Interesting training day yesterday at the Government Offices for the West Midlands. (I was giving Manila training.)

I learned two important things:

1. Someone's daughter wanted to be a horse at the age of three. Thus, I shouldn't worry that my 3 year old Bradley wants to be a girl because he's "not brave of having his toenails cut."
2. On the topic of spending tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of pounds plus increased labour on web projects when Manila could do it out of the box.
• That money needed to be spent quickly less it disappeared, if it wasn't spent it may not come back and this was "the way Government works."
• And, people would make purchasing decisions between, very low cost and very large cost without the slightest technical knowledge nor seeking advice, because "it gets their dick hard to spend loads."
This was regarding two projects. If this is multiplied throughout the whole of Government I fear the loss would amount to the cost of several new hospitals.

1547 Also posted to: Home page , cyberSaps ,  At: 11:07:22 AM  . .
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Other title(s) for this story: Governments waste money

"RSS in Government News about how RSS is being used by international, federal, state, and local governments"

As usual the UK Gov't haven't a clue. Why, oh why are we so behind? Answer: most of the UK Gov't leaders are technophobes. At least in my experience. And in others too.

It's no good to say I can use email therefore I am a technophile. When it is derogatory to call some one a techie it's vital we do something to get more techies into positions of authority and power. The culture and approach to IT  in UK Government is risk adverse, and prefers to delay decisions thinking that the tortoise rather than the hare will win.

RSS is a tiny, tiny expense much like many of the IT solutions out there, yet it is the big, big plans and applications that are usually a waste of money which receive all the glory.

The e-envoy, Andrew Pindar: "Three-quarters of the population have never visited a government website at all." Because they're dull and lack personality? Where are the guides?

1538 Also posted to: Home page . At: 1:59:57 PM  . .
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Other title(s) for this story: RSS in (US) Government