Posts By Mariah Bastin

Stan the Man: The Voice of Technological Change in Govt

Change is never easy. We know it is inevitable and yet, it still knocks us off our feet a bit. Government has been undergoing some changes in technological procurement, innovations, and more. For some, these changes seem life altering. They may even make you feel a bit lost. But, there are some people who areRead… Read more »

Thank Govies-They Make Differences That Affect Us All

Ever read about someone else’s impressive accomplishments and feel like you are reading about a distant, far-off land where superheroes exist and they have nothing to do with you? The truth is, those superheroes are real people who do affect your lives. You may not know it, but your govies here in the U.S. areRead… Read more »

So Much Data, So Little Space

We have a lot of stuff and not a lot of room. We have had to maintain important documents, whether it be for tax purposes, health, or other reasons. At one point or another, you run out of folders to hold these documents and places to put all of the folders. Recently, however, we haveRead… Read more »

A Change in the Air

Have you ever considered buying that fancy new media console from IKEA, but after taking a glance at the manual and all the complicated instructions that come along with it, thought twice about it? Some manuals and processes are so complex they prevent us from moving forward with something before we even really get started.Read… Read more »

The Cyber War We Are Losing

We are constantly on our smart phones. We rely on apps such as Google Maps, our favorite news site, or social media outlets (i.e. Facebook and Twitter). Subsequently, a lot of our information is floating around. We’ve heard about the danger this can put us in, but did you know we are also currently inRead… Read more »

Your Idea Could be the Change You Want to See

Have you ever complained to a friend about how you could make a difference if you only had the tools to do so? Or ever look around your neighborhood and wish some things were different – improved even? Wait no more. The Knight Cities Challenge is the opportunity to have your ideas become a reality.Read… Read more »

The History of Aviation: Streamlined by the Government

Flight is one of humanity’s greatest achievements and it also is an innovation that many of us look to for inspiration. We all roughly know that the Wright Brothers are credited with being the first to build and fly an airplane and that Amelia Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across theRead… Read more »

Don’t Fear the Cloud

Remember the last time you sat outside on a sunny day staring up at the clouds? Remember feeling a sense of familiarity and tranquility? Or did you see a different kind of cloud – one that looked eerie, dangerous, and scary? Today, we are talking about cloud computing and the question is: which cloud doRead… Read more »

Take the Data and be Transformational

Ever wonder if technology really does make our life easier? Is all of the data we collect really worth the time and energy? Sometimes we feel so overwhelmed with the minute details and intricacies of technological data collection that we fail to see the big picture. According to B. J. Walker, Director at Deloitte Consulting, itRead… Read more »

Good Customer Service Starts with the Employee

Government leaders are all hyped about integrating the newest technological innovations into their agency to improve customer service, but we may have forgotten a step or two along the way. Although technological advancements do provide some avenues to bettering the services govies provide to their constituents, we have to remind ourselves about the basics ofRead… Read more »