Social Security Number Should NOT be Used
By Anonymous  on Nov 17 2009 08:18AM

No matter what...something similar will take place in the future...

Governor Rell Directs DPUC to Ensure Connecticut Ready for Electric Vehicles
By Konrad Kwiatkowski on Nov 16 2009 06:30AM

Hello; I would like to take a moment to write a summary of my patent. It's a national solar grid concept, which utilizes our existing infrastructure i.e., the trucking industry and the U.S. highway system, for generation, storage and management of energy, to supplement the national grid. I would like to give you some numbers to illustrate the impact trucking industry has on the economy and the evironment. - Nearly 80% of U.S. communities receive their goods by a truck. - Trucking moves nearly 70% of all freight tonnage in U.S. - Presently ther are nearly 2 million tractor-trailers registered in U.S., generating combined revenue of over $650 billion. - Trucking consumes 54 billion gallons of diesel and gasoline per year, and as fuel prices have risen and remained high, profit margins have sharply decreased. - Truck idling amounts to 1 billion gallons of fuel burned, without advancing the cargo towards its destination. - Single long haul truck has to take 10 hours off after driving for 11 hours. At 1 gallon of fuel per hour spent idling, that translates to 10 gallons of fuel wasted per day. - Truck idling emits an estimated 11 million tons of CO2, 18,000 tons of NOx, and 5,000 tons of particulate matter annually. In view of these circumstances, there is a pressing need to reduce fuel consumption, offset rising fuel costs, and reduce the carbon foot print of each truck on the road, and the carbon foot print of the nation as a whole. It is an object of the present invention to provide a mobile electricity distribution network that can accumulate, store and distribute electricity into existing power grid, in turn lowering the necessity of power plants to burn fossil fuels. Some of the "by products" of the invention are lowering of the fuel costs by eliminating idling which in turn will drive down the cost of the goods delivered, while reducing the carbon foot print of the trucking industry. This system could power up some of the charging stations for electric vehicles. Also, there is a pressing need to update the inefficient, and antiquated power grid, which will become prone to blackouts, as well as the possibility homeland security issues. By implementig this idea we will be able to create a backup power distribution network, which in the time of need will be at the least a back up system for emergency systems. The aim of my invention is to lease the roof space of the trailers and install solar panels on them which will be tied to a battery and inverter module, which will be built into the chassis of the trailer. The stored energy will transfer to the power grid where ever the truck stops, for rest, refueling or back at the hub of operation. There the stored trailers will continue to produce power which can be used to power up the facilities or be sold back to the power grid. All of the onboard electric need will be supplied by the battery bank and eliminate idling. Back at the storage facilities the unused trailers will be able to interconnect and become a major power producing plant. This translates into trains and container shipping. By utilizing thin film PV technology, we will be able to keep the weight down, and with the advancements in battery efficiency, I believe that innovation will catch up to the implementation of this solar grid backup. This system will create many jobs which at the current state of economy is a very welcome sight. The power discharge stations will be manned by certifed electricians, the racking of the panels and discharge stations will employ many people. There is a very limited impact on the infrastructure as well as landscape, which many are concerned about. It takes care of the space allocation problems as well as the aestetic infrastructure required for installation of solar arrays. Thank you for your time, Konrad Kwiatkowski Managing Partner Interstate Solar Utilities, LLC 11 Main Street Old Mystic, CT 06355 Office 860-572-0089 Fax 860-572-0084

Feds Suggest Indiana FSSA Halt Welfare Automation Pilot
By Anonymous  on Nov 15 2009 06:14AM

There are such things as libraries for us peons that people are paying welfare for to use. I have a job and I've paid into this system and now that my bills have gone up, but my pay has not, it's almost impossible to feed my family and pay my bills. This whole system is messed up. I applied 9/15, it is now 11/15 and I'm still waiting for help.

Feds Suggest Indiana FSSA Halt Welfare Automation Pilot
By Anonymous  on Nov 13 2009 08:08AM

Why do you have a computer and internet access if we the taxpayers are paying welfare to you?

attracting security folks to state govt...
By Bill  on Nov 12 2009 01:29PM

These articles are very frustrating when you work for the State of California in IT with education in IT Security and not able to get your foot in the door in this area. This just burns me up to see an article like this saying we are looking for new talent when there is talent in other areas but not able to cross over. They would rather hire new people instead of investing in their own staff. Typical high leave article where they cannot see what is available to them. I have had to pay for 95% of my own training because trying to get the state to pay for any IT course is difficult when they see the prices from the private vendors and will not pay for any college classes. I have to stop or my blood vessels will pop.

Corupt City Worker
By Fed Up Chicagoan on Nov 10 2009 12:48PM

The Sun-Times reports: The No. 2 man at Chicago's 911 emergency center has resigned his $149,832-a-year job to avoid being fired for alleged contract irregularities that cost taxpayers $2.25 million. The inspector general's office recommended in late September that Jim Argiropoulos, first deputy of the city's Office of Emergency Management Communications be fired for allegedly engineering a scheme that involved falsifying documents to expedite the purchase of a new 911 dispatch console system from Schaumburg-based Motorola.

work reform
By Akeed Unawt on Nov 10 2009 11:33AM

"I'll be the first to admit that I don't work 100 percent of the time." Keil said. In the information age/knowledge economy it's absurd the 40-hour work week still exists. That was created for factory workers so employers didn't abuse them. Today, managers who still require employees to put in 40 hours have their heads in the sand. Employees should work to get the job done, not fill a time requirement.

attracting security folks to state govt...
By John  on Nov 09 2009 09:43AM

Lovely sentiment Mark, however, one is forced to ask how the OCIO and SCIO are addressing this issue today. Does the State require certification to become a CIO/ISO? Which security certifications are required to operate as an ISO in the California security environment? How many of your staff are certified by ISC2, SANS, or others? Do you (the State) give any finanacial or career incentives for obtaining certifications? How do you show your security staff that they are valued members of the IT team and not impediments to getting the job done? Those are the questions to address before you get down to your grand plan for career design - hire to retire.

Personal Computing: Should You Upgrade to Windows 7
By Anonymous  on Nov 08 2009 10:22AM

Definitely go to ubuntu. The only reason to remain on Windows is for gaming.

Personal Computing: Should You Upgrade to Windows 7?
By jim  on Nov 06 2009 01:13PM

Better to upgrade to Ubuntu. Your old machine will run great.

csi
By cjniya  on Nov 03 2009 09:09PM

After watching the CSI (Crime Scene Investigation) soap plays, I find that I am lacking a sense of security. Before watching the CSI plays, the sky in my city, Seattle, was always blue, everyday could be another fine day and the air is always fresh. But CSI displays too many crimes. It seems like that every day when you step out of your house, you could easily find a body in the corner of your yard or in the garbage cans. Though this world becomes a terrible place which is full of crime, the detectives in CSI could be regarded as the Guardian Angels in this world. They could not change the facts or stop crimes, but they just try their best to find the criminal and protect the innocent people in this world.

Endpoint Protection...Real Protection Gets Lip Service
By Eirik Iverson on Nov 03 2009 08:07AM

The Washington Post recently reported 46 organizations that fell prey to Banking Trojans that stole on average $152k per incident. At least one out of five organizations recovered nothing. All of them had anti-virus/spyware. Pundits have been writing about the dropping detection rates but most organizations continue to rely solely on products from the BIG vendors that fail them every week. All of the reported attacks would have been stopped by AppGuard Enterprise (GSN Homeland Security, Best Anti-Malware Product).

Calif. State Workers Protest Salary Database Publication
By kageygayle  on Nov 02 2009 10:00AM

I looked myself up on the Sac Bee's database and found out that they are reporting that I make almost double of what I actually do. Hmmm, no wonder non-state workers think we make too much money. Thanks Sac Bee for publishing false info and adding to the state workers' grief of "overpaid people who do nothing."

Texas Guaranteed Tuition Fund
By Betty J Smith on Nov 01 2009 09:25PM

I read an article in the Dallas Morning News that Susan Combs is going to ask to restore the previous policy that people who take their money out of the fund should receive the same money as the ones who stay in the fund. I am paying for my grandson to get a two year guaranteed tuition for two years of senior college. If these people chose to take their money out of the fund they do not deserve to get the same benefits as the people who stay in the fund. This was not meant to be an investment to make money. If anything they should get no more money than if they had invested in a CD. I want the fund to pay my grandson's college not to reward people for taking their money out of the fund. I know someone who took their daughters money out to get their teeth fixed. These people do not deserve any interest.

Government Social Networking Faux Pas
By Adelaide O'Brien, aobrien@idc.com,idc-insights-community.com/governme on Oct 28 2009 02:11PM

As a future employer, government has the right and duty to perform background checks on credit histories, references, employment and education. And we all know the advice, keep your personal life separate from your professional when it comes to using social networking technology. However the City of Bozeman requests for job candidates to provide their social networking sites and their passwords is the equivalent of asking candidates to bring to their final job interview family photo albums, emails and personal conversations with friends, jokes, videos of parties, family gatherings and celebrations, and unfiltered comments from friends, co-workers, and advocates of similar causes, basically anyone they have "friended." And due to unclear requests in the candidate application forms, apparently some applicants provided user IDs and passwords to personal email accounts, and bank accounts. As observed in Collins' article " you might have opened yourself up to damaging exposure and self-incrimination you'd otherwise avoid." Indeed. Rather than allow future employees to keep their private life private, Bozeman violated the very essence of social networking, which is to build trust through sharing information on connected activities and experiences. Collins quotes City Manager Chris Kukulski as saying "we want to know what the fire is so we can fix it, resolve it, learn form it, move on." So learning from this faux pas, and actually using social networking to communicate, collaborate, inform, and enhance trust with employees and constituents may help Bozeman live up to its motto "The Most Livable Place." Now about those pesky application questions regarding tattoos and body piercings

Cloud Computing Increases Demands on Endpoint Security
By Eirik Iverson on Oct 26 2009 11:40AM

I heartily agree that cloud computing can save yield significant cost savings to organizations. However, as cloud computing makes the information hosted in the cloud more conveniently accessible to authorized users, it means they can use ANY computer to do so. It also places GREATER dependence on client web browser security, which is horrifying. There are reasonable, low cost risk mitigations, however. But, one MUST address endpoint security when considering the total cost of cloud computing. For more on these issues and how one can address them: http://www.blueridgenetworks.com/securitynowblog/cloud-computing-endpoint-security-data-leakage-risk

Source documents
By Jeff  on Oct 25 2009 04:33PM

I am also curious about source documents. Any chance we could find who did not make the cut, at least for states? Arizona and Iowa just released new versions of their respective .govs (within the last few days) and I was looking to see where they landed on the 2009 list.

Need Process innovation
By Shawn P. mcCarthy, Director of Research, IDC Government Insights. on Oct 22 2009 02:58PM

Tod: I think one of the key things a CIO can do is to be the ongoing "champion" of all enterprise IT initiatives that are important to an agency. Without such top-level buy-in (and active participation) major IT projects end up only within the domain of IT managers, and they usually don't have the clout to bring everyone in line with a new enterprise-wide initiative

Internet access in rural Guerrero
By Anonymous  on Oct 21 2009 12:49PM

Adriana has co-founded an organization Al Consumidor, and you should be able to find contact information at this Web site: http://www.alconsumidor.org/

The Public-Sector CIO's Changing Tasks (Opinion)
By Nancy  on Oct 21 2009 09:55AM

We are talking about CIOs in this article, not programmers, right? Since when is being a problem solver, a leader and a creative thinker not part of the role of a CIO?