Actually, those rights not granted to the Federal Government are granted to the States and the People.
So, yes, while the government did not win an affirmation of its rights in this decision, the People, acting together as a municipal governing body, preserved their right to establish and maintain infrastructure when no players in the market are willing to do so. TDS initially declined to build a fiber network in Monticello. Only after the city decided it would provide its own connectivity did TDS suddenly become interested in providing fiber connectivity there. Since then, TDS has completed a fiber network in the city, and they've also expedited fiber installs in many parts of rural Minnesota.
To me, that spells two wins for the People. The fiber network is available to more people, and cities know they can put in the infrastructure they desire if they can't get the market players to do so on their own. It seems clear to me that, had it not been for the legal threat, there would be no complete TDS fiber install in Monticello, and they wouldn't have dug up the corner near my house to install to my hometown, either.
Yes, you caught my err. I believe most probably caught the jist of what I was saying--limitations if bad credit risk, whereas a good credit risk would be courted for extra services.
While no means an expert, I've been there. Here are some simple suggestions--no guarantees--just some things to consider.
If involved in any other communities (e.g., non-profit, church, recreational), why not start there. While you might not find another 100% "geek" there to match your ideal views, you just might find that someone a bit different from you may find you fascinating, and may also be fascinating to you. Plus, you never know if there might be a perfect geek-girl hanging out there, too, unless you try (more on that later).
If not part of one of those other communities, perhaps it's time to check one (or more) out. Shop around to find a group with which you have a shared interest. Then, get to know some of the people there.
While you might never consider anything beyond a professional relationship with your coworkers or fellow employees, they all have other friends and connections. The next time anyone offers you to join a group at lunch or after work, take them up on the offer. Yes, it may be uncomfortable, but they will appreciate your efforts, and they may be doorways to whole new groups of people.
If no one asks you to join them, suggest a group lunch with a variety of folks. This can be particularly handy if you have a fancy on someone--it's a lot less threatening to ask that person to join a group outing than it is to ask them to go out with you. Hey, it's a first step.
If you have kept to yourself and don't feel like you know many of your coworkers, the next time you stop by someone's desk, take note of their pictures and office decorations. You'll learn a bit more about them. It also makes small talk a little easier: "Nice picture there. Did you take it? Is it someplace around here?"
Tech user groups can be a great way to network professionally, but remember that each of those contacts also has other contacts. Again, being willing to consider "non-formal" settings, like asking some of your contacts to join you for lunch periodically is a great way to get to know them. In time, ask them to brin some friends along (especially if you find some point of commonality).
If using online services sounds appealing to you, give it a try. You have nothing to lose.
Now that you have some avenues to pursue, the harder question becomes "How do I get myself to interact with others in socially meaningful ways?" Here I can only offer rules of thumb. You need to find out what works for you.
Try, as much as is possible, to spend twice as much time listening (and asking about what was said) than you do saying anything about yourself.
When it's your turn to talk, be as honest and open as you are able. If you're not really comfortable talking a lot about yourself, acknowledge that and let the other person know you're a bit uncomfortable. That will likely make them a bit more comfortable, too. [I've found that most people deal with interpersonal insecurities at some level. The other person always seems like they have it together in our eyes. Most often, if they are wanting to make a connection, they're just as uncomfortable as you area at first.]
If you tend to be the type that can talk for hours on topics about which you are passionate, be deliberate about stopping yourself. Watch the listener. If they are not interacting with you by asking meaningful questions or making comments that fit the flow, stop and acknowlede that you can get lost in your favorite topic and ask what s/he is passionate about.
Skip any stupid pickup lines you've ever been taught. The best "line" is always a simple introduction: "Hi, I'm Bill [offer hand]."
Smile and be as friendly as you are able. Use common courtesies.
Try to remember names when meeting new people. If you have as hard a time doing that as I do, there's a simple fix. The next time you see someone whose name you should know, walk up, extend a hand, reintroduce yourself and say, "Would you help me with your name again? I'm horrible at remembering names." It can take a few times of doing that, but you will eventually start to remember them.
Well, I don't know whether these things will help or not, but they are a place to start. Enjoy!
I've had three carriers over the past twelve years, and a SSN and credit check were part of the agreement every time. They want your FICO score to determine the statistical likelihood that you will pay on time, pay late, or breach the contract. Then, if you score too low, they may either deny to provide service to you (as they did for me once many years ago when my credit score was in the crapper), put limitations on your account (e.g., a security deposit), grant you an account, or grant you an account and immediately offer to provide you with x additional phones for other members of your family.
From your description, I'd guess that you are working for a large employer with a very specific division of labor. That's not the only workplace environment out there--there are many, many businesses where HR folks wear many hats.
Isn't Amazon still one of the few major players that will let almost anyone who self-publishes market their product through Amazon? Do they no longer do this?
If my office, HR not only handles hiring and firing, but also payroll, workers compensation, benefits administration, discipline issues, coordinating annual and periodic reviews, reviewing and recording time off requests, dealing with employee complaints (e.g., too much perfume, bad body odor, breakroom behavior), facilitating employee-manager conflict resolution, revising and communicating company policy, investigating allegations of innapropriate behavior (e.g., harassment), placing employment ads, screening applicants, presenting training materials regarding workplace standards and policies, and handling vendor relations for each of the company's benefit options (e.g., 401K provider, insurance carrier).Heck, the paperwork regarding workplace injuries alone is dreadful!Every time there is a new hire, our HR person spends about six hours with that person, reviewing company policies, procedures, and benefit plans.
The company I serve has just about 100 employees. It wouldn't be a stretch to envision each employee requiring six (or more) hours of HR time (not necessarily face-to-face time) each year: handing time off requests, periodic questions, payroll, employee records, etc. That's not quite a third of a full-time year. Hand over another third to vendor relations, benefits administrations, and company policy. That remaining third? General administration, dealing with his/her own management, some loss to general chatter (like everyone else). Of course, HR people have vacation and sick time, too.
Judgmental opinions based out of ignorance really irk me.
I've been playing Neverwinter Nights 2 lately (yes, yes, I know--old hat, not a hot game right now) and got stuck in an area. I spoke to the NPC that should have ended the scenario and taken me into the next cut scene, but nothing happened. As it turns out, another NPC that was alive at the end of my battle with that scene's boss subsequently died of recurring damage (e.g., poison or acid). Instead of going back through from my last save point, I was able to open a debugger console and instruct the game to re-spawn the secondary NPC.
Now, for games that score and have leader boards, I'd agree that barring entries (or at least flagging entries) that used the "demo" mode would be fair. I just don't think it's big news that such a mode will be advertised as a feature of the game. A lot of casual gamers just want to get to the end of the game. They're not as concerned about the purity of doing it without help. I once was in that camp myself, though now I prefer to get through without cheats and walkthroughs whenever possible.
I miss the days of the old Atari 2600 games like Laser Blast and Demon Attack. I cleared both of those games. Laser Blast gave the satisfaction of a screen filled with large explanation points and question marks to denote the victory (I had recorded my final few rounds on a VHS tape in the day). Demon Attack (not by Atari, but a game for the 2600) topped out at a certain score (1 mil?). I think it just went to a blank screen or rolled credits. Those were glory days in my mind.
I made a contact in Bozeman, and she's forwarding my insights directly to the city attorney's office. My thoughts?
1) Requesting the logon IDs and passwords is likely asking them to violate the ToS or EULA of the site or service. Most sites have restrictions against sharing logon information. Therefore, they're basically asking potential employees to breach a contract.
2) You would never want to hire someone who would hand over user IDs and passwords to a third party, otherwise you'll have employees who will gladly turn over city/employee logon information to every social engineer out there.
Honestly, I was surprised when I got a reply back indicating she would forward the information on. She was unaware of the new policy, and was thankful that I brought it to her attention.
Sure. Make it just like a utility. They won't be able to cap usage in their plans, but they will (eventually) be able to have rolling blackouts using the claim that their networks simply don't have the capacity for everyone.
I'm not in favor of caps. I'm just anticipating how some of the carrier weasels will try to get around this one.
Unless you really want to change the nature of your work (i.e., pursue that CS degree with a database focus) you do have plenty of options, though some of them may be limited now due to the state of the economy.
You don't state how many IT folks work for your current employer. If you are the only one, you could pitch bringing in an assistant (PT or FT) to handle the nuissance jobs. The selling point to management is that doing so would free you up to do work that can add value to the company (e.g., automate processes, plan/coordinate infrastructure needs, improve IT budgeting and PC purchasing cycles, investigate alternative software options for key business systems)--assumin you have the skills and ambition to make that happen.
If there are already two or three of you, and if you have seniority (either in time served or in technical skill), pitch for you to become a Tier 2 support person--someone who only handles the issues that can't be resolved by the other techs. Similar to the first scenario, this would allow you to make value-added contributions to the company (during the time freed by not handling as large a percentage of the calls).
Moving sideways is not a bad thing at all. You may be able to land a job with like or better salary, or perhaps better benefits. The key is to be selective about your move. Investigate any possible companies, and be sure to understand whether or not they would have opportunities for growth. Don't even interview with a company that would put you in a comparable role, unless you can visualize a career path within that company (a path that might take you out of IT for a time).
Consider jobs on the periphery of IT, or that would benefit from your knowledge of IT: business analyst and systems analyst positions, sales positions. While usually not hands-on (at least with hardware), they will allow you to leverage your knowledge while picking up what is (in my opinion) something critical for openin up real opportunities for advancement in IT: business experience. Yes, techies can advance based only on their technical skills, but my experience has shown they either find the plateau they love or they need something more to land better gigs. A skilled tech is one thing, but a skilled tech who can bridge the gap that often exists between the business- and tech-sides of the business has an advantage. Given two candidates with similar tech backgrounds, I'd take one who also has business experience over the straight-tech any day. I'd even take someone with a slightly weaker tech background who has the business experience, since technology training is always an option. While these may seem to take you away from IT, if you view them as strategic moves they can really benefit you in the long term: when you come back to a traditional IT job you will have more experience and a broader perspective that you can sell as benefits to the company.
Find ways to manage user expectations. Methods will vary, but you could set aside one or two hours each day where you deliberately do not answer the phones or reply to email messages. See if management will let you schedule your workday one or two days each week so that you either start or end your day before or after the core business hours. For example, I find things at my current employer really ramp up at 8 AM (the office staff start time), so I try to get in by 6 AM at least once a week so I can get in two hours with limited interruptions. Develop a problem classification system (a simplified SLA for your work), get it reviewed and approved by management, and communicate it to users. When my users can print to any number of printers throughout the complex, there's no need for me to jump up to resolve a printer jam on one printer. I tell my users that I'll drop by in a bit (I estimate a time) after I finish something on which I'm working, and I instruct them to use another printer in the interim. If the problem is actually critical (e.g., the printer that is jammed is the only one that can print overs
They may be free to say anything, but they must be willing to accept the consequences of what they say in many cases.
Courts have long held (arising out of common law) that some forms of speech are not protected. We have long (even since the time of the framers) had limits on speach: libel and slander. We also have laws that treat threats not as free speech, but as a form of assault (differentiated from striking someone: "battery"--the treatment of "assault" and "battery" will vary depending on the jurisdiction where you reside).
A free people should always be free to express divergent opinions, but there are limits when what is said or written becomes a direct assault on another.
Before you make any decision, take some time to sit down with the president of the company, the management committee, or other head honchos to find out what their outlook is for the next few years. Yes, even with the economy down there are some companies that are planning to grow. The place I'm at now sits at about 100 employees today, but was just at 35 employees five years ago (with most of those being shop employees). We went from about 15 PCs (and two servers) to an environment with about 60 PCs (and five servers). I came on-board a little over a year ago, and have been dealing with an IT environment that did not anticipate the growth. My advice to you: do whatever you can now to make your job (or your successor's job) easier five years down the road. It is much easier to get things in place now, before you are dealing with rampant growth.
We just opted for Symantec's Endpoint Protection after considering numerous options. Yes, the price tag seems significant, but the management tools work well (the deployment package creator alone saved me much time). For us, a significant factor was to select an AV tool that plays nice with some of our 3D design tools. Be sure to check with your power users regarding their software, and make sure whatever you select will play nice with your critical business apps.
For the central administration features, Symantec Endpoint works well. Our shop just moved to Endpoint from Symantec Corporate AV 10, and I was surprised to find that the new product identified threats on machines that had been running Corporate. All sigs were current. It just seems that Endpoint has a better engine.
If your TV screen is on the floor, or a very small screen, yes, they'd block it too. More and more lately, the screens are larger and either on a stand or mounted to a wall. With traditional controllers, even if someone or something temporarilyi blocks the screen, you typically can compensate (e.g., continue to key combos, block/parry, hit the pause button). Since Natal will be designed to watch for movement from head to toe, and since your body is the controller, you will be subject to a greater level of interference than simply when your line of sight is blocked.
I've played many times where someone temporarily blocked my line of sight. I either moved to one side to see around, or simply kept playing. I'm not talking about someone parking in front of the screen. I'm talking about a temporary, transient interruption.
Relying on cameras and sensors, the players are still stowed if something crosses between them and the sensors. At least with the Wii, if you see someone coming, you can raise the Wiimote or slide it to the side. If Natal is watching your whole body, and someone needs to cross in front of you to get to the bathroom (or if a large dog or smaller siblings come into the play space), you're stowed. Until they describe how they will compensate for environmental disruptions, I'll put this in the "useless hype" category.
I'm not saying the tech isn't cool, and I definately can see uses for it (the manipulation of 3D models alone would be awesome), but you're more likley to find uses for this in commerce and industry where dedicated manipulation zones can be established. Of course, it would also work if the game system is in someone's bedroom or another space where no one will bother the player, but those households are not going to be as broad an audience as that reached by the Wii. Hardcore gamers do have funds to spend, and I'm sure many will buy, but they will hit a market saturation point.
You're on the key issue, but I'll take a different tack: not only do users need training, but user requirements (sometimes, extensive amounts of user requirements) need to be gathered before impementing a solution (and this goes way beyond DM systems). If time is spent with the users before the DM system, the project team can be aware of how things currently are done. This means they might need to understand the naming conventions being used by multiple business units or many admin staff, and that is only one example. The goal, then, is to sit down with a representative user group--a group that represents all stakeholders (from the end users to management, IT, information security, legal, and audit)--and review the gathered requirements. In places where there seem to be conflicting requirements, all stakeholders need to come together and agree on a common set of requirements. From there, they need to go back and start prepping their own groups if those requirement result in changes from their current practices.
If that's done (a major component of project management that is the that seems to be shortchanged all too often), you'll find yourself deploying a system in which the users have some sense of ownership, and which is less likely to run into significant resistance based on old arguments like "but we don't do it that way" or "the system just doesn't meet our needs."
Just a note of condolence. As someone else who lives in the midwestern United States, I didn't take your message to be a troll, but rather something humorous. I know many responsible hunters, but have heard way too many stories about the irresponsible (and inibriated) ones.
Throw in a few bratwurst and a keg (at the end of every shift, of course), and I'll bet they'd have a three year waiting period for someone to have a turn.
If they're going to consider Hummingbird, they need to be ready to cough up the dollars to get an *EXPERIENCED* Hummingbird administrator. If not, the product will be set up, but basic search functionality will be hosed because of some of the same issues in the original problem description (arising from differences in how the document's properties sheets are populated). If done well, it can be fantastic. If not, it users will hate it and do everything possible to avoid it (including installing their own NAS devices).
Conceded. Strike "shotguns". Replace with "gauss rifles".
For now, robots are an advantage
on
Wired for War
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What happens when the rest of the world has nasty-bots that can take on our nasty-bots? Either they'll start targeting the makers of the nasty-bots (the factories) and the controllers of the nasty-bots (hardenened bunkers---hmmm...I wonder which will be the easier target), or they'll realize that they're just letting their toys battle and they'd best learn to settle their conflicts by playing a few rounds of Pokemon.
Regardless of how much money they can throw at a technical solution, nothing will be as cost effective as paying a bunch of guys in blaze orange vests to shoot at birds near the airports.
"What'd ya do today, Jake?"
"Shot at pigeons."
"Really? I thought the range was only open on weekends."
"Not them pigeons. I got me a job with the airport. I'm shootin' real pigeons, plus geese and anything else with wings. I just wish that darn airport were closer to Sesame Street. I've always hated that Big Bird..."
You're assuming the one who posted is Gen-X. I'd argue against it, because they've already been on the job for a year and a half. Had the guy been a Gen-Xer, he would have bailed by now.
[Before I get flamed in the replies by all you Gen-Xers, realize that I'm pointing out a problem with the post to which I'm replying.]
This has nothing to do with Gen-X, Gen-Y, Mutant-X or anything else. This has to do with workplace culture. I've been in a similar situation for over a year now--a mid-sized manufacturing firm where I'm the only IT guy. I've gotten requests like "Move us to Exchange 2007 in two weeks" even though we've not been on an Exchange platform, had an AD structure set up by someone who had no clue what they were doing, and had no hardware for the job. In my opinion, manufacturing types are used to "taking the bull by the horns" and getting things done, often on rediculous schedules. Their business model is based on the business they know (making things), that they already have a shop full of skilled and trained staff, and that they can authorize overtime or even contract out pieces of the job if on a tight deadline. They have no understanding of the complexities and interdependencies in the realm of IT, and assume that my job is just like theirs. In the Exchange example I mentioned, it didn't matter that I've never managed Exchange before, that our AD structure was not ready for Exchange, or that we did not have the anti-virus, anti-spam, and backup technologies we needed to support Exchange. Then, while in the midst of my two week window of opportunity, management went out and hired more staff and expected me to have PCs ready on day one, even if I was not notified of the new hires until the day before they started.
Through it all, I've worked to create policies and procedures for everything IT (e.g., two week notice and a form are required for new employees if they expect a PC on day one). The only way to get acceptance of them, however, is to have the support of upper management. You need to make the importance of the need clear to them--not in terms of "I ain't got no respect!!!", but in terms of "To ensure I provide you the best possible service, I recommend the following changes to our new hire process." As is often said, you win more bees with honey than you do with vinegar.
Other things that have really helped me when working with staff and management have been to keep up my sense of humor, to be as honest and transparent as possible regarding problems, my actions, and their status, and to go to management regularly with my concerns before they build up pressure and make my head want to explode. I'd dropped hints at getting a PT IT person to help back me up since not long after I started, but it wasn't until we came through a series of major network issues that the theme of my requests finally registered with management: "if our IT guys is gone and something happens, we're up a creek." Part of my review for this year (coming up next week--wish me luck) is presenting a set of options for augmenting our IT support (i.e., presenting options from call-in techs to contracted services to a PT employee)--at management request! Don't give up, small-shop-you-da-man-techies. It might be possible for them to see the light.
Reverting my attention to the author of the original submission, you need to endeavor to make yourself the best asset they have, and need to watch your attitude as you do it. Use their slights to lament with your peers--if you are not already meeting with some other people in similar circumstances, you really need to do so (start having lunch with any other IT guys at businesses in your area--they'll be keen on it, especially if you are buying the first time). Then, stop and consider their gripes. Generally, even when customers have seemed unreasonable, I've always found some shred of truth in their comments and complaints. Make it your crusade to find those points and to address them. What, a main gripe is that someone can't work whil
I don't know whether you were being sincere or cheeky with your comment, but I tend to agree. Usenet had its uses (and no, pr0n was not one of them for me). I liked the various reader options--it was just easier to follow (and navigate) threaded discussions. I lamented the loss when it first started getting dropped years ago (I was teaching a class that used NNTP for threaded discussions and had a student on AOL who no longer could access the discussions), but was honestly surprised to see that some major players had not cut it off yet. I'd already moved on to lesser platforms.
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Actually, those rights not granted to the Federal Government are granted to the States and the People.
So, yes, while the government did not win an affirmation of its rights in this decision, the People, acting together as a municipal governing body, preserved their right to establish and maintain infrastructure when no players in the market are willing to do so. TDS initially declined to build a fiber network in Monticello. Only after the city decided it would provide its own connectivity did TDS suddenly become interested in providing fiber connectivity there. Since then, TDS has completed a fiber network in the city, and they've also expedited fiber installs in many parts of rural Minnesota.
To me, that spells two wins for the People. The fiber network is available to more people, and cities know they can put in the infrastructure they desire if they can't get the market players to do so on their own. It seems clear to me that, had it not been for the legal threat, there would be no complete TDS fiber install in Monticello, and they wouldn't have dug up the corner near my house to install to my hometown, either.
Yes, you caught my err. I believe most probably caught the jist of what I was saying--limitations if bad credit risk, whereas a good credit risk would be courted for extra services.
Now that you have some avenues to pursue, the harder question becomes "How do I get myself to interact with others in socially meaningful ways?" Here I can only offer rules of thumb. You need to find out what works for you.
Well, I don't know whether these things will help or not, but they are a place to start. Enjoy!
I've had three carriers over the past twelve years, and a SSN and credit check were part of the agreement every time. They want your FICO score to determine the statistical likelihood that you will pay on time, pay late, or breach the contract. Then, if you score too low, they may either deny to provide service to you (as they did for me once many years ago when my credit score was in the crapper), put limitations on your account (e.g., a security deposit), grant you an account, or grant you an account and immediately offer to provide you with x additional phones for other members of your family.
From your description, I'd guess that you are working for a large employer with a very specific division of labor. That's not the only workplace environment out there--there are many, many businesses where HR folks wear many hats.
Isn't Amazon still one of the few major players that will let almost anyone who self-publishes market their product through Amazon? Do they no longer do this?
You really have no clue what HR does, do you?
If my office, HR not only handles hiring and firing, but also payroll, workers compensation, benefits administration, discipline issues, coordinating annual and periodic reviews, reviewing and recording time off requests, dealing with employee complaints (e.g., too much perfume, bad body odor, breakroom behavior), facilitating employee-manager conflict resolution, revising and communicating company policy, investigating allegations of innapropriate behavior (e.g., harassment), placing employment ads, screening applicants, presenting training materials regarding workplace standards and policies, and handling vendor relations for each of the company's benefit options (e.g., 401K provider, insurance carrier).Heck, the paperwork regarding workplace injuries alone is dreadful!Every time there is a new hire, our HR person spends about six hours with that person, reviewing company policies, procedures, and benefit plans.
The company I serve has just about 100 employees. It wouldn't be a stretch to envision each employee requiring six (or more) hours of HR time (not necessarily face-to-face time) each year: handing time off requests, periodic questions, payroll, employee records, etc. That's not quite a third of a full-time year. Hand over another third to vendor relations, benefits administrations, and company policy. That remaining third? General administration, dealing with his/her own management, some loss to general chatter (like everyone else). Of course, HR people have vacation and sick time, too.
Judgmental opinions based out of ignorance really irk me.
I've been playing Neverwinter Nights 2 lately (yes, yes, I know--old hat, not a hot game right now) and got stuck in an area. I spoke to the NPC that should have ended the scenario and taken me into the next cut scene, but nothing happened. As it turns out, another NPC that was alive at the end of my battle with that scene's boss subsequently died of recurring damage (e.g., poison or acid). Instead of going back through from my last save point, I was able to open a debugger console and instruct the game to re-spawn the secondary NPC.
Now, for games that score and have leader boards, I'd agree that barring entries (or at least flagging entries) that used the "demo" mode would be fair. I just don't think it's big news that such a mode will be advertised as a feature of the game. A lot of casual gamers just want to get to the end of the game. They're not as concerned about the purity of doing it without help. I once was in that camp myself, though now I prefer to get through without cheats and walkthroughs whenever possible.
I miss the days of the old Atari 2600 games like Laser Blast and Demon Attack. I cleared both of those games. Laser Blast gave the satisfaction of a screen filled with large explanation points and question marks to denote the victory (I had recorded my final few rounds on a VHS tape in the day). Demon Attack (not by Atari, but a game for the 2600) topped out at a certain score (1 mil?). I think it just went to a blank screen or rolled credits. Those were glory days in my mind.
I made a contact in Bozeman, and she's forwarding my insights directly to the city attorney's office. My thoughts?
1) Requesting the logon IDs and passwords is likely asking them to violate the ToS or EULA of the site or service. Most sites have restrictions against sharing logon information. Therefore, they're basically asking potential employees to breach a contract.
2) You would never want to hire someone who would hand over user IDs and passwords to a third party, otherwise you'll have employees who will gladly turn over city/employee logon information to every social engineer out there.
Honestly, I was surprised when I got a reply back indicating she would forward the information on. She was unaware of the new policy, and was thankful that I brought it to her attention.
Sure. Make it just like a utility. They won't be able to cap usage in their plans, but they will (eventually) be able to have rolling blackouts using the claim that their networks simply don't have the capacity for everyone.
I'm not in favor of caps. I'm just anticipating how some of the carrier weasels will try to get around this one.
Unless you really want to change the nature of your work (i.e., pursue that CS degree with a database focus) you do have plenty of options, though some of them may be limited now due to the state of the economy.
You don't state how many IT folks work for your current employer. If you are the only one, you could pitch bringing in an assistant (PT or FT) to handle the nuissance jobs. The selling point to management is that doing so would free you up to do work that can add value to the company (e.g., automate processes, plan/coordinate infrastructure needs, improve IT budgeting and PC purchasing cycles, investigate alternative software options for key business systems)--assumin you have the skills and ambition to make that happen.
If there are already two or three of you, and if you have seniority (either in time served or in technical skill), pitch for you to become a Tier 2 support person--someone who only handles the issues that can't be resolved by the other techs. Similar to the first scenario, this would allow you to make value-added contributions to the company (during the time freed by not handling as large a percentage of the calls).
Moving sideways is not a bad thing at all. You may be able to land a job with like or better salary, or perhaps better benefits. The key is to be selective about your move. Investigate any possible companies, and be sure to understand whether or not they would have opportunities for growth. Don't even interview with a company that would put you in a comparable role, unless you can visualize a career path within that company (a path that might take you out of IT for a time).
Consider jobs on the periphery of IT, or that would benefit from your knowledge of IT: business analyst and systems analyst positions, sales positions. While usually not hands-on (at least with hardware), they will allow you to leverage your knowledge while picking up what is (in my opinion) something critical for openin up real opportunities for advancement in IT: business experience. Yes, techies can advance based only on their technical skills, but my experience has shown they either find the plateau they love or they need something more to land better gigs. A skilled tech is one thing, but a skilled tech who can bridge the gap that often exists between the business- and tech-sides of the business has an advantage. Given two candidates with similar tech backgrounds, I'd take one who also has business experience over the straight-tech any day. I'd even take someone with a slightly weaker tech background who has the business experience, since technology training is always an option. While these may seem to take you away from IT, if you view them as strategic moves they can really benefit you in the long term: when you come back to a traditional IT job you will have more experience and a broader perspective that you can sell as benefits to the company.
Find ways to manage user expectations. Methods will vary, but you could set aside one or two hours each day where you deliberately do not answer the phones or reply to email messages. See if management will let you schedule your workday one or two days each week so that you either start or end your day before or after the core business hours. For example, I find things at my current employer really ramp up at 8 AM (the office staff start time), so I try to get in by 6 AM at least once a week so I can get in two hours with limited interruptions. Develop a problem classification system (a simplified SLA for your work), get it reviewed and approved by management, and communicate it to users. When my users can print to any number of printers throughout the complex, there's no need for me to jump up to resolve a printer jam on one printer. I tell my users that I'll drop by in a bit (I estimate a time) after I finish something on which I'm working, and I instruct them to use another printer in the interim. If the problem is actually critical (e.g., the printer that is jammed is the only one that can print overs
They may be free to say anything, but they must be willing to accept the consequences of what they say in many cases.
Courts have long held (arising out of common law) that some forms of speech are not protected. We have long (even since the time of the framers) had limits on speach: libel and slander. We also have laws that treat threats not as free speech, but as a form of assault (differentiated from striking someone: "battery"--the treatment of "assault" and "battery" will vary depending on the jurisdiction where you reside).
A free people should always be free to express divergent opinions, but there are limits when what is said or written becomes a direct assault on another.
Before you make any decision, take some time to sit down with the president of the company, the management committee, or other head honchos to find out what their outlook is for the next few years. Yes, even with the economy down there are some companies that are planning to grow. The place I'm at now sits at about 100 employees today, but was just at 35 employees five years ago (with most of those being shop employees). We went from about 15 PCs (and two servers) to an environment with about 60 PCs (and five servers). I came on-board a little over a year ago, and have been dealing with an IT environment that did not anticipate the growth. My advice to you: do whatever you can now to make your job (or your successor's job) easier five years down the road. It is much easier to get things in place now, before you are dealing with rampant growth.
We just opted for Symantec's Endpoint Protection after considering numerous options. Yes, the price tag seems significant, but the management tools work well (the deployment package creator alone saved me much time). For us, a significant factor was to select an AV tool that plays nice with some of our 3D design tools. Be sure to check with your power users regarding their software, and make sure whatever you select will play nice with your critical business apps.
For the central administration features, Symantec Endpoint works well. Our shop just moved to Endpoint from Symantec Corporate AV 10, and I was surprised to find that the new product identified threats on machines that had been running Corporate. All sigs were current. It just seems that Endpoint has a better engine.
If your TV screen is on the floor, or a very small screen, yes, they'd block it too. More and more lately, the screens are larger and either on a stand or mounted to a wall. With traditional controllers, even if someone or something temporarilyi blocks the screen, you typically can compensate (e.g., continue to key combos, block/parry, hit the pause button). Since Natal will be designed to watch for movement from head to toe, and since your body is the controller, you will be subject to a greater level of interference than simply when your line of sight is blocked.
I've played many times where someone temporarily blocked my line of sight. I either moved to one side to see around, or simply kept playing. I'm not talking about someone parking in front of the screen. I'm talking about a temporary, transient interruption.
Relying on cameras and sensors, the players are still stowed if something crosses between them and the sensors. At least with the Wii, if you see someone coming, you can raise the Wiimote or slide it to the side. If Natal is watching your whole body, and someone needs to cross in front of you to get to the bathroom (or if a large dog or smaller siblings come into the play space), you're stowed. Until they describe how they will compensate for environmental disruptions, I'll put this in the "useless hype" category.
I'm not saying the tech isn't cool, and I definately can see uses for it (the manipulation of 3D models alone would be awesome), but you're more likley to find uses for this in commerce and industry where dedicated manipulation zones can be established. Of course, it would also work if the game system is in someone's bedroom or another space where no one will bother the player, but those households are not going to be as broad an audience as that reached by the Wii. Hardcore gamers do have funds to spend, and I'm sure many will buy, but they will hit a market saturation point.
You're on the key issue, but I'll take a different tack: not only do users need training, but user requirements (sometimes, extensive amounts of user requirements) need to be gathered before impementing a solution (and this goes way beyond DM systems). If time is spent with the users before the DM system, the project team can be aware of how things currently are done. This means they might need to understand the naming conventions being used by multiple business units or many admin staff, and that is only one example. The goal, then, is to sit down with a representative user group--a group that represents all stakeholders (from the end users to management, IT, information security, legal, and audit)--and review the gathered requirements. In places where there seem to be conflicting requirements, all stakeholders need to come together and agree on a common set of requirements. From there, they need to go back and start prepping their own groups if those requirement result in changes from their current practices.
If that's done (a major component of project management that is the that seems to be shortchanged all too often), you'll find yourself deploying a system in which the users have some sense of ownership, and which is less likely to run into significant resistance based on old arguments like "but we don't do it that way" or "the system just doesn't meet our needs."
Just a note of condolence. As someone else who lives in the midwestern United States, I didn't take your message to be a troll, but rather something humorous. I know many responsible hunters, but have heard way too many stories about the irresponsible (and inibriated) ones.
Throw in a few bratwurst and a keg (at the end of every shift, of course), and I'll bet they'd have a three year waiting period for someone to have a turn.
If they're going to consider Hummingbird, they need to be ready to cough up the dollars to get an *EXPERIENCED* Hummingbird administrator. If not, the product will be set up, but basic search functionality will be hosed because of some of the same issues in the original problem description (arising from differences in how the document's properties sheets are populated). If done well, it can be fantastic. If not, it users will hate it and do everything possible to avoid it (including installing their own NAS devices).
Conceded. Strike "shotguns". Replace with "gauss rifles".
What happens when the rest of the world has nasty-bots that can take on our nasty-bots? Either they'll start targeting the makers of the nasty-bots (the factories) and the controllers of the nasty-bots (hardenened bunkers---hmmm...I wonder which will be the easier target), or they'll realize that they're just letting their toys battle and they'd best learn to settle their conflicts by playing a few rounds of Pokemon.
Regardless of how much money they can throw at a technical solution, nothing will be as cost effective as paying a bunch of guys in blaze orange vests to shoot at birds near the airports.
"What'd ya do today, Jake?"
"Shot at pigeons."
"Really? I thought the range was only open on weekends."
"Not them pigeons. I got me a job with the airport. I'm shootin' real pigeons, plus geese and anything else with wings. I just wish that darn airport were closer to Sesame Street. I've always hated that Big Bird..."
You're assuming the one who posted is Gen-X. I'd argue against it, because they've already been on the job for a year and a half. Had the guy been a Gen-Xer, he would have bailed by now.
[Before I get flamed in the replies by all you Gen-Xers, realize that I'm pointing out a problem with the post to which I'm replying.]
This has nothing to do with Gen-X, Gen-Y, Mutant-X or anything else. This has to do with workplace culture. I've been in a similar situation for over a year now--a mid-sized manufacturing firm where I'm the only IT guy. I've gotten requests like "Move us to Exchange 2007 in two weeks" even though we've not been on an Exchange platform, had an AD structure set up by someone who had no clue what they were doing, and had no hardware for the job. In my opinion, manufacturing types are used to "taking the bull by the horns" and getting things done, often on rediculous schedules. Their business model is based on the business they know (making things), that they already have a shop full of skilled and trained staff, and that they can authorize overtime or even contract out pieces of the job if on a tight deadline. They have no understanding of the complexities and interdependencies in the realm of IT, and assume that my job is just like theirs. In the Exchange example I mentioned, it didn't matter that I've never managed Exchange before, that our AD structure was not ready for Exchange, or that we did not have the anti-virus, anti-spam, and backup technologies we needed to support Exchange. Then, while in the midst of my two week window of opportunity, management went out and hired more staff and expected me to have PCs ready on day one, even if I was not notified of the new hires until the day before they started.
Through it all, I've worked to create policies and procedures for everything IT (e.g., two week notice and a form are required for new employees if they expect a PC on day one). The only way to get acceptance of them, however, is to have the support of upper management. You need to make the importance of the need clear to them--not in terms of "I ain't got no respect!!!", but in terms of "To ensure I provide you the best possible service, I recommend the following changes to our new hire process." As is often said, you win more bees with honey than you do with vinegar.
Other things that have really helped me when working with staff and management have been to keep up my sense of humor, to be as honest and transparent as possible regarding problems, my actions, and their status, and to go to management regularly with my concerns before they build up pressure and make my head want to explode. I'd dropped hints at getting a PT IT person to help back me up since not long after I started, but it wasn't until we came through a series of major network issues that the theme of my requests finally registered with management: "if our IT guys is gone and something happens, we're up a creek." Part of my review for this year (coming up next week--wish me luck) is presenting a set of options for augmenting our IT support (i.e., presenting options from call-in techs to contracted services to a PT employee)--at management request! Don't give up, small-shop-you-da-man-techies. It might be possible for them to see the light.
Reverting my attention to the author of the original submission, you need to endeavor to make yourself the best asset they have, and need to watch your attitude as you do it. Use their slights to lament with your peers--if you are not already meeting with some other people in similar circumstances, you really need to do so (start having lunch with any other IT guys at businesses in your area--they'll be keen on it, especially if you are buying the first time). Then, stop and consider their gripes. Generally, even when customers have seemed unreasonable, I've always found some shred of truth in their comments and complaints. Make it your crusade to find those points and to address them. What, a main gripe is that someone can't work whil
I don't know whether you were being sincere or cheeky with your comment, but I tend to agree. Usenet had its uses (and no, pr0n was not one of them for me). I liked the various reader options--it was just easier to follow (and navigate) threaded discussions. I lamented the loss when it first started getting dropped years ago (I was teaching a class that used NNTP for threaded discussions and had a student on AOL who no longer could access the discussions), but was honestly surprised to see that some major players had not cut it off yet. I'd already moved on to lesser platforms.