Digital Government
Missed Buying an Enigma Machine
I like serendipity when it happens -- especially when it concerns something as odd as the current head of the National Security Agency and the German World War II encryption device known as the "<a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enigma_machine>Enigma Machine</a>."
People
Senators grill VA's CIO nominee
Roger Baker answered senators' pointed questions about how he would deal with system failures and other IT problems at the Veterans Affairs Department.
Cybersecurity
Coordinated efforts needed to fight cyberattacks
Agencies must prepare to face adversaries capable of launching persistent attacks from multiple locations, experts say at a cybersecurity conference.
Acquisition
FCW Insider: The problem with publishing contractor performance data
Michael Lent, editor of Government Services Insider, questions the value of publishing contractor performance data publically available, given its dubious quality.
Digital Government
Coast Guard to harness ocean data to improve search and rescue
The Coast Guard can use maps of ocean surface currents to track probable paths of shipwreck victims and drifting lifeboats.
Cybersecurity
Expert: White House needs cybersecurity coordinator
An expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies said the job of securing government networks is too big for one person to be its operational leader.
Cybersecurity
Panel says it will approve millions more for swine flu
The chairman of the House Appropriations Committee said the group will approve spending more than $2 billion to deal with swine flu.
Modernization
Stimulus money site pressed for time
The Recovery.gov Web site for tracking economic stimulus law funds is racing to meet an October deadline, official says.
Cybersecurity
NSA director calls for a cyberspace Monroe Doctrine
Proposal could be simplistic "chest beating," or an indication of how serious the United States is about defending its networks.
Digital Government
Federal CTO will issue incomplete suggestions for open government
Transparency advocates worry that Chopra's plans and lack of public involvement could create an impression Obama's neglecting the initiative.
Digital Government
VA Explains Vonapp Delays (Sort Of)
The Veterans Affairs Department told me on Tuesday that <a href=http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090501_2347.php>delays</a> veterans experienced in accessing the <a href=https://vabenefits.vba.va.gov/vonapp/main.asp>Veterans OnLine Application</a> (Vonapp) Web site on May 1 resulted in part from a 10-fold increase in traffic to the site that day, the first day veterans could apply for a benefits under the post-9/11 GI bill.
Modernization