Lena H. Sun and Scott Wilson in the Washington Post have a pretty good article about the HealthCare.gov mess that tells us more about what's going wrong. Let's start with the specification for the load: CGI built the shopping and enrollment applications to accommodate 60,000 users at the same time. U.S. Chief Technology Officer Todd Park has said that the government expected … [Read more...] about More Interesting News About HealthCare.gov Problems
In Software Engineering, Sometimes Failure Is the Only Option
On day one of the HealthCare.gov roll-out, I explained that first-day glitches in a large production web site are meaningless. With only a few specialized exceptions (and some lucky ones) things always go wrong on the first day. It's a normal part of the shakedown process, and not necessarily a reason to get upset. However, just because first day glitches are normal, that … [Read more...] about In Software Engineering, Sometimes Failure Is the Only Option
If Aliens Came…
Saw this on Facebook the other day:Well, yeah, we probably would declare the aliens persons and give them money if they alsoGenerated all the energy we consume. Manufactured all the medical devices that save our lives. Grew all the food we eat. Designed and manufactured all the clothes we like to wear. Created a nationwide wireless phone network that allows … [Read more...] about If Aliens Came…
Drug Laws Are Not Victimless
Last month at Hercules and the Umpire, federal judge Richard Kopf posted an explanation of why he believes that (at least at the federal level) drug crimes are not victimless. Matt Brown at Tempe Criminal Defense has raised some objections, as has Scott Greenfield at Simple Justice. Given that a federal judge and a couple of experienced criminal defense lawyers have been … [Read more...] about Drug Laws Are Not Victimless
Rise of the Warrior Cop – Review Part 4 of 5: Violence
It’s a no-knock raid, Don’t be afraid We’ll shoot your dogs, In front of your kidsCuz we’re the SWAT We’re here for your pot, And all the cash that you got, We are adrenalin junkies taking orders from the top,-- Lindy, "No Knock Raid" 2011(The song is depressing enough, but I should warn you that the link is to the video, which includes graphic footage from … [Read more...] about Rise of the Warrior Cop – Review Part 4 of 5: Violence