So, after that whole Mars Curiosity thing, perhaps they do have some bragging rights?
AOL Staff
Posts by AOL Staff
This feature showcases one video each Friday that captures the essence of innovation, technology and new ideas happening in government today. Keep reading →
This is one among a collection of videos and essays from women who contribute to NASA’s mission. They are part of the agency’s efforts to create a collaborative and supportive community of women at the agency, inspire girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics and to encourage openness and accountability at NASA.
I wish that I could say that I knew early on in life that I wanted to become a scientist or engineer. That would not be the true. My career goals changed a lot when I was growing up. During high school, I thought I wanted to become a Supreme Court judge. Then one day my father suggested that I pursue a career in engineering; and, because my father was the most intelligent person in the world, I did just what he suggested. Keep reading →
At least 77 General Service Administration employee conferences that totaled more than $6.7 million in costs are under review by the agency’s inspector general, according to published reports.
The news came at a hearing before a House panel on Wednesday. Keep reading →
Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet and Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) have filed a bipartisan amendment to the Cybersecurity Act of 2012 to conserve energy, save taxpayer dollars and reduce government waste by requiring federal agencies to shut down needlessly duplicative federal data centers.
Agencies have been instructed to develop consolidation plans under the administration’s Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative (FDCCI), which would save over $2 billion according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). However, a number of agencies have been slow to begin to implement the plans – or, in some cases, to even take stock of the total number of centers they currently manage. The proposed amendment to the cybersecurity bill seeks to remedy that. Keep reading →
One-third of federal executives involved with mobile technology say their agencies are now “walking” or “running” with mobile technology. But a number of barriers remain. And while government managers believe mobile technology can contribute significantly toward improved productivity and savings, the need to invest in new and more modern business processes remains critical to realizing the full potential of mobile technology in government.
That’s according to a new government-wide research study released today by Breaking Gov and presented during a one hour Breaking Gov webcast today, that began at 11:00 a.m. and will be available for viewing on demand. Keep reading →
LAS VEGAS (CNNMoney) — Wearing a t-shirt and jeans, America’s top spymaster — National Security Agency Director Gen. Keith Alexander, also the head of the U.S. Cyber Command — took the stage Friday at the nation’s largest hacker convention to deliver a recruiting pitch.
“In this room, this room right here, is the talent our nation needs to secure cyberspace,” Alexander told the standing-room-only audience at DefCon, a grassroots gathering in Las Vegas expected to draw a record 16,000 attendees this year. “We need great talent. We don’t pay as high as everybody else, but we’re fun to be around.” Keep reading →
WASHINGTON: When the Presidential Daily Briefing occurs, a top intelligence official traditionally hands the president a folder with a sheaf of paper inside. The president may read what’s inside or have it presented by the intelligence official. Then comes question time, when the chief executive and commander in chief can ask how reliable a source is or question the assumptions of an analysis he’s just read.
But that will change. The president and his top officials want and will get a single mobile device allowing them to access highly classified and unclassified data wherever they are. The early fruits of the intelligence community’s early efforts to do that are visible in the photo above. It shows President Obama in the Oval Office on January 31 using a technically neutered tablet as part of the Presidential Daily Briefing. Keep reading →
It seems like talk about cloud computing is inescapable for even the average citizen these days. But what about those people whose jobs are inextricably woven into the cloud? Malcolm Jackson, Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently sat down with Chris Dorobek on the DorobekINSIDER to discuss how cloud computing is changing the very role of federal CIOs and how the government approaches technology.
Jackson says that cloud computing has allowed CIOs to shift their focus from commodity IT services, which they can contract with vendors to provide, to more mission critical areas and systems. CIOs can now engage more deeply with business processes to maximize productivity, streamline work and provide greater value to agencies. For instance, Jackson indicated that cloud computing enables him to think about how to more strategically use data and information-sharing to drive down costs and help his agency become more efficient in achieving its mission. Keep reading →
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Just as the government expands its disaster loan program for businesses hurt by the drought, a new report shows the agency that distributes the loans is letting millions of dollars go unpaid.
As of late last year, taxpayers were owed $171 million for delinquent disaster loans, according to an audit by the inspector general of the Small BusinessAdministration. Keep reading →