A federal judge on Tuesday ordered former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich not to tweet in court during his corruption trial. 

The flamboyant Blagojevich (D) — who was removed from office last year — had planned to live-tweet his trial under the handle @governorrod, which was created earlier this month.

The Chicago Tribune reported:

With opening statements set to begin in a few minutes, Judge Zagel has issued a ruling sure to make cyberspace all a-twitter. Or not.

Zagel just banned Blagojevich from tweeting from the courtroom. 

[snip]

The ex-governor will be allowed to continue speaking with the media and appearing on radio programs — at his own peril. 

Zagel told Blagojevich that his sound bites, quips and "repeated public statements" to the cameras could be used against him if he testifies during the trial.

"I'm quite sure it has been explained by his attorneys," Zagel said. 

Within about 24 hours of making his announcement, his Twitter follower count jumped from around 240 to more than 1,600. But he has only posted one tweet since Monday and it is almost certain he won't be able to go through with his current plan. 

Blagojevich was removed from office in 2009 after being arrested for federal corruption charges that included an alleged attempt to sell the Senate seat of now-President Barack Obama. He is barred from holding political office in the state again. 

Since being removed, Blagojevich has stayed in the spotlight, appearing on NBC's reality show "Celebrity Apprentice." He has always maintained his innocence, and his Twitter biography reflects that. It reads "Former governor of Illinois, host of talk radio program WLS and innocent of all charges. Follow my campaign to clear my name."

Cross-posted from the Twitter Room 

The Department of Veterans Affairs announced an $80 million competition Monday that asks the private sector to address some of the department's biggest challenges.

Secretary Eric Shinseki said the competition, part of the VA's department-wide Innovation Initiative (VAi2), will attempt to encourage advancements in areas as diverse as housing technology for homeless veterans, telehealth solutions for veterans needing home care, and new technologies to prevent renal disease.

"At VA, we are continually looking for new ways to improve the care and services we deliver," said Shinseki. "Engaging the private sector to tap its expertise and find ways to leverage private-sector innovations, we can improve the quality, access and transparency in service to our Nation's Veterans."

Renal disease is a particular challenge for the department, which provides dialysis to over 10,000 veterans every year. VA hopes new dialysis technologies can extend and improve the quality of life for those patients suffering chronic kidney failure.

A reauthorization bill aimed at boosting U.S. competitiveness in science faces tough prospects in the Senate but could be cleared before the August recess, the chairman of the House Science Committee said on Tuesday. 

In a speech at the Brookings Institution, Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.) said he is lobbying Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to prioritize the America Competes Act, which would provide $85.6 billion over five years for science research and education.

"I'm going to be groveling with him to get this passed," he said, describing his push to renew the funding as a "call to action" to keep the nation competitive. "It's going to be difficult but it's important that we get funding in the fall."
Read more...

The U.S. Army is testing the efficacy of giving soldiers access to smartphone applications to help them accomplish their mission.

The Army's Connecting Soldiers to Digital Applications program has established pilots within several Army units, where soldiers will be given access to iPhones, Droids, Palm Treos and other smartphones. Through the phones they will have access to information, interactive maps, training materials and other applications to help them better perform their duties.

The aim of the program is to establish best practices for providing personnel with the latest technologies while also educating soldiers on using technology, according to an Army document outlining the program provided to InformationWeek.

Among the units participating are the Evaluation Task Force, 5th Brigade, and the 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss, Texas. Soldiers were given 200 phones to test field applications that could perform a variety of tasks, including determining whether an individual is hostile or friendly during battle.

The U.S. Army is seeking to create a massive virtual world for training soldiers that would resemble popular multiplayer online games like World of Warcraft, according to a solicitation issued by the service's contracting command.

The solicitation, dated June 2, is a request for information from industry experts on building a cloud-based virtual world that allows up to 10,000 users to log on simultaneously. The system would also require a highly customizable 50-square-meter terrain with a dynamic environment that makes use of sophisticated artifical intelligence technology.

The request was first reported by Nextgov's Bob Brewin, who writes that the world would likely only be accessible to Army personnel and would replicate operations in areas such as Kandahar, Afghanistan, where the Army is engaged in both peacekeeping and traditional military operations.

Responses are due to the Army Research, Development and Engineering Command's Simulation and Technology Training Center by June 23rd.

The social media website Twitter is hiring its first Beltway employee. Retweet!

According to a posting on the company's website, Twitter is looking for a government liaison to serve as its point of contact in Washington, D.C. The new employee will serve as "the closest point of contact with a variety of important people and organizations looking to get the most out of Twitter on both strategic and highly tactical levels."

"You'll support policymakers use of Twitter to help them communicate and interact with their constituents and the world," the job listing says. "You'll help set the culture and approach of a fledgling public policy department and be an important part of our very small company."

Responsibilities include supporting government use of Twitter and increasing its use for politics. The ideal candidate will have at least three years of experience in government or politics, the standard Beltway communications skillset and "fluency in technology, passion about sharing information."

Apply online here.

Increasing consumers' access to medical information is crucial to improving patient health and preventing dangerous drug interactions, a panel of health experts said Tuesday.

Patients with access to their own records and outside sources of medical information feel empowered to challenge their doctors on the best treatment, according to speakers at a Disruptive Women in Health Care panel on "User-Generated Healthcare” in Washington.

Dr. Marlene Beggelman, founder of Enhanced Medical Decisions, which creates datamining software for electronic medical records, said one of the biggest problems in healthcare is the high cost of tracking whether treatments work.

"It's too expensive to do studies to monitor outcomes if you have to do it manually by reading medical files," Beggelman said. Even after research is complete and particular treatment has been proven ineffective, she said it can take over 10 years for that information to make it into doctors’ offices.

Good morning!

The debut of the new iPhone Monday continues to grab headlines despite the fact that Apple CEO Steve Jobs offered “no bombshells” in his presentation, reports the WSJ. The papers came down with positive if not awe-struck reviews of the new device. The phone is “thinner, faster, prettier” than its predecessor, says USA Today.

“It could propel video telephony into the mainstream,” says the LA Times. For more reviews, John Hudson at the AtlanticWire has a rundown of “what gadget geeks are most excited about.” In short, they like that the phone is super-thin, it runs Bing, the display screen is incredible, it runs video chat, and the camera, chip, and battery are overhauled.

What are you following the most today? E-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

New York City wants to bring on an official to tweet, play FourSquare and use Facebook to make city government more transparent and connected with the public. Mayor Michael Bloomberg tweeted yesterday that the city is looking for a "chief digital officer." 

The new hire will to help "develop forward-thinking policies on social media, digital communications, web 2.0 initiatives and other tools to better serve the public," according to the job description. Master's degree or equivalent experience required. Who do you think fits the bill?