GovLoop Member of the Week: John Sporing, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts

John Sporing: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts formerly at the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) I’m starting to like having themes for my interviews. Last time, it was sunshine, and what better way to personify sunshine than with an interview w/ Anita Arile….if only I had interviewed her in her beloved island ofRead… Read more »

O’Reilly government conferences: requests for proposals open

GovLoop members might be interested in two upcoming Washington events put on by O’Reilly, a company known for our computer/Internet publishing. One is a showcase this coming September, and the other is a conference we’re planning in 2010: http://www.gov2expo.com/ If you have an interesting project that demonstrates an unusual and successful way to make anRead… Read more »

Wayman Tisdale, 1964-2009

Wayman Tisdale lost a two-year battle yesterday with colon cancer. He was universally loved by everyone. And I mean everyone… even rival coaches. Billy Tubbs recruited Tisdale to Oklahoma… Tisdale was the kid everyone wanted. He was Blake Griffin way before Blake Griffin. He was only 44 years old and had transitioned to his secondRead… Read more »

Web 2.0 Strategy

This is my first post within this space and I need help. I just received a new task to develop a Web 2.0 strategy for the FAA. Has anyone in any agency gone down this road before? I’m looking for trail blazers who are willing to share their experience. I would like to attack thisRead… Read more »

Mute swans- victim or nemesis?

Check out this recent WAPO article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/15/AR2009051501258.html?hpid=topnews (you might need to create a free profile- sorry!) Invasive species posed real, dynamic threats to a variety of threatened and endangered environments; solutions to these problems are elusive and often occur at the intersection of science, society, and economics. Opinions welcome!

Could Prediction Markets concept be applied to government projects?

Motorola uses a prediction market to gather new ideas from employees and predict their success based on how willing individuals are to buy “stock” in them. They launched a system called ThinkTank in 2003 to collect potential innovations. Employees are given $100K in virtual dollars to vote on ideas at $10 per share. Perhap governmentRead… Read more »

Robert Gates Runs Effective Meetings, Why Can’t I?!

Reading today’s Eye Opener, I was struck by a quotation regarding how SecDef Robert Gates handles meetings: “Even Gates’s detractors concede that he is a ruthlessly effective manager of the Pentagon bureaucracy. He demands that all briefing slides from his staff and military commanders reach his office the day before the meeting in which theyRead… Read more »