April 2015

There were 20 posts published in April 2015 (this is page 2 of 2).

AON Hewitt thinks people are costs

Here’s AON Hewitt’s page describing its Dependent Verification Services. I’d hate to be one of those “costly, ineligible dependents” that naively believe they have some sort of right to healthcare or something.

Bean-counters

Bean-counters

Aon Hewitt’s Plan-Smart® and Plan-Guard® dependent eligibility solutions help companies verify that eligible dependents maintain access to anticipated benefits and costly, ineligible dependents are removed from coverage as quickly as possible. Plan-Smart performs a complete audit of an enrolled dependent population. Plan-Guard’s ongoing dependent verification services preserve the integrity of the benefit plans on an ongoing basis and protect the results of the comprehensive audit.
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Dependent Verification programs are a stupid idea

Many employers are implementing audits of those employees using their company’s health insurance to verify that the dependents claimed are eligible to receive health insurance benefits. I think this is … well, evil.

Sez the Pittsburgh Post:

Employers like the audits because they are often able to help save on health care costs overnight without reducing benefit levels for employees. One in-depth study by the University of Colorado showed the return on investment for its own audit was 13 to 1, in the first year.

But employees targeted by the audits aren’t always fans.
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Lessons learned from a month of EV ownership — Technology Musings — Medium

Good advice from a new EV driver.

I’ve lusted after a Tesla since they debuted, thought seriously about getting a Nissan Leaf too, but it was after I took a test ride in a BMW i3 that I found a perfect happy medium. I picked one up last month and learned plenty in the short time I’ve been driving it. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to live with an electric vehicle (EV), here’s a list of things I’ve learned since taking the plunge.

via Lessons learned from a month of EV ownership — Technology Musings — Medium.

Silent running

I’ve driven an electric car for about 5 months now and discovered a curious effect: Electric cars are invisible to wildlife. Several times I’ve driven right up on a bird, car, or squirrel standing in the road and they only move when I’m within a split second of hitting them. You would think that just the sight of an approaching vehicle would be enough to send them scurrying but this does not appear to be the case. Critters apparently depend on the noise of vehicles for detection the same way many people do.
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Baltimore Police used secret technology to track cellphones in thousands of cases – Baltimore Sun

"In Baltimore, they’ve been using this since 2007, and it’s only been in the last several months that defense attorneys have learned enough to start asking questions," he said. "Our entire judicial system and constitution is set up to avoid a ‘just trust us’ system where the use of invasive surveillance gear is secret."

via Baltimore Police used secret technology to track cellphones in thousands of cases – Baltimore Sun.

Drip drip drip

i-drink-your-milkshake
I was showering this morning when I realized that the water pressure isn’t what it used to be. There is no cut-off valve for the shower (or at least, any accessible valve), so I began to wonder what might account for the weak water. It’s true that a pipe from our water heater busted last fall but that was fixed up better than new by our ace plumber, Allen Baker. There was no other water running in the house at the time, so what is left?

Then it hit me (an idea, not the water). Last year, we were on the end of Tonsler Drive and the end of the water line. When the new Oakwood North subdivision went in, it extended this water line. I didn’t notice any drop in pressure initially since the homes were only slowly becoming occupied. Now that the neighborhood is almost built out there are now a lot of morning showers competing for the same water pressure.

It reminded me of the scene from There Will Be Blood: the new neighbors are drinking my milkshake!

My first long-distance EV trip

Too close for comfort!

Too close for comfort!

Over the past week I’ve made several trips to visit my seriously ill friend Scott Greenough out at UNC Hospital. I don’t always have the option of taking our Kia Sorento, so I often top off the juice in our Ford Focus Electric and hit the road.

Driving an EV longer distances requires one to do a little math, particularly if one is unsure a charging station can be found at the destination. I figured with my top range of about 75 miles, I would have more than enough to get there. The PlugShare app showed a ChargePoint charging station in the parking deck across from the hospital, so I figured I would be good to go.
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Why skeptics think a South Carolina sailor lied about being lost at sea for 66 days – The Washington Post

This guy is a liar and a nutcase to boot.

It’s rare that a man is lost at sea and returns home looking even healthier than before he disappeared.

But that’s exactly what skeptics of Louis Jordan have pointed out as they question the 37-year-old’s miraculous account of surviving 66 days adrift in the Atlantic Ocean.

via Why skeptics think a South Carolina sailor lied about being lost at sea for 66 days – The Washington Post.

Scott Greenough is gravely ill

Scott Greenough

Scott Greenough

I have been preoccupied for over a week as my close friend Scott Greenough has been battling for his life. He’s in the hospital now with terminal liver failure and everyone is concerned that he might not make it.

I set up a Caring Bridge site for Scott last night for his friends and loved ones to share their thoughts and follow his progress. You can check it out here.

Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers!

Update: I have created a separate blog for updates on Scott. See the Scott Greenough page.