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NORAD follows Santa's trip with new apps

For the 55th year, the North American Aerospace Defense Command continues its tradition of tracking Santa Claus as he makes his way through the world delivering gifts. This year NORAD taps Twitter, Facebook, Google Maps and mobile technology as its little helpers.

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Spending bill withdrawn

Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev) abandons omnibus budget bill, which included pay freeze for civilian feds; promises to work with Republicans on short-term compromise.

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Let's play Buzzword Bingo

Help us create a government-centric game of Buzzword Bingo!

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Denied! Event with White House leader closed to press

The Obama administration's cybersecurity leader delivered a speech to a trade group, and reporters were not welcome. We don't get it.

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DOD starts IT personnel exchange

The Defense Department will start a pilot program to allow federal IT employees to get a temporary glimpse of private sector work.

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CIO's changing role to bring new power

Within the next six months, the Obama administration is aiming to redefine the role of agency CIOs by shifting their responsibility from policy-making to portfolio management.

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Senate weighs federal employee pay freeze

Following House approval last week, the Senate is considering a two-year pay freeze for all civilian federal employees.

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Senate passes bill giving boost to Federal Acquisition Institute

Upgrading the institute and making sure it has enough money will ultimately lead to more effective oversight of government contracting, the measure's backers say.

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How to make telework work

The Telework Exchange recommends steps agencies should take to implement the Telework Enhancement Act signed by President Barack Obama last week.

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Snow-day telework rules loosen up

The Office of Personnel Management announced a new "unscheduled" telework policy for federal workers who are unable to commute to work due to severe weather or other emergencies.

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Tax breaks for all -- except some feds

Federal employees covered by the Civil Service Retirement System would not see a 2 percent "tax holiday" under the bill that the Senate passed today.

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Is your website user-friendly? Ask GSA.

The reviews can help agencies meet the new plain writing requirements and comply with transparency rules.

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Sold to the lowest bidder: Reverse auctions play cost-savings role for agencies

Interest grows in reverse auctions as agencies look for efficiency and cost savings.

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Why OMB’s IT reform plan just might work

Blogger Steve Kelman finds a lot to like in OMB’s new IT reform report.

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Buzz Factor

These were the most-read stories on FCW.com in the past two weeks.

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IT management reform: Here's the plan

OMB unveiled a 25-step plan to keep government programs from running into trouble.

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Reviews are mixed for early agile efforts

The government's early agile efforts are well intentioned but miss the mark, reviewers say.

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Government data sharing gets past the warm-up

More data than ever is available on government websites, but the hard part has just begun.

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Can grand design be driven to extinction?

The administration's plan to hasten the end of giant, trouble-plagued IT projects depends on achieving two objectives.

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New ideas for idea competitions

The government needs to re-energize its approach to crowdsourcing innovation competitions — now that people are willing to help.