Ideas

It's the Drawing Board for Real ID

At a event on Friday, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano had no kind words to say about Real ID, which was passed by a Republican-controlled Congress in 2005 to require states to issue new high-tech driver's licenses that incorporate a range of security features. Speaking to reporters following a press event this afternoon, Napolitano described the legislation as "enormously expensive," "containing a lot of uncertainly," and lacking adequate "constitutional governance."

Ideas

DeSeve's Tech Savvy a Plus

As Government Executive Staff Correspondent Robert Brodsky points out in an <a href="http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=42344&dcn=todaysnews">article</a> on the appointment of Edward DeSeve to implement the recently enacted economic stimulus package, DeSeve's technology experience will come in handy.

Ideas

Times Tickin' for Transparency Directive

This week marks the halfway point to a self-imposed deadline for the Obama administration to issue a directive outlining what agencies will need to do to make government more transparent, participatory and collaborative.

Ideas

DeSeve Named to Recovery Act Post

Edward DeSeve, the deputy director for the Office of Management and Budget for about two years in the Clinton administration, has been named special adviser to the president, assistant to the vice president and special adviser to the OMB director for implementation of the Recovery Act. According to the press release sent out Monday evening:

Ideas

In Search of IT Workers

Agencies routinely say it needs information technology specialists, and with initiatives to follow stimulus spending and to make government more transparent, the need for technologists will only increase. Earl Devaney, Obama's stimulus watchdog, <a href="http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090319_7366.php">lamented</a> on Thursday while testifying on the Hill about the IT challenges he faces.

Ideas

Avoiding a Space Arms Race

Bob Brewin reported on a House Armed Services Committee hearing held on Wednesday during which a consultant with the Council on Foreign Relations said the United States should pursue anti-satellite weapons that could disable foreign-operated satellites.

Ideas

Obama Likes UNC as Hoops Champ

President Obama posted his <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/09/03/18/March-Madness-At-the-White-House/">NCAA bracket</a> on whitehouse.gov.

Ideas

More Questions About Health IT

Two doctors in a <em>Washington Post</em> <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/16/AR2009031602618.html">Op-Ed</a> today called into question President Obama's huge $50 billion investment in electronic health records for every American, which was part of the economic stimulus plan.

Ideas

Questions for FBI and Kundra Vetting

One of the odd things about the FBI raid on the chief technology officer's office in the District of Columbia on Thursday -- and there are a lot of odd things -- is where was the FBI's communication with the White House?

Ideas

'The Crappiest Generation'

Something light for Friday (and Friday the 13th, for that matter). A look at how the younger generation just doesn't understand how good technology has made their lives.

Ideas

What Does Transparency Look Like?

Obama has made <a href="http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090122_6430.php">transparency</a> a "touchstone" (his word) of his administration and promises to apply it to tracking stimulus spending. But more and more people are asking questions like, "Exactly what is it?" And, "How do you define it?"

Ideas

FBI Raids Kundra's Former DC Office

Ben Smith of Politico.com <a href="http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0309/FBI_raids_office_of_DC_CTO_Obama_appointee.html?showall">reports in his blog</a> tat the FBI has raided the Obama federal CIO's Vivek Kundra's old chief technology officer office in the District of Columbia.

Ideas

It's Here: The Security Comic Strip

How funny can data theft, data loss, fraud and identity theft be? Pretty funny, according to portable storage device (read flash drives) <a href="http://www.cososys.com/">CoSoSys</a>. IN a press release sent out this morning, the company said it launched "a series of comic strips intended to educate the public regarding the embedded threats of portable and lifestyle devices."

Ideas

Kundra: Dead Man Walking?

How should Vivek Kundra, the newly appointed federal chief information officer, approach his job? How can he bring about the <a href=http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090305_9385.php>change he talks about</a>?

Ideas

Cyber an NSA, Not a DHS, Thing

The debate over who controls cybersecurity in government is heating up. The news that Rod Beckstrom would resign this coming Friday as director of the National Cybersecurity Center elevated the struggle between who will control cybersecurity in the federal government.

Ideas

What Stimulus Spending Looks Like

If you're still confused what the economic stimulus spending will look like, consider this <a href=https://e-center.doe.gov/doebiz.nsf/d76fbc294818822885256d98006c63b6/0b37b72285cd2c7185257569006d57e6?OpenDocument>"notice of intent"</a> to issue a grant that the Energy Department posted on Thursday.

Ideas

$250B Ain't What it Used to Be

Obama's economic stimulus package has nearly tens, if not hundreds, of billions of dollars worth of information technology spending in it, but don't expect that to help out the IT industry.

Ideas

Obama Still Hearts YouTube

Tech Insider <a href="http://techinsider.nextgov.com/2009/03/no_more_youtube_for_obama.php">cited yesterday a report</a> that the White House had dropped YouTube as its platform for Obama's weekly addresses. "After taking some heat from privacy advocates, the Obama administration has switched from using YouTube to post President Obama's weekly addresses to Vimeo."

Ideas

No More YouTube for Obama

After taking some heat from privacy advocates, the Obama administration has switched from using YouTube to post President Obama's weekly addresses to <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>, <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-13739_3-10184578-46.html">according to CNet's Chris Soghoian</a>.

Ideas

A New Way to Manage an Agency

In this month's Government Executive magazine, Nextgov's Tech Insider blogger Robert Charette, a risk management expert who consults with federal agencies, <a href=http://www.govexec.com/features/0309-01/0309-01s2.htm>argues</a> that agencies would meet their missions better if they adopted risk management techniques as part of their strategic management plans.