Ideas
Can You Please Repeat That?
It's likely you've been on the phone when the voice recognition program just doesn't understand a single word you are saying. Maybe you're Scottish.
Digital Government
Government's Big Recruiting Problem
I met last week with about 25 students from Cornell University who took part in the school's annual Summer in Washington program. Part of the work is to meet in a class setting every week to discuss the impact of the Internet on politics, business and the arts. Many work as interns at federal agencies.
Cybersecurity
Password Practices
Cybersecurity in government has been a punching bag for years. Most experts agree it's pretty bad -- scary bad. But when it comes to passwords, federal managers are more careful than their private sector counterparts.
Digital Government
TSA Blogger Brings Message to Defense
A prolific -- and popular -- blogger at for the Transportation Security Administration has begun to spread his word to the Defense community. Bob Burns, a.k.a. Blogger Bob, wrote his first post for the Armed With Science Blog, which appears on the <a href=http://www.dodlive.mil/>DoD Live</a> website.
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity Contest Winners Named
The Homeland Security Department on Wednesday <a href=http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/pr_1279145110641.shtm>named the winners</a> of its National Cybersecurity Awareness Challenge, in which individuals and businesses competed for the best promotional campaigns that raise the public's awareness about information security.
Digital Government
DARPA's Lee to Microsoft
Wired's Danger Room <a href=http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/07/darpa-crowdsourcer-in-chief-bolts-for-microsoft/>reports</a> that Peter Lee, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's "leading advocate for crowdsourcing and other ways of tapping new talent is leaving to join Microsoft." Lee, former head of Carnegie Mellon University's computer science department, was at DARPA for only a year. He developed DARPA's <a href= http://whatsbrewin.nextgov.com/2010/05/apps_for_the_army_1_transformative_apps_0.php>Transformative Apps</a> program.
Digital Government
'A Long Way to Go'
How far does the Obama administration have to go in moving the nation to full use of electronic medical records?
Digital Government
Some 'Hard Fun' with Robots
Those smart techie folks at Carnegie Mellon University have put together a program aimed at boosting young students' interest in computer science with the hopes that they can convince more teenagers to enter scientific and technological careers.
Cybersecurity
Just Can't Stop Clicking That Link
Federal employees, like workers in the private sector, do some risky things on their work computers. That's what the Government Business Council, a Nextgov sister business unit at Government Executive Media Group, found when it conducted a survey of government workers' cybersecurity practices.
Cybersecurity
TSA Losing Body Scanner Debate
It looks like the debate over full body scanners -- called a virtual strip search by some airline passengers -- may be moving against the Transportation Security Administration, as this <a href=http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2010-07-13-1Abodyscans13_ST_N.htm?csp=hf>USA Today story</a>.
Digital Government
A Window to the Soul
In <em>Lie to Me</em>, the yet-to-be-a-hit <a href=http://www.fox.com/lietome/>TV series on Fox</a>, Dr. Cal Lightman (played by Tim Roth) uses his insight into the human condition to determine if a person is lying - and then solving crime based on his observational skills. Lightman typically peers into a subject's eyes, looking for twitching and shifting pupils. Now, a computer program can do that.
Cybersecurity
Internet Filtering Gaining Traction?
Australia is in the midst of a heated debate over blocking websites citizens can view. The controversial ban has been postponed for a year -- conveniently after the country's elections -- so that an independent review board could determine exactly what controversial websites should be banned. Internet Service Providers have already agreed to block access to certain sites known for posting child pornography.
Digital Government
Gen. Mattis and Defense Tech
The warfighting philosophy of Marine Gen. James Mattis, nominated to replace Gen. David Petraeus as the next commander of U.S. Central Command, is to break down units into very small groups that have lots of autonomy that allows them to act very quickly. Gregg Grant, who covered Defense issues for <em>Government Executive</em> and now works for Defense Technology, <a href=http://defensetech.org/2010/07/09/mattis-may-get-chance-to-test-innovative-concepts-in-new-ao/#more-8173>writes</a> that under such a "decentralized battlefield . . . quality becomes much more important than quantity."
Digital Government
Defense Continues Apps Pursuit
Counselors have begun to use apps to <a href=http://healthitupdate.nextgov.com/2010/06/honey_we_need_online_counseling.php>treat patients online</a>. Physicians are developing iPhone apps to <a href=http://healthitupdate.nextgov.com/2010/05/the_iphone_app_doc.php>treat conditions like vertigo</a>. So, it shouldn't be surprising that the Defense Department, which is embracing everything app, has an iPhone program to help treat stress, maybe even post traumatic stress syndrome.
Ideas
Transparency is Your Friend
One of the key arguments for transparency is that it builds trust, as well as opening your organization to more and maybe better ideas from the public. After just more than a year of President Obama's open government initiative, some top federal executives are finding that out to be true.
Digital Government
The Cyber Command Logo Mystery
Wired's Danger Room blog has a <a href="http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/07/solve-the-mystery-code-in-cyber-commands-logo/">fun contest</a> that Nextgov readers should take a serious look at -- especially cyber specialists.
Ideas
TSA Lifts 'Controversial Opinion' Block
CBS News ran a <a href=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31727_162-20009642-10391695.html#addcomm>story</a> on July 3 about a Transportation Security Administration policy sent to employees informing them that officials there would ban their access to certain Web sites that offered chats and instant messaging, involved criminal activity, extreme violence (including cartoon violence) and gruesome content, and gaming. Also included in that list was anything deemed to be "controversial opinion." Who would decide what was controversial? What would be the criteria?
Digital Government
Sensing Traumatic Brain Injuries
The Defense Department continues to put money toward trying to understand head injuries better and information technology is a big part of that. In its latest effort, the department awarded a $17 million to BAE Systems to place sensors in soldiers' helmets to record the effects of an n explosion, like a roadside bomb.
Cybersecurity
What Agency Do You Trust the Most?
The public again ranked the U.S. Postal Service as the most trusted agency in protecting personal information, according to a <a href=http://www.ponemon.org/news-2/32>study released by the Ponemon Institute</a> this month. The postal service held that honor in 2009 as well. The Federal Trade Commission and the Internal Revenue Service came in No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, followed by the National Institutes of Health and the Veterans Affairs Department.
Digital Government
Charges Filed in WikiLeaks Case
Update on the leak of military documents to the website <a href="http://wikileaks.org/">WikiLeaks</a>: The Pentagon <a href=http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/07/06/iraq.soldier.leak.charge/index.html?hpt=T2>charged</a> U.S. Army intelligence analyst Pfc. Bradley Manning, 22, from Potomac, Md., with "eight violations of the U.S. Criminal Code for allegedly illegally transferring classified data, according to a charge sheet released by the military," CNN reported.
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