September 18 was Common Business Oriented Language’s (COBAL) 50^th birthday. COBAL was designed by RDML Grace Hopper who served in the U.S. Navy and rose to the rank of rear admiral (lower half). She wrote the first compiler, the “A Compiler.” COBAL is still being used. There is U.S. Navy destroyer named after her.

 

The Professional Services Council is concerned that the Defense Department is haphazardly shifting work from contractors to Federal officials without careful analysis on who can provide the best value for taxpayers.  

 

Several U.S. Lawmakers urged the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to back off on a plan to offer an unlimited number of new generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) until concern about trademark protections and other issues can be addressed. http://idgconnect.com/index.cfm?event=showarticle&cid=116&pk=11440

 

A U.S. House Subcommittee on September 23 approved legislation requiring Federal agencies to develop, update, and implement strategic plans for cybersecurity R&D. The Cybersecurity R&D Amendment Act of 2009 calls for agency’s cybersecurity role and the level of funding required to fulfill the research objectives. NSF will be required to support research on the social and behavioral aspects of cybersecurity.

 

The National Nuclear Security Administration took nine years and spent $150 million to develop a project to improve cybersecurity. On September 21, the Energy Department Inspector General said it failed.

 

The Internal Revenue Service had a good idea for a project called “MY IRS Account” to provide online access to tax records and to help taxpayers with tax preparation. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration reported that the IRS spent $10 million to develop the project – only to kill it near the completion date because it was never properly planned.

 

The automaker is asking the state of California for $2 million in taxpayer reimbursement for recent training of TOYOTA autoworkers in their plant that is planned to close in 2010. “We made them more skilled workers,” TOYOTA says. “There is not another automaker in California equipped to use those skills when the plant closes.”

 

 “The PC industry is set to come out of the most damaging recession in decades. Chip shipments are stabilizing as PC shipments start to rise. The recovery has already started and the best is yet to come,” said Paul Otellini, Intel’s CEO. “The PC industry has been more resilient than expected, and the trend should continue going ahead.”

  

Here on earth:

 

And up there:

 

How would you like to have a street address like this:

 

This Ain’t It Road – Alexander City, Alabama

Where O Where Drive – Nantucket, Massachusetts

Skunks Misery Road – Oyster Bay, New York

Oh My God Road – Central City, Colorado

Psycho Path Road – Traverse City, Michigan

Bimbo Drive – Fayetteville, North Carolina

 

If a statue in a park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle.  If the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.

 

No one knows which state was the 39^th to be admitted into the Union. North and South Dakota were admitted the same day.  President Harrison never revealed which of the two proclamations he signed first.