People
VA wrongly tells vets they have a fatal disease
The VA mistakenly notified as many as 1,200 veterans that they have the fatal Lou Gehrig's disease, according to a veterans service group.
Modernization
CDC starts Web discussions on swine flu
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is sponsoring a Web-based discussion starting today to gauge public opinion on swine flu vaccinations.
People
Feds accused of 'poaching' contractor employees
Contractors are concerned by what they view as poaching when federal agencies aggressively look to hire their experienced information technology professionals.
Cybersecurity
DHS' Cyber Storm III to test Obama's national cyber response plan
Cyber Storm III will take place in September 2010 and participants will fight against a common simulated threat.
Digital Government
Feds get tips on social media outreach from Defense Department
Defense department leads the way in connecting with bloggers, news aggregators and other Web sites.
People
Get a Life: Looking at worker engagement
In a new report, the Merit Systems Protection Board explores reasons why employees are more engaged in their work in some agencies but not in others, writes blogger Judy Welles.
Digital Government
Student Vets Launch GI Bill Survey
The <a href="http://www.studentveterans.org/">Student Veterans of America</a> has launched an <a href="http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=oDtSpL46ocpUF_2bgEZy_2f37g_3d_3d">online survey</a> to help it determine whether veterans have received benefits under the <a href="http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090820_1761.php">new GI Bill</a> on time.
Ideas
Bernanke on IT and Productivity
After Ben Bernanke was appointed to his first term as chairman of the Federal Reserve, he gave a commencement speech on the connection between information technology and economic prosperity to the class of 2006 at his alma mater, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The man that President Obama on Tuesday reappointed for another term as chairman observed three years ago that IT investments don't always translate into productivity gains immediately.
Ideas
Cloud computing as security measure
Usually people equate the terms "open standards" and "cloud computing" with weak security -- whether legitimately or not. But McAfee CEO Dave DeWalt argued the exact opposite during a morning session at the GFirst Conference, hosted by the Homeland Security Department's U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team.
Digital Government
Social Media Revolution
Zack Whittaker writes at <a href="http://blogs.zdnet.com/igeneration/?p=2561">ZDNet's iGeneration blog</a> about an interesting set of statistics presented in a video by <a href="http://socialnomics.net/2009/08/11/statistics-show-social-media-is-bigger-than-you-think/">Socialnomics</a> on the social media revolution. The statistics are from numerous sources, and they're a solid set to provide to social media non-believers.
Digital Government
2010 Per Diem Rates
Attending an IT conference or planning other official travel this next fiscal year? The General Services Administration on Monday released fiscal 2010 per diem rates, which will go into effect on Oct. 1. Most rates will increase marginally, but in some of the 402 areas where rates exceed the nationwide standard of $70, per diems will decrease slightly. Per diem for meals and incidentals, however, will increase in fiscal 2010, ranging from $46 to $71, depending on location. The incidental expense rate will increase from $3 to $5.
People