on visual flight rules in the region, which has led to several near-miss events because they failed to follow procedures.
Digital Government
IG says computer systems connected to Homeland Security network are not secure
Sensitive information is at risk, watchdog reports.
Digital Government
Actor Kevin Costner promotes oil clean up tech on Hill
His company, Ocean Therapy Solutions, has partnered with BP to deploy the machine, but funding and regulatory obstacles have prevented Costner from supplying the device to government, he says.
Modernization
Lawmakers worry about lack of cloud computing guidance
High costs, limited security standards top list of concerns.
Digital Government
Who owns data in the cloud? The answer could get tricky.
Everyone involved in a panel discussion on cloud computing this week acknowledged the need to raise the level of trust in public clouds. Agencies need to be confident that government data is properly secured within the U.S. and can be, if necessary, properly destroyed. But how to do it?
Digital Government
House committee wants answers on cloud progress
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is examining the benefits and challenges of a governmentwide transition to cloud computing, seeking information about government progress from the General Services Administration by June 18.
Digital Government
Fanning the flames—again
“The federal workforce has become an elite island of secure and high-paid workers, separated from the ocean of average American workers competing in the global economy.” The words are from a blog post by Chris Edwards, director of tax policy studies at the Cato Institute. The whole post – more of a position paper, actually – can be found at a Cato site called www.downsizinggovernment.org.
Digital Government
Zap -- Sit Up!
No longer does your mother have to shout, "Sit up!" Now your shirt will.
Digital Government
Google Maps Can Steer You Wrong
D'Val Westphal, the "Road Warrior" correspondent for my local paper, the <em>Albuquerque Journal</em>, had a insightful column on Monday on why we should never, ever fully trust Google maps to get directions.
Cybersecurity
Growth in Competitions
One of the many reasons to partake in a cybersecurity competition is to learn and grow a skill set. Threats and vulnerabilities change daily, so the more education the better. In fact, at SANS, we constantly are challenging our instructors to prove their knowledge is up to date. The minute they aren't the authority on a given topic, they no longer are invited to teach. But perhaps one of the most important reasons to engage in competitions is to quell your inner hacker. It's not much fun to have a skill set and not use it, and often, finding avenues to use it in a productive and legal way can be a challenge in itself.
Ideas