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Ask Slashdot: Best Tools To Aid When "On Call"?

Posted by samzenpus on from the hi-tech-wake-up-call dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Since most readers of slashdot are IT'ers, I assume this is a familiar story: when working in IT, it often happens you need to be standby or 'on call' during a certain period. That may mean you can receive phone calls or text messages from a monitoring system in the middle of the night. I've been looking for a way to have those alerts wake me in the middle of the night but not my partner, who is sleeping right next to me. Are there hardware aids out there that can alert a person without troubling their close environment? I'm thinking armwrists, vibrating head pillows, ..."

9 of 249 comments (clear)

  1. Significant Other? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Clearly the Poster is not in IT.

  2. Normally I'd recommend a BFH by ackthpt · · Score: 5, Funny

    .. to settle down that monitoring system call. But, yeah, the smashing to bits of a phone might wake a light sleeper. So I see your point.

    I used to put my phone on vibrate and put it under my pillow.

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
  3. For Android phones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Klaxon (http://code.google.com/p/klaxon/) is a must have. It's an on-call app for text message receiving. You can separate out your on-call texts from personal ones and set separate alarms and everything. It's fantastic.

    1. Re:For Android phones by ackthpt · · Score: 5, Funny

      Klaxon (http://code.google.com/p/klaxon/) is a must have. It's an on-call app for text message receiving. You can separate out your on-call texts from personal ones and set separate alarms and everything. It's fantastic.

      That would be pretty sweet...

      Text includes words 'emergency' 'urgent' 'system' 'down' -> (Zzzz)

      Text includes words 'down' 'hours' 'hardware' 'failure' -> (Zzzz)

      Text includes words 'panic' 'weeping' 'wailing' 'praying' -> (Zzzz)

      Text includes words 'payroll' 'not' 'running' -> (WAKEY! WAKEY!)

      --

      A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
  4. My wife takes crazy amounts of call... by Psychofreak · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I learn to sleep through it. My wife is on call very nearly 24-7 and gets called multiple times every night.

    Her phone vibrates, then does a loud alarm, sorta like a Hollywood submarine dive alarm. The vibrating phone on the nightstand usually wakes her, but not always. She reacts to her phone immediately, but not to other noises. If I need to wake her up for some reason it is easier to call her phone, then get her attention.

    The key is you need to pick an alarm that you will respond to immediately, but your partner will tend to ignore. Then have the alarm become something that will wake the dead so your partner can kick you out of bed.

    Phil

    --
    Laugh, it's good for you!
  5. Resume by Aladrin · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The best tool for on-call duty is a resume. And a list of jobs to apply for.

    Even if you don't normally get called while on-call, it likely prevents you from going about your life. You can't go to a movie, go out of town, etc etc. They should be paying your for those services. If you aren't getting paid well for it, don't accept a job with on-call duties.

    And besides all that, a job with on-call duties is a job that has need of them. That means they either have an unstable system or they aren't staffed properly. It's a huge sign that things are not right, and that company is best avoided.

    I didn't realize all that until I got a job that didn't involve it. I kept making excuses for the company, and for myself. I'm so glad I'm not there any more.

    --
    "If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." - DM
    1. Re:Resume by thisnamestoolong · · Score: 5, Insightful

      THIS. I used to work in an on-call capacity (not IT, mind you, but the idea is the same). Being on call ruined 5 years of my life. It destroys relationships and makes it so you can never truly relax. I took a huge pay cut to get off of on-call duty and I couldn't have been happier about it.

      --
      To the haters: You can't win. If you mod me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine
  6. Re:Deaf alarms. by similar_name · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's basically a big vibrator you put under your side of the bed.

    Like the one on her side?

  7. Light sleeper by gnugnugnu · · Score: 5, Funny

    Wait until you have children. You'll get much better at sleeping.