Forty years ago, Congress passed a law to make government agencies more accountable and transparent in how they sought advice from industry and the public. It was called the Federal Advisory Committee Act. But over the years, the way the law was implemented led to less citizen involvement and reluctance by agencies from seeking advice.Read… Read more »
In January of 2011 shortly after taking office as Governor Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order creating the Spending and Government Efficiency (SAGE) Commission. The purpose of SAGE is to modernize and rightsize government to make it more efficient, effective and accountable through four activities: On December 15, 2011, the SAGE Commission met and approvedRead… Read more »
I recently made a significant change in my life. I joined Code for America. I’ve actually been a part of Code for America, as an advisor, from its beginning. Actually, Code for America Founder and Executive Director Jennifer Pahlka and I hosted the very first CityCamp in January 2010. A couple of weeks ago IRead… Read more »
In our current business environment should we train, not train, or delay training? That is the question. All one has to do is listen to the news, look at a magazine or newspaper, or attend a meeting with management to confirm that the government is in a period of significant budgetary challenges. Although we mayRead… Read more »
A new year always brings about the opportunity to reflect — look back at the challenges and accomplishments of the past year — as well as make plans for what we’d like to see happen in the coming months. Certainly, last year was a busy and tumultuous time in government, which AOL Government chronicled inRead… Read more »
The U.S. Government Printing Office developed the Member Guide mobile websiteto provide contact and other information about the 112th Congress for users on the go. The mobile website allows users to browse via state, political party, chamber or last name. According to the U.S. Government Printing Office: The Mobile Member Guide app is the GuideRead… Read more »
Sprint Continues the Momentum for LTE Launch by Unveiling Three Initial 4G LTE Devices — Galaxy Nexus, LG Viper and Sierra Wireless Tri-Network Hotspot Customers in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio are expected to enjoy ultra-fast 4G LTE service and an improved 3G wireless experience before middle of year LAS VEGAS, Jan 09, 2012Read… Read more »
The National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation (NCDD) and the Deliberative Democracy Consortium (DDC) have put out a joint response to the recent White House call for input. It’s very solid, so please make sure to read it in full: Strengthening the Public Participation Elements of the Open Government Plan (PDF). Especially noteworthy is aRead… Read more »
It seems odd that consumer electronics companies would choose to showcase their wares after the biggest gift-giving holiday of the year, but here we are in early January and the Consumer Electronics Showhas again pitched its tent in Vegas. There’s a lot of coverage already–including this contrarian take inveighing against the show–and one journalist hasRead… Read more »
While I am reflecting, I thought it a good time to consider hackathons. In 2011 the term “hackathon” became common and many cities all over the world opened datasets for developers to build applications around. Below are some lesson’s learned to better position a hackathon to a government context: Lesson learned #1: A hackathon isRead… Read more »