Yearly Archives: 2011

50,000 Strong

Today we as a community are hitting an awesome milestone. 50,000 members. That’s pretty crazy. I vividly remember the day in my cubicle at DHS talking to my colleagues about how there should be an online community to meet other government employees and share best practices. They thought I was crazy and it would neverRead… Read more »

Combating duplication with open government

Originally posted on opensource.com. The second CityCamp Colorado started off with two speakers from the City of Denver setting the stage for the day’s theme: enhancing access to government. Held at the Jefferson County Administration and Courts Facility on October 28, 2011, more than 70 people gathered to participate, learn, and advance the open governmentRead… Read more »

Surprisingly low vendor turnout at the inaugural Health Insurance Exchange Congress Conference

Deltek Analyst Amanda White reports. The inaugural Health Insurance Exchange Congress Conference, spearheaded by the Institute for International Research (IIR) USA, was held November 9-11 at the Hilton Baltimore. The conference, which gathered state health officials, commercial health plan executives and Medicaid health plan executives, was built off the success of IIR’s Medicaid Managed CareRead… Read more »

When Government Can’t Get Along

This week the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) moved to join federal litigation challenging an Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) policy on the removal of vegetation on flood control levees. Streams and river banks are riparian areas. Riparian vegetation serves many functions including bank stabilization and water quality protection, food chain support, thermalRead… Read more »

A Thousand Cuts

Government Executive magazine’s cover story, “A Thousand Cuts,” by Joseph Marks, paints a graphic picture of what it is like to be in government today. Here’s a list of the various directives that direct many of these cuts. President Obama’s Campaign to Cut Waste was launched in June 2011, but it started earlier than that.Read… Read more »

How to Stop Abusing Your Visual Aids

It is an abuse of a less serious nature, but important in the world of training and development, and of course, public speaking in general. I thought I’d dwell on a Cave Man basic of training a little. Using visual aids. My cave drawings were distracting my audience. Or, am I distracting my audience fromRead… Read more »

Tampa Mayor Buckhorn one of first politicians to engage with citizens on Quora

Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn has become the first Florida politician to engage with citizens on Quora – the burgeoning question and answer technology startup. A few weeks ago, Floridian Bryan Tupper posted the following question to Quora: What are Florida politicians doing to create jobs in the state? This morning, Mayor Buckhorn answered the questionRead… Read more »

What Insights Can History Provide Us Regarding The Occupy Movement?

As Government leaders, what insights can history teach us regarding the Occupy Movement? Is this a new phenomenon? Is Capitalism really bad? What can we do to educate ourselves and those who are rallying against the current system, about Capitalism’s history and future value? http://bit.ly/occupyhistory

Trends on Tuesday: Growth of Mobile Traffic

In 2008, 1% of the traffic to Facebook came from mobile devices. Today–three short years later–one in three visitors are coming from a mobile device. Twitter has doubled their mix from mobile in two years. KPCB Internet Trends, Meeker’s Web 2.0 presentation, Oct. 2011 What About .gov? Take a look at your web traffic andRead… Read more »

How To: Operate a 30 MW Solar Array

It may look like the solar panels just sit there, but a lot goes on before and while the “farm” goes on-line. From concerns about weather to maximizing efficiency of the array, this video gives you a look inside what it takes to keep this 30 MW solar farm running. Thanks to cnet for theRead… Read more »