By Nikki Schwab

In this year's budget, 72 billion tax dollars were budgeted for IT projects. And today, the Obama White House unveiled a way for citizens to keep track of it.

The IT Dashboard is a new Web tool composed of scores of colorful pie charts and graphs that allow Americans and federal agencies to chart the progress of information technology initiatives. Currently, there's mostly information displayed on the website for federal agencies on how to use this Web tool, but there's a handy video tutorial on the home page that could assist the average American, too.

"This new tool is a one-stop clearinghouse of information allowing the American people to track federal information technology (IT) initiatives and hold the government accountable for progress and results," the release says, touting transparency and technology.

Here's the full release:

Obama Administration Launches New Accountability Tracker

"IT Dashboard" Gives Up-to-Date Look at Tech Spending, Project Results

Washington, D.C.--People wanting to keep a closer eye on how the federal government is spending taxpayers' dollars have a new resource with the launch of the "IT Dashboard." This new tool is a one-stop clearinghouse of information allowing the American people to track federal information technology (IT) initiatives and hold the government accountable for progress and results.

"This administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in government and the IT Dashboard exemplifies that goal," said federal Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra. "Through the dashboard, we are putting critical information about IT spending at people's fingertips. We are putting ourselves on the line for better management of taxpayers' dollars and better results from technology initiatives."

The dashboard is part of a revamped USASpending.gov site, created through a 2006 law designed to foster greater openness about government spending and contracting. That law, first introduced by then-U.S. Senator Barack Obama and a bipartisan group led by U.S Senator Tom Coburn, R-Okla., was the catalyst for many of the open government initiatives that the Obama Administration has put forward.

"I'm encouraged the administration is taking aggressive steps to deliver the kind of transparency taxpayers expect and deserve. The improvements to the USAspending site will give taxpayers a clearer understanding of how government is spending their money, which will make it easier for all Americans to hold policymakers accountable," Coburn said.

The dashboard gives people the chance to see what IT projects are working and on-schedule (and which are not), offer alternative approaches, and provide direct feedback to the chief information officers at federal agencies--keeping tabs on the people who are responsible for spending taxpayers' dollars for technology. While the dashboard is focused initially on information technology, the Administration plans to adapt it to other aspects of federal spending.

For the current fiscal year, approximately $72 billion is budgeted for IT spending.

The dashboard also will play a significant role in performance management.

"Too often, problems are identified long after things are off track, costing more time and money to correct. The dashboard gives managers and the American public alike up-to-date access to how tax dollars are being spent and the return on their investment," federal Chief Performance Officer Jeff Zients explained. "This will mean greater accountability, improved performance, fewer wasted dollars, and better value for the American people."

The IT Dashboard offers a transparent look at how taxpayer money is being spent on technology projects. For example, a visitor can find the answer to a question like, "How much money does the government spend on IT that supports Science and Innovation? What was the change from last year?" The investment dashboard will illustrate an initiative's cost, timetable, and performance. Importantly, users also will have the direct contact information for the specific agency chief information officer to ask questions about why a project may be late or to offer ideas on how to achieve a goal more efficiently.

All-in-One PCs Take Aim at the Kitchen

Most PC-savvy Americans keep their address books, calendars, and notes on computers. But not the family address book and calendar, which stick stubbornly to corkboard and paper in a corner of a busy kitchen. PC Manufacturers like Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Averatec, Asus, Acer, and others are aiming new desktop models at the kitchen, or whichever crowded room is the center of a busy household. They're pitching relatively inexpensive all-in-one computers that bring added power to Mom's calendar while not taking much more space than the paper version.

Iran Election Twitters In a Revolution
by Mary Kate Cary

It was a battle to show who could best harness the only real news source on the ground -- the new social media -- to report fast, accurate, and insightful information. Cable and network news lost both the battle and the war. Two of the journalists who won were Andrew Sullivan, a political blogger for the old-line magazine Atlantic Monthly, and Nico Pitney of the younger Huffington Post. Sullivan and Pitney looked at the gold mine of information sitting on the new social media platform and, with two staffers, jumped in. Sullivan and his staff cut and pasted the most interesting, useful, and profound tweets into a document he called "Live-Tweeting the Revolution," updated every few minutes.

Fresh Coinages From the Furnace of E-Culture

For the second year, Cramer-Krasselt has published its Cultural Dictionary of the zeitgeist-iest words and phrases, pulling together the slang, puns, put-downs and freshly minted coinages from the white-hot furnace of electronic culture. It's pretty hilarious.

(c) 2009 U.S. News & World Report