Vol. XLX No.

1 July-August 2009

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR

I'm honored to serve as the new
Chair of DC ACM. William has led
the chapter's revival very well over
the last two years. After this initial
growth and expansion, the next
stage (as every 4-X game player
knows) is to build up what's
grown, both to maintain what has
been grown into and to support
future expansion. The stages of growth and beefing-up
the growth alternate.
IN THIS ISSUE
¾ Message from the DC ACM Chair and list
of new DC ACM officers (Page 1)
¾ Upcoming Event: Happy Hour (Page 2)
¾ Quick Updates (Page 2)
¾ Event Photos: Lifegraphs (Page 3)
¾ DC ACM Joins Facebook, Twitter, and
LinkedIn! (Page 3)
¾ Commentary: Identification Technology
(Page 4)
¾ DC ACM Calendar at a Glance (Page 5)
¾ Sponsorship Opportunities (Page 5)

Since a year ago, a few new people have joined In closing, here's a haiku I wrote shortly after I
the core of the chapter. I particularly welcome was elected Chair of your chapter:
the new officers: Sean Stickle, who succeeds
me as Secretary, and Mackenzie Morgan, who My mission as chair:
succeeds Rebecca Prather as Member at Large. Increase participation
Even with their involvement, the major In running the group.
committees continue to draw upon the same
core group of people.
DC ACM Officers
I would like to see more people join the major July 2009 – June 2010
committees and help with the chapter's internal
growth. CHAIR Benjamin Schultz

I invite all chapter members to sit in on VICE CHAIR Kent Miller

Executive Council meetings, hear the reports of TREASURER Teresa Hone
the committee chairs, and help out where you
have an interest. I encourage discussion of SECRETARY Sean Stickle
computing topics on the members' forum at the MEMBER AT LARGE Mackenzie Morgan
chapter web site, as well as Facebook. I also
encourage people to attend our summer happy
hours, and our monthly lecture series which Standing Committee Chair Appointments
starts again in the fall.
PROGRAMS William Fielder
There are plenty of opportunities to take a role MEMBERSHIP Isaac Christoffersen
in DC ACM. To paraphrase William in last
September's CompuTopics, now is a good time COMMUNICATIONS Cora Dickson
for volunteers to step up and strengthen our PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
path to the future.
Eric Noriega

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UPCOMING EVENT Historical Committee Meetings

DC ACM Happy Hour
Tuesday, July 7th, 5-7pm
Fado Irish Pub
808 7th Street NW (near the
intersection of H & 7th)
Metro: Gallery Place/Chinatown
(red, yellow, and green lines)
As you may be aware, lectures and business
meetings over the past year have (mostly) been
followed by drinks and socializing at various locations.
This summer, we're skipping straight to the booze and
camaraderie, and encourage all of our chapter
members to come out and meet each other in a
relaxed and informal atmosphere. Non-members can
also attend. Feel free to bring a friend!
Space will be set aside for our group so please come
in and look for the "DC ACM" signs.
NOTE: Alas, you'll have to pay for your own drinks
and food.
Efforts are still underway to sort the vast quantities of
paper records and other DC ACM property that has
been collected from various former members. It’s not
too late to join the committee. All helping hands are
welcome and you might find something interesting in
the piles of paper! Please see below for information
on the times and locations of the upcoming meetings.
Contact Isaac Christoffersen (historical@dcacm.org) if
you have any questions or would like to let him know
that you plan to attend.
Date: Saturday, July 18, 2009
Time: 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Location: City of Fairfax Regional Library
Meeting Room A
Date: Saturday, July 25, 2009
Time: 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Location: Oakton Library
Meeting Room 1
Professional Development Committee

It’s time to start planning the Fall 2009 PD Seminars.

QUICK UPDATES The DC ACM has been providing this service to the
local computing community since 1968, except for a
Finances few years on hiatus when the chapter was dormant.

Balance Sheet as of July 7, 2009 New volunteers are always welcome. If you want to
Checking Account $6,354.00 join the PD Committee, now is the perfect time –
Money Market (Savings) $4,664.22 learn how the sausage making machine works! The
Certificates of Deposit $10,273.70 PDC will decide what subjects to offer, make
arrangements with instructors, publicize the seminars,
$10,332.90
assist with the registration process, and handle the
$20,661.32 logistics of the seminars.
Other Assets $688.99
Total Liabilities $0 Next PDC meeting:
NET WORTH $52,975.13 Tuesday, July 21, 2009
7 p.m.
Seeking an Auditor to Review FY08-09
Records Location: George Washington University
School of Engineering and Applied Science Computing
Facility
The DC ACM Bylaws require that the financial records
Tompkins Hall 1st floor Conference Room
be reviewed annually to check for errors or other
725 23rd St. NW (Between G & H Streets),
irregularities. The auditor should be someone who
Washington, DC
was not on the Executive Council that year, If you are
interested in performing this task, please contact
Nearest Metro: The building is 1½ blocks south of
Teresa Hone at treasurer@dcacm.org.
the Foggy Bottom-GWU metro (orange and blue
lines). Street parking and GWU garage parking is also
available.
Membership
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact
As of June 20, 2009, the DC ACM had 139 registered PDC Chair Eric Noriega at pd@dcacm.org.
members. This total number includes 72 Members
and 67 Associate Members.

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PAST EVENTS

"Lifegraphs for Mobile Mirror Worlds: Linking Supply, Value, and Customer Chains"
June 10, 2009

At right:

Kim Wallace,
DC-SIGGRAPH Chair

Below:

William Glascoe (left)

Dr. Nicholas Polys (right)

Did You Know…?

The DC ACM website's "Archives" tab has

a lot of resources from the past two
years:
DC ACM is now on Facebook, Twitter, and • Events in 2007-2009: Often including
LinkedIn! presentation materials
• Photos
DC ACM is expanding its web presence. You can always • Videos
find the latest information and all the resources on the • Meeting Minutes
main website, http://www.dcacm.org. However, we • CompuTopics Sept. 2008 to present
recognize that there are many popular tools for social
networking that could make it easier for you to stay in touch with what's happening with the Chapter and/or
communicate with other members. Please try out one of our new online groups below.

• If you are already on Facebook, please take a moment to add yourself to the new DC ACM group.

• If you want to follow chapter activities on Twitter, go to http://twitter.com/dcacm

• To add DC ACM to your LinkedIn, go to this link.

As we experiment with these "new" forms of communication please don't hesitate to send any feedback or
suggestions for improvement to Sean Stickle (secretary@dcacm.org) or Cora Dickson (communications@dcacm.org).

3
 OPINION date, 40-60% of federal employees have not received
their new identification cards as required by HSPD-12.
Who Goes There?
Identification Technology at the Center of it All
Current technology relies on three “factors” of access
By Ryan Dellolio, ryan@gwu.edu
control: something you know (password, date of
birth, SSN), something you have (passport, key) or
In her contribution to the 9/11 commission report,
something you are (biometrics/fingerprint, iris). No
Janis Kephardt addressed an ailing nation and a
single policy or combination of factors can be applied
changed world: “Sources of identification are the last
to all people at all times. A centralized framework –
opportunity to ensure that people are who they say
a U.S. “Identification System Security Policy” – should
they are and to check whether they are terrorists.
take on the following properties:
For terrorists, travel documents are as important as
weapons.” Deficiencies in U.S. identity management
1. Privacy must be addressed, and data must be
create security vulnerabilities that potentially affect
properly controlled in all data flows from data
livelihood, information and productivity. The time has
collection, all the way to data warehousing.
come for a centralized information technology schema
2. The framework must be flexible enough to
for both intra-national and extra-national affairs that
withstand new technologies and new vulnerabilities.
is verifiably secure and technically sound.
It has been demonstrated that information on RFID
enabled passports can be gathered covertly and
Today’s decentralized, inconsistent and delayed
inexpensively – any framework must take this
adoption of stringent identification technology
changing nature of information systems security
standards by a patchwork of government agencies
into account.
and federal directives poses a security threat to the
3. Any attempt at a centralized framework must be
United States.
rooted in domestic needs, with an international
reach. International understanding and
Identification technology is directly aligned with U.S.
cooperation will ensure interoperability and the
national security goals and leverages critical U.S.
overall mitigation of risk.
defenses as the first line of protection against
4. The risk of falsely identifying someone changes
domestic and international threats. Access control
with the sensitivity of the resource he or she is
and positive identity verification at border crossings,
trying to access, and as well a person’s individual
government buildings and government information
threat level is equally dynamic. The identification
technology gateways form the backbone of domestic
requirements in any given situation must also
and intra-national fortification, and for good reason.
dynamic: and they must be hierarchal and role
Without effective methods of authenticating civilians
based, following a full scale cooperative inter-
and government personnel – regardless of citizenship
agency identification risk analysis to achieve this
– the U.S. is at risk of sabotage and espionage, and
goal, something that has not been done to date.
thus responsibility for fail-safe implementation falls
jointly under Department of Defense, the State
The science and technology that is used to positively
Department, the Department of Commerce, the White
identify individuals through cards, chips, fingerprints,
House, and Congress.
irises and facial recognizance is approached with
caution by laymen and industry experts who point out
Unfortunately, current United States policy regarding
problems with such biological means of identification.
identification technology has been inconsistent in
But is the identification of a person through
application and scope. The Western Hemisphere
biometrics a “biologically invasive” unjust mishandling
Travel Initiative, a State Department initiative, strives
of privacy and power? With the right security policies
to increase the efficiency, ease and security at border
and the aforementioned considerations, it doesn’t
crossings between the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the
have to be. Access control is the sine qua non of any
Caribbean. Identification procedures sometimes
successful enterprise of the twenty-first century, and
require fingerprints, sometimes require iris scans, and
the United States is no exception.
sometimes require neither a biometric nor even a
secure (i.e. “RFID Enabled”) document. The REAL ID
The Obama Administration and lawmakers in
Act of 2005 partially standardizes the PIV process for
Congress should consider the opportunity for
driver licenses. Biometric data collection in that
identification reform as a sobering and realistic policy
program is not mandatory; controversy, on the other
option in light of the careless, insecure policies that
hand, seems to be.
exist as remnants of administrations passed – less
objective and surely less connected. Identity
Not to be forgotten is the GSA’s US ACCESS
verification should no longer be a security bottleneck
identification initiative – the enforcement and
in the United States; the ever-present hazards to U.S.
implementing arm of President Bush’s Homeland
national security certify the impetus for proper
Security Presidential Directive 12 – a well meaning
legislation and timely, ubiquitous policy. There’s
but ill-devised plan to establish a “common identity
more to answering the question: Who goes there?
management infrastructure.” Those mandatory
than meets the eye.
regulations were signed on August 24, 2004, and, to

4
 DC ACM CALENDAR AT A GLANCE
July 7 Happy Hour
July 18 & 25 Historical Committee Meetings
July 21 Professional Development Committee Meeting
July 27 & Aug 24 Executive Council Meetings (open to all members)

Sponsorship Opportunities DC ACM Executive Council

Click on the name to email.
Your company’s logo could be here!
Chair Benjamin Schultz
Renewable Annual DC ACM Sponsorships Vice Chair Kent Miller
Bronze: $500 Treasurer Teresa Hone
Silver: $1,000
Secretary Sean Stickle
Gold: $5,000 (one per year)
All sponsors will be prominently recognized for one
Member at Large Mackenzie Morgan
year on the DC ACM website, on the membership Communications Cora Dickson
pamphlet, and at major events. Please email Membership Isaac Christoffersen
fundraising@dcacm.org if your company is PDC Eric Noriega
interested. Programs William Fielder
Awards Vacant
Special corporate sponsor benefits
for the Fall 2009 and Spring 2010 Executive Council Meetings are held once a month.
Professional Development Seminars They are open to all interested parties, though only
Bronze 5 employee discounts EC Members have voting power on any motions
Silver 10 employee discounts raised in the meeting.
Gold unlimited employee discounts
Note: The discount is equivalent to the DC ACM Member Discount Location:
and will apply to one seminar. An employee may use multiple
discounts if authorized by the sponsor's management.
Radio Free Asia
All sponsors/donors will receive a letter from the DC 2025 M Street NW
ACM Chair verifying the receipt of their donation. Between 20th and 21st Streets
Ground Floor Conference Room

Closest Metro Stations: Dupont Circle and Farragut

About DC ACM North, Red Line
http://www.dcacm.org
Parking: Free on the street after 6:30pm; garage
The Washington, D.C. Chapter of the Association next door to the meeting room charges $5.00.
for Computing Machinery (DC ACM) was formally Another garage on 19th Street is open until midnight
established on November 1, 1958. We are a local and if you enter after 5pm it costs only $6.00.
professional chapter of the Association for
Computing Machinery (ACM), which was founded in
1947. Currently there are more than 2,200 ACM Become an
members in the Washington Metropolitan Area.
Active
The DC ACM is a non-profit 501(c)(3) association
(EIN 526066536) that supports educational Chapter
activities and career development for the local IT
professional community, as well as nurturing future Member
generations of computer scientists, network • Join the Professional Development
engineers, and tech policy specialists in the
Committee
Washington, D.C. area. Among other activities, we
• Join the Website Team
give awards to junior and senior high school
students for exceptional science fair projects in the • Come to DC ACM meetings and
computer science field and we sponsor educational events! They are always metro
lectures for the general public. accessible.