"If you really had to drive to work for that, either you haven't had this problem yourself, or your colleagues aren't willing to tell you what you need to know to do your job."
Or he is a "on call" technician, who gets an urgent trouble ticket paged to him. The idiot caller left his desk phone number, even though he is giving the presentation at a convention hall 10 miles away. But, he left the address of the convention hall, and the room number he is in.
Ergo, the technician would have had no choice but to drive to the site.
Now, was it *that* important to you to flame the previous poster, or are you just *that* short sighted?
I was waiting for a phone call for an interview, which I was supposed to recieve around 1pm.
At 12:30 some fool in an SUV who thought anti-lock means you don't have to use your brains when driving on ice took out a powerpole, and with it went the transformers for 1/2 our apartment community.
I keep the old bell set around for just such occasions. Got my call and everything was fine, (except that I could not email my resume until this morning).
3 of my neighbors came by to use my phone yesterday evening as well. Seems I had the only working *corded* phone in the area.
(This location is wierd with cell phones. The only place I can get a good signal is in the bathroom. Something to do with the plumbing apparently, so that was not an option)
It's also insulting, degrading, demoralizing, and makes it known that the manager considers employees to be personal slaves who are not allowed to have personal emergencies during work.
Where does it say that? You apparently can read things I that I can't. If you can read into this that employees are not allowed to have emergencies, then I can read into it that emergencies are a different situation, and leeway is usually given. Then again, our definition of emergency may differ.
Or perhaps you're an idiot who has no idea that, generally speaking, fear is the worst way to motivate employees to do a good job.
Letting the personal bit go, have you ever had employees?. I have. I agree that fear, while it can be an excellent motivator, is not the way to motivate your employees.
This is not about fear. In fact, I would say that this is just the opposite. The greatest human fear is the unknown. This policy eliminates that fear. Here are the rules. Follow them, or be terminated. There is no inferred fear there. If this was the *only* policy that the company had, then yeah, it's a pretty piss poor motivator, and no one in their right mind would work there.
This is not about motivation. It's about expecting employees to follow the rules. Have you read what the latest virus/worms costs companies in lost time and other costs. Get your damned email at home. It's not your computer or network to play with. It's mine. It is there so you can do your job.
If I let you surf the net between calls, be happy I do. Maybe I will even let you check your hotmail account.
But don't think for a MINUTE I am going to let you use your work email account (which is what this memo is about) for personal reasons. I don't need the company mailboxes/servers full of spam and viruses and Nieman Marcus cookie recipies. It cost me money to run these servers and administer them. The more money it costs me, the less profitable our business is, and the less you are gonna wanna work here. Deal with it.
In regards to the phones, how is it irrelevant? If I am running a call center, I get and keep clients based upon my service levels. One of the first things a client looks at when choosing a customer for tech support is average speed of answer. (Been there, done that, trust me... its a big issue) If you are on the phone, not doing something work related, what am I paying you for? Use the phone in the break room when you are on your break. Asking employees not to use the phones for personal calls (when on the clock) is not the practice of some totalitarian regime. It's a good business descision.
Look at it this way. You work for XYZ technical services. You have computers in the break rooms, you have a great benefits package, you have phones in the break rooms. You get a full hour for lunch. We have a great cafeteria and good restaraunts nearby. You are allowed to surf the web between calls. You get excellent training, tuition reimbursement, and *real* certifications by company trainers that you can take with you when you leave. There are emergency contact numbers that your loved ones, or your childrens school administration can call to get ahold of you. You can even have your cell phone with you at your desk, you can get your text messages, but I ask that you not make or recieve calls while you are "logged in" to the phones to take calls from clients.
Suddenly, you get the above memo. Do you have a problem with it now?
We don't know what the conditions are like at the company that this memo was issued at. They could be like I just decribed.
I described it that way because that is very much like a company I used to work for. If I had any brains back in the mid 90's I would still be working for them. But I was stupid and followed a promise of better money, and faster certifications. I didn't realize how good I had it. That company had a policy very much like what this memo states. Not quite so harshly stated certainly, but it reads very much like the memo people recieved after being caught violating the personal use policy the *first* time
Oh, BTW, ask anyone who knows me. I have more personality than I know what to do with.
This memo says nothing about "bathroom breaks" or anything like that. (I know that was not you, I'm just kinda lumping it in) I'm taking it at face value. Nothing more, nothing less.
In regards to the boss calling you at home, I would have a problem with that too, depending on the nature of my contract. But thats not the issue here.
If there was a medical emergency, or an emergency with the kids and my wife called me at work, and the boss bitched about it, then yes, I would agree with the previous poster about walking out the door.
However, in a previous call center job I had, I could *not* recieve incoming personal calls regardless of how much of an emergency it was. If there was an emergency, the person would have to call the control desk, who would come and get me. And there were emergencies, and the control desk came and got me. The policy worked. No problems.
It might be more about outgoing personal calls, but I can't read that into this memo. This memo seems to me to be written by a manager who is at his wits end with abuses of company property and resources, and has had enough. "Here is the new policy, I expect you to follow it, or find work elsewhere". I have no problem with that. I really don't.
Just to add a bit of a postscript to this whole thing, I think slowlegs up there summed it up pretty well.
I am not saying that people with ADD or AD/HD can hear things that other people can not.
What I am saying is that perhaps there is a link between what causes people to have the symptoms of ADD to hear those sounds all the time. Their (our) brains seem to have a problem filtering out that background information that other people seem to be able to dismiss easily, or do not even percieve.
I wasn't saying that electronic background noise was *causing* the problem. The problem is (most likely, I am not an expert) in the brain. However, I do stand by my statement that as the density of electronic devices in our enviroment increases, people who do have problems filtering out that background noise will have more and more input to filter out. Thus, causing an increase in the loss of concentration.
Therefore, it seems logical (to me) that more and more people will be diagnosed with ADD or AD/HD at a younger age, because of the prevelance of electronics in our schools and homes.
When I was in school, lets say, 5th grade for example (which was when I started having some problems) There was *one* monitor/tv set for every 8 classrooms. And this was a fairly affuent school district.
Now, looking at my daughters classroom in the 3rd grade, she there are three computers (at least) in every classroom, and a Television set in every room.
If your conscious mind had problems filtering out the background whine of those electronics, don't you think you would have more problems now?
"I expect my computers to be used for work only. I expect my phones to be used for work only. Should you receive a personal call, keep it short. Should you receive a personal e-mail, I expect the e-mail either not answered, or a brief note telling whoever is sending you e-mails at work to stop immediately. Should I go through machines, which I assure you, I will be doing, and I find anything to the contrary, you will be terminated immediately. For those who think I am kidding, and do not get with this program, I will promise you that by Christmas eve 8:00 you will be gone."
Aside from the Christmas Eve thing, which admittedly is a little harsh, does anyone else *not* have a problem with this memo?
It's consise, it's clear, and it sets a very easy to follow policy, and is very clear on the consequences for failing to adhere to that policy.
I wish more companies had people like this in a position to make these kinds of mandates.
Perhaps I have worked at too many tech places where the internet/e-mail usage policies were too vaugue, and usually ended up being stated by the senior techs with something sounding like "Just... don't do it too much, and don't be flagrant about it, and you'll be fine".
I hated sitting there slogging through call after call watching someone else while they were checking their e-mail or chatting to a friend.
Perhaps I've gotten past the novelty of "getting paid to surf the net", but I see no problem with this kind of policy.
The phones belong to the companies, and local calls are usually more expensive than what you pay at home.
The machines belong to them, and as the latest barrage of worms have shown, keeping out viruses and malware and the like takes up way to much of the IT departments time. Check your email on your own machine, not mine.
On that note, if the machine belongs to me, I fully expect to not hear you bitch if I happen to check the contents of the e-mail account set up for you to do your *work*. Also I should be able to check whats on *my* hard drive you happen to be getting paid to use.
It's my server, it's my bandwidth, and the messages are on my machines. You want privacy? Get your own network, or use your own machines.
Honestly, I have not had a hearing frequency test done in, wow... I guess its been 15 years.
(BTW, thanks everyone for not modding me into offtopic hell, if it makes any difference, todays my birthday, and getting to discuss this is one of the best presents I could have possibly received)
Something I did not point out in the above post, but should mention is this:
There are two distinctly different perceptions. There is the monitor/CRT whine, which seems more audible, and the second, which is a little bizzare.
The second is the "sensation" for lack of a better word, when a monitor or CRT is first turned on. (or when it is degaussed, which is what leads me to beleive it is some type of electromagnetic thing)
That "sensation" is somewhat harder to describe. It's very brief, like a 1/2 second "wave" for lack of a better word. It feels like static electricity. It "tingles" a bit. Like when you put your hand close to a (sorry to use this again in comparison, but it is the best I could think of) TV set that is very statically charged. But its not localized, just sort of "passes through" you, very quickly.
I can feel that someone turns on a monitor or TV set (to my best estimates) within about a 50 foot range of where I am. It does seem to depend on the type of CRT/Monitor though. With our TV set (fairly new zenith) it's barely perceptible, yet when someone fires up my old 21" rasterops monitor (dinosaur that it is) I can feel it upstairs.
I know it sounds totally bizzare, and honestly I would laugh at me too, but I've lived with it for all of my life and, as far as I know, I'm not crazy.
This is going so offtopic, but I have never had a chance to discuss it on slashdot, so here goes anyway.
You mentioned the monitor whine, did you know that a large percentage of the populus can not hear that? Second question. Do you, by any chance, have ADD or AD/HD?
Here is why I ask:
All my life I have been able to hear the whine from television sets, and monitors. Even if I am in another room I can "feel/hear" it when someone turns on (or de-gausses) a monitor. I used to think that everyone else heard it too, and when I realized that they didn't, I quickly stopped talking about it. (didn't wanna be labelled a nutcase or anything)
Especially bad were the old "dumb terminal" CRT's that were starting to go bad. If there was one near me, it would drive me almost batty. I could hear it *all* the time. When I worked at a call center in the early 90's, I would walk around at night when I was on the late shift until I found the bad CRT and turn it off. Usually I could "triangulate?" the location by walking around the room once first.
About the same time I was (finally) diagnosed with AD/HD. About 2 years later, when I switched doctors, I was asked about things that distracted me when I was trying to concentrate. I mentioned the monitor/CRT whine, and the doctor was somewhat amused. "I hear that a lot from easily distracted people."
That got me thinking, so I brought it up at an ADHD group meeting a couple months later. Not suprising to me, almost everyone I asked at the meeting said that they could "hear" the TV's and monitors in other rooms, especially when they are first turned on, even if the volume is all the way down.
I told my doctor about it at my next appointment, and she dismissed it as coincidence. She did not seem to even believe that such a sense of "electronic or electromagnetic perception" even existed.
I had her blind test me by going in the waiting room and switching the TV on and off a specific number of times. I was correct on the number each time.
As far as I know, nothing ever came of it. I just let it go, because it seems to be damned hard to convince someone with a Phd that you might know something that they don't.
Personally I think that, if my theory is correct, (That this "perception" of Electromagnetic interference, or maybe it is just a "sound", is so common in people with ADD or AD/HD, That the increasing numbers of devices which generate those sounds could correlate with the increasing numbers of ADD and AD/HD cases) it could really be interesting to say the least.
Needless to say I have neither the expertise nor the resources to study this.
I apologize to the slashdot readers for taking up so much space, and their time, in my ramblings, I just needed to finally get that out of my system and tell someone when the opportunity came up.
And hey, if I get famous, you heard it here first.
You know, I usually do not reply to AC's, but you hit on something I need to mention here.
Recently, my gf's tinnitus has been getting considerably worse. From her descriptions, what used to be only perceptable in a otherwise "quiet" room, is now discernable even when watching TV at a normal level.
She is *not* technically inclined, and has always made it clear that the computer stuff stays *out* of the bedroom. I've just gotten used to leaving the fan in the bathroom running, or a small fan, something that creates background noise for her, so she can sleep better.
Recently, when I was sick, I was *granted* the leeway (insert whipped jokes here) to have the laptop in the bedroom, as I was going to be spending a few days in bed. Now it appears that she misses the "higher pitched" sounds of the laptop, and wants me to find something similar.
Maybe I'll just move the firewall machine into the bedroom. She can't complain much if there is a comp, but no monitor or keyboard to get in the way.
Sometimes a little sound is a good thing. I like the idea of a silent PSU, but with the other three fans (graphics card, processor, and system fan) I doubt it will ever be silent. Not to mention the fact that the rear fan is keeping my feet warm as I type this.
Jerry was a great mayor. He did a good job, and those that have come since have had no where near the success that he had. (okay, so the check thing was stupid, but hey... who cares?)
In regards to the whole story, the thing with this theatre has been a black eye for Cincinnati for quite some time, and finding this fugitive will not solve the problems.
I just happened to drive past there tonight, doesn't matter how cold it is, there are still people out on the sidewalk in front of it selling god knows what.
Then again, Vine Street between 10th and Liberty has never been known for how clean and wonderful it is.
I'll just hang out at 1313 Vine, until they move that is.
This is offtopic, so I hope I don't go to mod hell..
Silver is cheap. Beyond cheap. Its everywhere.
I know this because I make and sell silver jewelry. Scrap silver is essentially worthless.
I have about 30lbs of 92.5 sitting here in a bucket that I will eventually melt down. And about 10 pounds of fine silver (99.9). Its simply not worth even trying to do anything with at this point.
And that silver boom that is supposedly coming...
I'll believe it when I see it.
Do you know how much silver US customs has in its possession? Tons.. tons and tons and tons.
The reason for this is, if something is imported into the United States, and it is stamped as 95.5, and customs tests any particular piece in that shipment, (regardless of whether it is a small bag, or a container full) and it comes out to something LESS than 92.5% pure, they melt the WHOLE shipment down. Do what you want with it.
And trust me, they *do* test.
Which, come to think of it, could be a way to stop this type of thing, but I thing that "melting it down" only applies to items that are stamped. And silver paste obviously is not stamped. But there is a possibility it is still controlled as precious or semi-precious metals. I'll ask my customs broker next time I talk to her.
Actually, I still use 3" cd's on a regular basis. I made business cards out of them with my jewelry catalogue and website on the card.
Works out quite well. In fact, there are a number of office supply and small business shops that will press 3" cd's, with the edges cut off so that it fits in a wallet, with your catalog on it.
Okay, now I know that it is somewhat of the geek stereotype that "If its not broke, gimme a minute to make it faster", but why does it seem like we are abandoning the HST?
Yes, I know that technically it is coming to the end of its projected life span, but that does not mean we should just let it die. I never cease to be amazed at some of the images (yes I know they are touched up) that the HST has given us.
Yes, NASA and JPL are (and righfully so) basking in the glory of the success of the latest Mars probe. But what about in 6 months when those probes are gone. All I see in these stories are future flights. Why abandon something that is still giving us good results.
With the less than perfect track records of probes sent by *any* space agency, I can't pin my hopes of data (and dreams) on future flights.
I think its only wise to keep the HST working as long as we can, or at least until the Webb (is that correct?) telescope is up and functional.
"Winder what happens when there is a power failure. As with most unexpected events, someone will no doubt get caught out with their pants down."
Actually, no.
I was watching this "Ten Best" program a few days ago, and they were talking about that restaraunt in Florida (mentioned earlier) where one of the bathroom walls is made of LCD glass.
It requires power to align the crystals, thus making the window transparent. No Power = Opaque. Not transparent. So, potty with impunity, it will not go clear if there is a power outage.
WOXY 97X is, at its roots, a college station. Run by a family.
Now, at a basic level, I'm sure a university is a corporation. And even a family operated business is still a business. But you would actually have to listen to 97x to understand the difference I suppose.
As quoted from their webpage "In a world where large--and larger--corporate radio groups dominate the radio landscape, 97X continues to be a family business owned by Doug & Linda Balogh. Family-business values are reflected in the culture that exists at 97X and are embodied in the people who create 97X, a group of dedicated and hard-working folks who truly care about THE music."
And Corporate radio still sucks. 97X WOXY does not.
I never have any trouble getting a fax through to New Delhi. Getting a fax through to Bali is a bitch. End of line.
I was referring to the quality of the pots service in Bali, so maybe I did miss something there, no need to flame my ass. 1/3 of the calls I place to Bali I can barely *hear* the other person. I can see where QoS is an issue on their pots lines.
And, btw, India is a damn site farther along tech wise than most places in Indonsesia.
I know that its somewhat funny that each year the FAA clears a flight path for Santa. (yes, its true, at least it still was in 2000) But is Santa restricted from certain air space?
Slashdot Mirror
"and I know I'll never get laid wearing this shirt."
Well, I don't know about you, but I usually take my clothing off before the fun and games start. (or during . depending)
On the other hand, in regards to what I think you actually meant. I can see the point.
How about, will fix your comp for sex! That would make a decent t-shirt. Assuming you have cute female friends who need tech support often.
I would be lying if I said I had never accepted sexual favors for fixing my female friends computers. But only if we had been down that road before...
(did I really just type that?)
"If you really had to drive to work for that, either you haven't had this problem yourself, or your colleagues aren't willing to tell you what you need to know to do your job."
Or he is a "on call" technician, who gets an urgent trouble ticket paged to him. The idiot caller left his desk phone number, even though he is giving the presentation at a convention hall 10 miles away. But, he left the address of the convention hall, and the room number he is in.
Ergo, the technician would have had no choice but to drive to the site.
Now, was it *that* important to you to flame the previous poster, or are you just *that* short sighted?
You know, that came in handy just yesterday.
I was waiting for a phone call for an interview, which I was supposed to recieve around 1pm.
At 12:30 some fool in an SUV who thought anti-lock means you don't have to use your brains when driving on ice took out a powerpole, and with it went the transformers for 1/2 our apartment community.
I keep the old bell set around for just such occasions. Got my call and everything was fine, (except that I could not email my resume until this morning).
3 of my neighbors came by to use my phone yesterday evening as well. Seems I had the only working *corded* phone in the area.
(This location is wierd with cell phones. The only place I can get a good signal is in the bathroom. Something to do with the plumbing apparently, so that was not an option)
"On the other hand, if they wrote custom software for the purpose of abusing people, then I would think they are guilty as charged."
Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, I would like to show you two exhibits, and two only.
Exhibit One: Microsoft Bob
Exhibit Two: Clippy.
Now, I think you can decide for yourself if MS makes custom software for the sole purpose of abusing people.
You Honor, the prosecution rests.
Where does it say that? You apparently can read things I that I can't. If you can read into this that employees are not allowed to have emergencies, then I can read into it that emergencies are a different situation, and leeway is usually given. Then again, our definition of emergency may differ.
Or perhaps you're an idiot who has no idea that, generally speaking, fear is the worst way to motivate employees to do a good job.
Letting the personal bit go, have you ever had employees?. I have. I agree that fear, while it can be an excellent motivator, is not the way to motivate your employees.
This is not about fear. In fact, I would say that this is just the opposite. The greatest human fear is the unknown. This policy eliminates that fear. Here are the rules. Follow them, or be terminated. There is no inferred fear there. If this was the *only* policy that the company had, then yeah, it's a pretty piss poor motivator, and no one in their right mind would work there.
This is not about motivation. It's about expecting employees to follow the rules. Have you read what the latest virus/worms costs companies in lost time and other costs. Get your damned email at home. It's not your computer or network to play with. It's mine. It is there so you can do your job.
If I let you surf the net between calls, be happy I do. Maybe I will even let you check your hotmail account.
But don't think for a MINUTE I am going to let you use your work email account (which is what this memo is about) for personal reasons. I don't need the company mailboxes/servers full of spam and viruses and Nieman Marcus cookie recipies. It cost me money to run these servers and administer them. The more money it costs me, the less profitable our business is, and the less you are gonna wanna work here. Deal with it.
In regards to the phones, how is it irrelevant? If I am running a call center, I get and keep clients based upon my service levels. One of the first things a client looks at when choosing a customer for tech support is average speed of answer. (Been there, done that, trust me... its a big issue) If you are on the phone, not doing something work related, what am I paying you for? Use the phone in the break room when you are on your break. Asking employees not to use the phones for personal calls (when on the clock) is not the practice of some totalitarian regime. It's a good business descision.
Look at it this way. You work for XYZ technical services. You have computers in the break rooms, you have a great benefits package, you have phones in the break rooms. You get a full hour for lunch. We have a great cafeteria and good restaraunts nearby. You are allowed to surf the web between calls. You get excellent training, tuition reimbursement, and *real* certifications by company trainers that you can take with you when you leave. There are emergency contact numbers that your loved ones, or your childrens school administration can call to get ahold of you. You can even have your cell phone with you at your desk, you can get your text messages, but I ask that you not make or recieve calls while you are "logged in" to the phones to take calls from clients.
Suddenly, you get the above memo. Do you have a problem with it now?
We don't know what the conditions are like at the company that this memo was issued at. They could be like I just decribed.
I described it that way because that is very much like a company I used to work for. If I had any brains back in the mid 90's I would still be working for them. But I was stupid and followed a promise of better money, and faster certifications. I didn't realize how good I had it. That company had a policy very much like what this memo states. Not quite so harshly stated certainly, but it reads very much like the memo people recieved after being caught violating the personal use policy the *first* time
Oh, BTW, ask anyone who knows me. I have more personality than I know what to do with.
This memo says nothing about "bathroom breaks" or anything like that. (I know that was not you, I'm just kinda lumping it in) I'm taking it at face value. Nothing more, nothing less.
In regards to the boss calling you at home, I would have a problem with that too, depending on the nature of my contract. But thats not the issue here.
If there was a medical emergency, or an emergency with the kids and my wife called me at work, and the boss bitched about it, then yes, I would agree with the previous poster about walking out the door.
However, in a previous call center job I had, I could *not* recieve incoming personal calls regardless of how much of an emergency it was. If there was an emergency, the person would have to call the control desk, who would come and get me. And there were emergencies, and the control desk came and got me. The policy worked. No problems.
It might be more about outgoing personal calls, but I can't read that into this memo. This memo seems to me to be written by a manager who is at his wits end with abuses of company property and resources, and has had enough. "Here is the new policy, I expect you to follow it, or find work elsewhere". I have no problem with that. I really don't.
Just to add a bit of a postscript to this whole thing, I think slowlegs up there summed it up pretty well.
I am not saying that people with ADD or AD/HD can hear things that other people can not.
What I am saying is that perhaps there is a link between what causes people to have the symptoms of ADD to hear those sounds all the time. Their (our) brains seem to have a problem filtering out that background information that other people seem to be able to dismiss easily, or do not even percieve.
I wasn't saying that electronic background noise was *causing* the problem. The problem is (most likely, I am not an expert) in the brain. However, I do stand by my statement that as the density of electronic devices in our enviroment increases, people who do have problems filtering out that background noise will have more and more input to filter out. Thus, causing an increase in the loss of concentration.
Therefore, it seems logical (to me) that more and more people will be diagnosed with ADD or AD/HD at a younger age, because of the prevelance of electronics in our schools and homes.
When I was in school, lets say, 5th grade for example (which was when I started having some problems) There was *one* monitor/tv set for every 8 classrooms. And this was a fairly affuent school district.
Now, looking at my daughters classroom in the 3rd grade, she there are three computers (at least) in every classroom, and a Television set in every room.
If your conscious mind had problems filtering out the background whine of those electronics, don't you think you would have more problems now?
Actually, its the day after my birthday, and I'm off. Don't y'all go flaming on me here.
I'm sitting at home writing this.
Quoting this one..
"I expect my computers to be used for work only. I expect my phones to be used for work only. Should you receive a personal call, keep it short. Should you receive a personal e-mail, I expect the e-mail either not answered, or a brief note telling whoever is sending you e-mails at work to stop immediately. Should I go through machines, which I assure you, I will be doing, and I find anything to the contrary, you will be terminated immediately. For those who think I am kidding, and do not get with this program, I will promise you that by Christmas eve 8:00 you will be gone."
Aside from the Christmas Eve thing, which admittedly is a little harsh, does anyone else *not* have a problem with this memo?
It's consise, it's clear, and it sets a very easy to follow policy, and is very clear on the consequences for failing to adhere to that policy.
I wish more companies had people like this in a position to make these kinds of mandates.
Perhaps I have worked at too many tech places where the internet/e-mail usage policies were too vaugue, and usually ended up being stated by the senior techs with something sounding like "Just... don't do it too much, and don't be flagrant about it, and you'll be fine".
I hated sitting there slogging through call after call watching someone else while they were checking their e-mail or chatting to a friend.
Perhaps I've gotten past the novelty of "getting paid to surf the net", but I see no problem with this kind of policy.
The phones belong to the companies, and local calls are usually more expensive than what you pay at home.
The machines belong to them, and as the latest barrage of worms have shown, keeping out viruses and malware and the like takes up way to much of the IT departments time. Check your email on your own machine, not mine.
On that note, if the machine belongs to me, I fully expect to not hear you bitch if I happen to check the contents of the e-mail account set up for you to do your *work*. Also I should be able to check whats on *my* hard drive you happen to be getting paid to use.
It's my server, it's my bandwidth, and the messages are on my machines. You want privacy? Get your own network, or use your own machines.
Or I am totally missing something here?
Honestly, I have not had a hearing frequency test done in, wow... I guess its been 15 years.
(BTW, thanks everyone for not modding me into offtopic hell, if it makes any difference, todays my birthday, and getting to discuss this is one of the best presents I could have possibly received)
Something I did not point out in the above post, but should mention is this:
There are two distinctly different perceptions. There is the monitor/CRT whine, which seems more audible, and the second, which is a little bizzare.
The second is the "sensation" for lack of a better word, when a monitor or CRT is first turned on. (or when it is degaussed, which is what leads me to beleive it is some type of electromagnetic thing)
That "sensation" is somewhat harder to describe. It's very brief, like a 1/2 second "wave" for lack of a better word. It feels like static electricity. It "tingles" a bit. Like when you put your hand close to a (sorry to use this again in comparison, but it is the best I could think of) TV set that is very statically charged. But its not localized, just sort of "passes through" you, very quickly.
I can feel that someone turns on a monitor or TV set (to my best estimates) within about a 50 foot range of where I am. It does seem to depend on the type of CRT/Monitor though. With our TV set (fairly new zenith) it's barely perceptible, yet when someone fires up my old 21" rasterops monitor (dinosaur that it is) I can feel it upstairs.
I know it sounds totally bizzare, and honestly I would laugh at me too, but I've lived with it for all of my life and, as far as I know, I'm not crazy.
This is going so offtopic, but I have never had a chance to discuss it on slashdot, so here goes anyway.
You mentioned the monitor whine, did you know that a large percentage of the populus can not hear that? Second question. Do you, by any chance, have ADD or AD/HD?
Here is why I ask:
All my life I have been able to hear the whine from television sets, and monitors. Even if I am in another room I can "feel/hear" it when someone turns on (or de-gausses) a monitor. I used to think that everyone else heard it too, and when I realized that they didn't, I quickly stopped talking about it. (didn't wanna be labelled a nutcase or anything)
Especially bad were the old "dumb terminal" CRT's that were starting to go bad. If there was one near me, it would drive me almost batty. I could hear it *all* the time. When I worked at a call center in the early 90's, I would walk around at night when I was on the late shift until I found the bad CRT and turn it off. Usually I could "triangulate?" the location by walking around the room once first.
About the same time I was (finally) diagnosed with AD/HD. About 2 years later, when I switched doctors, I was asked about things that distracted me when I was trying to concentrate. I mentioned the monitor/CRT whine, and the doctor was somewhat amused. "I hear that a lot from easily distracted people."
That got me thinking, so I brought it up at an ADHD group meeting a couple months later. Not suprising to me, almost everyone I asked at the meeting said that they could "hear" the TV's and monitors in other rooms, especially when they are first turned on, even if the volume is all the way down.
I told my doctor about it at my next appointment, and she dismissed it as coincidence. She did not seem to even believe that such a sense of "electronic or electromagnetic perception" even existed.
I had her blind test me by going in the waiting room and switching the TV on and off a specific number of times. I was correct on the number each time.
As far as I know, nothing ever came of it. I just let it go, because it seems to be damned hard to convince someone with a Phd that you might know something that they don't.
Personally I think that, if my theory is correct, (That this "perception" of Electromagnetic interference, or maybe it is just a "sound", is so common in people with ADD or AD/HD, That the increasing numbers of devices which generate those sounds could correlate with the increasing numbers of ADD and AD/HD cases) it could really be interesting to say the least.
Needless to say I have neither the expertise nor the resources to study this.
I apologize to the slashdot readers for taking up so much space, and their time, in my ramblings, I just needed to finally get that out of my system and tell someone when the opportunity came up.
And hey, if I get famous, you heard it here first.
You know, I usually do not reply to AC's, but you hit on something I need to mention here.
Recently, my gf's tinnitus has been getting considerably worse. From her descriptions, what used to be only perceptable in a otherwise "quiet" room, is now discernable even when watching TV at a normal level.
She is *not* technically inclined, and has always made it clear that the computer stuff stays *out* of the bedroom. I've just gotten used to leaving the fan in the bathroom running, or a small fan, something that creates background noise for her, so she can sleep better.
Recently, when I was sick, I was *granted* the leeway (insert whipped jokes here) to have the laptop in the bedroom, as I was going to be spending a few days in bed. Now it appears that she misses the "higher pitched" sounds of the laptop, and wants me to find something similar.
Maybe I'll just move the firewall machine into the bedroom. She can't complain much if there is a comp, but no monitor or keyboard to get in the way.
Sometimes a little sound is a good thing. I like the idea of a silent PSU, but with the other three fans (graphics card, processor, and system fan) I doubt it will ever be silent. Not to mention the fact that the rear fan is keeping my feet warm as I type this.
Just an (admittedly OT) thought...
Jerry was a great mayor. He did a good job, and those that have come since have had no where near the success that he had. (okay, so the check thing was stupid, but hey... who cares?)
In regards to the whole story, the thing with this theatre has been a black eye for Cincinnati for quite some time, and finding this fugitive will not solve the problems.
I just happened to drive past there tonight, doesn't matter how cold it is, there are still people out on the sidewalk in front of it selling god knows what.
Then again, Vine Street between 10th and Liberty has never been known for how clean and wonderful it is.
I'll just hang out at 1313 Vine, until they move that is.
This is offtopic, so I hope I don't go to mod hell..
.. tons and tons and tons.
Silver is cheap. Beyond cheap. Its everywhere.
I know this because I make and sell silver jewelry. Scrap silver is essentially worthless.
I have about 30lbs of 92.5 sitting here in a bucket that I will eventually melt down. And about 10 pounds of fine silver (99.9). Its simply not worth even trying to do anything with at this point.
And that silver boom that is supposedly coming...
I'll believe it when I see it.
Do you know how much silver US customs has in its possession? Tons
The reason for this is, if something is imported into the United States, and it is stamped as 95.5, and customs tests any particular piece in that shipment, (regardless of whether it is a small bag, or a container full) and it comes out to something LESS than 92.5% pure, they melt the WHOLE shipment down. Do what you want with it.
And trust me, they *do* test.
Which, come to think of it, could be a way to stop this type of thing, but I thing that "melting it down" only applies to items that are stamped. And silver paste obviously is not stamped. But there is a possibility it is still controlled as precious or semi-precious metals. I'll ask my customs broker next time I talk to her.
Actually, I still use 3" cd's on a regular basis. I made business cards out of them with my jewelry catalogue and website on the card.
Works out quite well. In fact, there are a number of office supply and small business shops that will press 3" cd's, with the edges cut off so that it fits in a wallet, with your catalog on it.
I think its a great idea.
Okay, now I know that it is somewhat of the geek stereotype that "If its not broke, gimme a minute to make it faster", but why does it seem like we are abandoning the HST?
.02, YMMV.
Yes, I know that technically it is coming to the end of its projected life span, but that does not mean we should just let it die. I never cease to be amazed at some of the images (yes I know they are touched up) that the HST has given us.
Yes, NASA and JPL are (and righfully so) basking in the glory of the success of the latest Mars probe. But what about in 6 months when those probes are gone. All I see in these stories are future flights. Why abandon something that is still giving us good results.
With the less than perfect track records of probes sent by *any* space agency, I can't pin my hopes of data (and dreams) on future flights.
I think its only wise to keep the HST working as long as we can, or at least until the Webb (is that correct?) telescope is up and functional.
Just my
Sloan's Ice Cream Parlor
Address: 112 Clematis Street,
West Palm Beach, FL 33401
Phone: (561) 833-3335
For more information regarding the "10 best list" and this particular bathroom, Click here
"Winder what happens when there is a power failure. As with most unexpected events, someone will no doubt get caught out with their pants down."
Actually, no.
I was watching this "Ten Best" program a few days ago, and they were talking about that restaraunt in Florida (mentioned earlier) where one of the bathroom walls is made of LCD glass.
It requires power to align the crystals, thus making the window transparent. No Power = Opaque. Not transparent. So, potty with impunity, it will not go clear if there is a power outage.
"But he was a nice badger, with friends. They danced, we played, they fed me mushrooms."
.. its a snake!
Bastard.
I had almost gotten that out of my head.
Anyhow, I was just thinking that..oooh!
Now, at a basic level, I'm sure a university is a corporation. And even a family operated business is still a business. But you would actually have to listen to 97x to understand the difference I suppose.
As quoted from their webpage "In a world where large--and larger--corporate radio groups dominate the radio landscape, 97X continues to be a family business owned by Doug & Linda Balogh. Family-business values are reflected in the culture that exists at 97X and are embodied in the people who create 97X, a group of dedicated and hard-working folks who truly care about THE music."
And Corporate radio still sucks. 97X WOXY does not.
Find THAT on your local alterna-pop, cock-rock rotating channel owned by the Borg (read: Clear Channel).
*Tunes dial to 97.7* Yep There it is. 97X in all its glory.
It is the only thing that makes living in Cincinnati worthwhile.
Hi Barb! (I will be forwarding this thread to my friends over at 97X, they love the advertising.)
Corporate Radio Sucks! (I still have the button)
I would have modded you up, but everyone else beat me to it.
I never have any trouble getting a fax through to New Delhi. Getting a fax through to Bali is a bitch. End of line.
I was referring to the quality of the pots service in Bali, so maybe I did miss something there, no need to flame my ass. 1/3 of the calls I place to Bali I can barely *hear* the other person. I can see where QoS is an issue on their pots lines.
And, btw, India is a damn site farther along tech wise than most places in Indonsesia.
"IMHO QoS is a non-issue when it comes to fax-like things."
Have you ever sent a fax somewhere in Indonesia?
I fax Bali quite often, and it usually takes three or four tries to get a *legible* copy across.
In the US or EU, sure, not an issue. But in developing countries, it certainly *is* an issue.
I'm still sitting here playing with the crumpler website. I can't decide if it is the worst page I have ever seen, or one of the best.
Ack. You hurt my head! That's not nice, Not on X-mas eve morning!
Took me a couple minutes to figure out the "pull shower" mechanism. After I spend 10 minutes trying to read the page through the mud. That is clever.
Actually, I was just thinking about that.
..
I know that its somewhat funny that each year the FAA clears a flight path for Santa. (yes, its true, at least it still was in 2000) But is Santa restricted from certain air space?
No fly zones? Over DC ? etc.
What would Santa's Squawk be?
Just curious