BOFH: Rome, I have been thy soldier 40 years... give me a staff of honour for mine age Old wizard in snowy forest BOFH logo telephone with devil's horns George, our faithful cleaner, has joined us in the office this morning. And, despite being in an age group that makes a cold snap potentially fatal, he's still ticking. Thanks to his great-grandfathered employment policy, he cannot technically be forced to …
New BOFH and a new Dabbsy on the same day?
This is more inspirational that Dabbsy's "Today is your life's tomorrow!" (https://www.theregister.com/2020/10/09/sftw/)
Well...
For me anyway...
Those that think the above platitude is the way of the world may end up herding alpaca's in Patagonia, via the Ural Steppes...
The comparison would be better between Concorde and the TU144 "Concodski".
Broadly speaking there is really only one sensible way to achieve most engineering objectives. In the case of a supersonic airliner then the basic objectives are to go fast (requiring big engines and a low frontal profile like a fighter to minimise drag) which combined with a requirement for carrying passengers means that you end up with something very long and pointy. Putting people in the big hollow bit means that the engines and fuel tanks are going in the (long, large) wing area.
And there you have the basis for every SST design. So yeah, give several teams of engineers the same job with the same tech base and chances are that the result is going to look broadly similar although not identical in details.
Does this guy forgot to update his plan due to Coronavirus?
There are many office buildings not only vacant but whose leases are not being renewed.
With like 80% of the workforce at home they can switch to a different place overnight. There is this nice smaller place two blocks away whose company went under, they were a travel agency, and they are selling quite cheap. You may need to bleach the place a few times since a few people in the building had corona...
I really really really wish I was making stuff like this up... but while not giving names... stuff like this is actually happening...
A certain university I could (but won't) name in the last few years converted a machine room into a couple of huge open-plan offices to house its previously fairly spread-out IT department. Not content with implementing a hugely unpopular and frankly stupid plan once, they also commissioned a new academic department building built on much the same lines.
Then we got this pandemic.
What was a crap idea for an office layout which is universally disliked by those who have to occupy it, which reduces work satisfaction and which increases sick leave taken by inmates suddenly became a complete liability.
What with everyone on lockdown or just WFH it'd make it difficult to slip those documents in here or there..
I wonder if he could claim on the buildings insurance for the large number of accidents that occur on the premises caused by negligence of the occupiers staff? (such negligence includes, but not limited to 'asking for printers refilled with paper', 'cutting IT budgets', 'cutting HALON maintance contracts', 'demanding new PC's to send emails' and just being a Bean counter...)
I think that's why he hasn't, because this is actually one of his longterm plans. Had he done something to take over the company, he wouldn't have leverage to use against his witnesses. By keeping his take restrained, he can get rid of evidence by threatening people from the blackmail file. He also doesn't have to worry about a replacement tech finding out any of his secrets.
Keep in mind that he did a similar thing with his own employment contracts, in fact at least twice. He just didn't have the audacity to try one this big.
The Nissan Story
Nissan factory in Newcastle area in the 80's...
Automated mail truck with flashing light, beeping as it moves (Helen Keller would have been aware of it's approach) & overly sensitive sensors that stop 100 meters away from a insect in its path then wait before resuming moving. Stop at each location to allow mail to be loaded\unloaded.
With the sensors being frequently tripped it, mail delivery was quicker by hand so someone disabled them & mail delivery got to the expected performance.
Icon - It's Friday & Welcome Back Simon.
Executives from Nissan turned up with local dignitaries, MP's & the like & given a factory tour.
Partway through the tour, along comes the mail truck & to prove how safe it is, local manager sticks out his foot to prove how it's H&S compliant & half a ton of metal, motors, mail & batteries proceeded to run straight over it while it suffered no damage at all, which was more than be said for the managers foot.
It was at that point in the story that I managed to cough up & painfully eject through my nose a chunk of strawberry cheesecake & the beer I was drinking while laughing uncontrollably.
Icon - It's Friday & Welcome Back Dabbsie & Simon.
I don't suppose George also owns a company based in the channel islands that begins with M by any chance?
The only bit of this cheesy old conbusiness model he seems to have omitted is where you "find" that the contractually agreed lease payments aren't making you a fat enough profit and alter the contract to screw more out of the tenant.
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