Transparency in Government IT

I've been looking around the Federal IT Dashboard, with some familiarity of a few of the programs addressed at the site. The site seemed to give a reasonable evaluation of the programs. By clicking on the various bars this web site allows anyone to drill into the programs that make up that portion of the portfolio. You can see the cost and schedule evaluation of each program as well as an evaluation of the program's risk.

I imagine that after the Christmas Terrorist attempt things will be changing on these charts for the Department of Homeland Security. Especially in the TSA's secure flight initiative which is currently rated green on the main page and yellow on the details.  The information supporting the previous statement has been taken off line, so here's a view of the IT dashboard for your reading pleasure.

And then what?

After a day at the beach a man was on his way back to his car when he passed a beggar sitting quietly on boardwalk. Concerned for the beggars well being, the man said “Sir, let me teach you to fish”

The beggar said “And then what?”

The man said “ Then you can have fish for dinner.”

The beggar said “And then what?”

The man said “Then you can continue to fish, maybe catch a fish to eat and one to sell so you can have some money.”

The beggar said “And then what?”

The man said “If you have a skill that you can use to make money, then you can have a job. With a job you can buy things like a car and a house.”

The beggar said “And then what?”

The man said “You can eventually retire, and spend your days relaxing on the beach”

The beggar finally said “I spend my days relaxing on the beach now, so why would I want to learn to fish!”

The man walked away.

Terrorist Trials in New York

Not so much a post, but rather a question...

Image via Wikipedia

In U.S. Courts a suspect is presumed innocent until proven guilty. All of the our investigative procedures (evidence collection...), arrest procedures (Miranda... ), and court procedures are focused on preserving this legal perspective. How can a war criminal be seized outside of our boarders, by people who are not trained in the intricacies of our legal system (non-law enforcement types) put together a case that will hold up in a U.S. criminal court?

How will the 9/11 bombers get a fair trial in New York? Who will be on the Jury? Do these criminals have peers in New York (I hope not)? If the U.S. puts these individuals on trial with a pre-determined outcome as is being indicated by Mr Holder, will this be a legitimate court or a kangaroo court?

Google Wave

Alright all of you bloggers, emailers, instant messengers, facebookers, writers, photographers, and the like, prepare to be integrated by Google...

This video takes about an hour and a half but it's worth it...

Ra Ra Ree... Kick em in the Knee...

Just a quick post following the State of the Union Speech tonight. All things considered I thought President Obama gave a great speech. He hit a lot of points that were both positive and bipartisan, making it easy to entice the applause out of the Republicans. While not being specific on most of his points (the devil is always in the details), he did mention a couple of issues that I think he will get in trouble for, protectionism being one of them.

But Enough of the serious stuff, my favorite parts were when he made Joe Biden blush like a school girl after his "Nobody messes with Joe" comment. The Vice President looked like a chameleon attempting to blend into the red stripes of the flag behind him.

The my other favorite part was watching Nancy Pelosi literally jump up and cheer like she was a cheerleader at a high school football game. She was so exuberant during the first part of the speech that someone must have said something to her because she toned it down as time passed. For a few minutes it was almost more entertaining watching her gush than it was watching the President.

Oh, the title of this post isn't meant to be mean spirited, it's the only cheer that I remember from high school...

Genomics and expanding economic value

Where will the next big value bump come from to excavate the world economy from its current pit. In a previous post, I attempted to draw a linkage to between our economic state and the value of the economy (I need to spend more time on this idea). That is the easy part, the hard part is to determine what the next major value contributor will be to the economy. This Simpsons short from Hulu.com serves may give us a clue.

or not... I just liked the clip.


Back in 2003 Juan Enriquez presented this talk on the future with genomics, a field with its roots dating all the way back to the 1970's. But there has always been something keeping the future of genomics from completely unfolding...at times our computers were to slow, other times the National policies were too hesitant, but today the primary obstacle is the the health of the economy (we have fast computers and a pro-science administration). So over the next few years, I would expect to see the field expand like it never has before.

There are a few companies that seem to agree that genomics may be the way forward. Invitrogen's purchase of Applied Biosciences combines the sale of gene sequencing equipment with genomic services. Can you imagine if you were able to upload your genome to Google Health and have Google send you alert you when treatments or cures were available for your genetic dysfunction... Now that's value!

Are you smarter that George Bush? Bill Clinton? Hillary?

The Kids IQ Center is an interesting site... It turns out that George W. Bush has an above average IQ (123), and is within seven points of President Obama (130-148, a range that I'm sure will be refined as his presedency proceeds). And Bill Clinton (137), while above average, isn't as smart as his wife, Hillary (140).



I dare anyone to take an IQ test and post their score on this blog, see how you stack up...

Very Interesting