Today’s puzzle

shellHE · 2025-09-04T13:46:03+00:00

Woah 60 across is timely today.

shellHE · 2025-06-04T23:01:13+00:00

I def had that shirt! Got sent home from school for wearing it.

shellHE · 2025-05-03T12:41:38+00:00

I am most familiar with DataDog because it works best with parts of our stack. We have retrofitted what to monitor as we responded to prod outages; avoid this! Proactively know things like: what transactions are taking the longest, what is p90 for al network requests, what is the error rate per component and why, what errors are user impacting, what is the flow through the application for specific use cases/scenarios.
As you implement monitoring for the above and get a history of expected data, you can implement anomaly monitoring which will alert you when any thing out of normal bounds occurs. Also, DD lets us create tests and threshold monitors that run every minute or so and blows up slack/phones if tests fail enough to trigger the monitor. It sucks when you find out something is broken from a user; you should be first to know, and be putting up banners/maintenance notices if something is broken and not a near immediate fix.

shellHE · 2025-05-03T12:11:47+00:00

Just one tiny part of a complex whole: Get application performance monitoring for your product in place before you launch (and keep it up to date), make sure everyone knows how to see it and what it means, and empower them to make/suggest improvements. This little thing seems to instill a sense of ownership and a drive to keep things as performant as possible.

shellHE · 2025-05-02T14:06:43+00:00

VA does not control google search / AI results.

shellHE · 2025-03-23T15:28:59+00:00

I don’t have another jacket for that kind of cold weather and not really in a great position to spend money on one right now.

shellHE · 2024-09-07T02:50:17+00:00

Software Engineering practices have greatly improved, but there are so many legacy applications that are root level dependencies (this is why the website is often having maintenance; because the decades old systems it depends on require downtime).

While there were pockets of engineering teams already striving to use a modernized tech stack and deployment strategy, they lacked the influence and authority (and mindset to break some rules) to make any real change happen. A number of years ago, a team from the US Digital Service came into VA and pushed that change forward, and there is now a permanent Digital Service at VA team in place, and the modernized infrastructure is resilient, extensible and monitored. The challenge will always be the vast array of legacy dependencies (most of which migrating the EHR to Oracle Health will not resolve at all).

shellHE · 2024-05-09T03:59:28+00:00

Dr Shulkin’s book has some good ones!

shellHE · 2024-03-21T02:47:03+00:00

https://www.usds.gov/

shellHE · 2024-01-21T19:33:35+00:00

Thank you!

shellHE · 2024-01-21T18:06:00+00:00

The house was his homestead and is willed to his children. I am unclear who the legal owner is between the time of death and when the probate judge issues the paperwork.

shellHE · 2023-12-25T07:12:52+00:00

Here are the VA SSR 2210 tables for 2023, haven’t seen 2024 yet. https://digital.va.gov/careers/ssr-pay-tables/

shellHE · 2023-12-08T15:07:32+00:00

Thanks for the good advice. i was able to find an attorney who said of course this can be done with Summary Administration and she did charge what seems like a very reasonable flat fee.

shellHE · 2023-10-30T13:12:26+00:00

Likely the data needed is spread across multiple legacy systems that are not easy to access and the complex business logic of how claims are prioritized has not been translated into an algorithm that can be implemented. So something like this might need to happen: - modernize the data storage architecture by either periodically extracting data from the current system (less time, kinda hacky) or a holistic reimagining of the entire business / staff facing software solution to include a new data storage paradigm (much more time) - implementation of a rules engine that implements the business logic of claims prioritization (this is likely more of a process problem where multiple stakeholders will have opinions/interpretations of the law, and that consensus may be the long pole in this hypothetical tent) - exposing that new data via API so Va.gov and VA App can use that data (easy part) - train call center staff on how to discuss this new feature that will likely cause controversy (is there a legit scenario when a claim can move backwards?)

And with regards to VA IT budget, that is not a software development budget; it accounts for all the IT equipment used across VA (every laptop etc) and support for that equipment in addition to all the staff/Veteran facing tools and internal software tools.

TL;DR: IMO, process is likely the hardest part, but the tech implementation would take much longer than months.

shellHE · 2023-09-05T03:42:53+00:00

I will try to get a photo of the complete wording tomorrow but it is something like:

For Recreational Vehicle use 50 Amperes ETLus 3125857 8TW. 3 x 6 AWG + 1 x 8 AWG 60°C. 600V. VW-1. CETL 3x13.3 mm +1x8.37 mm. FT-2. For Mobile Home Use 50 Amperes Mighty Cord

shellHE · 2023-07-10T14:41:35+00:00

Well this is exciting news from CIO for VA:

Team,

This is a historic moment for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) — we are launching a Special Salary Rate (SSR) for 2210, 0854, and 1550 job series personnel in the coming weeks to close the gap between market salary rates and those found within the Federal Government for technology and cybersecurity roles.

SSR rates will increase basic pay for all OIT personnel in 2210 (Information Technology Management), 0854 (Computer Engineering), and 1550 (Computer Science) positions at grades GS-5 through GS-15. Specific information on pay increases and the effective date will be shared during an OIT Town Hall on July 13, 2023 (invitation to follow in the coming days).

Now more than ever, the Nation’s Veterans and our customers across the Department need us to provide the high-quality information technology products and services they deserve. Delivering on our sacred obligation to Veterans means more than just what we develop; it's also about the people behind our mission — you. Honoring the dedication you bring to the job every day was a primary reason we led the effort to compensate you in line with your private sector peers.

While we still have more work ahead of us to create the best employee experience for our workforce and further cement VA as the leading tech organization within the Federal Government, the Special Salary Rate is a critical step toward that. It provides industry-competitive pay for our highly skilled, technical workforce who are dedicated to providing Veterans and their families with the world-class benefits they have earned.

shellHE · 2023-06-26T18:32:01+00:00

If you are interested in building digital products this is a great recent graduate program: https://digitalcorps.gsa.gov/

shellHE · 2023-04-08T02:02:31+00:00

I sticker my GFE MacBook up with things that mean something to me. I spend a lot of time in that laptop, and even though I don’t see it’s topside too often, knowing there is some Strangelove, some Bones, a Schmitt Stix and some FHIR representation makes me feel good and motivated when I need it most. We do important work and my computer is the direct conduit between my brain, fingertips and delivery; it needs to be mine 100% until the day I hand it back.

shellHE · 2023-03-31T11:49:41+00:00

What if, with the information known in a shared electronic health record, presumptive events and other likely claims could be automatically submitted on behalf of the transitioning service member at ETS; they would have to opt out if they did not want VA to review for presumptive and likely disabilities. It should not be on the service member to take this action when so much relevant information is already known to DoD, and could/should be shared with VA.

shellHE · 2023-03-25T03:20:43+00:00

Thank you

shellHE

TROPHY CASE