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Yearly Archives: 2011
List of Federal-friendly Social Media Sites Keeps Growing
Did you know that there are now more than 40 no-cost social media providers with Terms of Service agreements for use by federal agencies? This means federal agencies can use these sites without having to negotiate federal-friendly Terms of Service (TOS). While this doesn’t mean that just anyone can just sign-up for WordPress and startRead… Read more »
Contractor Background Checks: Supreme Court Ruling’s Impact
Last week, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in NASA v. Nelson [PDF] that the federal government can perform background checks on contractors as well as government employees. A group of employees at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) brought suit against the agency in 2007 after they were given the choice of undergoing a backgroundRead… Read more »
GovLaunch – New IRS App Tracks Your Refund
Are you one of those people that files early? Well if you’ve already filed your taxes or if you will wait til April you’ll still want to use the new app from the IRS that tracks your refund. This app is great (if your getting a refund) because there’s really nothing better than watching moneyRead… Read more »
Information Security and Accessibility: Are the requirements at odds?
Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) accessibility aims to provide access and use of information by persons with disabilities. The purpose of information security is to limit access to people who have a need to know. But it can also limit access for people who need to know, but happen to have disabilities. People who areRead… Read more »
Reorganize the Government?
President Obama committed to reorganizing the government during his State of the Union address. He pointed to examples of how government agencies duplicate and overlap each other in their programs, and how this needs to be fixed. He also noted that it has been decades since the last major reorganization. And he’s right. The lastRead… Read more »
Lessons for Every Gov Communicator in Obama’s State of the Union
By Ev Chasen Jan 26 2011, 12:01 AM The State of the Union address is a speech like no other. Every word is scrutinized for hidden meanings; every gesture and inflection analyzed for authenticity; every fact checked for accuracy by hundreds of reporters hoping to score “gotcha” points. Getting a proposal or a project discussedRead… Read more »
Advancing the LETSI Run-Time Web Service API
by Jonathan Poltrack (ADL)As part of our research into a new learning platform, we are evaluating Application Programming Interface (API) technologies that solve issues resulting from the SCORM ECMAScript API. By now, you have probably heard of ADL’s Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) award to Rustici Software’s Project Tin Can. One of the main drivers ofRead… Read more »
Can We Make It Fun?
I just came across the site The Fun Theory as a result of seeing this video posted on facebook by a friend … There are a number of other videos at the site that demonstrate the success of novel ideas to get people to act differently, such as reducing speeding by using a speed cameraRead… Read more »
A Building Code with a Payback
On January 1, the State of Washington officially began using its new building code for new home and business construction. Though its implementation was delayed for two years, the research seems to point to significant savings for energy consumers, with a reasonable payback period for the additional up-front construction costs. The Online Code Environment andRead… Read more »