Interviews on open source with HHS contractors Brian Behlendorf and Arien Malec

From Apache to Health and Human Services: Apache co-founder Brian Behlendorf discusses the CONNECT health data project Brian Behlendorf, one of the founders of the Apache Web server project and the CollabNet cooperative software development company, is contracting now with the Department of Health and Human Services on a software project they opened up aRead… Read more »

U.S. Funds Used to Pay Afghan Warlords.. and Some Money Going to the Taliban

Not really want the Hokie Guru wanted to hear today… A congressional investigation says tens of millions of dollars of U.S. taxpayer funds are indirectly being paid to Afghan warlords, public offiA congressional investigation says tens of millions of dollars of U.S. taxpayer funds are indirectly being paid to Afghan warlords, public officials and evenRead… Read more »

Organizational Entrepreneurs: 21st Century Leaders

Making Mountains out of Capitol Hill A first time visitor to Capitol Hill will probably be surprised to find the legislative branch of United States government essentially run by twenty-something-year-olds fresh out of school. “I’m 33 and I am past my time,” Eric Johnson, former Chief of Staff to Robert Wexler (D-FL), told a groupRead… Read more »

Will Open Government Lead to a More Rational Electorate?

Will open government lead to a more rational electorate? That’s the contention of Clay Johnson, the former director of Sunlight Labs, a community of open source developers and designers dedicated to making government more transparent, accountable and responsible. He recently spoke on a panel at Digital Capital Week, a ten-day festival in Washington, DC focusedRead… Read more »

Weekly News on Research and Best Practices

Resources 1. Use Twitter in place of surveys and polls (05/26/2010) – Carnegie Mellon University finds text data generated from Twitter and other social networking sites can be used in place of formal surveys and polling to measure public opinion. http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~nasmith/papers/oconnor+balasubramanyan+routledge+smith.icwsm10.pdf 2. Democracy Pays (05/26/2010) –UK study shows citizen participation in decision making can produceRead… Read more »

Are you letting your citizens dribble?

Imagine the old marketing as a game of basketball, but your customers are in the stands watching the game. New marketing is all about bringing them into the game. How are you bringing your customers into the game? Are you giving them a chance to express themselves? Are you allowing them to add to orRead… Read more »

Tobacco Regs Take Effect

New FDA tobacco regulations take effect on June 22, 2010. CDC Web article provides helpful overview of new FDA tobacco regulations and the potential public health impact, particularly for youth. It also provides insight on prohibition of “light,” “low,” and “mild” labels on cigarettes and contains helpful links to resources—such as FDA guidance documents—with detailedRead… Read more »