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Tech Stories Archives - September 2008
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2.
Holiday Boredom
So, two months ago, I get asked for a forecast and recomendation for staffing on Labor Day. Being a Sales center, I showed them that it would be pointless to open. A month ago, I confirmed that we were going to be closed. Two weeks ago, I confirmed that we were going to be closed Late last week I get told we're going to be open, and I (Operations) had to come in to buy lunch. Oh well, comp day for me, and I just turned the Agents loose with my corperate card for lunch. I told them to not bother clocking out since we're only open 8:00 to 4:00, and I want them to get a full 8 hours. And you see why I'm not management? [By: AngrySup / 2008-09-01]
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Corporate card for lunch? There'd better be some gourmet pizza and some Stella Artois involved ;) - rosemetal
In most companies, you're allowed to advance to management with either your brain or your spine, but not both. Having neither is preferable. -linkv
Doesn't advancement to manglement involve either a soulectomy or an ethicectomy? -PCRaevyn
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3.
Global Spammers named!
Ever wonder where all that SPAM in your email inbox actually comes from? From a US company that turns a blind eye to cybercrime. The company is based in California and is known as Atrivo and Intercage. http://www.spamhaus.org/news.lasso?article=636 and check the links at the bottom of the page. Time for white-hats to get busy.[By: Wraith556 / 2008-09-01]
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4.
NT/OT ChildOfCuthulu
http://www.kongregate.com/games/GamesofCthulhu/the-necronomicon . Remind you of playing cards around the house ? <GRIN>[By: Necros / 2008-09-01]
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http://lolthulhu.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/david-dad_sez.jpg -TheCyberwolfe
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5.
Google has a new Internet browser
Just installed Google Chrome. Seems to work pretty fast. Anyone else beta testing?[By: formatCdrive / 2008-09-02]
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Not touching it (for now anyway). I'm trying to get away from Google anything. -FixitWench
My coworker has been talking about it since I got back from lunch. Looks slick, and runs fast and is stable he says. I'll wait for reports about how it is compatible with "IE Only sites" before I play. -Nuxli
I've been interesting in trying it out, but I couldn't find a download before heading to work, so will try it out tonight. -harrellj
Been using it all day. I like it. Seems even faster than Firefox3 so far. Also like the layout, and the start page has already learned most of my favorite sites. Every tech should read the comic, even if they never to use Chrome, just to get a better idea of how other browsers work. Will be switching at home as soon as I get there. -SirJosh
haven't used it yet... while I am paranoid, it is open source-so I'm not really worried. The comic is excellent. That's the kind of documentation all products should have. -cyberblade3001
I like the interface a lot, and it's definitely the fastest browser I've seen in a while. My problem is that it opens a new process for each individual tab. That might take me some getting used to. -linuxmatt
Using it, tho was hesitant about tracking. Seems stable. When flv streaming files are enlarged, the controls don't work until you hit escape to drop to normal size. Hasn't crashed yet, which I can't say for the latest version of firefox, which does so regularly. -Grembo
Also, scroll wheel button doesn't work for scrolling, does for opening link in new tab. -Grembo
Re-defining: Scroll wheel works. When holding down scroll wheel button and moving mouse to move page down, it doesn't work. -Grembo
And just noticed that the TSC java chatroom won't open. -Grembo
Have just installed it. Looking pretty slick so far... -SoldierJedi
http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/09/03/0247205 Interesting discussion on /. about the - possibly abusive - EULA. Besides installing malware - google updater - I still don't trust google's privacy policies. Not for me, thanks. I will NOT have anything google on my PC. -TheGhost
I like it so far. It won't run Java yet but seems to work with most everything I've used it for so far. Being a keyboard shortcut junkie, I like that it uses some of the same ones as Firefox. It's being reviewed currently as a real memory pig for its isolated tabs ( http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9114054 ), but it's a beta still - and you know that being from Google it'll improve, while IE8 will still be an epic pig even out of the beta stage... -teivrann
Just received this error message while trying to view a video on CNN: "This CNN.com feature is optimized for Adobe Flash Player version 8 or higher. You are currently using Flash Player 9" and an install button.... -Grembo
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6.
Scare tactics?
A small weekly paper comes out in our area. Sometimes, it includes a question-and-answer section sponsored by a local "computer club". This was in referrence to a person asking if it was bad to turn the computer off using the power button:
"It is very risky to use the power button on the front of the computer to turn if off.....Using the switch is like playing Russion roulette -- you never know if your computer will start up again or simply die on the spot."
Granted, I agree that using it is a last resort, but Russion roulette? Come on.[By: BarmanVarn / 2008-09-02]
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if you have like 1,000,000 chambers maybe? and one bullet -compbrat
it is a good way to train the fish though.... -gashach
I tell the fishes that it is like putting yourself to sleep with a hammer. It works but is not the best way. -atomicbill
atomicbill, I'm with you....but I use the analogy, "Spanking the baby with an axe." Gets the point across really well. -CTYankee
Two problems: changing terminology mid sentence from power button to switch will confuse the fishes, and that assumes the fishes can find the button. -SirJosh
[insert obligatory "In Soviet Russia" pun here] -TheGhost
of course, if you hold the button down for less than 4* seconds, the OS usually just executes its own shutdown sequence anyway. *this number can sometimes be configured in BIOS -Bynar
<DA> Unless they're still thinking about AT power supply switches... </DA> -Stryker One
Did the paper actually spell Russian as <i>Russion<i>? -n8
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8.
Don LaFontaine dies at age 68.
::Cheers::
Too the end of the movie trailer era...
...I Wimper to the Newbie voice they'll have
http://www.cbc.ca/arts/film/story/2008/09/02/don-lafontaine-obit.html[By: LowLevelFormat / 2008-09-02]
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In a world without Don LaFontaine ... -Necros
They may make an offer to Pablo Francisco to carry it on; he does a near-exact impression of Don. -RamenMcTavish
In a world without Don LaFontaine... -MisterCommon
On that vein, I just successfully auditioned last night to a voice-over school, and will begin classes in October. If I can be 1/10th the talent that he was, I may disappear from this forum! (Yes, I've about had it with the fishies, I'm looking into a career which has the potential of earning upwards of $10,000 for less than one hour's work!) -Captain Trips
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9.
The Selectively Observant Teacher
Eh, 11:10 at night, probably not the right words to use in the title. Sorry for the lack of formatting. Anyway, I recently started college. The rules for the computer labs are in short, that if they're free, then you may use them whenever you need to. If a class is currently using the lab, then it is up to the teacher. If they say you may, you do what you have to do so long as you don't disturb the class.
So, our class goes to use one lab, but our class is a couple of people too big, so myself and a friend of mine go next door where there is currently 1 or 2 people. Eventually, a class comes in. No problem, except for the two jackasses playing Bumper Chairs and talking loudly about random crap. Teacher of this class does nothing. My friend whispers to me to ask me if I can see where he went wrong. Me <whispering back>: "Oh, when you get this error, it means---" Teacher: "ZIP IT OR GET OUT!" How the hell could my friend and I whispering to each other possibly be more disturbing than these morons in front?[By: Cogeno / 2008-09-02]
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You guys weren't more disturbing, but Teach obviously felt you threatened his/her authority simply by still being there and your whispers either constituted a potential for the students getting correct info from someone other than Teach, or a "valid" excuse to give you grief... Given my experience with allegedly professional educators of every level and pay grade, I'd suspect the former. That teaching one's not worth your time, to paraphrase a Star Wars line... but probably is just another brick in the wall. -lowlyte
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10.
Obscure reference for the older guys
First call of the day was someone who sounded just like Ernie Kovacs' character Percy Dovetonsils. To make matters worse, or to perpetuate a stereotype, the call was from San Francisco. I tried to find a link that would show what the character sounded like but all I found was one clip on YouTube. To those that know what I'm talking about, try to describe it to the others.[By: MisterCommon / 2008-09-03]
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I'd have bit a hole in my lip to keep from laughing out loud.... -vacuumtubes
er, this "Percy Dovetonsils"...was he a character from a yank TV show, perhaps? -lineswine
Ernie Kovacs was just about the first person ever to fully use the medium of television for comedic purposes. Everyone before him basically took a stage routine and stuck a camera in front of it. Ernie used the camera as an integral tool for comedy. His character of Percy Dovetonsils was a stereotypically lisping effeminate man. Kovacs made some of the funniest TV ever. -SalParadise
"I was large for my age and considered quite manly / I lived in the suburbs next door to Stanley / I wanted to be a cowboy, and he to be a doctor / His mother taught psychiatry, I swear I could have socked her!" -MeanDean
For the younger ones, R&M's Laugh-In took many of Kovacs's skits and just did them in color. They did credit him as their inspiration, of course! -Captain Trips
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11.
Delta Uniform Michael Baker
As I was walking by, I heard a fellow tech using the phonetic alphabet to spell the word 'Dell' (D as in Delta, E as in Echo, L as in Lima, another L as in Lima). How stupid do you have to be if you need that word spelled out for you?[By: MisterCommon / 2008-09-03]
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Stupid enough to buy a Delta Echo Lima Lima apparently. -Grembo
not as bad as the customer that needs you to repeat how to spell a word you just had them type in 2 minutes before hand -IRSupertech
Kelly Bundy: (looking at a newspaper) "I can do this! ... What's this word?" Bud: "A" -Gerund
<DA> If the co-worker was speaking on the phone, on a bad line, "Dell, Bell & Tell etc. do sound similar. Having said that, if it wasn't what the other person wanted to hear, "selective deafness" is a common illness </DA> -lineswine
Probably as bright as the ones that I have to spell "ping" for all day long... -bonehead
So, they had to phonetically spell out a word etched in large letters on the side of the computer that was sitting right in front of them, ok, I'm going home now -Spyder19
just tell em "ping" as in a "ping pong" ball and they usually get it. -SwizzleStix
'pingpong' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file. -Jeckler
More like "pingasinapingpongball" is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file. -maciarc
Dumb enough to use the non standard one, thus using Baker not Bravo? ;) -NightRain
ha, NightRain, you should hear my sucktomers. It would be "Dog Elephant Lightbulb Lightbulb" from them. -fearnothing
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12.
(OTNT) First Day of School....
My best wishes to you all starting / sending your little ones to school now...
...and TT did NOT miss the bus this morning. (*GRIN!*)
Well.. off to work - time to make the Apple Pies!
...and guys? Thanks a lot - Seriously.
[By: ShujinTribble / 2008-09-03]
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*pictures ST meeting himself at the door while trying to go to work* Glad to hear about your smooth start! -LoTech
"Time to make the donuts....the donuts...time to make....the donuts..." -vacuumtubes
That's my Pi.... -Starfury
gah... my commute time has DOUBLED because of the extra traffic... It takes almost 20 minutes now :(. -cyberblade3001
Cyber, 20 minutes? Gee, I almost though about feeling sorry for you. -Stryker One
Stryker-I refuse to do long commutes. I'd rather move than drive an hour a day I'm not getting paid for. -cyberblade3001
Day late, but I'm with cyberblade- My commute doubled as well! I'm now up to 10 minutes. . . -bbcisdabomb
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13.
NT/OT The Snowman has made his final run
Musician, actor Jerry Reed dies at 71
By PETER COOPER • Staff Writer • September 2, 2008
Jerry Reed, country music’s howling virtuoso and a star of stage, studio and screen, has died. Born Jerry Reed Hubbard, Mr. Reed suffered from emphysema and was in hospice care. He was 71, and he leaves an unparalleled legacy of laughter and song.
The rest of the article can be found here: http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080902/TUNEIN/80902039
Thanks for the music, the movies, and the memories, Jerry.[By: Grayhawk
/ 2008-09-03 ]
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For those not familiar with his work : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWG_R6SjUNY YouTube Clip of him singing "Pretty Mary Sunlight" ala Scooby Doo. -Necros
Perhaps best known in the movies as Cledus "Snowman" Snow in "Smokey and the Bandit". -Grayhawk
"Amos Moses" has been in very heavy rotation on all my sources of music lately - this is really a shame. -veaudaux
East bound and down, loaded up and trucking, we gonna do what they say can't be done. We got a long way to go and a short time to get there. I'm east bound just watch ole' Bandit run! -JoeLugian
The Snowman's left on his final run. Vaya Con Dios, Jer. -MadJack
I knew what a 10-100 was.. and a 10-200... so this is a 10-9000? -ShujinTribble
He will be missed. Use to listen to him long before Smokey. -NanoGeek
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15.
Payroll F@cknuggets
Just got paid for a contract that I completed. They sent me 3 cheques for $0. I'm going to need something bigger than OTIS[By: formatCdrive / 2008-09-03]
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And they don't want to pay me for using my own vehicle that I had to drive around doing 600km / week -formatCdrive
F@ck you Robert Half Technologies -formatCdrive
Sideways, with a rough-cut redwood 4by6! -TieDyedDinosaur
tell us how you really feel -McSmiley
The contract was for the Postal Service. How do you think I feel ;) -formatCdrive
If the contract didnt call for reimbursement specifically you're hosed, but you can take it off on your taxes at year end. As for Robert Half, Im surprised that they werent paying you weekly. I always submitted on Friday, paid on Tues. -Darkridr
I've dealt w/ RHT in the past. They always tried to get me to interview for jobs that I wasn't qualified for. -BarmanVarn
The contract was install only, nothing more -formatCdrive
Rather coincidental, given that that's the staffing firm I was through at my former, very short-lived employer
(see previous post). -PCRaevyn
Bigger than OTIS? You mean a lawsuit for 4 times what they owe you? -srteach
fCd: thanx for the head's up! I was just going to submit my resume to them! Not now... -unrenowned
http://www.barrettrifles.com/rifle_82.aspx
When Otis isn't enough...call Barrett -Crashville
I've dealt with a subsidiary of RH (Creative Group), and the key to getting sent on jobs that match your skills is to make friends with the RH agent. If you call them once a week, just to chat, you stay in the front of their mind, and get sent on more/better matching jobs. As for not getting paid, I'd send them an invoice for your missing wages, plus the mileage. -docbrown01
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16.
Job Karma Request
After only 1 month of work, I was notified Friday that Matrix Service, in Eddystone Pa, was terminating my contract (I was placed there on what was supposed to be a 10 month (approximate) contract by a technical staffing firm). Up until my contact at the staffing firm received the email notifying them my contract was being so precipitously terminated, they had received nothing but glowing reports lauding my technical ability, my customer service, my work ethic, etc. The Matrix rep even had told them they wanted to go contract to hire, instead of just straight contract. Unfortunately, for some unknown reason, I now find myself in need of job karma to find a job - pref one that lasts longer than a month :(. Any karma you folks can send my way would be much appreciated (or if you know of any onsite support/helldesk/network jobs available for a soon to be (hopefully) certified CCNA in the tristate area, please let me know). Thanks[By: PCRaevyn / 2008-09-03]
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Sounds very familiar -formatCdrive
except that I walked off the job due to other circumstances -formatCdrive
Sending good-job-karma your way. -CadetDru
You got it... good luck -ShujinTribble
Job karma on the way. -Ramblin
Lots of karma on its way! -Seamyst
**casts karma** -rosemetal
Find and last Karma on its way -Zoomer
Best of luck and karma sent your way. -NanoGeek
Have you been able to find out WHY the job went from under you? -lineswine
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17.
Non-Tech-Sins of the Parents
Had an interesting run in today. Was waiting for a bus when a mother and her two daughters came up to wait. One of the daughters started wandering around while the mother was talking to someone on her cell phone in an annoyingly high pitched voice, something that I have been known to call some of my dates on which explains why I am still single; not wanting to hear her voice I turn up the volume on my Zen and take refuge in the book I was currently reading, The Chaos Balance for those who are curious, and all was well with the world. Glancing up I see that the daughter that had wandered off was playing in some bushes checked to make sure the mother was watching and went back to my book, only to realize what the bushes were. Azaleas....crap!!! So realizing that the mother most likely didn't realize that Azaleas were poisonous I decide to warn her. Which she ignores. WTF!!! Realizing that I wouldn't get through to her I watch her daughter like a hawk to make sure that she doesn't put a leaf or bud in her mouth. I probably came across as a pedo, but I don't really care. There is no reason a child has to die because her mother was too ignorant of what she was doing.[By: adarklite / 2008-09-03]
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you are a good person. I'd have gotten the mother's attention and wouldn't have left her alone until she watched her own damned kid. but that's why I'm hopefully never having kids -AdmiralLaurie
AL, you opened yourself up to some real interesting comments. Some peoples parents need to understand that when someone suggests something it is for their good and the good of their children. -compbrat
I saw a couple with a toddler on a train. At one stop the kid made a run for the open door but was stopped just in time by a senior sitting next to the door with his wife, otherwise the kid would most likely have fallen into the gap between the carriage and platform. The gent in a nice enough fashion warned the mother about keeping an eye on the kid but instead of thanking him for saving their kid, the parents started abusing him about sticking his nose in other peoples business, how he can't tell them how to raise their kids, how he was probably a child molester anyway. Makes me believe in anti-abortion laws (where we keep the kid but abort the parents). -AussieFoot
Eh, the parent doesn't deserve that kid. -Stryker One
The kid doesn't deserve that parent, either. -Gromit
When I said ignore I meant acted as if I wasn't even there. -adarklite
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18.
Someone go ahead and say it...
Sorry for lack of formatting. Me: $OpeningSpiel. Starfish: "Hi, NetOwl, I need some help. I need to send a file to my teacher. I've saved the file to my disk, and I need to save it to the Desktop, and send it on Blackboard to my teacher. But I don't know how to save it to the Desktop. I have the disk window open." Me: "Okay, I want you to click and drag the icon onto the Desktop." SF: "You're losing me. Explain it to me like I don't know what I'm doing." Me: "Okay, you see the icon for the file? I want you to hold down the left click over the file, and drag it out of the window." SF: "You're going have to explain it to me some other way. I don't have a mouse." WHAT THE CRAP????[By: NetOwl / 2008-09-03]
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So they need a new mouse? (someone had to say it) <runs off to lart shelter> -PCRaevyn
<da>Touch pad, trackball, text based interface for the visually impaired</da> This should not be construed as proof that the caller is not a starfish. -AussieFoot
Oh you mean the foot pedal?! *exit: stage right even!* -unrenowned
I'll add "MouseKeys" and "Knows how to use keyboard shortcuts" (both of which apply to me) - HOWEVER - anyone in such a boat, usually knows how to copy stuff to a desktop! -ralphp1024
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20.
The ABCs of ISPs
"I don't want it there!", she screamed, testing my anger management synapses.
"It's wireless. And it needs to be at the beginning of the coax circui-"
"I don't want it there!"
"Fine. Where, then?", I asked pleasantly, while silently registering an 8.5 on my Stabometer©.
"Here!", she decreed, vaguely sweeping her manicured hand in a roundhouse gesture encompassing the whole office.
Avoiding eye contact, I quickly set up the modem, router and configured the PCs. I was just wrapping up, when she blindsided me with stupid.
Bossy and stupid. Bad combo.
Stabometer© at 9.5 and climbing.
"I don't understand why I need this".
You want wireless Internet? Then this is what you nee- "
"I already have wireless. I use D-Link".
You mean the unsecured wireless network I saw? That's your neighbor's signal.
"So? I pay for the Internet".
That may be so, but you're using their bandwidth, and slowing them down, and... and... they deserve it. Forget I ever mentioned it".
She gave me an angry, self-righteous victory glare, like her pair of aces held up to my flush draw and won the monster pot of logic.
But, you see, her wireless router is in range of about 500 residential units, and I set up her password. I'll give you three hints:
1. it's numerical
2. it's sequential
3. it's 5 digits long
[By: ThinTheHerd / 2008-09-03]
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Just how cold will this revenge be served? -atomicbill
And set the SSID the same as the password. -Stryker One
Can I have two guesses? My first one is 54321. No? I'll have to think about my second guess. I'll do that in the LART shelter. Whooshhhhhh! -Gerund
Like having @$$hat neighbour accusing me of leaching his network. He called the cops and even they could see there was no way my desktops-without-any-wireless-equipment-on-wired-only-connections wasn't going intercept any wireless signal. Especially when I was at my parent's home when the leaching occurred. The cops had a good laugh at the comment that the neighbour needs to use fresh tinfoil in his hat. -Wraith556
that password sounds similar to the combination on my luggage. -Blackneto
Then pass out a flier to all 500 units that says: "Free wi-fi now available to $ApartmentComplex residents! SSID & Password listed below!" -RiffRaff
*grabs his war-driving gear...* -unrenowned
1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21.. What? its a type of sequence right? -neuman1812
1.2.3.4.5, wait a minute that's the same kind of combination an idiot would have on his luggage! -Phylok
1.2.3.4.5, wait a minute that's the same kind of combination an idiot would have on his luggage! -Phylok
...is that the same kind of idiot that would double-post about it, too? (*DUCK-N-COVER!*) -ShujinTribble
Ah yes...time to break out the craptop. The one that's infected with Blaster and various other worms out the wazoo; known far and wide to take down a consumer grade router in 5 minutes flat. If that's not enough, random traffic generator to 80% network bandwidth. Oh yes, there will be powercycling. -RamenMcTavish
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