170 new of 252 responses total.
identd is totally insecure and, frankly, kind of useless.
As is IRC Open port 113 and release the hounds
Re. #83: Thanks, I trust your judgement and I'll pass that on.
resp:85 sorry, I didn't mean to come across as flippant. The issue with ident is that when you connect to some remote system, the distant end connects back to ident service on the machine you're connecting from (if it can) and queries it for who you are by sending some metadata about the your connection to them. The first problem is that, with all the firewalling and so forth used these days, more often than not the distant end can't connect to the machine you're coming from anyway (either it'll hit a NAT gateway, or the traffic is just rejected). The second problem is that there's nothing at all that prevents your system from straight-up lying to the distant end. This protocol never worked particularly well, but it made more sense when the Internet was much smaller, connections were generally end-to-end, and most users connected via machines that could be at least somewhat trusted. Sadly, identd is a relic from a bygone era.
Re. #86: I resemble that remark. ;-)
Heh.
IDENTD wouldn't lie to me. We're friends.
IBB because this new manager job means full time programming and half time managing and management meetings. So now I'm working too many hours each week and starting to think another job would be better. I like the system we use and have used it for many years now and know all the backend parts of it. But if I have to do 60+ hr. weeks all the time. I might have to quit and find a more reasonable position. This week I logged off at 5:45 p.m. on Friday because I was wanting a reasonable Friday and we'll see if anyone notices. Got a lot of stuff done around the house and garage that needed doing as a result. Winter is coming!
Sounds like a good weekend. I'm also living 5 different lives in a 24 hour period.
Thanks, tod. Yeah, I've heard other people say they aren't going to work extra hours anymore. Of course the last guy that got fired, so maybe it's not such a good idea. We'll see.
R.I.P. Stan Lee and Douglas Rain
I'm sad that the python3 pexpect library isn't installed... could we get it added? Thanks!
I'm sad because my new job is turning into a horrible experience.
You have my sympathy.
What's the job and why is it becoming horrible? Would you be interested in switching jobs?
re #95 Yikes What's going on?
Way too much work, lots of unpaid overtime, for example. Not following SOPs, which, in a regulated industry could be a regulatory audit issue (and even potentially a legal issue) where I'd be the person responsible (my boss tells me to let it go, we'll do it later, but later never comes). And on and on. My life has basically fallen apart. Things around the home aren't getting done, for example. It's too stressful.
That sounds really awful. Are you interested in switching at this time?
re #99 Sometimes, if you have the boss's direction to let it go (and in writing e.g. email) then that's probably the right thing to do. Unpaid overtime doesn't sound nice. Is that legal?
Unpaid overtime is totally legal if the employee is classified as "salary exempt." I fall into this classification. Unlimited free overtime. Salary exempt is to overtime what the solar panel is to "clean energy". Design engineers (my case) are "learned professionals" who are QUALIFIED as exempt. I'm so lucky. Please see section 541.400 "computer employees" below: https://www.dol.gov/whd/overtime/regulations.pdf 541.400 General rule for computer employees. (a) Computer systems analysts, computer programmers, software engineers or other similarly skilled workers in the computer field are eligible for exemption as professionals under section 13(a)(1) of the Act and under section 13(a)(17) of the Act. Because job titles vary widely and change quickly in the computer industry, job titles are not determinative of the applicability of this exemption. (b) The section 13(a)(1) exemption applies to any computer employee compensated on a salary or fee basis at a rate of not less than $455 per week (or $380 per week, if employed in American Samoa by employers other than the Federal Government), exclusive of board, lodging or other facilities, and the section 13(a)(17) exemption applies to any computer employee compensated on an hourly basis at a rate not less than $27.63 an hour. In addition, under either section 13(a)(1) or section 13(a)(17) of the Act, the exemptions apply only to computer employees whose primary duty consists of: (1) The application of systems analysis techniques and procedures, including consulting with users, to determine hardware, software or system functional specifications; (2) The design, development, documentation, analysis, creation, testing or modification of computer systems or programs, including prototypes, based on and related to user or system design specifications; (3) The design, documentation, testing, creation or modification of computer programs related to machine operating systems; or (4) A combination of the aforementioned duties, the performance of which requires the same level of skills.
That being said Kent (#90), I'm very sorry to hear about your stress. If the situation looks long term, maybe there's another employer that will value your time. Or is that the nature of the job? I work for a large company that is laying people off en masse on regular cycles. Typically, when it rains, it pours. Mass layoff, followed by extreme doubling and tripling of my work and the obvious endless overtime you would expect. Usually, we are told, "SHUT UP. YOU ARE LUCKY TO BE WORKING." I'm about to be let go or experience the great fortune of having my work doubled; literally next week or the following. There's work elsewhere but much further away accompanied with lower pay and fewer benefits. Hooray! Joni Mitchell said something about a circle game.
We get a new boss in a little over a week, so we'll see how that goes. The main driver of all this nonsense is the project I'm on which had its timeline shortened, is overly complex, with a client who changes the requirements all the time and has a shortage of people when we need them (due to competing projects). On top of this the client changed the system we use, so that has been a learning curve for everyone. Most of the team is new people. With any luck I can get through the next couple weeks in good shape and then get back to management tasks. However, yes, I'm salaried and don't get any overtime. On top of this, I have a contract situation in the job which I need to fulfill before I can reasonably move to some other position without paying a penalty. That runs out in Sept. this year. My previous employer's recruiter called me last week, so we got connected on Linked-In. That's an alternative for at least discussion. That company paid straight-time overtime and generally I didn't work much overtime at all. But the money was less and I wasn't on salary. There was not much hope for advancement or raises, either. This current job has opportunities for advancement and we usually get some increase in salary each year as well as some kind of bonus. It is somewhat the nature of the job that there are occasional times when extra work is required, but not all the time, usually, like it has been for many months now. It is a regulated industry subject to (unannounced) federal agency audits so not following SOPs is not a good thing, no matter what the boss says. I could, perhaps, switch to another industry. My goals for employment don't stretch much past 3 years at this point, though that could change.
New boss is here. Seems reasonable so far, though she hasn't said much. She's worked for this company for 16 years prior to this gig, so I hope knows how things should work. Old boss said he'd give me a call sometime and I told him okay. Probably wants to know how this project is going. Aside from working 4 straight weeks every day to halfway keep up, it is close to done. Can you say "death march?" Delivery is Feb 14 or maybe a day or two later. Everything is programmed and validated so it's just those last minute changes we need to get past. IBB I haven't had time for much of anything around the house, like chores and relaxing. IBB we'll never get paid for all the overtime we've put in.
The lesson I learned by observing the media and the "man on the street" reactions to job cuts, unpaid overtime, etc is this: If you make a decent living and don't work for a union or work in some god-awful coalmine no one gives a shit what you go through. That said, I was spared being cut. My department was given the all clear by the president of the company. Next week all departments are going to be reorganized. The fun never ends and if you complain, "you should be grateful for having a job." It's far too early in the economic cycle for this greed and exploitation. The media excitement over "the gig economy" where you deliver groceries or taxi people with no benefits while an app company makes billions is the future. If you sell everything, invest in a lucrative investment fund and live in a van, you could do gigs and collect food stamps. It's the future for millenials. Sign up for the new green deal. Be a hero. My advice to generation z: learn a trade. Fix furnaces or replace plumbing. Corporate America is a race to the bottom unless you are a management type who can live with firing single moms with 3 kids.
Whatever happened to "mansplaining"? That was a real friend-maker culture.
Okay, IBB, this place drives me nuts. I got put on another study and nothing much is getting done. People say they're programming but I don't see the results. So I asked for a few more programmers, got 3 contractors. Then 2 of them got pulled back to their previous work so I put the other guy to work and he got a few things working. However, today we found out we've got to change a lot of things and do even more work, so I asked for a few more programmers and all I got was "I gave you 3 the other day." Of course, 3 became 1 so that didn't help as much as 3 so that's what I told this so-called boss (same level as I am). So, I think it's time she started running this project and see what happens to her. Supposedly this is the most important project around, but not when some other project needs people then it's the most important project. I keep having to work weekends and things at home are falling apart even more than before. So, I'm not all that happy right now. Our client likes to dump more work on us that we have people to do it and then they say 'hire more people.' But, as I noted, people are leaving every month. And replacements take time to come up to speed. So, that isn't working. I'm mostly tired all the time and unmotivated. I'd like to work for a company that treats people with respect and work in environment that isn't about blame but about fixing things if they aren't working. Thankfully, the lead programmer that was out sick for a month came back today, so he can start dealing with the nonsense I've been dealing with. On the plus side, I fixed a couple Unix issues today for people and that was okay. Just that it came at the expense of other work I'm supposed to be doing.
You have my sympathy. Sounds like a pathological work environment.
Thanks. Waiting for the end of days here. It's two days later and very little got done. I know people are waiting for the end of the study so they can jump in cause problems but we don't have time for new validation program development. Today I got word that 4 of the people helping just became potential programmers for other projects on a moment's notice, so now we are going into the final phase without the people we need to do the work, and we only have 5 days to do everthing. So far they've been working on it for 9 days and aren't done yet. So that doesn't bode well.
re #110 Sounds horrible What kind of methodology do they use and is there a program owner who tracks resources?
It's clinical study reports and data. Several different statistical procedures and models are used. We'll determine if a drug is significantly better than its alternative. Yes, resources are tracked by management above me. We meet regularly to see how things are going and so far it is "not well."
Hang in there
Thanks, Tod. So far we are making some progress. Lots of changes at the last minute, lots of comments to fix, etc. But, we've got people working on things even though they aren't doing very well with their programming (we move some things to others who have more time or experience so that things might get done on time). Many hands make light work out the impossible sometimes. We'll see. Why in the world can't people be more about problem-solving than blaming, I don't know. One of the best jobs I ever had was had a culture of problem-solving and trying to make sure things got fixed and didn't happen again, rather than trying to find blame. Oh well. The idea is if we can get our validation programs working now, they might work, without much change, when we get to the end of this thing. It is a Byzantine system and set up we have to work in and that confuses people a lot. I'll be working on training for it in month so we can get people off to a better start and provide more guidance when they hit snags. Unfortunately the system is one that can take years to learn the details of (long learning curve). I've been working in it for a total of 10 years now.
resp:113 tod, I apologize (to you and everyone) for posting a private message here, but I haven't recieved a reply to e-mails sent to both tod@grex.org and treasurer@cyberspace.org, and I know you follow this conference item. I made a PayPal payment for a 1-year membership back in December, but my name is still not on the members list. Someone told me you are the Grex treasurer responsible for handling membership payments. Please let me know if there's anything more you need me to do to process this. I'm sad because I'm not a Grex member.
I'll look into this for you. Thansk for bringing it up. I have no idea where those email addresses are forwarding to.
resp:116 Thanks! Let me know if there's any information you need.
If the payment came to PayPal, that account used to email some people, including me. If I knew about things like this I'd usually fix them up right away. But I don't get the e-mails any more and it's harder for me to find out what is going on, and work has been a hellish mess, so I haven't dug into things further. The people that get e-mails when there's a status change in PayPal is an option on the account, I think. At the very least, treasurer@grex.org should be in the list.
cross got my membership fixed-up. Thanks! I'm not sad anymore.
Grex seems to be having network problems, which makes me :( I'm not sure what's going on, which makes me more :(
It seems to be ok now, but yeah, something was really bad about an hour ago.
Work continues to be a real mess. Now we have a lot of programmers who don't check their program logs and then we have errors and warnings all over the place. It's taking time to fix, and of course the timelines got over a month shorter last week, so it's like the client is trying to work us to death. But, the log issues are ours to fix, unfortunately. Not sure what to say other than they push people too hard to get things done in a short time and then people start skipping steps. I've been preaching about log checks now for 4 weeks and it's still happening. I guess people like playing with the manager to see if he notices (he does). Next will be 1:1s to see what is going on and if it keeps happening it will become a performance issue. I hope it doesn't go that far. I have one programmer who doesn't like unix and can't deal with it although the rest are fine with what they need to do on the server. He refused to let me show him how to make it easier (shell features, aliases, and simple editor).
"doesn't like unix" ... "refused ... to make it easier". My guess is that person is either just frustrated or hates to accept something they griped about is just different not bad. A gentle nudge may be in order.
Yeah. We were told by the client to do everything on the unix server and this basically forces him to work there. I'll see where he's at tomorrow, mentally, and if he wants I can get him set up so he can work reasonably well from the command line. It is a requirement of his job, so he'll need to adapt and find a way to do his work.
Can you tie log checks into log feeds to some sort of alert automation?
It's difficult with the system we use to do anything after then run in an automated way. We can't change the system, for one thing. However, we can check all the logs in a directory with one of my scripts quite easily. Again, we are dealing unix and the majority don't want to deal with it, and that includes running scripts.
ISB it's been fifty years since humanity first set foot on the Moon and nobody's been back in forty-seven years.
Artemis will change that
It's totally normal for rocket thrust to appear like glitter. https://tinyurl.com/yxw4szng I truly believe that fuel melts steel girders too. tag: unicorns, rainbows, morethantwogenders
re #130 Same studio as this https://images.fineartamerica.com/images/artworkimages/mediumlarge/1/space -199 9-andrea-gatti.jpg
re #131 - Very phallic.
It's Martin Landau
ISB I was a big fan of Space: 1999 way back in the day, but I watched a couple of episodes from Series 2 on UK Armed Forces TV during a recent business trip, and have to admit they were crap. I remember Series 1 being much better, though I'm not confident my memory will stand up to rewatching. Same for UFO, which my memory placed even higher than Space: 1999. Good model work, but the plot was too wonky of me to enjoy anymore. Surprisingly dark for a 1970s TV show.
UFO looks interesting
Netflix has Stargate Universe available. I'm moving through those now. I think it's a great story. I really like the characters. I hear there's effort to bring it back but I'm not sure about that. Some story lines are best told in just a few seasons before the writers run out of original ideas and the audience get bored.
Replace the capacitors in your Commodore computers and make sure to upgrade to new power supplies!
If I told you it was possible to run a Commodore Vic 20 with 1MB of RAM and 8MB of flash rom would you think I was nuttier than Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez? http://store.go4retro.com/ultimem-vic-20-memory-expansion-cartridge/ What about a wifi modem that worked on the VIC and the 64? https://www.cbmstuff.com/proddetail.php?prod=WiModemOLED Or that there are scores of BBSs out there that aren't grex? https://theoasisbbs.com/resources/
re #138 What's the best commodore bbs terminal emulator for Win10?
So now, we are losing work and by April 2020 I'll be out of work and probably be laid off. No fun. But if there is a severence that is decent then it might be okay. And I can apply for another job. Or I can try to stay where I'm at but I still would need to apply for job on some other project. I hope I can hang in here for another couple years. But we'll see.
resp:140 I do not envy your employment uncertainty, Kent. Hope everything works out for you.
Synchterm will allow Windows (and many other operating systems) to communicate with BBSs that have full CGTerm Commodore 64 PETSCII support. http://syncterm.bbsdev.net/ It's really neat. I wish PETSCII was embraced by all terminals!
Re 141: Thanks, I hope so, too. Re 141: That is neat. Thanks.
Re. 140: Good luck! The company I joined a year ago seems to be struggling too but there's very little technology work within commuting range and I'm not really qualified for anything else. I'll just do the best job I can until I can find something else.
Thanks, Andy. It might not be much of an interview, but it all depends on a job opening up that fits my title/role. If not, then that's it and I'll be interviewing for another job. I'm hoping it won't be a big deal and that something opens up (the industry has a lot of training requirements and starting a new job means going through all that again, for example, plus learning a new company culture and ways of working). Good luck with your job situation, too, Andy!
IBB Neil Peart, drummer for the band Rush, and a hugely talented musician, died this week. RIP Neil.
resp:146 R.I.P. today's Tom Sawyer.
resp:136: SGU was *terrible*. If you enjoy that though, go and watch the preceding series'. Stargate SG-1 and Stargate: Atlantis were wonderful.
ISB Freeman Dyson, great man and genius of Physics passed away on Feb. 28, 2020. R.I.P.
His work with Yandex was pretty intriguing
ISB Max von Sydow, great Swedish movie star of The Seventh Seal, The Exorcist, Flash Gordon, and many more roles, passed away on March 8, aged 90. R.I.P.
RIP Max.
I'm not sad but I do have the feeling of dread. The financial markets melting. Restaurants, schools, stores, manufacturing plants, public venues, etc. closing. I don't know who to trust with the info on COVID-19. Is it the end of the world? A nothing burger? The same people fear mongering went from one extreme to another. Now my kid is out of school for a while. Very likely the numbers will be higher when the kids are supposed to go back - probably won't see the classroom again until Fall. Was told not to return to work until the foreseeable future. Can work from home. Many are excited. I have dread. Been hearing the COVID-19 is a bioengineered chimera using AIDS which is why people are getting it again and again. You don't get rid of it. Who the F knows though either way. Also hearing that basically everyone will get it. Just a matter of time. Also trying to rip a Pavement CD and track 8 won't rip. The Fing humanity. Pizza might help me just for a hour. Toilet paper and purell will save us all. Idiots blaming Trump and the 1%. Chinese blaming America now. Americans bombing Iranian targets in the confusion. Secret stock trading by algorithms pump and dump while we sleep. Aliens too grossed out to exsanguinate the cattle.
resp:153 Thank you for sharing. ;) I enjoy your perspective.
I'm disappointed in the hype. The uncivil response to the hype perhaps. People going overboard at the grocery store on ridiculous choices. Every business sending an email about how serious they take COVID-19 blah blah. Everyone wants to get in on how serious they are. Shelter in place. My cousin called me approx 15 years ago. He worked for Tom Ridge. Remember when everyone was supposed to get duct tape and barricade themselves indoors to avoid airborne germ warfare? Or maybe it was a dirty bomb attack. Or asbestos. Or Jehovah Witnesses. Toilet paper...Friedrich Weyerhaeuser must be break dancing in his grave at this. up 17% on Friday. At my work place people started to get crazy. They all wanted to telecommute so some started to rip VOIP phones out of the wall. These are POE voip phones that only work on our MPLS. It's not like anyone has POE routers and a VPN into our LAN from their house. smh
Around here the shelves at the grocery stores are mostly bare. People line up before 6 a.m. to get whatever has been restocked when they open. Items are gone before noon. Lather, rinse, repeat. Very sad.
IBB, this is getting serious. The PM of the UK has closed the pubs.
resp:157 Madder and madder.
Stater Bros grocer delivered the wrong type of air popcorn..they brought me jiffy pop tins. It's double the admount I ordered so not so sad..but still It puts a damper on my Malibu discomfort
My wife kept going shopping. Twice a day at least. I told her again and again she might be bringing the virus home. I nagged her so much about it that she stopped. Add nagging to social distancing, hand washing and self-quarantining.
Mr Wipple "please don't squeeze the charmin"
Choosy mothers choose Jif. Kid tested mother approved. You know Mr Wipple got nasty with that TP. They didn't call him Wipple for nothing.
re #160 Those little "cheats" defeat the purpose of self quarantine. I hear all the time from pharmacists how almost half of the folks are getting infected needlessly.
herd immunity
My sons are constantly coming up with reasons they need to "go somewhere". NO NO NO
IBB spectrum e-mail is messed up today. They have a monopoly in my area, so it's not like I can get another ISP easily.
It seems I can reboot and get e-mail working again. But really, this used to work for months and months before I need to reboot for any reason. And a day or so later, it'll start giving errors about spamhaus (for an IP address that I don't have). It's a joke. Anyway, IBB, my boss must have a brother called Lumburgh. This just keeps happening. Gotta get those TPS reports in on time. Or something. They really need to communicate better about things.
Is email on a linux box?
On a Win 10 computer. My iphone gives the same warning sometimes, as does my ipad. I have not had many issues with a Win 7 computer but I don't send that much e-mail from it. I think it's the ISP's problem.
ISB John Conway, mathematician and inventor of the cellular automaton Game of Life, died of Wuhan flu on April 11. R.I.P. https://xkcd.com/2293/
RIP John COnway
IBB because our 2019 raises are held up until July 2020. I'll likely be gone before I get my raise.
resp:172 IBB? "I'm blue because"? "I'm bitching because"? "I'm bad because"? ...
This feels like the plot line for a bad porn film.
This item is a bad porn film
I'm Bummed Because...
Less "sad" than "frustrating," but user henced's account is being used to push coronavirus spam to various newsgroups - hope they're reading this and can log in and change their password.
resp:175 Very bad.
Let's all pay tribute to Jimmy Cobb, a legendary jazz drummer who died on the 24th. Very sad. RIP. I'm also sad that soon I'll likely lose my job due to no work for me anymore. I hope I can hang in there for another year, but it's unlikely.
re #179 Hope your job weathers through this. Any chance you can do telecommute work?
Thanks. I work from home currently, so yes, I can telecommute. Of course being a manger now for 3 years, no one thinks I can program in SAS any more. So, we'll see.
resp:179 Good luck with your job.
Thanks! Looks like I might move to another project soon if I'm lucky.
I'm definitely working 2x harder (at minimum) and feel more "under the thumb" while working from home.
One problem is your work is just a few steps away at any time. It's easy to work too many hours.
The "work from home" scenario has made it so I'm pulling more loose ends together where people have decided rules need not apply. This includes 'showing up' for online meetings or ensuring compliance.
When the recent project was due, I was told I also had to cover someone else because "their keyboard broke." I said, "who doesn't have like 10+ keyboards in their house? Who would be classless and shameless enough to make this excuse rather than go to the nearest Walgreen and get a usb keyboard?" I am not a team player apparently. Through my 25+ years experience I have seen this pathetic stuff again and again and mysteriously I keep have to be the one who lifts double. "My computer broke" a day before deadline is a trusty classic. Yet, if I pulled this I would be called out for it asap. "So and so got moved to another project, so we are asking you to pick up their work. It's temporary" Me: "When is it due?" "Friday"
Yikes. Where I work they schedule meetings over the lunch time. Given a global business, I guess that's inevitable. They like to schedule long meetings or meetings back to back and not allow a break. I had my boss ask me to check e-mail while on vacation. I thought that was a bit overboard. As for people not following the rules, that's not right, depending on the rules. I work in a regulated industry so you need to follow the rules, but I've seen people take shortcuts. Good luck.
Shhh. You guys will make me start to think that Japanese corporate bureaucracy is not so bad.
#189 I worked for Hitachi for 3 years. Maybe a week into my employment, I was dressed down over the phone on my way home from work by a senior manager. Why? I replied to the email of one of the Japanese execs. That's the first no-no. You don't speak to a god. You go around him and talk to only your direct manager. Second issue. I didn't address him properly. I simply wrote something like, "Good morning ______". I didn't know the rules of mrgod-san. Well, I said I only lasted 3 years. I couldn't take it. It was hell for me. We live in America. There were things that bothered me constantly and they expected 100% dedication to the job. The work day never ended. During the "great recession" I just did what I had to do. What can I say.
resp:190 Definitely a no-no, but I'm a little surprised they wouldn't cut Americans working in America a little more slack. I have often benefited from the gaijin-can't-possibly-understand-the-subtleties-of-Japanese-society syndrome.
I've found most Japanese folks are super awesome - except in manufacturing LOL Speaking of sad and foreign affairs, I was somewhat insensed by the exceptionalis displayed by Ted Cruz and some other politicos upon the Crew Dragon's arrival to ISS. They were patting themselves on the back very hard and leaving the Cosmonauts out of the conversation. The whole point of space exploration should be for mankind. However, the whole vibe was pointed at capitalist intent. I wonder if that's how the Dutch felt when the Brits rolled up on the Atlantic shores.
resp:192 It was understandably a big event for the US since we'd had no human launch capability for nine years, but we should be grateful and gracious to the nation that kept us in space during that time.
The first man in space was Yuri Gagarin. He was 5'2. He got started as a volunteer flight cadet while studying tractors at a technical school. He was an honors grad in moldmaking and foundry work. He was almost kicked out of flight school until the instructor let him sit on extra seat cushions so he could see over the dashboard. His office in Star City is a shrine and all Cosmonauts pee on the tires of the vehicle which drives them to the launch pad - it's a nod to something Yuri did which he learned working on the banks of the Volga River. A great stress relief and moment of levity. They crazy antics the Cosmonauts have endured to keep their space program going is pretty well documented - cereal commercials and tire ad banners from video in space. They always deserve a nod as partners of the ISS and science advocates.
resp:192 resp:194 Ted Cruz is about 5'2", isn't he? ;)
re #195 There's 2 open seats..just sayin ;) McKinley was one of the shortest Presidents President Wilson gave Mt Denali the name Mount KcKinley in 1917. Then President Obama changed it back to Denali in 2015. I guess getting a mountain named after him post assassination was SHORT LIVED.
I'm sad because I can't find a job. I was laid off at the beginning of the year and had an interview lined up when the lockdown happened and everything was cancelled. Ideally I'd like something local but there is no technical work here and very little within driving distance. It might be a shame to throw my computer networking degree away and re-train but it's just not working for me. I'm ready to try something new but I'm really not sure what else to do. :-(
#197 I faced something very similar a couple times in my career. The first time I had the mentality of "just wait, things will pick up" with the romantic notion that I wanted to stay local. What ended up happening: I was out of my field for 2 years (this was immediately after 911) because of hiring freezes. I ended up working menial jobs. When things finally did pick up, i had no leverage and ended up taking a massive pay cut. I was bitter and resentful. What I learned: The next time the economy took a dump (great recession) I left Michigan and went where the work was. When I finally returned to Michigan I had an amazing resume and my leverage was immensely higher. Traveling and taking on riskier assignments out of state looks amazing on your resume and you obtain new skills. That's my two cents. I think this lesson applies to all tech careers. I work in engineering but I'm sure this is relevant to computer techs, accounts, marketing, etc.
I'm with walkman on this. You have to go where the jobs are. I left Michigan in the late 80's for the military. I came back in the 90's to Flint, MI which was horrible. Ann Arbor had jobs - I moved there. Detroit had better jobs so I commuted there. Then Y2k and Dot Com bust happened and Detroit dried up. I moved to Seattle and did well for a year then 9/11 happened and Boeing, etc had massive layoffs. I took a job in government. Then there were great jobs in Orange County, CA and I moved down here. Now I'm part of a NJ company with the telecommute option working out well thanks to the extensive career/skill background. You have to chase the jobs. Think of the mass emigration into the USA in the early 1900's. Those folks were trying to survive by going to the jobs. I had alot of naysayers when I would move to take a job - but it worked out and I stayed employed. If I'd stayed in the job I had in Detroit while things died down then I would have been downgraded several rungs and overworked for less income. Work/Life balance is extremely important. If I were younger, I'd be eyeballing Austin Texas - it seems many of the tech companies in California are relocating there. Good luck on your search.
Re. 199: Relocation isn't an option, sadly. I'll have to widen my scope to include some of Cook county, which means a hellish commute.
UFO http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/13465851
resp:201 "Balloon-like" is really milking it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grGrDirztI0&feature=emb_logo LOKI
I'm sad because all the programmers that report to me get quad-core laptops 2 versions ahead of mine, while I get a dual-core machine that slows me down and causes lost work. I'm supposed to ask my manager for an upgrade, yet my programmers got their laptops when they hired on and never had to ask anyone. Bleah. Reminds me of the time when I asked an employer for a larger monitor (I had a little 13" CRT at the time). The admin assistants got 24" monitors. I was told I didn't stare at the screen all day like the admin assts. therefore I didn't need one. Hmmm...
#203 smart girls - that was really neat
re #205 Too young to be intimidated by limiting ideas Would be interesting what outerspace looks like from those elevations
I'm sad because we are endlessly debating calling '<' and '>' "special characters" that can't be in data set variable labels (or not). Apparently 'lt' and 'gt' are clearer (but potentially make the labels too long). We've always used '<' and '>' (plain ASCII characters) in labels and never had this issue before.
resp:207 Sad indeed. Has something about the system changed to drive this reclassification?
ISB Carl Reiner, comedian, actor, screenwriter, etc. known for The Dick Van Dyke Show, Your Show of Shows, and many others, passed away at age 98 on June 29, 2020. R.I.P.
re 208: the thing that changed is we have a different team on the client side and since they've gone through so many layoffs and re-hires since I worked there, very few people understand how things work anymore. The system hasn't changed that much. They were also worried that XML couldn't handle '>' and '<' because they are part of tags.
Human beings are STILL sold as slaves in Libya 🇱🇾. I'm sad that Obama put American resources toward Arab Spring and the Muslim Brotherhood. I'm also sad that Nike and Apple use slave labor in China. The good news is that so many government pensions benefit from their rising stock prices. My dead grandpa already filled out his mail in ballot.
Nixon vs JFK Chicago carries Not for nothing but I worked in county gov and saw how DNC pushed the DNC controlled municipalities to move toward mail-in. And yea...I also saw how County Ethics and County Elections depts buried the news that they found shelves full of uncounted ballots and still bury the news. It's a machine and it's real.
1. Trump wins but the DNC quickly contests the results. 2. Mail-in ballots are said to be counted. 3. It turns out Trump didn't really win (surprise!). 4. Trump refuses to leave and calls the mail-in ballots bogus. 5. The Democrat House calls on the military to remove Trump and for anyone who helps him to be arrested. This scenario has been written about for over a year in the mainstream press. They have been conditioning people for this outcome. The Obamas aren't campaigning for Biden. They are campaigning for mail-in ballots. Think about it. Michigan already sent us ours. We promptly ripped them in half and threw them away. If they close the polling stations "due to covid" there will be RIOTS. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/13/michelle-obama-vote-by-ma il-push
resp:213 Possible, but I feel no confidence predicting step 6. I have voted by meil-in ballot for thirty years, but I feel bad thinking that it's even possible a major political party might stoop to abusing the voting process for political gain. But here we are, Boss Tweed.
re #214 Now if we can get some cartoons in Harper's maybe we can get Boss Tweed exposed. That is if things aren't "burned down" or "defunded"
I'm sad because although my boss strives to be transparent all that is translating to is "I'll tell you when you are no longer needed at this company." Looks like I have a couple more months of work before I find out what the real plan is.
I'm sad because Grady on Sanford and Son was only 41 in the first season. He looked more like 60 or 70 at the time.
ISB Diana Rigg passed away from cancer yesterday at age 82.
IBB Never Forget means forget anything in the past few years which resembles Hezbollah jumping for joy on September 11
I'm sad because now Batman has *3* Jokers. *sigh*
ISB Eddie Van Halen passed away from cancer at age 65 on October 6. R.I.P. -- Rock In Peace
HORRIBLE NEWS
Terrible news.
11 months ago Bart Walsh died. He was the guitarist for the VH cover band out here in Los Angeles and eventually he toured with David lee Roth. Both of those guitarists had serious health issues. It's tragic.
Still at this place (working from home). Latest project is going badly due to too many changes for things that should have been reviewed and fixed weeks ago. And the closer we get to delivery day the more changes there are.
I've discovered that putting an orange filter over my LED office lamp helps my brain wake me up with fake sunlight. Flourescent bulbs or dimly lit spaces have the opposite effect.
resp:226 And that makes you sad because ...?
re #226 Flourescent bulbs and dimly lit spaces make me sad. I don't want to leave that out there without shining a light on the solution
resp:228 I see what you did there!
Just like Bruce Springsteen, he was Blinded By The Light. I'm not sad at all. In fact, I feel blessed, even when my job sucks. I'm working and many others are not. Life is challenging and nothing good comes without a challenge. Challenges help us grow. Challenges, when met with solutions keep us in good favor with out employers. Bitching is useless. Bitching is for bitches.
I'm sad because Spencer Davis is demised. RIP Spencer Davis.
ISB actor Sean Connery passed away on October 31. He was 90.
ISB Chuck Yeager, first man to fly faster than the speed of sound passed away on December 7 at age 97. R.I.P. Fly high!
ISB Alto Reed, sax player in the Silver Bullet Band, passed away today, aged 72.
resp:234 He had a great name for a sax player. R.I.P.
resp:234 Oh, he did the sax solo in Turn the Page! That was awesome. Not to be confused with the similar and also awesome sax solo in Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street" played by Raphael Ravenscroft.
Alto was also in the Blues Brothers
Retired LA Dodgers Manager Tommy Lasorda bought the farm. He was 93. R.I.P.
LAsorda
Well, darn, Dusty Hill, bassist for ZZ Top died at age 72.
I'm sad because NetBSD/amd64 no longer supports my
ancient (rescued from the scrap shelf several times and
pressed back into service) dual-core Atom 330 board (Intel
D945GLF2). I think they have moved the installation image
to UEFI/GPT.
As a possible replacement, there's the Chaco Canyon NUC,
which has a dual-core Celeron N3350, 4GB RAM (soldered) and
an M.2 SSD. They seem to be $350..$400 new though and that's
money I could spend on a Detroit Bikes Sparrow. :-)
resp:241 I think your Atom board has been and will continue to run on your TLC rather than support from NetBSD. :)
#241 Why not try 32-bit version of Ubuntu or Debian? If you are ready to retire it, there's nothing to lose. If you are looking for a good low-cost machine with a small footprint, you might also want to look into running NetBSD on an older Mac Mini. They are excellent. I have a few of them around the house serving different purposes. One runs Ubuntu Server and rarely needs any maintenance, and the other two just run the Ubuntu Desktop but sometimes I boot Tails with USB. I do get the attraction to BSD. I'm sure you could run that on the intel Mac Mini too.
Re. #243: They're 64-bit boards that used to happily run NetBSD/amd64. They can run Linux but that's not what I'm looking for. I'll find something.
ISB the old crackpots on Backtalk are probably right. :(
"Let them eat cake." This is the state of journalism: Why inflation can actually be good for everyday Americans and bad for rich people https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/01/economy/inflation-good-bad-winners- losers/index.html They declare that anything other than their bold-face lies and manipulation is "misinformation" while also declaring that the working poor benefit from inflation. It's more insidious than dangerous as we all fall further into the void. Have you tried communicating with people in the real world? For most, reality is defined by propaganda outfits like CNN. They will literally pull up a phone and "fact-check" you by using Snopes when they hear something they don't like. In the meantime, mainstream news, television and music is literally cancer. Promoting pedophilia, suicide, class division, violence, theft and dystopia and calling it entertainment. "This is your new reality."
It's a jimmy savile world out there
Aw rats. R.I.P. Robert Clary aka Corporal LeBeau, real life Holocaust survivor. 96 is a great run.
We should all live that long. Very nice, imo.
R.I.P. Frederick Phillips Brooks Jr., architect of IBM's OS/360 and author of "The Mythical Man-Month". - Nov. 17, 2022. I thought he had passed away decades ago. It would have been possible for us to cross paths during my stint in NC 1988-1991.
I was in NC 1990-1992. I also enjoyed IBM 360 (and Magnuson) a million years ago. Frank Farmer FTW.
That makes two near-misses with greatness during my NC sojourn. ;)
You have several choices: