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Features

Election Results Tossed in E-Voting Case
October 2007 – Electronic voting has promised security, accuracy, expediency and fairness since its advent. But amid continued controversy, a new ruling in California may add yet another mark in the tally against it.

A ‘Virgin’ Go Round For Sky-High Broadband
September 2007 – A partnership between the airline and AirCell will allow passengers to remain connected 35,000 feet above ground.

Balancing The Business of MySpace
February 3, 2006 - Since online networking started taking off a few years ago, the phenomenon has rewritten the “don’t talk to strangers” rule for kids. Now, rather than staying away from the unknown, people are apt to push the envelope, posting as much as they can on their profiles so they can attract as many “friends” as possible.

Uspot For The College Set
February 2006 – Park City, Utah-based Uspot opened its doors today, claiming to be the social-networking sweet spot for college students using a .edu e-mail address. Todd Cohen, president of Uspot, believes his site will be the one place where students can satisfy and share all of their online social needs. The reason, he said, is media.

Commentary

My Time is My Time…Right?
October 2006 – Time shifting? I had no idea I was playing along with the TV-viewing concept until last Wednesday.

Modes of Style
September 2006 – Where would our individuality be without style? It expresses who we are via music, literature, dance, and other aspects of life. This is good.

Government Technology

Features

Full Disclosure (Written under pen name Eliot Cole.)
May 2007 – Newly introduced legislation could put California and MySpace on the same team, helping protect young Internet users from predators who seek them out.

Voter Registration From the Living Room (Written under pen name Eliot Cole.)
March 2007 - National elections in this century have taken on a bit of a sporting-event feel to them. People gather at homes for election parties as though it were Super Bowl Sunday.

Demystifying the Judicial System (Written under pen name Eliot Cole.)
February 2007 – The legal system can be an overwhelming prospect for low-income people or those who speak English as a second language. To make it easier, the nonprofit Legal Aid Society of Orange County, Calif., (LASOC) developed I-CAN!, a multilanguage Web-based kiosk system that offers free legal support to low-income residents who have official business with the courts.

Money Managing in Clackamas County (Written under pen name Eliot Cole.)
October 2006 – For some, paying bills on time every month is a reflex. But for others, specifically the elderly and people with disabilities, paying bills is a stressful endeavor that sometimes leads to money mismanagement.

The Subway With Ease (Written under pen name Eliot Cole.)
August 2006 – Over the course of the subway system’s 100-year existence, New Yorkers used tokens, MetroCards and now smart cards to pay fares.

Financial Wizard (Written under pen name Eliot Cole.)
May 2005 – Three years ago, departments within the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tenn., (the Metro) relied on the limited tools available to them in a J.D. Edwards ERP system to submit annual budget numbers.

Royal WiSac (Written under pen name Eliot Cole.)
November 2006 – Imagine that a fire, flood, major earthquake or similar other potential catastrophe hits your city or town. You might feel good knowing plenty of emergency responders are stationed in different areas throughout the region. But now imagine that they can’t communicate with one another.

A Little Bit of Hollywood in Illinois (Written under pen name Eliot Cole.)
September 2006 – Jennifer Aniston, Vince Vaughn, Harrison Ford, Kevin Costner, Geena Davis and Matthew Broderick are just a few people the Illinois Department of Tourism (IDOT) is hoping will draw visitors to the state.

Caught in the Big Easy (Written under pen name Eliot Cole.)
September 2005 – What’s a car thief to do when he’s caught on video getting in and out of a car he was accused of stealing — the very car he denied stealing?

Wi-Fi by the Fire (Written under pen name Eliot Cole.)
April 2005 – Myra Hudson and her partner hit the road in their motorhome last year to travel the United States. Earlier this year, they found themselves motoring through California, enjoying the perks the numerous state parks offer. When they arrived at San Elijo State Beach on the San Diego coast, they discovered a feature they hadn’t expected: wireless Internet access.

The Road Too Traveled
December 2004 – Three years ago, Oregon’s Legislature encountered a problem: Funds available to maintain roads were deteriorating, yet maintenance costs were headed in the other direction.

Driving Michigan
March 2004 – Orange cones once meant maddening traffic delays for Michigan drivers and late payments to contractors.

Monkey Casting
October 2003 - When the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services (DHFS) had information to share about the monkeypox epidemic that spread through the state in May and June, stuffing sheets of paper into a fax machine was not sufficient as a means to reach the masses.

Beating Information Madness
September 2003 – Chris Framel, application development manager for Albuquerque’s Department of Finance and Administrative Services’ Information Systems Division (ISD), remembers when he spent too much time hoofing it from PC to PC installing individual Oracle clients, so department staff could access financial data.

The Eyes Have It
July 2003 - Sometimes you don’t know what you’ve been missing until it’s in front of your eyes. A few years ago, EyeTicket approached the Charlotte/Douglas International Airport in North Carolina with a pitch to test the company’s iris recognition technology and improve the airport’s security process.

Bridging the E-Mail Gap
May 2003 - When the Fire Department of New York City (FDNY) recognized the need for a well rounded communications arsenal, the Research in Motion (RIM) BlackBerry seemed to fit.

SEVIS Certified?
March 2003 - The lives of international students in United States higher education will soon be open books because universities are now required to use a new electronic student tracking system.

TAP into Access
August 2002 – The digital divide still prevents people from enjoying the benefits of the Internet, but some folks in Missouri can be certain they are not among its victims. Thanks to the Telecommunication Access Program for Internet (TAP-I), Missouri citizens with disabilities can access the Internet in ways previously unavailable to them.

Healthy Response
August 2002 – When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) respond to a public health threat, a collection of state and local organizations are called to the scene. Accumulating data, testing samples and specimens, and disseminating information to people in the field are just some of the duties facing emergency response personnel. With the use of mobile technology, the CDC has discovered a more efficient way to respond to a health threat.

Upward Mobility
April 2002 – Being away from desks and detached from cords is an attractive draw for most government agencies, but not all of them are up to the task of implementing such freedom.

CIO Profile

Todd Sander
December 2003 – Todd Sander began his career with a stint in the Air Force. Before landing his current position as CIO of Tucson, Ariz., Sander negotiated technology politics at the state level as CIO of Washington.

Dave Cummings
July 2003 – After graduate school, Dave Cummings bounced from teaching computers to operating computers — a trek that took him from Arizona to California, up to Alaska, and back down to California.

Richard McKinney
June 2003 – When he left his position as IT director of the Tennessee Legislature to be CIO of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County — “Metro” for short because the long version “just doesn’t fall off your tongue that easily” — Richard McKinney walked into a complicated situation.

Larry Singer
April 2002 – When the Georgia Technology Authority (GTA) officially assumed technological control of the state’s agencies, Larry Singer identified four priorities to help the state achieve a kind of cohesion never before enjoyed.