Yin Yang Data Report

The Federal IT Dashboard is a new website or eGov portal that enables federal agencies and the general public to view details of federal information technology investments. As you entered the website, the homepage of the eGov portal offers a quick glance at what types of information the IT Dashboard presents. The main area on your screen shows a quick glance at the federal IT portfolio on the left, while the right side dives into the financial and performance details about a specific agency or investment.

The website url is “it.usaspending.gov”

Egov.com IT Dashboard Explained

Throughout the IT Dashboard or eGov portal each graph or visualization contains a link to the allow the user to share or embed the chart in their own website, giving users direct access to underlying data. Lower on the eGov portal homepage you will find recent and interesting news and updated about the progress of investments and the availability of data. This data is presented as a text feed, as well as a numerical indicator reporting the progress of data entry or availability. The menu bar above displays the main sections of the IT Dashboard: the performance and investments dashboards, data feed access and design tool, and the visual analysis tools.

Let’s dive into the heart and soul of the overall website or eGov portal: the agency and investment dashboards. This is the section of the website which reports the overall performance of every major investment in the IT portfolio, in terms of cost performance, schedule performance, evaluation (by agency CIO), and an overall score computed from those factors. this is the agency-level view, chich rolls up the statistics from an agency’s entire portfolio of major investments. You can make the overall pie graph be a simple count of each investment’s overall score, or weigh the size of each slice by the dollar size of each investment.

Let’s select an investment to look at more closely. by clicking on a segment of one of the rating graphics, we can browse all the investments falling into that category. Now we can see the investment details. The large gauge on this page indicates the investment’s overall rating, computed from the cost, schedule, and evaluation (by agency CIO) indicated across the bottom.

You can access detailed information about the investment, who’s responsible for its performance, and links to further information including the actual official exhibit 300 hosted on the relevant agency’s website. You can also search for information about the contracts awarded for the investment from USAspending.gov, look at milestone performance, or even provide feedback directly to the agency CIO. You can see exactly how the cost and schedule ratings are calculated.

A “green’ cost rating means that the actual costs of an investment’s completed milestones have been close to the planned costs. You can get a similar view of an investment’s schedule performance. A “green” schedule rating indicates that the actual completion dates of this investment’s milestones are close to the planned completion dates. Finally, the evaluation by agency CIO is a metric assigned by the agency CIO reflecting a number of criteria related to this investment. For details on what goes into the evaluation and to see a history of changes in the rating, click on the graphic itself.

Now let’s take a look at some of the tools the IT dashboard or eGov portal provides to help you become familiar with the entire IT portfolio. The analysis area offers rigorous visualization tools which allow you to dive deeply into the IT portfolio. Drawing on the data provided by each Federal agency, you can visualize and animate up to 5 different variables describing the IT portfolio in a single chart. this enables users to better understand how the distribution of IT money has changed over time, how the budget of each agency compares to others, and many other interesting analytical questions.

Bookmarks directing users to highlighted examples of what kinds of questions can be answered by the motion chart are available beneath the motion chart. Alternatively, you can use a visual treemap of the current year’s IT portfolio to browse through the data using by-agency or by-type of spending perspective. In this type of chart, the size of each rectangle indicates the total IT spending in that area, which each rectangle’s color indicates the percentage change in that area’s spending from the previous year. By default, this view breaks the entire IT portfolio into functional lines of business, as indicated by each project’s enterprise architecture codes. you can drill down to see which agencies are responsible for the bulk of health spending, for example.

For help with this tool, as for any page on the IT Dashboard or eGov portal, just click the help link to reveal more information.

The IT Dashboard or eGov portal also serves as a tool for Agency CIOs to submit updates to their information. Approved users have access to an additional section of the eGov portal providing a comprehensive interface for submitting evaluations (by agency CIO), updating milestone completion information, rebaselining, and other interactions. The IT Dashboard is driven by data from the public Exhibit 300s and Exhibit 53s reported by each Federal Agency to OMB. The tools and interfaces contained on the eGov portal are intended to improve the visibility and accessibility of all of this public data.

Over the weeks and months following its launch, additional features and refinements will be added. As agencies submit updates regarding their investments, more historical information will become available.

Okay people, there a new worm to report.  This time the target is Twitter.  Apparently, there is a malicious worm being sent to email in boxes, which is a fake twitter invite.  This twitter email has an attachment malicious worm.  If you click — if you download this twitter malicious worm to your PC it will collect and copy other email addresses from your address book.  It will also relocate itself to other share folders and drives on your PC.

The email subject line report is “Your Friend Invited you to Twitter”.  The reply address is fake, but reads “invitations@twitter.com”.  The attached malicious worm’s name is “Invitation Card.zip”.  This worm seems to also include “W32.Ackantta.B@mm” which is a known email harvesting worm.

Although we are calling this a twitter worm, it ready has nothing to do with twitter.  The worm is not spread by the twitter site.  Some reports have come in that you don’t have to be a twitter user to be a target.

To protect your PC, do not download this malicious worm.  Delete and mark the email as spam.

Innovation is the word used to describe the Government’s initiative to become more transparent by opening up data feeds for used on the web (Gov 2.0). What information will be available? D.C.’s Major has already announced contest for web applications and sites using government data. So, far sites have been created using government data feeds for arrest records, building permits …. (45 developers have submitted applications). See one of D.C.’s sites using government data feeds at CapStat.

Microsoft has announced the start of the OGDI (Open Government Data Initiative) which is the new platform allowing government agencies and developers interact through a Windows product (Windows Azure). Windows Azure will eliminate download and data hosting on the developers part and give government agencies quick and easy ways to refresh data feeds. The OGDI source codes are available on Microsoft’s CodePlex site. For more information on the OGDI provided by Microsoft go to OpenGovData

If you have the ability to host a government database the federal government will soon be launching Data.gov a site dedicated to government data feeds. Already launched is a site dedicated to government spending at USAspending.gov.

Government Transparency Through Open Data Feeds

There is a huge profit opportunity at stake! If you can repackage or mashup governmental data feeds to create a usable site or application — traffic = money.

What are your ideas for use of government data feeds?

Hackers hacked into a Virginia Health database and are now demanding ransom. Earlier, last week hackers gained access to the Virginia State Web site and began deleting records of over 8 million patients. As if that wasn’t enough, the hackers replaced the Virginia State Web site with a ransom demand of $10 million to return the records.

This Virginia Health Database is used by Pharmacists to track prescriptions aka “Virginia Prescription Monitoring Program“. Virginia State have involved the FBI, as well as stopping email and turning off servers.

Trojan Vundo infections are on the rise. What is Trojan Vundo? Trojan.vundo belongs to the trojan horse family and is a email born virus, usually sent in email attachments. However some reports suggest Vundo can also infect web browser too through browser plug-ins.

If you have the Trojan Vundo virus on your PC it will cause pop up adversitements without user commands, your desktop background will be changed, it will install adware to your system, and your screen saver will be changed. There are other reported symptoms — to see a list of all Trojan Vundo symptoms go to Wikipedia Trojan Vundo Symptoms

Most antinvirus software are unable to block Trojan Vundo, however Symantec has released a more aggressive detection system. To learn how to remove the Trojan Vundo virus — go to Remove Vundo

Facebook’s Koobface has a new variant (new action). The new Koobface worm looks like a Youtube page, complete with your name and photo from Facebook’s serve; however if you download the “require install” the Facebook worm will take over your computer. Once the worm “Facebook virus” has access to your computer it will access your Facebook account. By accessing your Facebook account the worm threat will began duplicating the Youtube page to your friends (via messages). These Facebook messages will appear to come from you to your friends.

Although Koobface is associated with Facebook, it has also been found on other social networks. The best protection for these types of worm threats is to never install software from a popup windows. If you believe you do need the software go directly to the installation site. Example Adobe Flash player.

Other Posts About Koobface

Koobface Computer Virus Is Back - A Facebook Worm

All about John Grisham the novelist.  Famous for his novels based on legal drama, John Grisham is a best selling author.  Here is a list of books with a brief summary from the author.

John Grisham latest released book - The Associate

Kyle McAvoy grew up in his father’s small-town law office in York, Pennsylvania. He excelled in college, was elected editor-in-chief of The Yale Law Journal, and his future has limitless potential. 

But Kyle has a secret, a dark one, an episode from college that he has tried to forget. The secret, though, falls into the hands of the wrong people, and Kyle is forced to take a job he doesn’t want—even though it’s a job most law students can only dream about.

Three months after leaving Yale, Kyle becomes an associate at the largest law firm in the world, where, in addition to practicing law, he is expected to lie, steal, and take part in a scheme that could send him to prison, if not get him killed.

With an unforgettable cast of characters and villains—from Baxter Tate, a drug-addled trust fund kid and possible rapist, to Dale, a pretty but seemingly quiet former math teacher who shares Kyle’s “cubicle” at the law firm, to two of the most powerful and fiercely competitive defense contractors in the country—and featuring all the twists and turns that have made John Grisham the most popular storyteller in the world, The Associate is vintage Grisham. 

The Appeal by John Grisham (2008)
Billionaries Carl Trudeau, upset over a shocking verdict against his chemical company by a Mississippi jury and convinced that the Supreme Court will not be friendly to his appeal, decides to take the less expensive route of purchasing a seat on the court by recruiting, financing, manipulating, marketing, and modking an unsuspecting young candidate.
LCCN 200744905
ISBN 9780385515047 / 0385515049

Bleachers by John Grisham (2003)
When his old coach dies, high school football star Neely Crenshaw returns to his hometown after fifteen years, reunites with his former teammates, and struggles to resolve his mixed feelings about the man.
LCCN 200355534
ISBN 0385511612

The Brethern by John Grisham (2000)
A group of former judges who are serving time at a minimum security prison put together a mail scam that is earning them a large amount of money, but when they attempt to scam a powerful political official, they find their operation, and their lives, in danger.
ISBN 0385497466

The Broker by John Grisham (2005)
One-time Washington power broker Joel Backman who may have acquired secrets to a sophisticated satellite surveillance system is pardoned by the outgoing President under orders from the CIA and is given a new identity in Italy; however, the CIA then reveals his whereabouts to the Israelis, Russinans, chinese, and the Saudis in hopes that someone will assassinate him.
LCCN 200463530
ISBN 0385510454

The Chamber by John Grisham (1994)
In Mississippi in 1967 Klan member, Sam Cayhall is accused of bombing Marvin Kramer’s law offices killing his two sons.  In 1990 just weeks before his execution, a young lawyer asks to work on his case.
LCCN 9411764
ISBN 0385424728

The Client by John Grisham (1993)
Eleven-year-old Mark Sway witnesses the bizarre suicide of a New Orleans attorney and is left with a deadly secret concerning a recent urder of a Louisiana Senator.
LCCN 9239079
ISBN 038542471x

The Firm by John Grisham (1991)
Havard law graduate finds that the tax firm he’s employed by is not what it seems when the FBI appraches him to become an informate.
LCCN 903945
ISBN 0385416342

The Innocent Man, Murder and Injustice in a Small Town by John Grisham (2006)
Presents a comprehensive study of the controversial murder trial involving baseball player Ron Williamson.
LCCN 200648468
ISBN 0385517238

The King of Torts by John Grisham (2003)
Clay Carter, a young Washington, D.C. public defender wishing for a better career, is seduced by the lure of big money — and thrown into the midst of a dangerous conspiracy — when he is offered a position egotiating settlements for powerful drug companies.
ISBN 0385508042

The Last Juror by John Grisham (2004)
In 1970s Clanton, Mississippi, college dropout Willie Traynor turns a failed small-town paper into a success coving a local rape and murder case and finds his life coming full circle when the man convicted of that crime is paroled nine eas after receiving a life sentence and jury members from the trial begin turning up dead.
ISBN 0385510438

A Painted House, a novel by John Grisham (2001)
Seven-year-old Arkansas farm boy Luke Chandler loses his innocence over the course of a contentious and strenuous cotton harvest in 1952, during which time Luke’s family hires several Mexicans and an Ozark family and Luke begins keeping dangerous secrets.
LCCN 2001266464
ISBN 038550120x

The Partner by John Grisham (1997)
Patrick Lanigan, a young law partner who faked his death and fled the country with millions of dollars stolen from his law firm, is found in Brazil after a four-year chase, but investigators are about to learn that the hunt is really just beginning.
LCCN 9654702
ISBN 0385472951

The Pelican Brief by John Grisham (1992)
A bright young law student and an investigative reporter go underground when trying to expose a couver-up about the killings of two Surpreme Court Justices.
LCCN 9133235
ISBN 0385421982

Playing for Pizza by John Grisham (2007)
After losing an important game for his team, NFL back up quarterback Rick Dockery is fired, but his agent finds him an opportunity to play for the Panthers of Parma, and even though he has never been to Europe, he moves to Italy hoping for a second chance.
LCCN 200727656
ISBN 0385525001

The Rainmaker by John Grisham (1995)
For a class assignment, law student Rudy Baylor is required to provide free legal advice to a group of senior citizens. He stumbles onto one of the largest cases of insurance fraud ever seen.
LCCN 952291
ISBN 0385424736

The Runaway Jury by John Grisham (1996)
The big four in the tobacco industry think they have all their bases covered in an upcoming trial in which a widow is suing for the smoking-related death of her husband, but hey did not count on an inside operator who has a personal grudge and a sure-fie plan to bring them down.
LCCN 9613872
ISBN 0385472943

Skipping Christmas by John Grisham (2001)
Luther and Nora Krank decide to opt out of Christmas, choosing instead to set sail on a Caribbean cruise on December 25, but they learn there are consequences to pay for trying to ignore the holiday frenzy.
LCCN 2001277586
ISBN 0385505833

The Street Lawyer by John Grisham (1998)
Young lawyer Michael Brock’s investigation into the motives of a homelsess gunman who was killed by police after taking Brock and eight of his fellow attorneys hostage, leads him to the discovery of a dirty little secret that changes the course of his life and career.
ISBN 0385490992

The Summons by John Grisham (2002)
Law professor Ray Atlee and his troublesome younger brother Forrrest are called home to Clanton, Mississippi by their dying father, Judge Atlee, but when the judge dies before the meeting can take place, Ray is left to untangle an old family secret.
LCCN 200158185
ISBN 0385503822

The Testament by John Grisham (1999)
When Rachel Lane learns that she has inherited eleven billion dollars from her biogrical father, she wants nothing to do with the money, or her father’s other children who insist that hey be given the money they feel they deserve, even though the will states they are to get nothing.
ISBN 0385493800

A Time to Kill by John Grisham (1989)
In Clanton, Mississippi, the life of a ten-year-old girl is shattered by two drunken and remorseless young men.  The mostly whit town reacts with shock and horror at the inhumane crime until her African-american father acquires an assault rifle and takes justice into his own hands.
LCCN 895760
ISBN 0922066035

Sometimes it’s just faster to use a keyboard shortcut vs. the mouse.  I prefer to close windows by using ALT + F4.  Below is a list of quick keyboard shortcuts for Windows.

Common Windows Keyboard Shortcuts

• CTRL+C Windows shortcut for copying
• CTRL+X Windows shortcut for cutting
• CTRL+V Windows shortcut for pasting
• CTRL+Z Windows shortcut for Undo
• CTRL+B Windows shortcut for bolding
• CTRL+U Windows shortcut for underlining
• CTRL+I Windows shortcut for italicing
• ALT+F4 Windows shortcut for closing programs

For a complete list of all Windows keyboard shortcuts go to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/126449

Get the best and latest business advice from the EXPERTS.  It’s all hear — Watch, Listen, and Read market strategies, blogging techniques, social networking tips, and how to work the wheel.

	Susan Bratton Web 2.0 Entrepreneur, Blogger, Podcaster and Social media marketer.        Susan uses Facebook and LinkedIn to market, and gives great advice on how YOU can find speaking opportunity.
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Apparently there is another virus attacking Internet Explorer by stealing passwords when you browse a website. It’s another Trojan. Microsoft has not release a patch as of yet. The virus is wide spread reaching several thousand websites and takes advantage of the “zero-day” vulnerability.

Ways To Stay Safe From Viruses and Trojans

Don’t visit pornography sites - many of these sites have the malicious code embedded. To remove the virus use the same virus removal process for “GreenScreen”.  Alternative browsers to Internet Explorer are Firefox or Google Chrome.

Other Resources To Remove Viruses and Trojans

Remove Virus Zlob G

Remove Virus Koobface

Updated News For The Virus Attacking Internet Explorer — Microsoft Has Released A Patch

Just in — Miscrosoft is releasing an emergency patch for the Virus that is attacking Internet Explorer. The patch is included in your Microsoft update cycle. However, if you do not use the Microsoft update feature you should go to the site and download the patch.

The patch is marked “critcal” because this virus has been running for more than a week.