David Reinbold's Blog (28)

Top Local Government Websites:

1.)    Seattle.Gov

Seattle utilizes a clean look and feel for its design, without being too bogged down. Its navigation bar is not confusing, and each item in the navigation bar, when clicked, provides a subtle color change for the…

Back in April, with the fear of a government shutdown, a few…

Most of us are guilty. I've done, you've probably done it.

Yesterday, The National Transportation Safety Board made recommendations for a nationwide ban on the use of any electronic devices while driving,

The recommendations came after a tragic highway accident last year in Gray Summit, Mo., in which two people were killed and 38 were injured. Texting while driving is suspected to have played a role in the accident.

Specific recommendations seek to…

The Silicon Valley and its citizens could soon become a testbed for emerging energy-efficient technologies, according to an article in GovTech.

Palo Alto recently announced its plans to introduce a program, aptly named the Emerging Technology Demonstration Program, that would allow utility companies to evaluate new tech proposals submitted by private companies.…

Today is the day the USPS is expected to announce cuts across its entire scope of operations, according to a story over at the Washington Post. Postal officials are slated to introduce formal plans that would shut down 250 of the Postal Service's 460 mail processing facilities. 

In addition to closing the…

According to an article over at GovTech, an Emergency Medical Services Division in Rowan, N.C., has equipped all of its ambulances with Wi-Fi platforms that transmit valuable information to doctors before arriving at the hospital.The information sends vital signs, heart rhythms (to detect for potential heart attack), and brings up patient medical history.

"Also…

According to an article over at The Washington Post, a bill that seeks to extend benefits to the same-sex partners of Federal employees was reintroduced last week.

The Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act was reintroduced by Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine). If…

On a coffee run with a co-worker this morning, the subject of past jobs came up. We were going back and forth about jobs we had as teenagers and undergrads.

She used to work as a barista at a coffee shop on the West Coast, and I had just about every serving job there was in restaurants back home in Hershey, Pa.

But it got me to thinking about basic skills, and especially customer service. I think that serving in restaurants throughout high school and undergrad…

Ever taken a pen from the post office? Well, how about tape guns, letter trays or large pallets?

According to the Fed page over at The Washington Post, the United States Postal Service is asking customers to return any stolen USPS property in an effort to minimize losses for the fiscal year. The program provides…

An article and video in GovTech asked state CIOs at the NASCIO conference what their policies were on allowing employees to use personal devices for work.

"Instituting so-called 'bring your own device' policies may make economic sense for cash-strapped public agencies, and they’ll certainly make users happy."

But in terms of security, some CIOs…

According to this story over at the Washington Post, today many federal agencies are expected to release progress reports for what they're doing to reduce the government's carbon footprint.

The more eco-friendly efforts are part of an initiative put forth by Barack Obama back in 2009. In total, the government is hoping to…

The city of Glendale, Ariz., is using an automated monitoring system to help it track performance of street lights throughout the city, according to a story over at Government Technology.

The 55-square mile area's 20,000 street lights are interconnected through a system called Remote Operations Asset…

There is a little irony in the fact that the government agency responsible for finding ways to cut costs at other Federal agencies is planning on scaling itself back, as well.

The GAO is looking to cut $35 million from its budget, which could mean mandatory furloughs for all GAO employees. The Federal watchdog organization…

The Washington Post is reporting that Carolyn Lerner, head of the Office of Special Counsel, wants to update the Hatch Act.

The Hatch Act is the 72-year-old law that prohibits Federal employees from participating or advocating in most political activities. The Hatch Act prevents any person who receives Federal funds for their…

Prepare for the worst, but hope for the best.

This common adage speaks to how most people would act in a crisis situation. (But, of course, hindsight is always 20/20.)

In matters of safety, it can be somewhat difficult to adequately prepare for a realistic situation. But Oklahoma City and its surrounding areas are doing just that, according to this…

Okay, bad puns aside... This is pretty awesome!

Dayton, Ohio, is combining RFID technology with recycling in an attempt to bolster recycling efforts and reduce the amount of money the city expends on garbage at the landfill.The city has seen an increase in recycling participation by 40 percent, according to an article over at Government Technology.

The city spends nearly $2.6 million a year to pick up and dispose of trash — $38.25 per ton. Dayton…

Since the launch of its new online petition system, We The People, earlier this week, The White House has received a flood of petitions. We The People is part of a large push by the Obama administration to have greater transparency and openness in government. (And there is an ongoing debate about whether "Open Is…

According to this article, over at Government Technology, Arkansas is paving the way for what future telecommunication and video conferencing infrastructure could look like for other states.

The state is in the midst of developing a next-generation communications system that will give users state-of-the-art video, data and voice…

Knowing your audience and brand is important, and when you're creating a mobile application targeted toward an audience with specific needs, you need to listen. That's exactly what the VA did in the planning stages of its Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Coach application.

Lead Developer Dr. Julia Hoffman, along with other clinicians for the VA Department's National Center for PTSD…

According to an article over at Government Technology, energy company, NRG Energy, and the University of Delaware are partnering to develop commercially available technology that would allow electric cars to sell excess energy back to the grid.

"This technology can be paid well, to provide the short bursts of back-and-forth power that…