USPS to sell postage on Web
The Postal Service is testing software that lets customers buy the electronic equivalent of postage stamps over the Internet. The service is beta-testing Internet Postage from E-Stamp Corp. of Palo Alto, Calif., said Roy Gordon, USPS' program manager for the SmartStamp program. USPS is reviewing several other packages for possible adoption, he said, some of which are in the alpha test stage.
DOD halts ATM buys, pending standards OKs
The Defense Department earlier this month banned the buying of asynchronous transfer mode systems and services until DOD drafts ATM standards. But DOD might approve the standards and lift the ban within a matter of days, a DOD official said last week. Arthur Money, the department's designee for the assistant secretary of Defense for command, control, communications and intelligence post, has halted all ATM buys until the Defense Information Systems Agency produces specifications, certification requirements
FTS' claim may not ring true
The FTS 2000 contracts supposedly drove down the cost of agencies' long-haul telecommunications by about 85 percent. So, just how much of a bargain is a long-distance call? The rock-bottom price quoted by former Federal Technology Service commissioner Robert J. Woods was 2 cents per minute. That figure was quoted again in March by present commissioner Dennis J. Fischer at the FTS users' forum in Atlanta, for calls from one government user to another on
Who needs cable? Broadcast free on the Web with a webcam
Want to know the weather conditions in New York City right this minute? Or maybe you wonder whether smog is concealing the famous Hollywood sign overlooking north Los Angeles. You can find out instantly on the Web, and not by checking a weather map, either. Point your browser to http://www.realtech.com/webcam/ to see a real-time view of New York from the 77th floor of the Empire State Building.
IRS musters IT to snare cheats
After eight years of preparation, the IRS last week loaded 6 million tax records into a data warehouse that will fundamentally change the way the service deals with errant taxpayers. IRS compliance officials are counting on a Teradata warehouse server from NCR Corp. of Dayton, Ohio, to help them through the agency's reorganization. The warehouse is a component of the tax systems modernization plan.
Face the HR facts
Brain drain. Exodus of talent. Hollowed-out government. Phrases such as these evoke images of a federal work force depleted of people who can get anything done--a government staffed by the tired, the incompetent or the young and inexperienced. Is that really so? A recent GCN article detailed the fact that 11 high-ranking Defense Department information technology officials had departed within a 30-day period [GCN, April 6, Page 6]. The departures prompted a worried rebuke from
How about this plan for streamlining life: Bill runs everything
The Rat has managed to survive yet another tax day. This time the sailing was a bit smoother because he learned from last year's printing fiasco to finish his tax return well in advance. Naturally, like all red-blooded Americans, he waited until the last possible moment on April 15 to mail off the money.
Unisys and whistle-blower face off in PC fraud lawsuit
A 2-year-old whistle-blower lawsuit, which alleges Unisys Corp. and Lockheed Martin Corp. bilked the Navy on sales of custom PCs to the service, is poised for its day in court--even though the government has never acknowledged that fraud occurred. The U.S. District Court in Minneapolis recently agreed to hear the case, which a former Unisys employee filed in January 1996.
GSA seeks FAST streamlining, savings
Can FAST grow faster and bigger and become more efficient? That's the objective for the General Services Administration's Kansas City, Mo., Federal Acquisition Services for Technology office, which acts as a personal shopper for agencies. The organization's new director, Wayne Cooper, said he hopes to rein in operating expenses and raise revenues above last year's $470 million.
NIMA: We need more money
Congressional budget cuts are hampering efforts to digitize data, officials of the national Imagery and Mapping Agency officials said recently. NIMA has been controversial since Congress created the agency in October 1996, and Congress is apparently not convinced NIMA is necessary, the officials said. NIMA, managed by the Defense Department, failed to get full funding for this fiscal year. NIMA's budget is classified, but agency officials said Congress slashed about $100 million from its programs--most
Tool identifies risky date code
Visual 2000 is the best analytical tool the Army Simulation, Training and Instrumentation Command has found for testing application code at its combat training centers, STRICOM project director Mark Jozwiak said. "Now we know where the broken modules are," Jozwiak said. The Visual 2000 tool from McCabe & Associates Inc. of Columbia, Md., is a test-coverage analyzer that identifies the high-risk modules within applications. The information lets the Army and other agencies design tests that
Total Xaos helps deal with chaos of using Photoshop art plug-in
The Total Xaos, pronounced like chaos, plug-in trio now runs under Microsoft Windows 95 and Windows NT. The applications are Paint Alchemy 2.0, TypeCaster 1.15 and Terrazzo 2.0. Also on the CD-ROM is Fresco, a collection of 80 royalty-free backgrounds. To install, double-click the CD's setup icon. The installer gives you the option to install the plug-ins as a group or individually. The user guide comes in three sections, each having a table of contents,
Cell phone receives wireless e-mail
Put some POP in your pocket. The Post Office Protocol pushes e-mail to the phone in your pocket via AT&T Corp.'s PocketNet cellular service. PocketNet combines features not usually found on a wireless phone--or even on most personal digital assistants. The e-mail, contact database, scheduling and basic Web surfing almost make the handheld phone more a PDA than a cellular phone. PocketNet stands out from other wireless services for keeping in touch. I did,
Here's how two agencies are making EC work
In its first year of service, the Veterans Affairs Department's Credit Card System has earned $5.8 million in rebates for the department's IMPAC cardholders. Run by the VA Financial Services Center in Austin, Texas, the electronic payment system processed $800 million in payments during the last year. CCS' one-day turnaround earned the center's VA customers the rebates, center director Harlan Hively said.
State pilot will let contracting officers create RFPs and receive bids online
With a technical assist from the Army, the State Department next month will launch an electronic commerce pilot. Using its own Web site as a front end, State will piggyback on the online buying system created by the Army's Communications-Electronics Command at Fort Monmouth, N.J. CECOM will charge State a one-time $30,000 fee.
Book tells of IT managers on a path toward doom
It's not often that I finish reading a book on software development. Usually I barely get through the first few chapters. Sometimes the methodology is too abstract to work in the real world. Or a book is full of great ideas, but I could never sell them to colleagues or management. Or maybe my mind is numb from 25 years of bureaucratic life.
Logically speaking, MindWizard isn't for everyone
MindWizard is an artificial intelligence program that's supposed to simulate your own reasoning powers. It could give a hand to engineers, accountants, analysts or anyone else who makes forecasts. AI programs often fall short in emulating the human thinking processes. MindWizard's developers recognize this. They promise future application-specific templates and macros that would make the package take off.
Hey, your Web browser's not a remote off-track-betting site
Was your office NCAA pool on the server? Do you do a little online wagering during lunch? If so, be careful--Big Brother doesn't like illegal sports bookings in federal offices. A word to the wise: Federal computers are already supposed to be stripped of games. But your Internet browser, if used to place a bet, can get you into big trouble.
Keep networks safe with body language
Biometric identification, common in science fiction and James Bond films, is just starting to mature enough for mainstream viability. Network firewalls protect against Internet intruders, but they cannot deny physical access. After two decades of security awareness efforts, many PC users still tape their passwords to a monitor or desk drawer. And, frankly, it has never been practical to count on users to choose hard-to-guess passwords.
With right guidelines, servers can survive outside of firewalls
Good security practices make life outside the firewall less scary than you might think. Government network administrators often get requests from their application developers to locate servers outside the enterprise firewall. The routine answer is no, but exceptions sometimes must be made. Why? External machines give employees a workspace to share with outside contractors and agency partners, while preventing remote workers from penetrating the internal network.
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