FBI Delays Computer-System Contract 112
Carl Bialik from the WSJ writes "The FBI postponed until 2006 the awarding of a huge computer-overhaul contract, gun-shy after a $170 million failed first effort, the Wall Street Journal reports: 'Much is riding on the project's success. Congress and other overseers pilloried the FBI for its reliance on paper records, forms and file cabinets. The FBI only last year completed the rollout of the Internet to its agents and analysts. And even though the bureau installed a computerized case-management system in the mid-1990s, it relied largely on aging, less-agile technology to do so. And it did little to eliminate the department's notorious number of paper forms -- currently numbering more than 1,000.'"
remember (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:remember (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Canada's Pork can beat that easily (Score:2)
Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:5, Insightful)
They are the numero-uno agency in charge kidnapping cases, and are very very good at it.
Besides, without them criminals could play hopscotch and avoid effecting law enforcement by skipping across state lines.
Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:1)
Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:2)
Your point of attack should be the commerce clause. Not the necessary and proper clause. However, once the commerce clause grants legitimacy, the NP clause actually *expands* congressional power. (i.e. NP is expansive, not restrictive)
Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:1)
Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:2)
He foreshadowed this in United States v Fischer: ''The government is to pay the debt of the Union, and must be authorized to use the means which appear to itself most eligible to effect that objec
Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:2)
Do you even know what McCullock v. Maryland was about? It was about a State attempting to tax a Federal institution. Marshall was greatly concerned that if a State might trump the Feds, the Supremacy Clause could be in danger. Of COURSE a Federal judge would worry about that. Also, in MvM the Federal institution at hand was the Central Bank -- the worse institution ever created. It is, at heart, one of the primary cause
That isn't treason (Score:2)
You can blame the Supreme Court in the past 100 years for much of the damage done to the Constitution. I really don't understand, if treason is punishable by death, and violating the oath to uphold the Constitution is treason, why haven't we had more hangings in Washington these past 100 years?
Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:5, Interesting)
The FBI is only as good as its director (Score:1)
Re:The FBI is only as good as its director (Score:1)
Re:Bwahahahaha! (Score:2)
I don't believe the country will fall into massive crime. People, in general, follow the law (even criminals!). Skipping from town to town committing crimes is a very expensive venture, one that petty thieves generally don't do. Being a full-time
Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:2, Offtopic)
For a country that preaches Freedom, you guys sure are well controlled.
Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:2, Funny)
Yes, there is a covert agency who get jiggy with it whilst protecting the earth from the scum of the universe.
Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:2)
Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:2)
Dude, Federalism WON over state's rights in the civil war. A single overriding authority can supercede that of a sovereign sub authority.
Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:2)
People who say Federalism lost in the civil war claim that the state and local governments now have no power; that the Federal government controls all. This is, of course false, but Federalism == State's Rights.
Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:2)
The recent battles over the supreme court are a symptom of this: It wouldn't matter who sat on the court if they weren't a place to establish national policy.
Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:1, Interesting)
For a country that preaches Freedom, you guys sure are well controlled.
I have to agree. As a citizen of ROTW (Rest Of The World), the 8 months I lived in the USA was an amazing experience.
I had people tell me that you have the Right to Bear Arms so you can rise up and shoot your politicians, which I applaud, yet everyone who's tried gets arrested or assassinated.
Just after the walls stopped shaking from a flight of F14s passing
Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:2)
For the past 10 years I've fought to keep my freedom, but as things get worse (and they are) we've been traveling more looking for more freedom. I found i
Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:2)
I too smile all the time, and indeed, my friend in San Diego does the same, yep, she smiles all the time too. She moved to San Diego cause most of the people there smile all the time. Its quite a lot like Tempe, AZ as well. We're a happy bunch in the southwest.
Might add I'm from VT where they are also a happy bunch. I guess you make your environment what you want it to be.Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:2)
Wow! I live in the US, and I have never see it that bad. I know the neighborhoods you speak of though. In several cases they are telling you something that just isn't true. (sadly not all, some places do have rules about what color you paint your door - I refuse to live in them, as does most of the US. Most people who live in such areas don't care, but there is always one, and the rest are just guilty of ignoring them)
The US is a large country. California is not representative of the rest of the c
Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:2)
Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:2)
Please tell me that you were joking. I have never met an American who is as ignorant about foreign cultures as you are about the American culture. And that includes the women who yelled in a Foreign restaurant "I'm stick of this country with all the black people who don't speak English." (Not exactly those words, but that was the tone - English was not the native language of that island)
London is a part of the UK. Either you recognize that there are different cultures in the US just like there are i
Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:2)
Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:2)
Americans in general are happy with their own version. What you describe are cultural in nature not politcal. It isn't our brand of freedom from a government structure, it is who we are as a society. I wouldn't expect other countries to be the same,
Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:2)
Well the constitution doesn't really allow for a standing army.
Section. 8
Clause 10: To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offences against the Law of Nations;
Clause 11: To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;
Clause 12: To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;
Clause 13: To provide and maintain a Navy;
Clause 14: To make Rules
Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:2)
Looking at clause 12 and 15 there is a distinction made between the Army and militia. I think this is where the National Guard (state militias) fall in.
An army may be funded, but only for 2 years at a time.
Funded does not mean maintained. Essentially what is called upon is for Congress to review the need for an army every two years. The appropriations for supporting the military must be renewed every 2 ye
Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:2)
MiB was a crack at Men in Black, another Acronym to go with the others (this one isn't apparently real)...
the IRS was mentioned because it all seems so closed doors. Yes, they take your taxes, which seems fair as a citizen of said country. But, what is really happening there? why are they making decision that may affect you? who makes these decisions? etc. from my perspective, this is the appearance. As an American, you may hav
Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:2)
Thank you! That just became my current favorite quote on Slashdot!
Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:2)
Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:2)
While you are at it, why don't you Americans just give up on being a country? Be sure to let the rest of us know, so we can send out extra ambassadors, etc.
My favorite (Score:3, Insightful)
"Stranger, obey our laws. We have both swords and shovels and doubt anyone would miss you."
Frankly, I think that's how we ought to handle crimnals that move about. I do see a need for Federal agents for things like Immigration. Instead of disbanding the FBI completely, let's just transfer the funding and field agents to "La Migra" & the Customs Service. That ought to give us a nice handle in controlling illegal immigrati
Re:My favorite (Score:2)
What about all the home grown terrorists? Do you expect state police to follow them around?
Re:My favorite (Score:2)
Were the soldiers in the War for Independence terrorists?
Re:My favorite (Score:2)
The only domestic US terrorist I can think of who was capable of really comprehending a national constitution beyond the level of rehashed slogans was the unabomber. He didn't seem to have any problem with the existance of the FBI.
Re:My favorite (Score:3, Interesting)
"Stranger, obey our laws. We have both swords and shovels and doubt anyone would miss you."
Frankly, I think that's how we ought to handle crimnals that move about.
You already have the death penalty. What more do you want? That sign sounds more like a call for vigilantism, if something bad happens while you're in town we're going to blame it on you and string you up in nearest tree. Who's going to complain?
Kjella
Re:My favorite (Score:2)
Not sure where you are, Kjella, but this is Texas. Yes, we have the death penalty here. If you kill someone, we kill you back. Since they want to disband the "national police", why shouldn't the state, county, and local police take over? Yes, we have a state police force here in Texas. It's one of the most well-known and feared law enforcement organizations in the world - The Texas Rangers [state.tx.us]. While they may be a big bunch of over-weight bubbas with dinner-plate belt buckles, I would seriously consider *n
Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:4, Informative)
"To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes;"
"To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the union, suppress insurrections and repel invasions;"
"To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof."
The FBI is an extenstion (specifically the enforcement arm) of the Department of Justice. It is needed for interstate legal issues, that are unable to be covered by individual states (eg wire fraud).
What is the solution for "policing" interstate offense? Primarily it should be left to the individual cities. Offer private security companies to create a secondary network to allow police stations to communicate. The systems are there.
The Constitution specifically addresses interstate issues by placing them under the jurisdiction of the Federal government. You can't just assign them to individual states or municipalities
The great thing about dumping the FBI's powers into the local level is that every citizen can monitor what their government is spending and doing. The FBI hides behind official securities regulations, and the FOIA doesn't help
Because trying to coordinate things would be a disaster. Try running a kidnapping or mail fraud investigation across several states, where each state has to provide resources for the investigation pertaining to their particular state. So instead of one group freely travelling across state lines investigating the issue, you're trying to coordinate multiple groups all with limited knowledge of the evidence.
Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:2, Insightful)
Congress sets treaties here, not laws to be enforced by the military.
To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the union, suppress insurrections and repel invasions;"
The militia run by each independent state. The laws of the union: counterfeit, treason, and piracy. Also for defending against offense ON OUR SOIL. This clause reminds me how unconstitutional our military is, on top of
Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:2)
Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:2)
Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:2)
"To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the militia, and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the United States"
Also for defending against offense ON OUR SOIL. This clause reminds me how unconstitutional our military is, on top of the FBI.
It does not specify "on our soil", it gives authority to "execute the laws of the union, suppress insurrections and repel invasions," without instructi
Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:2)
No, it wasn't. The rights that the Amendments cover are protected by the Amendments, but they've always been there. They added the Bill of Rights in fear that down the road the central government would trample them. Guess what? Every right protected in the Bill of Rights has been destroyed already. They are basic human rights that no government can take away.
In 200 years, not ONE new technology or idealogy has surfaced that the Constitution d
Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:2)
Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:2)
Steamboats. [oyez.org] If things were clearer, the commerce clause would only cover interstate tariffs, not all the other stuff now extrapolated. Wiretaps [oyez.org]. If things were clearer, wiretaps might actually have been judged to be prohibited by the 4th.
You can't possibly claim that the constitution clearly covered all eventualities without being subject to some debate over its intent or ex
Re:The cheapest solution is readily available! (Score:1, Interesting)
There is
Efficient computers for the FBI? (Score:3, Funny)
huh? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:huh? (Score:5, Informative)
http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/sep05/1455 [ieee.org]
It is an interesting and sad story.
Re:huh? (Score:3, Insightful)
According the article, the FBI let its system stagnate and then tried to catch up all at once. The problem with this approach is that the legacy system continues to stagnate while the new one is under development. If there were any deficiencies in the new system or the new system fails altogether, the FBI is still stuck with the old system.
One lesson is, don't let your system stagnate. It must be in a state of continual and regular upgrade. The side effect of this approach might be the main benefit: you wi
Classic project failure (Score:3, Interesting)
Reads like a classic project failure, with the classic failed project start: It was managed by someone who created "their own" database. i.e. A manager who thinks he knows better than the experts being hired, who overrides their estimates and recommendations, and who blows off any technical issues they raise because he "did it himself" in less time with an underpowered single-user tool.
I've worked on three similar projects -- only one succeeded. The one success was because the manager in question got y
Just what we need... a uber database for FBI (Score:4, Insightful)
We don't need to have every database cross checked. All we need is one FBI database for the dangerous criminals, the murderers and corporate criminals. Before long, states will check other states databases for minor criminal offenses. I'll give one example- try getting a job as a realtor. Arkansas will check their database to see if anyone is behind on payments for state guarenteed loans (like school loans). If you are, Arkansas will not give you a license. Oklahoma has the same law. What will happen the way the system is now, is the guy from Arkansas will move to Oklahoma and get a job there. By having every state cross check every other state, people will not be allowed to start over. Maybe Joe Sixpack went to State U, ran himself into $40,000 in debt, and feels he can never overcome such a large amount of debt.
Or what about minor crimes? What if someone at the age of 20 decided to join the Alabama KKK? That person never broke a crime, just went to protests and meetings. At age 24 the person quits, and two years later moves to New York. Should New York know about his prior membership because of some anti-terrorism database? I know what everyone is thinking, the KKK is bad, so screw that person. I'll give a counter example, same facts as above, but instead of KKK the person is a member of PETA where his cohorts raid a university research center and free test animals.
Are we still a free nation, or a nation where everyone has a history stored in a database?
What is going to happen is some start-up in Cali will offer a service, checking a person through every state and FBI database. Once that becomes profitable, forget about ever trying to get a job for more than minimum wage if you have a blemish on your record. It will be the same thing employers are doing with checking credit reports before hiring workers.
We need less databases, and more privacy laws.
Re:Just what we need... a uber database for FBI (Score:2)
What... does... that... mean?
Re:Just what we need... a uber database for FBI (Score:1)
Well here in Europe, the European Council (or Commission, not that sure but doesn't really matter) are going towards exactly the opposite: more databases, and privacy laws are getting undermined
(thanks, Blair, Balkenende et al. we do appreciate your concerns for the public. Thanks, but no thanks.)
Already happening: Meet Charles "Roscoe" Heaton. (Score:2)
What is going to happen is some start-up in Cali will offer a service, checking a person through every state and FBI database. Once that becomes profitable, forget about ever trying to get a job for more than minimum wage if you have a blemish on your record.
Dude, you're describing the situation as it existed circa 1990, or even 1980. But it's 2005 now [almost 2006 - yikes!], and everything you've foreseen has come to pass.
Compare the story of Mr. Charles "Roscoe" Heaton:
Re:huh? (Score:1)
Here's a short summary [computerworld.com] without the depth of the IEEE article.
Efficiency (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Efficiency (Score:2)
Conspiracykiller (Score:4, Funny)
These kind of screwups are very effective conspiracykillers...
Re:Conspiracykiller (Score:3, Funny)
</tinfoilhat>
Re:Conspiracykiller (Score:1)
You're absolutely right. So many files... so little time...
I hope that the fact of this inefficiency appeases your conscience. Of course, anyone who can appease a man's conscience can take his freedom away from him, but we wouldn't do that, now would we? * puts out cigarette and walks into the shadows *
http://xfphotos.fredfarm.com/season1/pilot/pilot22 0.jpg [fredfarm.com]
When I watched "The Lone Gunmen" ... (Score:2)
"When I watched the Lone Gunman Pilot I thought
- Condaleeza Rice
It's amazing (Score:5, Interesting)
Jerry
http://www.cyvin.org/ [cyvin.org]
They're waiting to give the bid to Microsoft. (Score:4, Interesting)
Replacing paper is not the solution (Score:5, Insightful)
In other words, if your system is simply too complex to manage then you may have a problem right there. Throwing computer power at it to better keep track is no alternative to thinking up a better system, it is just a good tool for making it more efficient.
Of course using a more efficient system opens up new possibilities, thats not the point, but no number of computers is going to reduce 1000 forms to a more managable number by itself.
Re:Replacing paper is not the solution (Score:2)
At the most basic level, they have 43 driver representatives sitting in a room with a view of the track. They write down time off a big clock when their car crosses the line. This is level 1. All it requires is power for the clock.
Also on the desk is a button. They press it when their car crosses the line. Level 2. Requires the computer to work.
In each car there is a small radio transponder, and when they cross an antenna on the start / finish line, a eve
Re:Replacing paper is not the solution (Score:1)
Re:Replacing paper is not the solution (Score:3, Insightful)
This is called Process Design.
Often in companies and big organisations, the Process Managers or
Process Designers are people not working in these processes once they
are in place. They just sit there, dreaming up nice theories about how things
could be more efficient or measurable - KPIs, "You can't manage what you can't
measure" and other bullshit is what you hear from them.
After that, a software is build to fit their strange requirements. Sooner or
later, this software meets reality, i.e. real users
After seeing how NCIC works, I can believe this (Score:2)
Re:After seeing how NCIC works, I can believe this (Score:2)
I was using hyperbole for humor. My main beef is with the lack of a machine interface so that records can be accessed without having to parse responses intended for humans.
I wonder.. (Score:1)
Were they aware of this marvelous piece of technology called the telephone? I don't think they cost much, either.
Who ya gonna call? (Score:2, Insightful)
"FBI switchboard operator."
"Yes, hello, I need to talk to someone in counterterrorism...?"
"One moment, I'll connect you." *BEEP BOOP BOOP*
"Counterterrorism task force, this is agent Smith, how may I help you?"
"Yeah, this is Mark Chambers with the INS. I'm calling about this guy, Mohammed Atta. He's applied for a visa for flight school, but he keeps raving about jihad and the Great Satan. You know anything about this guy?"
"Maybe. I'll have to look through some files. If yo
Re:Who ya gonna call? (Score:2)
Re:I wonder.. (Score:2)
Security vs. Complexity (Score:3, Insightful)
This is a big complicated system" because of the variety of issues the FBI investigates...
High complexity and the need for utmost security is the ideal combination for monumental failure, IMO. The problem with security is not the lack of adequate secure technology. Current techniques do work, otherwise our electronic commerce would have collapsed already. The problem is that hackers and ennemy spies will try to find ways of getting around the security barriers by exploiting defects in the underlying software. Since the number of defects in a software system is proportional to its complexity, there is no doubt that the system's security will be compromised at one time or another. It makes no difference who develops it.
A network's security is thus intimately tied to the reliability and robustness of the network's software. Security companies have no way of guaranteeing that the various software modules used in their systems are defect-free. This uncertainty is the Achilles' heel of the security industry. The solution is to move away from algorithmic software and adopt a non-algorithmic, signal-based, synchronous software model.
Re:Security vs. Complexity (Score:2)
Since the number of defec
Rapid Development ... (Score:2)
Maybe they should contract 4-5 firms to do a rapid development prototype. Than award the contract to the team that makes the best progress.
Geez, isn't that how the military does things??? Except they typically pay $50-$1000 million for each prototype.
Rather than waste
No more X-Files (Score:2, Funny)
The U-Files just isn't as catchy.
Northrop Grumman (Score:1, Interesting)