FCC and FEMA to Test Emergency Alert System Tomorrow

· The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Emergency Management Authority (FEMA) are planning the first Emergency Alert System (EAS) nationwide test, which will take place at 2:00 PM (EST), Wednesday, November 9, 2011. The test will last approximately three (3) minutes. Normal programming will return following the test. · FCC and FEMA areRead… Read more »

Disruptive Technology of the Week – Republic Wireless

Paradigm Changing Wireless – Exactly what the Doctor prescribed The new Republic Wireless cell phone service has been released. This service offers unlimited cell, data and text, for only $19 a month. They piggy-back off of Sprint’s CDMA 3G services, but rely primarily on Wi-Fi for network connectivity. Republic requires the user to log onRead… Read more »

Mitigating Risk in the Use of Social Media

Most government employyees and agencies protect their computers by installing and updating reliable anti-virus software. Managers, IT staff and front-line workers understand the threats posed by malicious software, and they know that they have to take steps to counter that threat. But as more agencies take advantage of social media, new risks emerge that mayRead… Read more »

The First Annual Shrinkie Awards

I found out about this today and wanted to share with you. From the site: Shrinkonia: a place where project teams find connection and flow, so they can create amazing things together. It’s located all over the world. And mobile. So it moves around. And people come and go. They move to Shrinkonia fluently andRead… Read more »

GovBytes: Do you use your personal tech devices for work purposes?

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 statedRead… Read more »

Trends on Tuesday: What Apps do People Download?

Another great mobile study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project focusing on apps. For today’s Trends post, we are looking at what types of apps people download. Apps serve many functions, from communication to information gathering, productivity and entertainment. The current survey asked app downloaders if they had ever downloaded apps for anyRead… Read more »

Daily Dose: Federal Buildings May Become Smoke-Free Facilities

This past Friday, Rep. Susan Davis (D-Calif.) introduced a bill that would ban smoking within 25 feet of all federal buildings across the country. Efforts to push for smoke-free buildings began in 1997, and continued making incremental progress throughout the Clinton and Bush administrations. “Exposure to secondhand smoke is a serious health issue that drivesRead… Read more »