Today, I am asking for your support for my election to the NSS Board of Directors.
I have read the NSS strategic plan in detail. It includes many useful and worthwhile tasks, but it is missing one important element: focus. We need to decide much more explicitly what we’re going to support, and what we’re going to reject.
Like any entity, NSS has limited resources, and the rules of “opportunity cost” apply. Any resources we invest in one activity, are not available for other activities. From my personal perspective, there is only one mission for the society that really matters: minimizing the time from this moment to the creation of thriving human communities in space. Space settlement. Space industrialization is essential to that result, as are many other supporting activities, but at the end of the day, space settlement is the bottom line. All activities should be tested against how well they support that core objective.
The problem isn’t primarily technological. Humanity is capable, right now, of creating self-sustaining human settlements in space. We simply choose not to do so.
On this note, I’ll say explicitly that the Obama proposal for NASA is a barely mitigated disaster. It has some good elements, like the emphasis on private sector development, but it has no clear focus of ANY KIND for the American manned space program. As a practical matter, Obama is proposing to kill the American manned space program. I think that’s wrong for the country, and I don’t like it.
You’ll find that I fairly consistently don’t play the PC game that says, “I’m OK, you’re OK, all views are good.” We need to make CHOICES about what we, as a society, are going to support, and reject. If I reject some viewpoint, you’ll know it.
NSS needs to focus on changing the pattern of resource allocation on the planet in the direction of creating space settlements, which necessarily means spending less on other things. We need to speak more directly. We need less nuance, and more simple, declarative statements.
What was that line at the end of the “Patton” speech? I don’t want to run afoul of the censors, but now you know how I feel!
I look forward to working with many of you to advance the production of independent human space settlements!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
The Bubble
There’s a major political bubble deflating rapidly. It has two primary components:
Global Warming
The Bush Derangement Bubble
These two are interconnected.
The legacy media pumped up Bush as the devil incarnate for years, based on highly dubious claims, and some outright bogus data. The legacy media pumped up global warming as the biggest disaster since the dinosaurs were wiped out, based on highly dubious claims, and some outright bogus data. Neither narrative bore the slightest relationship to reality. And yet, they were successful.
Obama was elected based on this bubble of bogus data. The Democrats got their majorities in Congress from the same source. But now, thanks to the ever increasing power of the internet, the bubble has been popped. It now appears that the collapse is going to have speed and magnitude of biblical proportions.
There will be much collateral change that results from this rapid bubble deflation, some good, some bad, but in most cases unpredictable. But since we’ll finally be dealing from an approach much closer to reality, on balance, the changes are likely to be good.
Like it or not, we live in interesting times!
:-)
TCS
Question with Boldness -- Thomas Jefferson
Hold to the Truth -- George Washington
Speak Without Fear -- Martin Luther King
Global Warming
The Bush Derangement Bubble
These two are interconnected.
The legacy media pumped up Bush as the devil incarnate for years, based on highly dubious claims, and some outright bogus data. The legacy media pumped up global warming as the biggest disaster since the dinosaurs were wiped out, based on highly dubious claims, and some outright bogus data. Neither narrative bore the slightest relationship to reality. And yet, they were successful.
Obama was elected based on this bubble of bogus data. The Democrats got their majorities in Congress from the same source. But now, thanks to the ever increasing power of the internet, the bubble has been popped. It now appears that the collapse is going to have speed and magnitude of biblical proportions.
There will be much collateral change that results from this rapid bubble deflation, some good, some bad, but in most cases unpredictable. But since we’ll finally be dealing from an approach much closer to reality, on balance, the changes are likely to be good.
Like it or not, we live in interesting times!
:-)
TCS
Question with Boldness -- Thomas Jefferson
Hold to the Truth -- George Washington
Speak Without Fear -- Martin Luther King
Monday, February 15, 2010
TCS Resume, 2009
Terry C Savage
774 Mays Blvd #10/122, Incline Village, NV 89451
Tel: 775-833-1413
email: Chaosrider@charter.net
Exceptional skills in the following areas: Chief Information Officer, Project Management, HIPAA, Budgeting, Strategic Management of IT resources across projects, MMIS/Healthcare, Excellent Communication Skills, Project Management Office, Vendor and Contract Management, Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity, IT Infrastructure, IT Security, Software Development, Systems Implementation and Integration, Network Operations and Capacity Planning, Server Hosting
Experience:
Andromeda Enterprises, LLC 2007 – Present
State of California
Technical Operations Manager, Department of Corrections (CDCR)
Responsible for Technical Operations for the Strategic Offender Management System (SOMS) project, including detailed project planning, and coordination between multiple organizational units.
State of Arizona
Department of Financial Institutions (AZDFI)
Planned and managed the implementation of the AZDFI IT Modernization Project. The project was designed to completely update the Department’s IT systems, infrastructure, and processes. Implemented important improvements in the area of IT security, including a new firewall system and a robust off-site back-up process.
Author
Published author, The End of Winter, available at Amazon.com. The sequel, Circle of Fire, is in final pre-publication edit.
State of Nevada 2000-2007
Chief Information Officer and Director, Nevada Department of Information Technology
Cabinet-level position appointed by Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn. Four major areas of responsibility:
Project Management and Project Management Office (PMO)
--Established the Nevada State Project Management Office (PMO) and IT Project Oversight
Committee (ITPOC). Evaluated the CMM methodology, and developed and implemented the
Nevada Project Delivery Framework based on PMI/PMBOK methodologies
--Developed and managed the information technology (IT) governance structure for Nevada
--Extensive experience presenting to all management levels, including the Governor and State
Legislature
--Executive level management of the MMIS project from inception to completion, with direct
supervision of project PM staff, project QA staff, and vendor management of the IV & V
contractor
--Executive PM role for the Unified Tax System (UTS) project and Nevada Offender Tracking
Information System (NOTIS) project.
--Established Quality Assurance requirements for all IT projects
--Chaired Nevada Communications Steering Committee, which wrote the first comprehensive
statewide plan for first-responder radio communication interoperability. This involved the
successful coordination of over a dozen different organizations (state, federal, county, city, tribal
nations, etc) that had never worked together before
--Established cabinet-level IT Strategic Planning committee to evaluate and rank major IT
projects for budgeting purposes, and allocation of the state IT budget among various projects and
project requests
--Provided project planning and oversight of all major IT projects
IT Security
--Established and developed Nevada Office of Information Security
--Developed and implemented IT security policies statewide
--Performed IT risk assessments for state agencies
--Implemented award-winning process for identifying critical business applications and
developing disaster recovery plans for those applications
IT Service Operations Management
--Statewide backbone communications network (microwave, fiber)
--Expanded and modernized the Network Operations Center (NOC)
--Telecommunications
--Mainframe, UNIX, and Wintel computing platform hosting and operations
--Application and database design, development, and maintenance
--Statewide e-mail system (Exchange)
Financial and Management
--Operating budget of approximately $40M/year
--Developed service rates and chargeback methodology fully compliant with federal OMB
Circular A-87
--Regular briefings to the Governor and legislative committees
Interval Logic, Menlo Park, California 1999
(Software Developer. Advanced Planning and Scheduling Software)
Senior Software Integration Project Manager
--Managed software integration projects for semiconductor manufacturers
--Coordinated and supervised engineers in multiple locations
--Forecast consultant requirements and utilization
--Planned software projects in detail, including detailed scheduling and workload balancing
--Identified and resolved customer concerns, both technical and non-technical
21st Century Solutions, Inc. 1997 to 1998
(Consulting Firm)
Principal Consultant, Project Management
Worked with customers to:
--Develop master schedules for projects in fast-paced software development environments.
--Identify and track resources required for projects, leveling resources and adjusting schedules as
required to provide accurate completion estimates.
--Forecast staffing requirements based on project schedules.
--Develop change control systems, test plans and quality control procedures.
Consilium, Mountain View, California (1994-1996)
(Developer/implementer of manufacturing execution system (MES) software)
Senior Software Integration Project Manager
--Managed teams of engineers engaged in software development and software systems integration
projects for domestic and international clients
--Custom configuration of MES software running on both HP/Unix and VAX/VMS systems
--Configured and integrated automated document control systems
--During implementation projects, worked with customer QA organizations to ensure compliance of
integrated system with federal regulations
--Supervised design of validation test plans
--Developed cost estimates and proposals for software projects. (Customers included: Glaxo
Wellcome (Canada), Eli Lilly, ANAM Industrial (Korea), Amgen)
ICSensors, Milpitas, California 1992-1993
(Manufacturer of microelectronic and micro-mechanical devices)
Manager, Wafer Fabrication and Equipment Maintenance
--Instituted statistical process control in wafer fabrication area
--Implemented preventive maintenance program
--Wrote complete system of quality procedures
--Performed process failure analysis and recommended corrective actions
--Assessed Y2K compliance status of supplier systems
--Implemented an ISO-9000 compliant quality system
TRW Space & Defense Systems Group
Redondo Beach, California 1975 - 1992
(Defense Contractor)
Manager, Various Software, Semiconductor Manufacturing, and Financial tasks
--Implemented a networked PC-based office automation system for 1200-person division
--Responsible for hardware and software installation, user training, and support
--Developed automated project planning tool on VisiCalc, cutting down project "what if" turn
around from
overnight batch run to less than one hour/iteration
--Wrote output routines in FORTRAN IV on CDC 7700
--Performed binary programming of numerically controlled equipment
--Supervised combined production/R&D semiconductor manufacturing area
--Managed Advanced Packaging Lab, including transitioning from R&D to production quantities
--Performed extensive bid/proposal work and cost tracking and reporting
--As Senior Business Analyst, responsible for capital, indirect expense, and manpower planning
Education/Other Activities:
Project Management Institute (PMI), member
NASA PM certified, C/SCSC
BA Cum Laude, University of California at Los Angeles
Biochemistry studies, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Vice-President, National Association of State CIOs
Guest lecturer, National Defense University Information Resource Management College
Guest lecturer, National Governor’s Association Best Practices Policy Academy
Science Fiction Author
Partial Project List
Terry C Savage
Project title: Strategic Offender Management System (SOMS)
Approx total cost: $455M
Approx dates: 2009-present
Project scope: This project is to completely automate and integrate numerous disparate IT support systems within the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, from original intake into the systems, through completion of parole and final release.
TCS role: I am responsible for technical systems operations broadly, including project planning, network capacity planning, infrastructure, Helpdesk, disaster recovery, and business continuity planning
==========================================
Project title: NOMADS
Approx total cost: $110M
Approx dates: 1994 - 2001
Project scope: This project completely replaced the Welfare and Child Support eligibility and management system with a new system compliant with federal requirements
TCS role: Chairman of the NOMADS project steering committee. Executive level project oversight. Management of the computer facility and mainframe systems that housed the application. Both vendor and state PMs reported to me. The IV&V contractor reported to me directly.
========================================
Project title: UTS
Approx total cost: $45M
Approx dates: 2004 - 2008
Project scope: The Unified Tax System project eliminated the varies spreadsheets and hand calculations in favor of a completely unified systems for all 17 tax types in the State of Nevada. The system will pay for itself through significantly enhanced ability to detect fraud and omissions on the part of taxpayers.
TCS role: Actively involved with the requirements definition process and proposal development and review. Served on the project Steering Committee. Both the vendor and state PMs reported to me directly, as did the state Quality Assurance function
Project title: MMIS
Approx total cost: $35M
Approx dates: 2000-2004
Project scope: Completely replace the Medicaid Management Information System with an updated system that met federal requirements. Interface with the NOMADS system for eligibility data.
TCS role: I served on the requirements definition steering committee, and chaired the development and operational steering committee. Both the vendor and state PMs reported to me directly, as did the independent Quality Assurance vendor
=========================================
Project title: Nevada Offender Tracking and Information System (NOTIS)
Approx total cost: $11M
Approx dates: 2005 - 2007
Project scope: The Nevada Offender Tracking and Information System was the first effort to provide significant improvement in the management of prisoner information in the state, including medical information, gang affiliation, and other essential data.
TCS role: Reviewed all proposals, served on the Steering Committee. Both the vendor and state PMs reported to me directly, as did the independent Quality Assurance function.
==========================================
Project title: Millennium Scholarship
Approx total cost: $5M
Approx dates: 2000-2001
Project scope: This project was sponsored by Governor Kenny Guinn using the tobacco settlement funds. The funds were to provide scholarships for qualified students to go to college. The IT project was to integrate the high school records with the University and Community College records system.
TCS role: I planned and managed the project, and supervised both technical personnel and the vendor doing the application development
=====================================
Project title: IT Security
Approx total cost: $4M
Approx dates: 2003 - 2007
Project scope: Establish the state IT Security function, assess the state’s IT security posture, identify and implement corrective actions for deficiencies and proactive procedures to secure the states IT assets.
TCS role: I had previously established the IT Security Committee in 2001 to develop basic IT security policies, and assist agencies with implementation of those policies. While the committee was extremely effective, a formal, staffed IT Security organization
was clearly needed. I successfully obtained funding for the Office of Information Security (OIS) from the legislature, and oversaw the development and implementation of an award winning disaster recovery planning process.
Project title: PMO
Approx total cost: $2M
Approx dates: 2005 - 2007
Project scope: Formally establish the Nevada Project Management Office, and develop and implement project management procedures based on the PMI/PMBOK methodology.
TCS role: I had previously established the IT Project Oversight Committee (ITPOC) in 2002 to oversee and assist with all state IT projects of $500K or more. While the committee was extremely effective, a formal, staffed PMO would clearly improve the committee’s effectiveness. I personally chaired the ITPOC for the first two years of operation, and successfully obtained funding for the PMO from the legislature.
=====================================
Project title: Arizona DFI IT Modernization
Approx total cost: $500K
Approx dates: 2007
Project scope: Complete Modernization of the IT function for the Arizona Department of Financial Institutions
TCS role: Project Manager and chief project engineer. Replace and upgrade all systems to be compliant with the Arizona CIOs policies and recommendations, including IT Security.
====================================
Project title: Nevada Communication Steering Committee (NCSC)
Approx total cost: N/A
Approx dates: 2002 - 2007
Project scope: The Nevada Communications Steering Committee was the first effort to successfully involve all interested parties in the development of a statewide First Responder Radio Interoperability Plan. This plan was passed without amendment or dissent by the Nevada Homeland Security Commission.
TCS role: I formed the committee, and chaired if from it’s inception to my departure from state government. I personally wrote the “action plan” section of the Interoperability Plan.
774 Mays Blvd #10/122, Incline Village, NV 89451
Tel: 775-833-1413
email: Chaosrider@charter.net
Exceptional skills in the following areas: Chief Information Officer, Project Management, HIPAA, Budgeting, Strategic Management of IT resources across projects, MMIS/Healthcare, Excellent Communication Skills, Project Management Office, Vendor and Contract Management, Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity, IT Infrastructure, IT Security, Software Development, Systems Implementation and Integration, Network Operations and Capacity Planning, Server Hosting
Experience:
Andromeda Enterprises, LLC 2007 – Present
State of California
Technical Operations Manager, Department of Corrections (CDCR)
Responsible for Technical Operations for the Strategic Offender Management System (SOMS) project, including detailed project planning, and coordination between multiple organizational units.
State of Arizona
Department of Financial Institutions (AZDFI)
Planned and managed the implementation of the AZDFI IT Modernization Project. The project was designed to completely update the Department’s IT systems, infrastructure, and processes. Implemented important improvements in the area of IT security, including a new firewall system and a robust off-site back-up process.
Author
Published author, The End of Winter, available at Amazon.com. The sequel, Circle of Fire, is in final pre-publication edit.
State of Nevada 2000-2007
Chief Information Officer and Director, Nevada Department of Information Technology
Cabinet-level position appointed by Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn. Four major areas of responsibility:
Project Management and Project Management Office (PMO)
--Established the Nevada State Project Management Office (PMO) and IT Project Oversight
Committee (ITPOC). Evaluated the CMM methodology, and developed and implemented the
Nevada Project Delivery Framework based on PMI/PMBOK methodologies
--Developed and managed the information technology (IT) governance structure for Nevada
--Extensive experience presenting to all management levels, including the Governor and State
Legislature
--Executive level management of the MMIS project from inception to completion, with direct
supervision of project PM staff, project QA staff, and vendor management of the IV & V
contractor
--Executive PM role for the Unified Tax System (UTS) project and Nevada Offender Tracking
Information System (NOTIS) project.
--Established Quality Assurance requirements for all IT projects
--Chaired Nevada Communications Steering Committee, which wrote the first comprehensive
statewide plan for first-responder radio communication interoperability. This involved the
successful coordination of over a dozen different organizations (state, federal, county, city, tribal
nations, etc) that had never worked together before
--Established cabinet-level IT Strategic Planning committee to evaluate and rank major IT
projects for budgeting purposes, and allocation of the state IT budget among various projects and
project requests
--Provided project planning and oversight of all major IT projects
IT Security
--Established and developed Nevada Office of Information Security
--Developed and implemented IT security policies statewide
--Performed IT risk assessments for state agencies
--Implemented award-winning process for identifying critical business applications and
developing disaster recovery plans for those applications
IT Service Operations Management
--Statewide backbone communications network (microwave, fiber)
--Expanded and modernized the Network Operations Center (NOC)
--Telecommunications
--Mainframe, UNIX, and Wintel computing platform hosting and operations
--Application and database design, development, and maintenance
--Statewide e-mail system (Exchange)
Financial and Management
--Operating budget of approximately $40M/year
--Developed service rates and chargeback methodology fully compliant with federal OMB
Circular A-87
--Regular briefings to the Governor and legislative committees
Interval Logic, Menlo Park, California 1999
(Software Developer. Advanced Planning and Scheduling Software)
Senior Software Integration Project Manager
--Managed software integration projects for semiconductor manufacturers
--Coordinated and supervised engineers in multiple locations
--Forecast consultant requirements and utilization
--Planned software projects in detail, including detailed scheduling and workload balancing
--Identified and resolved customer concerns, both technical and non-technical
21st Century Solutions, Inc. 1997 to 1998
(Consulting Firm)
Principal Consultant, Project Management
Worked with customers to:
--Develop master schedules for projects in fast-paced software development environments.
--Identify and track resources required for projects, leveling resources and adjusting schedules as
required to provide accurate completion estimates.
--Forecast staffing requirements based on project schedules.
--Develop change control systems, test plans and quality control procedures.
Consilium, Mountain View, California (1994-1996)
(Developer/implementer of manufacturing execution system (MES) software)
Senior Software Integration Project Manager
--Managed teams of engineers engaged in software development and software systems integration
projects for domestic and international clients
--Custom configuration of MES software running on both HP/Unix and VAX/VMS systems
--Configured and integrated automated document control systems
--During implementation projects, worked with customer QA organizations to ensure compliance of
integrated system with federal regulations
--Supervised design of validation test plans
--Developed cost estimates and proposals for software projects. (Customers included: Glaxo
Wellcome (Canada), Eli Lilly, ANAM Industrial (Korea), Amgen)
ICSensors, Milpitas, California 1992-1993
(Manufacturer of microelectronic and micro-mechanical devices)
Manager, Wafer Fabrication and Equipment Maintenance
--Instituted statistical process control in wafer fabrication area
--Implemented preventive maintenance program
--Wrote complete system of quality procedures
--Performed process failure analysis and recommended corrective actions
--Assessed Y2K compliance status of supplier systems
--Implemented an ISO-9000 compliant quality system
TRW Space & Defense Systems Group
Redondo Beach, California 1975 - 1992
(Defense Contractor)
Manager, Various Software, Semiconductor Manufacturing, and Financial tasks
--Implemented a networked PC-based office automation system for 1200-person division
--Responsible for hardware and software installation, user training, and support
--Developed automated project planning tool on VisiCalc, cutting down project "what if" turn
around from
overnight batch run to less than one hour/iteration
--Wrote output routines in FORTRAN IV on CDC 7700
--Performed binary programming of numerically controlled equipment
--Supervised combined production/R&D semiconductor manufacturing area
--Managed Advanced Packaging Lab, including transitioning from R&D to production quantities
--Performed extensive bid/proposal work and cost tracking and reporting
--As Senior Business Analyst, responsible for capital, indirect expense, and manpower planning
Education/Other Activities:
Project Management Institute (PMI), member
NASA PM certified, C/SCSC
BA Cum Laude, University of California at Los Angeles
Biochemistry studies, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Vice-President, National Association of State CIOs
Guest lecturer, National Defense University Information Resource Management College
Guest lecturer, National Governor’s Association Best Practices Policy Academy
Science Fiction Author
Partial Project List
Terry C Savage
Project title: Strategic Offender Management System (SOMS)
Approx total cost: $455M
Approx dates: 2009-present
Project scope: This project is to completely automate and integrate numerous disparate IT support systems within the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, from original intake into the systems, through completion of parole and final release.
TCS role: I am responsible for technical systems operations broadly, including project planning, network capacity planning, infrastructure, Helpdesk, disaster recovery, and business continuity planning
==========================================
Project title: NOMADS
Approx total cost: $110M
Approx dates: 1994 - 2001
Project scope: This project completely replaced the Welfare and Child Support eligibility and management system with a new system compliant with federal requirements
TCS role: Chairman of the NOMADS project steering committee. Executive level project oversight. Management of the computer facility and mainframe systems that housed the application. Both vendor and state PMs reported to me. The IV&V contractor reported to me directly.
========================================
Project title: UTS
Approx total cost: $45M
Approx dates: 2004 - 2008
Project scope: The Unified Tax System project eliminated the varies spreadsheets and hand calculations in favor of a completely unified systems for all 17 tax types in the State of Nevada. The system will pay for itself through significantly enhanced ability to detect fraud and omissions on the part of taxpayers.
TCS role: Actively involved with the requirements definition process and proposal development and review. Served on the project Steering Committee. Both the vendor and state PMs reported to me directly, as did the state Quality Assurance function
Project title: MMIS
Approx total cost: $35M
Approx dates: 2000-2004
Project scope: Completely replace the Medicaid Management Information System with an updated system that met federal requirements. Interface with the NOMADS system for eligibility data.
TCS role: I served on the requirements definition steering committee, and chaired the development and operational steering committee. Both the vendor and state PMs reported to me directly, as did the independent Quality Assurance vendor
=========================================
Project title: Nevada Offender Tracking and Information System (NOTIS)
Approx total cost: $11M
Approx dates: 2005 - 2007
Project scope: The Nevada Offender Tracking and Information System was the first effort to provide significant improvement in the management of prisoner information in the state, including medical information, gang affiliation, and other essential data.
TCS role: Reviewed all proposals, served on the Steering Committee. Both the vendor and state PMs reported to me directly, as did the independent Quality Assurance function.
==========================================
Project title: Millennium Scholarship
Approx total cost: $5M
Approx dates: 2000-2001
Project scope: This project was sponsored by Governor Kenny Guinn using the tobacco settlement funds. The funds were to provide scholarships for qualified students to go to college. The IT project was to integrate the high school records with the University and Community College records system.
TCS role: I planned and managed the project, and supervised both technical personnel and the vendor doing the application development
=====================================
Project title: IT Security
Approx total cost: $4M
Approx dates: 2003 - 2007
Project scope: Establish the state IT Security function, assess the state’s IT security posture, identify and implement corrective actions for deficiencies and proactive procedures to secure the states IT assets.
TCS role: I had previously established the IT Security Committee in 2001 to develop basic IT security policies, and assist agencies with implementation of those policies. While the committee was extremely effective, a formal, staffed IT Security organization
was clearly needed. I successfully obtained funding for the Office of Information Security (OIS) from the legislature, and oversaw the development and implementation of an award winning disaster recovery planning process.
Project title: PMO
Approx total cost: $2M
Approx dates: 2005 - 2007
Project scope: Formally establish the Nevada Project Management Office, and develop and implement project management procedures based on the PMI/PMBOK methodology.
TCS role: I had previously established the IT Project Oversight Committee (ITPOC) in 2002 to oversee and assist with all state IT projects of $500K or more. While the committee was extremely effective, a formal, staffed PMO would clearly improve the committee’s effectiveness. I personally chaired the ITPOC for the first two years of operation, and successfully obtained funding for the PMO from the legislature.
=====================================
Project title: Arizona DFI IT Modernization
Approx total cost: $500K
Approx dates: 2007
Project scope: Complete Modernization of the IT function for the Arizona Department of Financial Institutions
TCS role: Project Manager and chief project engineer. Replace and upgrade all systems to be compliant with the Arizona CIOs policies and recommendations, including IT Security.
====================================
Project title: Nevada Communication Steering Committee (NCSC)
Approx total cost: N/A
Approx dates: 2002 - 2007
Project scope: The Nevada Communications Steering Committee was the first effort to successfully involve all interested parties in the development of a statewide First Responder Radio Interoperability Plan. This plan was passed without amendment or dissent by the Nevada Homeland Security Commission.
TCS role: I formed the committee, and chaired if from it’s inception to my departure from state government. I personally wrote the “action plan” section of the Interoperability Plan.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Meet Depressed: Joe Biden :Revelation
Ol’ Joe Biden is reliably entertaining, and he didn’t disappoint today.
Today, however, he was extremely illuminating, which is quite out of character for him. To be fair, the illumination was unintentional…
Gregory (Who has done FAR better as host of Meet The Press than I expected; I was a hopeless Russert fan) asked him (all quotes approximate):
“There are a lot of people saying that the Obama administration isn’t taking the War on Terror seriously. How do you respond to that?”
And Ol’ Joe said:
“They must not be paying attention, then. We take the War on Al Qaeda extremely seriously…” and then went on to rant about the current Afghanistan campaign and Dick Cheney generally.
See the problem?
The QUESTION was about the War on Terror.
The ANSWER was about the War on Al Qaeda.
!!!THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE!!!!
This is extraordinarily revealing about the fundamental perceptual handicap that the Obama administration has on this entire issue. The problem is a size 1000, and they see it as a size 10. I haven’t seen anyone else pick up on this yet, but I’m sure they will.
And, full disclosure, I’ll second Dick Cheney’s view, and state that I completely endorse what the Obama administration is doing in Afghanistan currently, in general, and in Pakistan as well.
Carry on, Mr President!
:-)
TCS
Today, however, he was extremely illuminating, which is quite out of character for him. To be fair, the illumination was unintentional…
Gregory (Who has done FAR better as host of Meet The Press than I expected; I was a hopeless Russert fan) asked him (all quotes approximate):
“There are a lot of people saying that the Obama administration isn’t taking the War on Terror seriously. How do you respond to that?”
And Ol’ Joe said:
“They must not be paying attention, then. We take the War on Al Qaeda extremely seriously…” and then went on to rant about the current Afghanistan campaign and Dick Cheney generally.
See the problem?
The QUESTION was about the War on Terror.
The ANSWER was about the War on Al Qaeda.
!!!THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE!!!!
This is extraordinarily revealing about the fundamental perceptual handicap that the Obama administration has on this entire issue. The problem is a size 1000, and they see it as a size 10. I haven’t seen anyone else pick up on this yet, but I’m sure they will.
And, full disclosure, I’ll second Dick Cheney’s view, and state that I completely endorse what the Obama administration is doing in Afghanistan currently, in general, and in Pakistan as well.
Carry on, Mr President!
:-)
TCS
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Health Care Deform -- The Irrational Debate
Before diving into the specific irrationality in the current health care deform debate, I need to dispel a myth. Do you remember the myth that the warmists threw out saying that the issue of global warming was “settled science?” Pure nonsense, of course, as is becoming increasingly clear.
The current myth is that “everyone agrees” that we need to do something about health care. Clearly false. I don’t agree. I know many people who don’t agree. But, more important than my limited set of personal data points is the fact that the American people don’t agree. In the most recent poll that I saw, 76% of Americans are happy with their health care.
The only health care “crisis” is how badly the government wants to screw it up.
The debate is irrational because people don’t know what they’re talking about, and are mangling the English language. The Democrats say they want to provide “insurance” for everyone. But it’s obvious from their proposals that they have no idea what insurance is, or how it works. This is best illustrated around the issue of “pre-existing conditions”.
Let’s say you have diabetes (as an increasing number of Americans do), and you apply to get health insurance. The insurance company may decline to cover you, or decline to cover anything related to your diabetes, because you already have it; it’s a pre-existing condition. This is entirely rational behavior on the part of the insurance company.
Insurance is about risk. Risk is about things that aren't known. Are you going to trip on the stairs and break your arm? Who knows? That means it’s a risk. But, insurance companies know roughly how often people fall and break their arms. So, they go through an arcane calculation, and decide the aggregate cost of the broken arms they are on the hook for, based on how many people they insure, how likely those people are to break their arms, and the cost of fixing a broken arm. That cost is then spread around the entire pool of people they insure. The people who break their arms get their bills paid. That’s how insurance works. It spreads around the risk of unknown things.
Now, suppose you fall and break your arm, and then you go to an insurance company, and you ask them to sell you a policy to cover the cost of the arm that you already broke.
How dumb is that? Breaking your arm isn’t a risk anymore, and insurance is about risk. You now have a broken arm---a pre-existing condition.
If you have a pre-existing condition, and you can’t afford to pay your medical bills, you need charity, not insurance. When people talk about providing “insurance” for a pre-existing condition, they are either lying, clueless, or both.
And, there’s another distinction that gets blurred in all of this: the distinction between charity and socialism. The difference is very clear.
Charity is voluntary.
Socialism is based on theft.
When you propose to steal money from some people to give it to others to pay for their pre-existing medical conditions, it’s not insurance. It’s not even charity. It’s socialism, socialized medicine, and it’s theft. And it’s extremely bad for the country.
Fortunately, the hugely socialist proposals that have been floating around seem to be going entirely off the rails. The poll numbers are clear. The more people know what's in this plan, the less they like it. And now, they will find out a lot about it before it ever goes to a vote. Congresscritters can expect to get a blistering earful during the August recess, and the advocates of socialism are not going to like what they’re going to hear. They’re going to hear that most people like the health care they have, and that Congress damned well better not do anything to mess with that, or they will regret it in 2010.
The worm has turned.
As a libertarian, I know all taxation is theft. As a realist, I know that sometimes it’s the right thing to do. But ObamaCare is absolutely the wrong thing to do.
If we do anything to our health care system (which is unnecessary, and ObamaCare would be hugely bad for the country), we should do five, and only five, things:
1) Mandate that Americans can buy insurance from any state that they choose. Eliminate state restrictions on out-of-state insurance purchases. In addition to making a big dent in costs to the consumer, this would be…for once…a proper use of the commerce clause.
2) We need to get serious about tort reform. Loser pays! This would go a long way to eliminating wasteful, expensive, unnecessary tests by doctors practicing defensive medicine.
3) Get the waste, fraud, and corruption out of Medicare and Medicaid
4) Expand Medicaid to cover people who are really too poor to get their own insurance (not to include people who choose to spend their money on other things)
5) Provide tax credits and/or vouchers to people who can afford to buy insurance with some help. In addition, level the tax playing field. Anyone who buys health insurance on their own, rather than through an employer, should get the same tax benefit that employers get now for providing it
That’s it. No further molestation of the free market required!
I was personally responsible for implementing the upgraded Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) for the State of Nevada while I was Chief Information Officer for the state, so I know something about this.
I sent the above proposal to President Obama (in a slightly more polite form). We’ll see what he says!
What do you say?
The current myth is that “everyone agrees” that we need to do something about health care. Clearly false. I don’t agree. I know many people who don’t agree. But, more important than my limited set of personal data points is the fact that the American people don’t agree. In the most recent poll that I saw, 76% of Americans are happy with their health care.
The only health care “crisis” is how badly the government wants to screw it up.
The debate is irrational because people don’t know what they’re talking about, and are mangling the English language. The Democrats say they want to provide “insurance” for everyone. But it’s obvious from their proposals that they have no idea what insurance is, or how it works. This is best illustrated around the issue of “pre-existing conditions”.
Let’s say you have diabetes (as an increasing number of Americans do), and you apply to get health insurance. The insurance company may decline to cover you, or decline to cover anything related to your diabetes, because you already have it; it’s a pre-existing condition. This is entirely rational behavior on the part of the insurance company.
Insurance is about risk. Risk is about things that aren't known. Are you going to trip on the stairs and break your arm? Who knows? That means it’s a risk. But, insurance companies know roughly how often people fall and break their arms. So, they go through an arcane calculation, and decide the aggregate cost of the broken arms they are on the hook for, based on how many people they insure, how likely those people are to break their arms, and the cost of fixing a broken arm. That cost is then spread around the entire pool of people they insure. The people who break their arms get their bills paid. That’s how insurance works. It spreads around the risk of unknown things.
Now, suppose you fall and break your arm, and then you go to an insurance company, and you ask them to sell you a policy to cover the cost of the arm that you already broke.
How dumb is that? Breaking your arm isn’t a risk anymore, and insurance is about risk. You now have a broken arm---a pre-existing condition.
If you have a pre-existing condition, and you can’t afford to pay your medical bills, you need charity, not insurance. When people talk about providing “insurance” for a pre-existing condition, they are either lying, clueless, or both.
And, there’s another distinction that gets blurred in all of this: the distinction between charity and socialism. The difference is very clear.
Charity is voluntary.
Socialism is based on theft.
When you propose to steal money from some people to give it to others to pay for their pre-existing medical conditions, it’s not insurance. It’s not even charity. It’s socialism, socialized medicine, and it’s theft. And it’s extremely bad for the country.
Fortunately, the hugely socialist proposals that have been floating around seem to be going entirely off the rails. The poll numbers are clear. The more people know what's in this plan, the less they like it. And now, they will find out a lot about it before it ever goes to a vote. Congresscritters can expect to get a blistering earful during the August recess, and the advocates of socialism are not going to like what they’re going to hear. They’re going to hear that most people like the health care they have, and that Congress damned well better not do anything to mess with that, or they will regret it in 2010.
The worm has turned.
As a libertarian, I know all taxation is theft. As a realist, I know that sometimes it’s the right thing to do. But ObamaCare is absolutely the wrong thing to do.
If we do anything to our health care system (which is unnecessary, and ObamaCare would be hugely bad for the country), we should do five, and only five, things:
1) Mandate that Americans can buy insurance from any state that they choose. Eliminate state restrictions on out-of-state insurance purchases. In addition to making a big dent in costs to the consumer, this would be…for once…a proper use of the commerce clause.
2) We need to get serious about tort reform. Loser pays! This would go a long way to eliminating wasteful, expensive, unnecessary tests by doctors practicing defensive medicine.
3) Get the waste, fraud, and corruption out of Medicare and Medicaid
4) Expand Medicaid to cover people who are really too poor to get their own insurance (not to include people who choose to spend their money on other things)
5) Provide tax credits and/or vouchers to people who can afford to buy insurance with some help. In addition, level the tax playing field. Anyone who buys health insurance on their own, rather than through an employer, should get the same tax benefit that employers get now for providing it
That’s it. No further molestation of the free market required!
I was personally responsible for implementing the upgraded Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) for the State of Nevada while I was Chief Information Officer for the state, so I know something about this.
I sent the above proposal to President Obama (in a slightly more polite form). We’ll see what he says!
What do you say?
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Star Trek: Postcard from the Edge
Due to a variety of circumstances, I didn’t get around to seeing the new Star Trek movie until Saturday. Very good movie, well worth seeing. Overall, it rates an A-.
The visual and sound effects were stunning, and for me, that’s reason enough to go watch a movie. The new Spock character is unbelievable. He’s not just good; he’s spooky good! You could almost imagine that it really was an earlier version of the original, and that imagining stood up just fine with a side-by-side comparison.
They also did a good job of modeling younger versions of the other main characters. McCoy was another outstanding replacement. A younger Scotty is still inventing crazy stuff that somehow works, and Kirk goes off to defend the galaxy against hopeless odds. The time twist involved in the plot was very gracefully done.
Still, there were a few detractors. The most obvious is the disgusting level of brutal violence. I’m not talking about the “high violence” of spaceships getting shot up. There was plenty of that too, and that’s fine. But the repeated use of bloody fistfights added nothing of value, and was a serious detraction. It made the film worse. The overall tone of the movie was also darker than I like.
Many of the action scenes, when they weren’t being excessively personally violent, were just chaotic and visually confusing. Stunning in visual and sound quality, but jumbled, and undisciplined. And they dragged on in that condition for too long.
As a more minor thing, the relationship between Spock and Uhura was tacky and contrived, and added nothing useful to the plot at all. The fact that the Spock character was so perfect a rendition added to the failure of this ploy. It was just clearly unnatural, and it didn’t work.
Overall the new Star Trek movie is a very good film. It could have been an excellent film with more civility, and more discipline. Sounds sort of like today’s youth culture, doesn’t it?
The visual and sound effects were stunning, and for me, that’s reason enough to go watch a movie. The new Spock character is unbelievable. He’s not just good; he’s spooky good! You could almost imagine that it really was an earlier version of the original, and that imagining stood up just fine with a side-by-side comparison.
They also did a good job of modeling younger versions of the other main characters. McCoy was another outstanding replacement. A younger Scotty is still inventing crazy stuff that somehow works, and Kirk goes off to defend the galaxy against hopeless odds. The time twist involved in the plot was very gracefully done.
Still, there were a few detractors. The most obvious is the disgusting level of brutal violence. I’m not talking about the “high violence” of spaceships getting shot up. There was plenty of that too, and that’s fine. But the repeated use of bloody fistfights added nothing of value, and was a serious detraction. It made the film worse. The overall tone of the movie was also darker than I like.
Many of the action scenes, when they weren’t being excessively personally violent, were just chaotic and visually confusing. Stunning in visual and sound quality, but jumbled, and undisciplined. And they dragged on in that condition for too long.
As a more minor thing, the relationship between Spock and Uhura was tacky and contrived, and added nothing useful to the plot at all. The fact that the Spock character was so perfect a rendition added to the failure of this ploy. It was just clearly unnatural, and it didn’t work.
Overall the new Star Trek movie is a very good film. It could have been an excellent film with more civility, and more discipline. Sounds sort of like today’s youth culture, doesn’t it?
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Idyllic Stroll
I just spent some time in the backyard with the kids. We really have a pretty nice yard, and I don’t spend nearly enough time back there.
For the new folks here, Karen and I have four kids living at home, all of the furry, four-legged variety. They are, in order of age:
1) Chimera. We got Chimera when Cygnus, who we had for 18 years, died in 2004. Chimera was just a kitten then. She is a calico weighing about 16 lbs, and is a chubby little pudge ball.
2) Leia. Tiny little cat, maybe 8 lbs dripping wet (Which happens, because she likes water. She haunts Karen in the shower). The best description we’ve heard so far is that she is a champagne colored tabby. I had never seen a cat with that coloration before, although I have seen one other wandering around the neighborhood since. We got Leia in June 2005 when she was about a year old.
3) Xena. She was born in April 2005, and we got her in summer 2005. We thought we were getting a cute little Lab puppy. Turns out she’s a Lab mixed with Golden and Great Dane. She’s almost solid black, and weighs about 125 lbs (like her parents, she needs to lose a few). If she likes you, she will jump up and put her paws on your shoulders, and try to lick your face. If she doesn’t like you, she’s has a growl that comes straight from the depths of hell.
4) Hobbes. Son of Leia, born in May 2005. Leia was still nursing Hobbes when we got them together. Hobbes is also about 16 lbs, but solid muscle. He’s not the sharpest claw in the paw, but he can jump six feet straight up from a standing start.
Xena was 22 lbs when we got her, at around 3 months old. Hobbes was still tiny. Xena was a big bumbling mass of fur, and she terrified Hobbes. But not Leia. Leia would get between Xena and Hobbes, and just stand there. If Xena got too close, Leia would bop her on the nose. When Xena caught on that it didn’t hurt, Leia would bop her twice. When Xena got past that, Leia started using a little claw on the nose. That worked until Hobbes was big enough to easily escape (he’s very fast).
The relationship between Chimera and Xena is weird, but awesome. They’ll sleep together. They snuggle each other, as they compete for my attention. When Hobbes harasses Chimera, Xena goes to Chimera’s defense.
When Xena wants to go out, she scratches at the door. Leia quickly learned to do the same thing. We can’t let the cats out loose because of the coyotes (a neighbor lost one by doing that), but we let them out supervised. Xena was out, and Leia scratched at the door, so I went out with her. Hobbes and Chimera stayed on the deck, as Xena and Leia and I went down the stairs to the fenced back yard.
Normally, Leia makes a beeline for the fence, and scouts for holes to get out. She found quite a few before I plugged them. She could get over the fence if she really wanted, but it’s pretty tall, and it would take a lot of work.
But today was different. Instead of bolting for the fence, Leia kept next to me the whole time. Xena stayed with us for a while, but then went to one of the sitting spots she’s created. I pulled up a chair next to a fallen log, and watched the two of them, while Hobbes and Chimera played on the deck.
Xena knows when I move to go in, and if Leia doesn’t follow, Xena herds her in. After sitting for a while, some birds gathered on the deck, and I noticed the feeder was empty. So, I got up, Xena herded Leia toward the door, and we all went inside. At my motion to go in, Hobbes and Chimera just go inside on their own. I filled both the bird feeders, and closed the door. For now.
Ahhhhh….!
:-)
TCS
For the new folks here, Karen and I have four kids living at home, all of the furry, four-legged variety. They are, in order of age:
1) Chimera. We got Chimera when Cygnus, who we had for 18 years, died in 2004. Chimera was just a kitten then. She is a calico weighing about 16 lbs, and is a chubby little pudge ball.
2) Leia. Tiny little cat, maybe 8 lbs dripping wet (Which happens, because she likes water. She haunts Karen in the shower). The best description we’ve heard so far is that she is a champagne colored tabby. I had never seen a cat with that coloration before, although I have seen one other wandering around the neighborhood since. We got Leia in June 2005 when she was about a year old.
3) Xena. She was born in April 2005, and we got her in summer 2005. We thought we were getting a cute little Lab puppy. Turns out she’s a Lab mixed with Golden and Great Dane. She’s almost solid black, and weighs about 125 lbs (like her parents, she needs to lose a few). If she likes you, she will jump up and put her paws on your shoulders, and try to lick your face. If she doesn’t like you, she’s has a growl that comes straight from the depths of hell.
4) Hobbes. Son of Leia, born in May 2005. Leia was still nursing Hobbes when we got them together. Hobbes is also about 16 lbs, but solid muscle. He’s not the sharpest claw in the paw, but he can jump six feet straight up from a standing start.
Xena was 22 lbs when we got her, at around 3 months old. Hobbes was still tiny. Xena was a big bumbling mass of fur, and she terrified Hobbes. But not Leia. Leia would get between Xena and Hobbes, and just stand there. If Xena got too close, Leia would bop her on the nose. When Xena caught on that it didn’t hurt, Leia would bop her twice. When Xena got past that, Leia started using a little claw on the nose. That worked until Hobbes was big enough to easily escape (he’s very fast).
The relationship between Chimera and Xena is weird, but awesome. They’ll sleep together. They snuggle each other, as they compete for my attention. When Hobbes harasses Chimera, Xena goes to Chimera’s defense.
When Xena wants to go out, she scratches at the door. Leia quickly learned to do the same thing. We can’t let the cats out loose because of the coyotes (a neighbor lost one by doing that), but we let them out supervised. Xena was out, and Leia scratched at the door, so I went out with her. Hobbes and Chimera stayed on the deck, as Xena and Leia and I went down the stairs to the fenced back yard.
Normally, Leia makes a beeline for the fence, and scouts for holes to get out. She found quite a few before I plugged them. She could get over the fence if she really wanted, but it’s pretty tall, and it would take a lot of work.
But today was different. Instead of bolting for the fence, Leia kept next to me the whole time. Xena stayed with us for a while, but then went to one of the sitting spots she’s created. I pulled up a chair next to a fallen log, and watched the two of them, while Hobbes and Chimera played on the deck.
Xena knows when I move to go in, and if Leia doesn’t follow, Xena herds her in. After sitting for a while, some birds gathered on the deck, and I noticed the feeder was empty. So, I got up, Xena herded Leia toward the door, and we all went inside. At my motion to go in, Hobbes and Chimera just go inside on their own. I filled both the bird feeders, and closed the door. For now.
Ahhhhh….!
:-)
TCS
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