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Antarctica Needs a Network Engineer
littlekorea writes "It's a little underpaid, but network engineers with a fetish for very cold weather might be interested to know that the Australian Government's Antarctic Division is seeking network engineers to manage its telephony, satellite and radio comms in Antarctica. According to the job FAQ, summer temperatures aren't a lot colder than your average data centre. But winters of -30 degrees celsius (-22 Fahrenheit) might make the morning jog a little challenging."
The ATMs there don't charge any fees!
Modding "-1, Troll" is not a proper response if you disagree with me. Try reason.
For anyone who's interested, Raytheon Polar Services is almost always hiring for positions at the US South Pole research facilities.
/me looks at the thermometer outside my window. It shows -49C (I'm in Yakutsk).
Hm. I think, it might be a good idea to move somewhere where it's a bit warmer.
PS: and no, it's not a good idea to put a computer outside at this weather. HDDs freeze to death quickly.
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The idea of being trapped with Kate Beckinsale, for any length of time, while highly appealing, is immediately dashed when one realizes she smokes.
Yeah, yeah, blah, blah, smokers. Sorry, if I'm going to have any sense of enjoyment being in close proximity to someone like Kate, I don't want them or me to be horfing up a lung or smelling like shit all the time.
We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
They did also mention that the base get 16,500 condoms a year. It gets cold and lonely there in Antarctica with nothing else to do except for each other.
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It's very hard to qualify for. My father served two winter tours for the Antarctic Division in exactly this role. He loved it to bits -- he's a bit of a hermit, so only having to deal with the same dozen people for months at a time was his idea of heaven.
However, a lot of people apply. A lot of them are very smart and qualified. My father has decades of experience radio, satellite, microwave, land line and LAN communications. You may need the same.
Next you need to pass the rigorous screening process. You need to be in good physical condition. Dad spent months sweating away in a gym to meet the weight, blood pressure and cardio requirements. You will be checked for a large number of medical conditions, and if any of them turn up, you will not be accepted.
Finally, there's the psych review. If you're going to be a winterer, you'll be living in isolated darkness for months with a small group of people with a pitiful satellite uplink to the internet (no youtube or games for you). Not everyone is suited to that.
Classical Liberalism: All your base are belong to you.
The cold and wind in places like Antarctica are not quite the same as the cold and wind in any place you have been winter camping. I work at the northern equivalent, and it would take one hell of a sleeping bag to keep you warm out in the open over night. There is no good protection when the wind chill makes it -70+F out there (which is what it was here just last week).
It's also a really, really bad idea to go out anywhere by yourself, especially on foot. When the wind picks up and you get white-out conditions (which can happen in minutes), you often can't see a building even if it's 50 feet in front of you.
It's certainly doable, it's just a really really bad idea. Death at these temperatures can happen in minutes under the right cicumstances. Chances are you're going to have an accident at some point and then that's it, you'll be dead long before anybody finds you. It would be a much better idea to just use the indoor treadmill they almost certainly have.
Security is mostly a superstition... Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. - Helen Keller