I Am 8th Man

Eight years ago today, due mostly to circumstances beyond my control, I retired. Having recovered from the cancer and persistent afib that were diagnosed a year ago, thanks to some smart doctors I’m a new man!

Trump was president eight years ago, and he’s president again. Not good. Despite all of the chaos that Boy Wonder Musk has been causing within the IRS, I was reassured this morning when seeing my updated status on Where’s My Refund?

Your tax refund is scheduled to be sent to your bank by April 02, 2025.

In Musk They Trust

How about a review of the Social Security Administration’s processes? Let’s assemble a team of experienced managers and technologists from within the administration, especially if they have concerns about how the administration operates.

Knowledgeable outsiders, including business experts and past SSA personnel, will also be recruited. Input from many beneficiaries will be solicited. After a careful review, new procedures will be recommended and a implementation plan developed for upgrading the technology.

Nah, let’s not do that. Let’s assume there is rampant waste to be found, and we’ll toss a bunch of nervy, inexperienced kids in there, with no knowledge of the existing systems or underlying technology. They’ll tear everything apart, let the chips fall where they may, and everybody will have to hope for the best, especially those who receive Social Security benefits.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/03/what-could-possibly-go-wrong-doge-to-rapidly-rebuild-social-security-codebase/

Buh-Bye Beeb

For the past couple of months I have been very pleased with the BBC Sounds plugin on the Lyrion music server network. Now the BBC is ending Sounds access outside of the UK. The only radio stations that will be available are the World Service and Radio 4. Is this fallout from Trump’s tariff madness?