NASA IT Summit Day 1

Another waste of taxpayer funds by an agency that has no direction. Only self absorbed navel gazing while hoping that no one notices that it is not space exploration or aeronautical research.

Time to pull the plug.

This is a momentous occasion.
Truly a look into the future of all human kind.
I wish I could be there.

Hey Keith, looks like you can't lament that they aren't offering a live webcast of this event. What will you complain about now??

I was able to follow most of it before midday via the live web streaming. Very interesting and very important messages from the speakers this morning. With the trends now well along NASA public affairs needs to be thinking about serious changes to the way they organize and distribute information.

Its very disturbing if the appropriate people were not there.

Interesting.

Here is a highly personal take on what is wrong with this summit.

I am not there. I am willing to bet that some people I knew at Goddard who demonstrated over the years awful leadership ability are there. I am willing to bet that some current aerospace industry leaders that I know through AIAA are there. I am willing to bet that people who know of my abilities and character are there.

Here is a bit about me and why I think I should be there. I am a polymath who has done grad work in physics and social psychology. My visual art draws attention at things like Artomatic. I made a career out of IT in a variety of places. As a volunteer in New Jersey I organized successful New Jersey Spacedays that drew 2000-3000 people.

I worked at Goddard from 1990 until I was fired by management that, in the view of some lawyers that I now know, committed acts that were, at best, harmful, at worst, illegal, against staff.

My efforts to address needed changes at NASA began in earnest in 2004 after giving an extremely critical talk of NASA at a Mensa convention post Columbia gained strong, positive attention.

I joined AIAA. I was soon leading Team Maryland for political activities. My section (Baltimore, now Mid Atlantic) received awards for our work based upon my leadership. Interestingly enough, AIAA has now fired me from that volunteer position because of my criticism of the status quo.

In 2006 I showed up at a meeting of the Governor's Workforce Investment Board Aerospace Initiative here in Maryland. I sat in on the industry collaboration meeting. At the end of that meeting I was unanimously selected as chair of that committee. Over the next several months my team put together a plan for a Maryland Aerospace Association. Quite a few people liked my leadership. The same cannot be said of the overall leadership. What was industry's response? Abolish my committee.

People outside aerospace praise my intelligence, my openness, friendliness, general character. I think some inside aerospace do as well.

In June I attended and made contributions toward DC Digital Week. People there seemed to respond positively to what I did.

So why am I not at this summit? Why am I not being paid to help lead NASA and/or aerospace into a healthier future?

Keith, I will apologize to you for putting this onto your website. Still, though, reading about this summit finally ticked me off.

You are obviously not qualified for leadership in NASA or NASA contractors if you have demonstrated competence in leadership and communications to the outside world. NASA leaders today are to have no role in AIAA or other civic groups. And since you dare to speak out negatively about the agency or its people on a blog like this, you should not count on future involvement or support.

Perhaps you should find your "real" passion and work on behalf of that industry.