Posts by LoonyToonz

OS/2 expert channeled a higher power to dispel digital doom vortex

Remembering dialogue boxes, and responses

Many moons ago, whilst onsite at a customer setting up some new software on all systems I was requested to update a few packages and windows service packs on the Finance Directors Laptop as on site IT had had some non disclosed issues.

The FD was last, turns out the FD was French and his Windows was setup as French, this was early NT 4 days, you know when the locale, and keyboard layout was US English on the login screen despite system being set to French or UK English or whatever.

So I rattled on installing patched, getting the system up todate, then installed the company wide softtware, then installed the additional things requested all without issue.

The FD had been watching for sometime, and during the process started to speak to me in French, I replied I'm sporry I dont speaak French, He said "oh I thought you did as you understood everything that came up on screen".

Nope just know what each box meant by looking at it and what each button was due to location, to be honest I hadnt even noticed it as in french.

Missing scissors cause 36 flight cancellations in Japan

Re: Meanwhile in Zürich...

Having purchased a Swiss Army knife from the store in Duty Free in Zurich Airport around a decade ago, at that time it was treated ike you buying bottles of alcohol, you hand over your boarding pass and flight number and your purchase is handed to you as you leave the plane at your destination.

NASA finds humanity would totally fumble asteroid defense

Re: It'll be far worse

You forgot

1) Its not real its a false flag conspircay concocted by BIG SPACE and the illuminati to traffic children via tunnels, and depopulate the earth

2) The earth is flat and the dome/firmament will save us

You don't get what you don't pay for, but nobody is paid enough to be abused

We refered to the CYA written confirmation as a "Shirt Tail Exercise"

Basically if your belt and braces appraoch fails, you at least have the shirt tails to cover your arse.

When Contracted to install Windows Server and an Exchange server at a V Remote site so the only comms was sattelit. They had an Inmarsat setup that provided pay per use, so pay per call, pay per KB etc. I strongly advised getting the other Inmarsat conection which was a higher monthly cost, plus capital cost of new equipment etc

It was declined.

I ran cost calculations stating that due the "chatiness" of Exchnage server to server comms, plus people sending attachments in emails etc, that a monthly bill would be approx 3 times what the install costs, plus annual running costs of the other system.

This was rejected by the companys Accounts department, and IT departments as unnecesary costs.

It was borught up in the project kick off meeting with MD and others present so was officially minuted again rejected.

So installed and quite running away as required.

First mothly sat bill comes in, I proceed to get ordered to customers office to explain the rediculously high sat bil, I arrives and sits in front of MD, and FD and hands over the miues, my proposal my costings and the rejections emails.

Within 2 days was offered another contract to move remote site over to the new monthly fixed costs sat system they were getting installed.

How is this problem mine, techie asked, while cleaning underground computer

Illegitimi non carborundum

Many Many years ago, my company was outsourced IT support and equipmetn supplier to a company 3 hours drive away. that made Crucibles for steel foundrys.

These were made using lots and lots and lots and lots of powederd carbon/graphite cant remember the exact name for the from but the factory floor and poduction control areas were covered in very very fine carbon dust many layers thick.

We were called out every 2-3 weeks to replace the PC in the production control room, as it was fully covered with carbon dust which as its conductiove had caused a short or 2 blowing the PC

Despite being told of dust/dirt/waterproof systems they could buy the cost was alwas prohbitive, so they had a supply of 10PC's sitting, the control system PC rand a disk image between every job stored to the network

PC pops, we drive 3 hours to site, restore latest image to a new pc plug it in check it works and leave looking like a coalman.

Their sole hint to stopping the dust was a rubber keyboard cover (top only), and the PC and monitor sat in a wooden housing with a glass front, that wasnt airproof.

Many atteempts to get them to buy a suitbal system that had a chanc eof surviving was always met with opex/capex arguments,

replaceing The PC's were part of the running costs of the system, but buying a dustproof one wasnt.