Wednesday, November 2, 2005

Wilma, where'd I file that other stone tablet? Mass. officials criticize OpenDocument decision By Martin LaMonica Staff Writer, CNET News.com BOSTON--Massachusetts state officials have criticized a decision to adopt OpenDocument as a standard, casting doubt over a closely watched initiative. Marc Pacheco, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Post Audit and Oversight, on Monday held a hearing to probe into the process that led to a mandate to make OpenDocument the standard document format for all commonwealth agencies in the executive branch as of 2007. The policy, finalized in September, was developed by the Information Technology Division, which is part of Massachusetts' Office of Administration and Finance. The IT Division said OpenDocument-based products will improve interoperability between systems and ensure long-term archiving of official documents. The specification is developed at standards group OASIS (Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards).... But the IT Division's policy effectively shuts out Microsoft Office because the dominant supplier of productivity software does not support OpenDocument at this point. During the hearing, Pacheco voiced a number of concerns regarding the IT Division's decision. He called into question the IT Division's authority in setting policy, saying the IT Division acted "unilaterally," and he expressed concern over the cost of walking away from Microsoft Office. He also contended that OpenDocument does not sufficiently address the needs of people with disabilities.   During questioning, the IT Division's chief information officer, Peter Quinn, and General Counsel Linda Hamel defended the decision, arguing that the move to OpenDocument would be in the commonwealth's best interest. Quinn said a standard, "open" format, rather than Microsoft's "proprietary XML" format, will ensure that electronic documents can be read hundreds of years from now.... One government official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Cote's harsh rebuke of the policy reflected a turf war between Secretary of State Galvin and the Secretary of Administration and Finance Thomas Trimarco. With the rise of electronic archives over traditional records, "(Galvin's) power is being eroded," the official said. Pacheco said Cote's remarks echo the concerns of many other high-ranking state politicians. "It verified what I've been hearing and my concerns, quite frankly," Pacheco said, adding that the IT Division has not operated in a "collaborative" fashion with other state agencies involved in setting IT policy. He said he feared that the current situation has become a "stalemate" between the executive branch and legislature over how to set IT policy for the state... Jane, where'd I file that molecule? Mister Spacely wants it right now! He wants it as an anti-molecule! Yikes! 6:18:50 AM    comment []

Wilma!! Where'd I put that stone tablet? Survey Released About Preservation and Retention of E-Mail and Electronic Records Oct 28, 2005  By News Staff, Government Technology Despite increased pressure from regulators and courts, nearly half of American organizations still haven't adopted records retention policies for e-mail and other electronic documents, according to a new survey. In the survey of 2,100 records and information managers, 49% of companies and government agencies have not adopted a records retention policy for e-mail. Over half (53%) do not include electronic records in their legal hold orders associated with regulatory inquiries and litigation -- leaving open the possibility that records critical to a legal matter could be destroyed. And, more than two-thirds (68%) don't have a plan in place to preserve electronic records that need to be migrated, to ensure the accessibility of the information over time. The survey and associated white paper, "2005 Electronic Records Management Survey - A Renewed Call to Action" was conducted by Cohasset Associates, Inc. and co-sponsored by the two leading professional associations serving the records and information management profession, AIIM - the Enterprise Content Management Association and ARMA International.... "E-mail and electronic documents have a life cycle - a life and a death - the same as any other record," explained John Mancini, president of AIIM. "This is a core principle of records management, but one not readily understood by many IT and business professionals. The need for implementing policies and procedures around electronic documents has never been greater than it is in today's business world." .... Jane!! Where'd I file that molecule? Mister Spacely wants it right now! 5:59:39 AM    comment []

Think Pocketbook, Act Local (& National) Beyond Gasoline: Taking the Future for a Drive A California family is the first in the world to drive a car powered by hydrogen fuel cells, the technology that many automakers see as a solution to energy woes. [NYT > Science] 5:51:24 AM    comment []

It isn't "Think Global, Act Local" anymore Americas trade zone is 'stalled' US President George W Bush admits that plans for a giant free trade zone in the Americas have stalled. [BBC News | Americas | World Edition] 5:47:44 AM    comment []

Models for the heart Governance in the Digital Age Oct 30, 2005 By John M. Eger , Government Technology Until recently, governments have been relatively passive, and almost at every level, have been slow to adjust, either by using technology to adapt, or recognizing technology's role as a catalyst to transforming both the definition and the delivery of core economic functions such as education, healthcare, business and the delivery of government itself.... [While several countries have studied this,] very few of the national information strategies have focused on the core issue of governance. They do not address the basic concern of how decisions are made; how the public is best served in an economical and efficient way, and how all sectors of the economy -- particularly industry and government at the local level -- can and should work together to make this transition. This is at the core of what governing in the digital age is all about. A critical component of solving our modern-day dilemma revolves around understanding the forces of "devolution" -- the flow of power from national to local and regional communities. A fact, which must be recognized, is that technology (the technology of telecommunications and computers) and economics (the economics of a global economy) have already converged causing disruptions in patterns of life and work as well as existing institutions. So too, has it affected the locus of governmental decision-making because of a "reverse flow of sovereignty." States and local communities -- not national governments -- increasingly are making or are capable of making the IT decisions most affecting the economic prowess of their communities. Unfortunately there is too much evidence to support the fact that many governments, particularly in Western democratic countries, tend to see government and industry at opposite poles on many issues when in fact the body politic would be best served by more cooperative and collaborative decision-making mechanisms to better serve communities. Sadly, with the growth and development of more global enterprises, the interest and concern about the community where a company is headquartered -- or in some cases, where a large number of company employees live -- becomes a very distant priority. Indeed, as the company becomes more global, most often its local interests are reduced as a priority. In The Magic of Dialogue: Transforming Conflict Into Cooperation, author and researcher Daniel Yankelovich argues there is a "struggle between two one-sided visions of our future; the vision of the free market and the vision of the civil society. Underlying the first vision," he says, "is the conviction that in the new global economy, the free market, driven by technology and entrepreneurship, will shape a more prosperous, democratic and secure world than we've ever known. The conviction for supporting the second is that to renew our society and halt its moral decline, we must return to the noble -- and profoundly traditional -- dream of America as a city on a hill. In practice, this means finding a way to strengthen the values of community, faith, responsibility, civic virtue, neighborliness, stewardship and mutual concern for each other, values that are not inherent in the free market economy."... While this struggle between two visions is visible, I'm not sure I agree with the assumptions about their underlying causes. The forces creating the global economy is fed by -- led by -- digital technologies that allow an international corporation to have economical, internal 24x7 global communications. This leads to a dichotomy within management's allegiance to the local communities they live in and the international community they work in. I think it has also loosened the ties within the business communities. (If I don't get a good deal here, I will there. And do I care about the local economic outcome in either place?) We haven't yet, may never, adapt to this division of economic community loyalties between the local and the global. We tend to choose one or the other. Meanwhile the vision of the civil society is split into local-local, local-national and global. This split has allowed for some complex methods to collect governance funds nationally and spending locally with incomplete methods to assure best local use of those funds. "Its Federal dollars, if we don't spend them, we lose them."  Such a complex model is difficult to maintain in one's head, let alone in one's heart. So the question becomes: what intellectual model can blend these divergent impulses into one coherent model that our heart will feel is complete, whole... worth giving itself too? And attempting to make the world whole with it. 5:32:12 AM    comment []

© Copyright 2005 Russ Savage. Last update: 12/26/05; 7:27:49 AM.