Digital Government
Transparency for Vets
The <a href=http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090401_5914.php>transparency thing</a> touted by President Obama in his first full day in office evidently does not apply to all patient safety alerts issued by the Veterans Affairs Department.
Digital Government
Eastern Airlines Lives!
Although Eastern Airlines went bankrupt in 1991, the Federal Aviation Administration for some reason decided to illustrate the cover of its 78-page 2010 "Portfolio of Goals" <a href=http://www.faa.gov/about/plans_reports/media/FY10%20Portfolio%20of%20Goals.pdf>report</a> with a photo of the venerable DC-9 operated by the long-defunct carrier.
Digital Government
Certification for iPhone and Android?
Apple's iPhone and smart phones built around Google's Android operating system make for yummy application development platforms, but their use in the federal government -- especially the Defense Department -- has been restricted because neither the iPhone nor Android phones have received security accreditation from the National Institute of Standards and Technology. But Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Sorenson, the Army chief information officer, indicated at a press briefing on Wednesday that that situation may soon change. He said Apple and Google are making progress in getting their gizmos certified to the Federal Information Processing (FIPS) 140-2 cryptology standard needed for use on federal networks.
Digital Government
Piling on iPhone, Android Military Apps
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency said on Monday it wants individuals and industry to develop military iPhone and Android applications "that can be used today with little or no additional research and development expenses."
Digital Government
Army Wants You to Develop Apps
The Army launched its "Apps for the Army" contest on Monday, which is open to active-duty, Reserve and National Guard personnel, and civilian employees. The service seeks some good Web and mobile software applications that can be used throughout the Army.
Digital Government
Air Force Blue for Cyber Command
In the most startling act of generosity of the year, the Air Force plans to pony up $104 million for the new headquarters of the U.S. Cyber Command at Fort Meade, Md., in its fiscal 2011 budget.
Digital Government
Vets' One-Stop Shop
The Defense, Labor and Veterans Affairs departments launched a <a href=http://www.nationalresourcedirectory.gov/>Web site</a> on Thursday that offers a comprehensive guide to benefits, employment, health care and family support information.
Digital Government
Will Defense Play Nice?
On Feb. 19, Peter Orszag, director of the Office of Management Budget, and Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the Health and Human Services Department, sent a <a href=http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/assets/memoranda_2010/m10-10.pdf>memo</a> to Defense Department Secretary Robert Gates; Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki; Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack; Commerce Secretary Gary Locke; Michael Astrue, commissioner of the Social Security Administration; and John Berry, director of the Office of Personnel Management, detailing the formation of a high-level task force to coordinate all federal health information technology.
Digital Government
What's in a Thumb Drive Kit?
The U.S. Strategic Command says that military units in Afghanistan soon will start receiving thumb drive kits that meet its ><a href=http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100219_2666.php>new flash media policy</a> for Defense Department networks and computers.
Digital Government
Two Mil So Congress Can Watch TV?
This <a href=https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=69b3b8d881494e6e4d9f519d806c69f7&tab=core&_cview=0>contract award notice</a> was posted on FedBizOpps on Feb. 19, detailing the cost of the gear needed to receive DirectTV on three DC-9 jets operated by the 932nd Aircraft Wing at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., for "Distinguished Visitor" (that would be congressional folks and other pooh-bahs).
Digital Government
Let's Deal With Facts
I woke up today with what can only be described as a bombardment of e-mails from PR folks who had clients panting to give me their views on the U.S. Strategic Command lifting its ban on thumb drives and other flash media, a notion they picked up from stories in <a href=http://defense.iwpnewsstand.com/newsstand_search.asp?ACTION=SEARCHENGINE&search=inside+defense+flash+media&ORIGINATOR=Google>Inside Defense</a>, <a href=http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/02/hackers-troops-rejoice-pentagon-lifts-thumb-drive-ban/>Wired</a> and <a href=http://gcn.com/articles/2010/02/18/dod-lifts-usb-drive-ban.aspx>Government Computer News</a>, which based its story on the Wired and Inside Defense reports.
Digital Government
VA to Tweet
The Veterans Affairs Department plans to push the use of Twitter and Facebook to all of its 148 medical centers, according to an insightful <a href=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-allen-smith/vet-bloggers-storm-americ_b_467186.html>account</a> on the department's use of social media on The Huffington Post by Richard Allen Smith, who writes the <a href=http://www.vetvoice.com/>VetVoice blog</a>.
Digital Government
VA Wants to Hear from You
The Veterans Affairs Department has opened up a new <a href=http://www.openva.ideascale.com/>Web portal</a> to solicit ideas from the public and from department employees on how it can become more transparent, collaborative and all those other open government buzzwords.
Digital Government
It's Time for Google Croissants
Google, it seems, thinks it can do almost anything better than anybody, from its core search business to <a href=http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100211_9967.php?oref=topnews>broadband networks</a> to <a href=http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/02/exclusive-google-nexus-one-hands-on-video-and-first-impressio/>mobile phones</a>.
Digital Government
Where's the Snow Plow?
That's been a hot question and topic of conversation in the Washington area for the past week, and in Howard County, Md., the answer to that question is easy thanks to GPS technology.
Digital Government
Sensitive Information? Read the Budget
It's amazing what I can find trolling through thousands of pages of budget documents. Like this one: the location of a highly sensitive system.
Digital Government
VA Wants Some Good Health IT Ideas
The Veterans Affairs Department kicked off the <a href=http://www.ehealth.va.gov/EHEALTH/VHAInnovationInitiative.asp>Veterans Health Administration Innovation Initiative</a> on Feb. 5 and asked its employees to come up with some good ideas to help it do the transformation thing.
Digital Government
The Marine, J.D. Salinger and Service
Like many of my generation (I turned 66 on Monday), I grew up with the works of J.D. Salinger, not only <em>The Catcher in the Rye</em>, but his short stories in <em>The New Yorker</em>, which I subscribed to for years, including when I was in the Marine Corps.
Digital Government
On Patrol in the Snow
Jungle fatigues are not the best clothing for 26-plus inches of snow, but the Three Soldiers at the Vietnam Memorial seemed to weather the weather well on Sunday, in this picture taken by my pal Joe Mancinik, a Navy veteran attending The George Washington University, whom I mentor.
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