Do you want to work in the foreign service? The State Department has launched a mobile application to help. The app gives prospective Foreign Service officers a taste of what could be in store for them. Terry Davidson is the Recruitment and Outreach Division Chief at the State Department. He told Chris Dorobek on theRead… Read more »
If you’ve ever had the privilege to visit Arlington National Cemetery you know the grounds are vast. In fact there are more than 290,000 soldiers buried throughout the 624 acres of hallowed ground. The terrain can make it difficult for families to locate the headstone of their loved ones. So Arlington National Cemetery has goneRead… Read more »
Philadelphia has hired its first ever Director of Civic Technology. The role is part of the CIO’s and the Mayor’s overall plan for innovation management in Philadelphia. “By creating this position they are demonstrating their embrace of civic technologies,” said Tim Wisniewski. Wisniewski was hired as the Director of Civic Technology in 2012. He toldRead… Read more »
It was bound to happen sooner or later. That is, private sector companies marketing the latest tablets to consumers based on their sex — it could be a money maker, never know? World’s First Tablet for Women According to Mashable: “Don’t worry, ladies. There’s finally an easy-to-use tablet just for us. It’s called the ePadRead… Read more »
Citizen participation is at the foundation of democratic values, and is a fascinating area of study. When citizen participation programs are implemented effectively, more citizens are brought into the decision making process, and allows government to be more responsive to community needs. Additionally, citizen engagement initiatives have the ability to build community, grow leaders, andRead… Read more »
Yesterday, I spent all day in jury duty. In the end, I didn’t get picked for the week-long trial but I found the whole process pretty fascinating. It’s great to see a truly diverse, cross-section group of individuals across the city come together to serve in government. Particularly I think there is a lot ofRead… Read more »
My latest writing project has been quite challenging. At the beginning of 2013, I wrapped up the first draft of a book I’m writing about the open government movement in Raleigh, North Carolina. The City of Raleigh has made a lot of progress over the last two years, which is part of the inspiration forRead… Read more »
Competitions are changing the way government iterates and innovates. NASA and OPM have both opted to use TopCoder to create new apps. TopCoder is member based group of more than 460,000 coders from around the world. TopCoder harnesses the power of crowd-sourcing to achieve goals. Mike Lydon is the Chief Technology Officer and Jim McKeownRead… Read more »
Chula Vista California is a city with 243,000 residents located seven miles from San Diego. The City Council of Chula Vista has adopted a new strategic approach for making decisions. The goal of the strategy is to link every action in the city to a goal laid out in a strategic plan. The City’s ContinuousRead… Read more »
It’s been nearly a week since President Obama’s State of the Union (SOTU) address. Yet many folks are still mesmerized by Senator Marco Rubio’s impromptu and awkward water bottle moment during the official response. By now, many millions of people know about Rubio’s water bottle debacle. He’s received so much coverage from both traditional andRead… Read more »