Web Headlines

Headlines from around the Web for Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2008
Compiled by Melanie Bender

Red Light for Green-Tech Start-Ups?

CNET News

A tidal wave of venture capital has poured into clean tech over the past four years, reflecting the confidence investors and entrepreneurs have that high energy prices and climate change make the sector ripe for technical innovation. But the economics of the energy business pose funding challenges to start-ups in the field, a situation that could be exacerbated by a softening economy.

Agencies Share Information By Taking a Page From Wikipedia

The Washington Post

When President Bush challenged Congress to cut the number and cost of earmarks by half, the administration's budget chiefs turned to their wiki. That's right, the Office of Management and Budget, where caution and precision rule, has embraced Wikipedia as a model, hosting an online place where federal officials can swap information and ideas outside traditional boundaries.

Air Force Trains Warriors to Defend Cyberspace

USA Today

The military relies on computers and electronic communication to launch precision weapons, spy on its enemies and communicate with troops in combat. The Air Force is revamping its training to prepare its 320,000 airmen to protect its frontlines in cyberspace, Air Force Brig. Gen. Mark Schissler said.

New York State Employee Arrested For Selling Historic Documents On eBay

InformationWeek

An employee of the New York State Department of Education has been arrested on suspicion of stealing hundreds of historic documents and artifacts from the New York State Library and attempting to sell them on eBay and elsewhere. The artifacts included a four-page letter written by the vice president of the United States under both John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson.

FEMA Seeks IT Overhaul

WashingtonTechnology

Two and a half years after Hurricane Katrina exposed flaws in its computer systems, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is preparing to award a contract worth up to $1 billion to overhaul its information technology architecture and software.

ICANN Seeks Volunteers to Help Coordinate Internet Identifiers

Government Technology

The Nominating Committee for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers is looking for volunteers to help it with the global task of coordinating the Internet's unique identifiers. The Nominating Committee has launched an updated and easier to use Web site outlining how people can apply for positions currently open on ICANN's Board and its Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees.

Power Processing for All

Government Computer News

As part of the Defense Department’s High Performance Computing Modernization Program, the Aeronautical Systems Center receives a new supercomputer every two years and retires the oldest system. In October, it added a system that delivers more than 60 teraflops, it raises the center’s capacity to 85 teraflops â€" more than triple what was available previously.

Sign of the Times: Billboards in Florida Will Post Election Results

The Tallahassee Democrat

The Florida Outdoor Advertising Association announced Monday that 36 electric billboards in nine cities -- including Pensacola, Tallahassee, Fort Walton Beach and Fort Myers -- will carry election updates from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. The digital signs will also post final results, when they are tabulated.

Tech Virtuoso Hopes To Replicate Success

The Washington Post

The tech world was a different place when W. Scott Amey ventured into it 16 years ago, co-founding a company that went on to become the largest minority-owned firm in the Washington region. By the time he sold his interest in RS Information Systems in 2004 and stepped down as its chief operating officer, its work had grown from a single $5,000 GSA award to more than 100 prime defense contracts.