Category: technology

Obamacare Website Went Online Long Before it was Finished

~ Pharmer

Obamacare Official Admits Something So Incredible You’ll Wonder Why You’re Just Now Hearing About It | Video | TheBlaze.com.

From the discussion between Rep Cory Gardner and Henry Chao, (deputy chief information officer for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services), one might surmise that the Obamacare Website is about 60 percent complete, and it is the payment systems  which send money to the companies which issue policies.

“There’s the back office systems, the accounting systems, the payment systems … they still need to be done,” said Chao.

This ought to make the health insurance companies really comfortable…..

Meanwhile, David Kennedy, head of TrustedSEC, an information security firm, has testified before the house Science, Space and Technology committee that the Obamacare website is prime hacker bait, because security wasn’t built into the site from the beginning.  He thinks that the SQL injection attacks against the healthcare.gov website mean that it’s being hacked right now.   That should make everyone feel more secure in doing business with the Obama administration.

Just for FUN: that Jean-Claude Van Damme Volvo Commercial

~ Pharmer

Click right HERE for the Auto Channel’s “full story” that explains the purpose and production of the Volvo commercial, and gives a demonstration of the dynamic steering feature which Van Damme’s stunt was designed to highlight.  Included in the video is the Epic Split commercial which has so many people buzzing.   Pharmer envies Van Damme’s flexibility, and ability to hold the position.  She’s 17 months older than him and is still doing martial arts with what’s left of herself.  Check out the Pharmer eye view below, after you watch that commercial.

Martial Artist's Whacko Stunt for Volvo
Martial Artist’s Whacko Stunt for Volvo

-Yes those trucks are going backwards, not too fast, but it’s still impressive.
-The visible breaks in the film probably have to do with splicing the films from the cameras taking this shot from the -various positions. It is said to have been done in one take.
-There are two people in each truck, with eyes seemingly riveted on the mirror or view finder in Van Damme’s direction.
-The Drivers keep those trucks aligned perfectly with the marker lines below.
-Only the truck on the left steers outward. The Truck on the right stays aligned with the original line.
-The left truck appears to key off a second solid line, and a broken line to stop moving outward and hold position.
-The speed of those trucks might be computer synchronized, but Volvo is claiming that the steering is done manually by the drivers.
-Take some time to watch Van Damme adjusting his feet, on the platforms above the mirrors, as the truck on the left drives outward. The guy has muscles.

Respect to the performers and Volvo’s marketing department, for making such a memorable commercial.

Three Programmers Build a Workable Obamacare Web Site

~ Pharmer

Int a couple of nights, three programmers  were able to make a working health care website by putting the information that people want, (health plans and cost) where and when they want to see it.  The design purpose of thehealthsherpa.com differs drastically from the Obamacare site, however.  It was built to serve the customer, not to aggregate their private information for government use, nor to register potential democrat voters.

Ning Liang, George Kalogeropoulos and Michael Wasser, certainly are much more competent and business oriented  programmers than the government would think of hiring.

According to the Blaze, thehealthsherpa site is not a substitute for the government site, but it offers contact information for health insurance providers which could allow a person to sign up for eligible health care without going through healthcare.gov.   This is a valuable service to the people of America.

The website of Liang, Kalogeropoulos and Wasser services a lot more than just California.  Pharmer  entered Florida and Ohio zip codes and obtained info insurance plans local to those areas also.  Overnight, the trio added a calculator to help estimate tax subsidies  for the plans.

Try thehealthsherpa.com  and find yourself an insurance plan.  Hopefully these programmers monetize their site and grab a little ad money in the true capitalist tradition of America.   They’ll need a big big  server to handle all of those who don’t want to hand their private info over to felons and miscreants hired by the Obama administration.

Edward Snowden Shines Light on NSA Snooping, then Drops out of Sight

~ Pharmer

Drudge NSA leaker Edward Snowden 6-11-13

Edward Snowden, the whistle blower who  allowed us to know how extensively the National Security Administration has encroached on our privacy, has disappeared from sight, shortly after allowing his identity to be made public.

Snowden provided information on the process, but not the content or details of NSA snooping on all internet communications via a program called Prism. All of the major internet service providers have signed on to this program, which allows the NSA access to the information on their servers, without a warrant.

Snowden had fled to Hong Kong, in the hope that its vague extradition laws (presently in a state of flux) will allow him to avoid being sent back to the U.S. Russia has indicated a possible willingness to grant political asylum to the whistle-blower, according to their newspaper, Kommersant.

The UK Guardian is the main media purveyor of Snowden’s information to the public, though the Washington Post published part of an NSA power point presentation which he provided on the topic.

James Clapper, the director of national intelligence, is predictably wanting the head of Edward Snowden.  Others, such as former Representative Ron Paul, say: “We should be thankful for individuals like Edward Snowden”.

Pharmer is leaning more towards Ron Paul’s opinion, as the executive agencies of government are being used as tools for administrative vengeance on those who disagree with the party line.

Glen Greenwald, Guardian reporter on the Snowden story assures us that more revelations are yet to come.

Among pro-lifers, the question in the air is:  Without a right to Privacy, what happens to the main argument for the legalization of abortion?

Related:  Obama really didn’t mean it.

Obama’s Big Ears Are Listening to You

~ Pharmer ~ 1 Comment

William Binney, who worked for the National Security Agency for 40 years, quit after 911 had moved his employer to what he felt was excessive snooping on American citizens. He believes that all phone companies, and not just Verizon are involved in turning over records of calls to the NSA.

The surprise to many of those reporting on this issue of monitoring phone data is that it has continued and has drastically increased since Bush left office.

An internet surveillance program called PRISM, started in 2007 under Bush, and has also massively increased during the reign of  Obama. A report by another whistle blower reveals that internet giants Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, Pal Talk, AOL, Skype, YouTube, and Apple are submitting to government snooping into the private data of their users. Apple is said not to have joined this effort until 2012,  after Steve Jobs had died. Perhaps this was part of the reason for the government attacks on the company.  Microsoft was purportedly the first company to jump  on board with the program.
The threat of lawsuits and “regulation” from the government has been enough to secure compliance from the companies.
Spokesmen from these companies continue to deny knowledge of government access to their databases.

It is interesting to watch some of the leftie media outlets responding to the idea that the government has been monitoring their private communications and internet activities, and that the Obama administration appears to have vastly increased the scope of the snooping.  This appears to have really gotten their attention.

Former Google Exec Reveals Elaborate UK Tax Avoidance Scheme

~ Pharmer

Barney Jones, employed by Google between 2002 and 2006, had a cache of emails which reveal an elaborate corporate scheme to move UK profits  to the Bahamas, by booking contracts with British customers through its Dublin office.   He claims that Google dodged hundreds of millions of pounds in taxes over a decade, using this diversion.

Google insider exposes ‘immoral’ tax scam | The Sunday Times.

We see that the lefties are quite attentive to minimizing their tax burdens.

 

Hacker Leaks Benghazi Emails

~ Pharmer

The hacker, Guccifer, who broke into email accounts of various people associated with government, has begun to share the goodies with the rest of the world.  We have news of the sharing but will have to wait for such media as Pravda,  Moscow Times, or St. Petersburg Times to let us know what is actually in the emails from Sidney Blumenthal to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Clinton is at this time is making waves by coming out of the closet on gay marriage, perhaps to distract us from the fact that her compatriot’s  email account is not very secure.

It’s worth a look at the Smoking Gun to see just how a Guccifer decided to handle the digital booty obtained from illegal email snooping.   What did former Clinton aide and Hillary’s confidante, Sidney Blumenthal have to say about the Benghazi consulate attack?  Enquiring minds want to know.

It’s Illegal to Unlock Your OWN Cell Phone!

~ Pharmer

The Public Has Spoken – 100,000 Americans Sign WH Petition on Cellphone Unlocking – Derek Khanna – Page 1.

There’s a new regulation issued by the Librarian of Congress which makes it illegal to unlock your cellphone.

As of January 26, if you unlock a new cell phone  in order to use it with a different carrier, it could land you in jail for 5 years and cost you a half million dollars.

The big phone companies interests are protected by preventing you from changing the settings of your phone.

Who is harmed by this?  Everyone who wants to use a different carrier.  This would include military personnel who unlock their phones to use them wherever in the world they might be serving.

The article linked at the top contains some good language for a short letter to your congressman, if you’re a techie and like to jailbreak and unlock your gadgets.  Check it out!

 

A Facebook Alternative: The TeaParty Community

~ Pharmer

Tea Party Community is a new start-up, modeled after Facebook, which will give conservatives a place to say what they want without fear of censorship.
Founders are Ken Crow, Tim Selaty Sr., and Tim Selaty Jr.
Right NOW it’s getting nighttime maintenance due to a steep growth curve. The official opening day is Saturday. Check it out HERE.
Pharmer will be there soon.
Expect Facebook stock to be negatively affected by this development.

Holiday PC sales slide for first time in 5 years – Technology on NBCNews.com

~ Pharmer

Holiday PC sales slide for first time in 5 years – Technology on NBCNews.com.

It’s because they don’t work, and people have to build their own!

Your friendly Pharmer has gotten notice that the Acer computer, which hasn’t been usable since it was purchased last November 1, has been shipped from its second trip to the repair shop.   Meanwhile, this little comment  is being plopped onto the website from the wonderful PC that Pharmer assembled at home.

Getting to the meat of the top linked article:  tablets are selling like hotcakes, but the expected bounce in PC sales that usually comes with the introduction of a new operating system did NOT happen.  Windows 8 failed to inspire.  This might be due to the extra cost of  big touch screens, which are needed to bring out the features of the new Microsoft OS.  Perhaps the tablets are getting powerful enough, more reliable, and more compatible with printers, so that people don’t see so much need for a PC.

Or maybe………….. the desktops and laptops that people are assembling at home are not being  included in the count.