February 2009 Archives

The Maryland Comptroller made a YouTube video spoofing beer ads to encourage online tax filing.

The full video is below:

NASA announced it is accepting applications from any person or organization for free rides on the Vomit Comet. Check out the video for more details.

Gene Kranz directed NASA's effort to save the crew of Apollo 13, the ill-fated 1970 mission to the moon. He recently spoke at Government Technology's GTC Southwest in Austin, Texas. Here's what Kranz had to say about the importance of space exploration to the country's future.

Johns Hopkins University's gunshot detection system allows officials to know in real time when a gun is fired on its Homewood campus or the offsite Charles Village neighborhood. By teaming up with the Baltimore Police Department, university security officials are trying to keep the university as safe as possible.

It's called the Death Map. You'd be surprised to see what kills more Americans than hurricanes, earthquakes and wildfires. Check out the real killers.

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Want to know why your software's full of security holes? Your answer may be in the CWE/ SANS Top 25 Most Dangerous Programming Errors list.

Nancy Killefer, President Barack Obama's choice for chief performance officer for the Office of Management and Budget, has withdrawn because of tax problems, several media outlets are reporting Tuesday.

Killefer is a former Treasury Department official who worked to modernize the IRS. In the newly created position, she would have worked in the OMB and overseen the efficiency of federal programs and spending.

She is the third Obama apointee to run into tax difficulties. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geitner admitted he failed to pay thousands in back taxes, but later rectified the mistake; Congress soon after confirmed him. Tax trouble has also hit former Sen. Tom Daschle, Obama's pick for health and human services secretary. The President publicly backed Daschle after the revelations, but Congress hasn't confirmed Daschle yet.

Read more here.