A Parody by the Election Data Analyzer
This isn’t about Technology, it is about Public Trust through 100% transparency.
With the demise of ERIC, a reasonable question is “What will replace ERIC?” Hopefully it is 100% LOCAL control of the rolls like it used to be 20+ years ago. Or will it be “the latest greatest technology” only a few super-smart “Pitchman” (supposedly) own patents for?
Are Patriots really that gullible to believe Pitchman? Yes, some are.
Enter “the latest greatest technology”, a company which I will call Fraction. The root from Latin is “Fractal + Fiction” = Fraction.
But First…..Program Management 101 For Dummies
I have sat in front of many IT Enterprise Software sales pitches. I never waste my time with a “demo” until I have fully qualified and vetted the company. This is not rocket science Patriots.
Is the company legitimate? How long have they existed? How many employees?
Do they have a history of satisfied customers? What are the customer names, specifics?
Will they provide references, actual people, and do they check out?
Is this just a start-up company trying to break into a new market?
Is the firm selling “Vaporware? An idea, not a fully developed product?
Who owns the company selling the technology?
Does the firm have W2 US employees or are the employees contractors who sit in the US or say, China?
I could go on….
Here is the main point.
Unsubstantiated “claims” by non-existent companies will immediately disqualify any supplier presentation. Period. Full Stop (unless they are supplying a free lunch).
Remember, the Program Manager is not trying to be a stand in for a venture capital fund.
You either work in the profession and understand EXACTLY what I am saying OR you don’t in which case, the professional Pitchman will run circles around you with bloviation.
The C-Suite folks and media acolytes are easily taken in by “Pitchman”. BEWARE. You as the Program Manager need to keep the lunatics from running the asylum.
The Story of Fraction (Fractal + Fiction) Disruptive Technology
Let’s start with a LinkedIn Review
On LinkedIn, Mr. Serpentine is listed as the Director of Operations for Fraction beginning in 2017. There is no prior work history. Wait, what? No CV provided? (red flag #1 considering Mr. Serpentine is no spring chicken). Fraction is not even a company listed on LinkedIn. There is a company called FractionS out of CA but Mr. Serpentine is not an employee of that firm.
Fraction is also not listed on Open Corporates (red flag #2). Full Stop. WTH?
Let’s look at FractionWeb.app on LinkedIn, a different “company” with a similar name. This company has two employees (red flag #3). The founder is a Mr. Anion and the company was founded 38 years ago, according to LinkedIn. Mr. Serpentine is not an employee of FractionWeb.app either based on LinkedIn even though as part of his Sales Pitch he claims to be.
FractionWeb.app and the derivations of that name also do not show up on Open Corporates (red flag #4). Full Stop. WTH?
Let’s look at another company CloudShifter. This is the company that hosts the FractionWeb.app services. According to LinkedIn, this company was also founded 38 years ago and has only one employee, the one and only Mr. Anion.
But wait….Hallelujah! We have found our first legitimate company because CloudShifter is listed on Open Corporates but alas, the incorporation date is from 2021 which is not 38 years ago (red flag #5). Full Stop. WTH?
At this point, from the perspective of being a Program Manager, I would tell the C-Suite folks, there are too many “red flags” here. We need to forget about Fraction, FractionWeb.app, and CloudShitter and qualify a different vendor to solve our problem.
But no, the C-Suite folks and media acolytes have been wined and dined by the “Pitchman part-time Ops Director fake employee” Mr. Serpentine and they are not ready to give up on Fraction….at least not yet.
Web Site Review
Next, to further your case, as a Program Manager, you might conduct a simple web site review to gather more intel for the C-Suite folks. Again, this is not rocket science Patriots.
Let’s start with the “Disruptive Technology” claim sold by Fraction and used by another web site, Omicron for America (Patriots flock to it! It has the word AMERICA). Mr. Serpentine is associated with Omicron for America as discussed recently on a podcast and in on-line publications.
The podcasters fawned all over the brilliance of the Pitchman Mr. Serpentine and never asked one serious question that required substantiation. No matter, Patriots need HOPIUM!
According to YouTube videos posted on the FractionWeb.app web site, the “Chairman” is Mr. Anion. Nothing on the FractionWeb.app site states who owns the company or what the address is? How many employees? Are those employees US W2 or foreign workers?
Mr. Anion is also the CEO of ChicoTearUp Systems incorporated in June 2016. The type of business identified for ChicoTearUp Systems on the PPP web site is “Custom Computer Programming Services”. Wait, what? ChicoTearUp Systems received a PPP loan?
This leads to the question, is this firm providing computer programming services to FractionWeb.app, his other “company” not a real company thing?
ChicoTearUp Systems received a PPP Loan of $42,732. Two other firms who received PPP Loans are also listed at the same address, for $41,655 and $36,942. The address listed for all three firms is the same (wait for it)……residential address. Wait, what? The most “Disruptive Technology” on the planet is being delivered from a residential address? I guess, after Covid anything is possible…(at this point I am not counting red flags anymore, I ran out of fingers).
Mr. Anion is also associated with CloudShifter as the Agent according to Open Corporates. The address for CloudShifter is the same residence as the other 3 LLCs listed above. Wait, what? Four cutting edge business’s being run out of the same residence. Must be a Covid thing….
Finally, the CloudShifter web site states that they provide the hosting services to FractionWeb.app. OK, so Fraction and CloudShifter use the same world changing “Disruptive Technology”. How lucky are they? Must be worth a fortune.
In fact, going back to Linked in, Mr. Serpentine makes the explicit claim that the technology has a market valuation in the BILLIONS. Wow! I am sure the investors are lined up!
[BRIEF INTERMISSION]
Are you following all of this? Do you feel like you need a diagram Patriots? The kicker is, this entire description is for 3 employees. Do you think you should be suspicious yet? No? OK, that Technology Pitchman is soooo good!
[INTERMISSION OVER]
Let’s continue with the deep research….looking at web sites. LOL.
On the Fraction site, there is no corporate address or contact information listed except a phone number with a 513 area code and an email address. The area code ties back to the same location as ChicoTearUp Systems. The phone number for both Fraction and CloudShifter are also associated with another “company” that is not a company…. Exorcist Friends. Wait What? This same business phone number is used for three cutting edge “Disruptive Technology” companies? After Covid, anything is possible, I guess?
The terms “Fraction Programming”, “Fraction microApps”, “Fraction Web” and “iShit” are listed as being trademarked on the Fraction website. But no reference to these terms was found on the USPTO site.
Please, do me a favor media acolytes, next time you see Mr. Serpentine, remind him to provide the numbers for those trademark claims and patents. Just some basic good journalism. Thanks!
Finally, the Fraction web page itself contains “dead links” to Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat. The site is also literally filled with cartoons as promotional material as well as the phrase, “We Eat Our Own Cat Food.”
They claim the web site itself was built with “Fraction” technology. Funny, the backend shows that it is nothing more than a web site built with a template. Wow, if that is the case, imagine what the apps are like. CloudShifter is the right moniker.
To summarize my questions from a Program Manager perspective so far:
Is Fraction a registered company?
If so, why is there not more transparency on the Fraction site regarding the company location, size, list of clients, case studies, and projects executed?
What is the cost schedule for implementing an “end-point” for a Fraction solution?
Is Fraction owned or operated by ChicoTearUp Systems?
What is the relationship between Fraction and Exorcist Friends given that the contact phone number is the same.
How and where are services hosted by CloudShitter?
Does Fraction or CloudShifter use non-US based employees for any of the services provided? If so, where do they shit? I mean sit, sorry. I was thinking about CloudShitter I mean Shifter, sorry.
Are the trademark claims on Fraction legitimate or “in-progress”?
How much of the experience listed for Fraction is actually related to a much older firm Infohide (another parody for another day)?
Are we really dealing with a start-up looking for funding for a new and untested technology?
[BRIEF INTERMISSION]
I stopped counting red flags, Patriots. Sorry. Are you following all of this still? The flow diagram has gotten more complex, Patriots? Do you think you should be suspicious yet? No? OK, that Technology Pitchman is soooo good!
[INTERMISSION OVER]
This is where Omicron for America comes into the picture in greater detail. Let’s check out that web site. They discuss “Fraction Programming”. What is the difference between Fraction Programming and FractionWeb? Is there a connection? Apparently so….
There is a link on Omicron for America site the goes directly to Fraction.
This establishes the potential link between ChicoTearUp Systems, Fraction, FractionWeb and now Omicron for America. You can also make a donation to Omicron for America if you are so inclined.
The Terms and Conditions page (which is worth reading) for Omicron for America lists a yet another “company” called “Contagion Sales” as the operator of the web site which directs you to another web site associated with…wait for it…. Mr Serpentine. No firms exist on Open Corporates with the name Contagion Sales. Wait, What? Another fake “company”? How many are we up to? Mr. Serpentine states that he is the CEO of the fake company Contagion Sales.
The END
If Fraction is going to have involvement in voter roll analysis and/or management, the general public is entitled to 100% transparency of all the firms involved. So what can be concluded from all of this?
Through intermediaries, there are dotted line connections back to ChicoTearUp Systems, Fraction, FractionWeb.app, CloudShifter, Exorcist Friends, Omicron for America and Contagion Sales. How are these companies or entities related, if at all?
Why does it take soooo many companies to analyze voter rolls?
Is FractionWeb a company with employees and a corporate presence and history with customers? Or is it a one or two person “initiative” within the umbrella of CloudShifter, itself a company with one employee according to LinkedIn?
While CloudShifter appears to be a company, what customer history exists, employees, case studies, revenue and infrastructure beyond a private residential address?
Why is so much attention being given to Fraction when there is so little transparency provided about the firm and it’s current customers?
With respect to voter rolls more transparency is required, not a seemingly opaque series of interlinked LLCs without any discernible history.
Here is an idea.
Let’s start managing voter rolls with a paper book bound in a leather controlled by a local county clerk with a ball point pen. To Hell with Disruptive Technology.
Fractal or Fiction?
Trusting millions of voter information to a rabbit hole organization with multiple red flags rather than “nothing to hide” transparency is a beer keg of information at risk. Clear accreditation/references/security clearance background checks, precise organization structure defined with contact info. Without these essentials it can only be considered a crackerjack operation.