Thought Update: This hogwash about Buzz trying to copy Amplify is off-mark. Buzz is a tool for enabling private groups to collaborate, especially enterprises but also small emergent groups. Google aims to have a complete system for collaborating, and Buzz is just one cog.
When Amplify adds document collaboration and editing, video recording and annotations, email, robust access control, and instant scalability, you might start to have a point about Buzz being a joke.
That’s what these two employees are claiming…
2 Ex-Workers Accuse Blackwater Security Company of Defrauding the U.S. for Years
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| WASHINGTON — Two former employees of Blackwater Worldwide have accused the private security company of defrauding the government for years by filing bogus receipts, double billing for the same services and charging government agencies for strippers and prostitutes, according to court documents unsealed this week. |
| In a December 2008 lawsuit, the former employees said top Blackwater officials had engaged in a pattern of deception as they carried out government contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. |
| Last year, an audit by the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction and the State Department’s inspector general found that the State Department had overpaid Blackwater $55 million because the company had failed to adequately staff its teams assigned to protect American diplomats in Iraq.Read more at www.nytimes.com |
Thought Update: I'm thinking most comments about Google Buzz completely miss the point. This is for the enterprise.
In just a few months, when Google Apps get Buzz, enterprises using Google will have an intranet solution complete with a feature-rich social network, document and email management, feed reader, and all of the other services on Apps.
That's something no one else has.
In January, Google went public with news that some of its systems had been hacked, along with those of a number of US-based companies. The attacks had targeted both accounts maintained by political activists and commercial code, and Google pointed the finger straight at China, vowing to change its entire approach to business in that country. But a report now suggests that the company is also looking to beef up its internal defenses to prevent a repeat of the attacks.
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The Washington Post is reporting that Google has started negotiations with the US National Security Agency about a collaborative effort to analyze the attack and figure out how best to prevent a recurrence. The Post is citing confidential sources, as the deal isn’t final and, even if it were, it’s unlikely that Google would seek to publicize it.
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| the NSA would clearly need access to and understanding of Google’s infrastructure in order to fully evaluate the attacks and future risks.Read more at arstechnica.com |
This video is only two minutes long… well worth the time.
What a pleasant surprise. | Roughly 40 executives from companies including Playboy Enterprises, ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s, the Seagram’s liquor company, toymaker Hasbro, Delta Airlines and Men’s Wearhouse sent a letter to congressional leaders Friday urging them to approve public financing for House and Senate campaigns. |
| According to polling done in November 2008, 69 percent of the American people support publicly financing all campaigns, including the majority of self-identified Democrats, Republicans, and independentsRead more at thinkprogress.org |
I’ve talked a lot, but stopped short of starting a crusade, to use open source software in Fayetteville’s government.
Maybe it’s time to get more adamant about it… The Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the state of California has issued an IT policy letter to formally affirm that open source software is acceptable for use by government agencies in California. |
As the state lies crushed beneath the burden of an unprecedented $20 billion deficit, government officials are looking for ways to cut spending and manage infrastructure more efficiently. Reducing vendor lock-in and giving more consideration to free and open source software could help the state improve its financial health. |
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In place of Google’s email platform, Iran will allow citizens to use a State-sponsored national email service.
