California just canceled a 2 billion dollar project to link 58 courts having spent over half a billion. In the UK half a billion pounds was wasted failing to develop software for the emergency services. A recent although controversial study estimates global IT failures cost 6 trillion dollars a year.

I've thought about this before but perhaps the time is right. It's a software system that analyzes the chances of success for any major IT project. In California in particular we could pass a ballot measure to mandate that this system is used accept or reject any software project that would cost the state more than, say, $50k. The core of the system has already been written and looks like this:

All it needs is a nice interface that allows you to upload documents and then show a progress bar while the in-depth 'analysis' takes place. I'd be willing to do this work for the state for no more than $200 million, plus costs and change orders. Shouldn't take more than a decade either. 

Governor Brown, call me.

Image Credit: Images_of_Money cc

Add your comment...

Related Posts

• The startup costs are too damned high
• California November 2020 Propositions
• How to fix software patents
• California November 2016 Propositions
• San Francisco and California March 2024 Ballot Measures

(All Etc Posts)

(Published to the Fediverse as: California, I can save you billions with a small and reasonably priced computer program... #etc #software #california A cunning plan for a fully automated government software procurement analysis system that would save billions. )

Little known fact, geologists would tell you that Bernal Hill is made of chert, actually it's mostly dog crap. And if keeps raining like this the hill will be gone tomorrow.

Add your comment...

Related Posts

• Bernal Chair
• Bernal Bug
• Bernal from Davidson
• City by the Bay
• Bernal in Bloom

(All Etc Posts)

(Published to the Fediverse as: Agua #etc #bernal Photo of Bernal Hill being rapidly eroded by storm runoff. )

I don't know what the machine attached to our office does but it's giving me nightmares.

Add your comment...

Related Posts

• Stable Diffusion Watches a Security Camera - a short horror movie
• Time to get rid of the word ROBOT
• Bernal Chair
• Three reasons the dream of a robot companion isn't over
• Robot Ahead

(All Etc Posts)

(Published to the Fediverse as: Mangler #etc #mangler This machine may start automatically without warning. )

I used to really love British Airways. I even got over their silly new livery and refusal to stock full fat tonic water. But I can't get over the increasing uselessness of their frequent flyer program which has recently switched over to 'Avios', a scheme that seems to have been designed to stiff people out of their free flights.

Despite having a stupid number of miles and several free companion vouchers there is not one single seat available to book for the next six months of service, and I have enough miles/points for three of the four cabins.

Even if a seat was available the 'free' part only covers the actual fare and not the fees, taxes and surcharges. Flying from San Francisco to London the fare is about a dollar and then you still have to pay the rest. 

It would be better to not even pretend that the Executive Club relates in any way to free travel. Give me sugar in my G&T on one flight in five and I'd be happier than I am now with my vast stock of worthless Avios points. 

The whole mess is nearly enough to make me defect to Virgin Atlantic, but they only fly as far as Reno and then you have to take a bus the rest of the way to Heathrow. 

Photo credit: caribb cc

Updated 2016-08-04 14:07:

Maybe there is hope - on my most recent flight BA had Fever Tree tonic water!

Add your comment...

Related Posts

• As a courtesy
• Methyl L-α-aspartyl-L-fucking-phenylalaninate
• Really BA?
• Email marketing - don't shoot yourself in the foot
• Bottled Water

(All Etc Posts)

(Published to the Fediverse as: Executive Clubbing #etc #ba The frustrations of trying to use British Airways Executive Club 'Avios' points. )

Photo of the sand ladder trail at Fort Funston (GGNRA).

Add your comment...

Related Posts

• Fort Funston
• Fort Funston in the rain
• Crab at Fort Funston
• Sunny afternoon at Fort Funston (a timelapse)
• Farallon Islands

(All Etc Posts)

(Published to the Fediverse as: Sand Ladder at Fort Funston #etc #funston Photo of the sand ladder at Fort Funston, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, San Francisco, California. )

International arrivals level at the San Francisco International Airport.

Add your comment...

Related Posts

• Landing at SFO
• Annular Eclipse at SFO
• JFK SFO
• SFO JFK
• SFO FRA

(All Etc Posts)

(Published to the Fediverse as: SFO #etc #sfo Photo of the international arrivals level at the San Francisco International Airport (SFO). )

In Zimbabwe a traffic light is a robot (or at least it was circa 1994 when this photo was taken).

Add your comment...

Related Posts

• Time to get rid of the word ROBOT
• Train of Lights
• Semi-flooded duck (DUKW) headlight
• Three reasons the dream of a robot companion isn't over
• Moth

(All Etc Posts)

(Published to the Fediverse as: Robot Ahead #etc #robot Photo in Harare, Zimbabwe, alerting drivers to a Robot Ahead (a traffic light). )

Israel just banned models with a BMI under 18.5. That's not severely underweight, it's the boundary with normal. Like banning models packing an extra pound (not that the law touches this end of the spectrum). Lawmakers have too much free time on their hands when they pass body crimes (or thought crimes). Outlawing underweight models isn't going to put a dent in eating disorders. Even if it was a reasonable law it's going after a symptom rather than any sort of root cause.

Photo Credit: clapstar cc

Add your comment...

Related Posts

• Has France Cracked Fixing Education?
• Go-arounds: LEGO and Legislative Service
• New Scientist on Immigration
• The Economics of Digital Rights Management
• We can’t fix politics without fixing 24-hour news

(All Politics Posts)

(Published to the Fediverse as: Goldilocks #politics #models Should a model be allowed to have a BMI below 18.5? )