So, in the cash drawer at work, we typically take one dollar bills, group them in 25, and paperclip them so it's easier to count. Tonight, there were no paperclipped bundles, but there was a large bundle with a rubber band around it. So, naturally, I assumed it was a stack of 100. But that made the count way over. I thought "Maybe it's only 75?", but then the count was under. So I took the rubber band off and counted them. And how many one dollar bills did some genius decide to bundle together? 82. Eighty-f#%@ing-two. How is that a number you would decide to bundle? Maybe, maybe, if you put a note with it to say "This is a stack of 82" I could understand. It's a stretch, but maybe. But just sticking 82 bills in a bundle and throwing it in with a stack of 24 loose bills and expecting people to just know how many are there?
Someone shoot me.
Are you Garfield too?
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Well, I do hate Mondays. But I only like lasagna instead of love it. I would be in favor of getting rid of a kitten, but I like dogs (technically, I like when my friends have dogs so I can go over and play with them occasionally, but not have any of the cost or responsibilities of pet ownership). So, probably not.Are you Garfield too?So, in the cash drawer at work, we typically take one dollar bills, group them in 25, and paperclip them so it's easier to count. Tonight, there were no paperclipped bundles, but there was a large bundle with a rubber band around it. So, naturally, I assumed it was a stack of 100. But that made the count way over. I thought "Maybe it's only 75?", but then the count was under. So I took the rubber band off and counted them. And how many one dollar bills did some genius decide to bundle together? 82. Eighty-f#%@ing-two. How is that a number you would decide to bundle? Maybe, maybe, if you put a note with it to say "This is a stack of 82" I could understand. It's a stretch, but maybe. But just sticking 82 bills in a bundle and throwing it in with a stack of 24 loose bills and expecting people to just know how many are there?
Someone shoot me.
Thunder...
Thunder... Thunder... Thundercats! HOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!
HOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!
Yeth?
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Uh, they're clearly related to horseshoes.
Fun fact time!
Modern horseshoe crabs evolved about 250 million years ago. The solar system takes approximately 230 million years to orbit the Milky Way. Therefore, as a species, horseshoe crabs experienced more than one full galactic "year".
And yet, in all that time, they haven't managed to invent the digital watch.
And yet, in all that time, they haven't managed to invent the digital watch.Fun fact time!
Modern horseshoe crabs evolved about 250 million years ago. The solar system takes approximately 230 million years to orbit the Milky Way. Therefore, as a species, horseshoe crabs experienced more than one full galactic "year".
Or maybe, just maybe, they have already evolved past needing them...
So, I've been trying really hard not to come here and vent... but holy f*** this one makes me want to scream and punch something (or someone), so better to vent than resort to violence.
I have encountered the Perfect Storm of Stupidity and Stubbornness:
...and you never notice it until there's a power outage or other unexpected shutdown of your computer and it won't boot up again without the BitLocker recovery key...
...which is only available *if* you connected your computer to a Microsoft account, *and* you have full access to that account.
In short, Microsoft Windows is now ransomware, locking your data away forever if you make any errors.
...because the store offered in-app coupons, the shopper saw the ads, but refused to own a smartphone and demanded that the store honor the coupons because they'd seen the ad and they should get the prices even if they didn't own a smartphone, much less the app.
So yeah, Unnamed Moog (UM) had a power outage. Unnamed Moog got the dreaded, "Put in your BitLocker recovery key." Unnamed Moog does not own a smartphone, does not know how to Google, and hence called me for tech support. As they always do. And because of obligations, I cannot tell them to go **** themselves. So, I got their Microsoft account name and password from them, tried to get at BitLocker, and got the "we'll send you a text message to verify" message. Long story short, nearly two years ago I told them they had to update their phone number with Microsoft. They never bothered. So Microsoft has a defunct phone number. And Microsoft locks your account for 30 days to make a security change. I told UM to call the number and explain the situation. They refused outright.
"So I'm going to be without a computer for 30 days?"
"Well, you never did what I asked you to do before, and you're not doing what I'm telling you to do now, so I think 30 days is pretty generous."
Interesting. My first reaction was to check Windows Settings.
Apparently, my Windows 11 BitLocker is set to OFF on all partitions, despite numerous Windows updates it received since I got this computer last summer.
Would the BitLocker functionally brick the disc if not unlocked, or could you still do a clean reset of the system losing the data in the process?
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And because of obligations, I cannot tell them to go **** themselves.
Save, go save themselves, right?
Or maybe, just maybe, they have already evolved past needing them...And yet, in all that time, they haven't managed to invent the digital watch.Fun fact time!
Modern horseshoe crabs evolved about 250 million years ago. The solar system takes approximately 230 million years to orbit the Milky Way. Therefore, as a species, horseshoe crabs experienced more than one full galactic "year".
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So, I've been trying really hard not to come here and vent... but holy f*** this one makes me want to scream and punch something (or someone), so better to vent than resort to violence.
I have encountered the Perfect Storm of Stupidity and Stubbornness:
** spoiler omitted **
** spoiler omitted **...
Preparing myself for disappointment by assuming that Unnamed Moog wasn't a sentient modular analogue synthesiser.
In other news, since the supermarket that sells MATZOS is far away and expensive, I ordered mine straight from the (local) manufacturer. It turns out that £20 gets you more MATZOS than you really know what to do with (18 packets, all with an email address for the Factory Rabbi on the back) - I've already played a delightful game of MATZO TETRIS when trying to fit the lot in a kitchen cupboard, have found a recipe for Macchu Picchu, sorry, MATZO PIZZA (which may well be revolting), and could also build a small fort for one of the cats if I wanted.
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Interesting. My first reaction was to check Windows Settings.
Apparently, my Windows 11 BitLocker is set to OFF on all partitions, despite numerous Windows updates it received since I got this computer last summer.
I have two guesses:
(1) You, like me, don't trust Microsoft as far as you could throw them. So you used the workaround to sign in using a local account instead of a Microsoft account. If you're using a local account and not using OneDrive, it doesn't auto-enable BitLocker on you. Just to confirm, I checked my gaming desktop (all local accounts, no OneDrive) and there's no BitLocker on any of its drives.
(2) EU GDPR. So much goodness in such a brilliant piece of legislation.
So glad my tower is too old to have a Bitlocker chip.
From now on anyone who wants me to build them a computer is getting a Linux box.
Spend 12 hours getting the da**ed OS working the way you want it to. Spend 12 years NOT hearing any tech support requests.
Worth it.
Interesting. My first reaction was to check Windows Settings.
Apparently, my Windows 11 BitLocker is set to OFF on all partitions, despite numerous Windows updates it received since I got this computer last summer.
I have two guesses:
(1) You, like me, don't trust Microsoft as far as you could throw them. So you used the workaround to sign in using a local account instead of a Microsoft account. If you're using a local account and not using OneDrive, it doesn't auto-enable BitLocker on you. Just to confirm, I checked my gaming desktop (all local accounts, no OneDrive) and there's no BitLocker on any of its drives.
Well, yes?
(2) EU GDPR. So much goodness in such a brilliant piece of legislation.
I honestly considered reporting to local consumer protection the deceptive nature of Windows 11 installation process deliberately hiding a essential installation feature (i.e. using local account) to trick the customer into agreeing to waiving their privacy protection rights.
So glad my tower is too old to have a Bitlocker chip.From now on anyone who wants me to build them a computer is getting a Linux box.
Spend 12 hours getting the da**ed OS working the way you want it to. Spend 12 years NOT hearing any tech support requests.
Worth it.
And taking into account that Steam is now much more actively supporting Linux SteamOS compatibility, gaming has much better prospects than it used to.
And taking into account that Steam is now much more actively supportingSo glad my tower is too old to have a Bitlocker chip.From now on anyone who wants me to build them a computer is getting a Linux box.
Spend 12 hours getting the da**ed OS working the way you want it to. Spend 12 years NOT hearing any tech support requests.
Worth it.
LinuxSteamOS compatibility, gaming has much better prospects than it used to.
Are you kidding? Back in 2017 I was using a Linux box to run ALL of my Steam games. Then along came a little game called Final Fantasy XIV, and while it ran on Linux, the cut scenes didn't. And if you're al all familiar with the Final Fantasy series, cut scenes are literally half the game...
Would the BitLocker functionally brick the disc if not unlocked, or could you still do a clean reset of the system losing the data in the process?
If you don't have the key the only thing you can do is format and reload.
The idea was to keep thieves from bypassing login by removing the physical drive and plugging it in to another computer. Mostly originally intended for laptops.
Ugh, Bitlocker. The old computer for the front desk used to require you to put in the bitlocker code every time it rebooted. The computer it was replaced with has plenty of issues of its own, but at least you don't have to type in a massive alphanumeric string (like 32 characters, if I remember correctly) every time it restarts.
Was the code written on a stick-it note next to the computer?
Ugh, Bitlocker. The old computer for the front desk used to require you to put in the bitlocker code every time it rebooted. The computer it was replaced with has plenty of issues of its own, but at least you don't have to type in a massive alphanumeric string (like 32 characters, if I remember correctly) every time it restarts.Was the code written on a stick-it note next to the computer?
GAH! Who told you about my security system?!
Are you kidding? Back in 2017 I was using a Linux box to run ALL of my Steam games. Then along came a little game called Final Fantasy XIV, and while it ran on Linux, the cut scenes didn't. And if you're al all familiar with the Final Fantasy series, cut scenes are literally half the game...And taking into account that Steam is now much more actively supportingSo glad my tower is too old to have a Bitlocker chip.From now on anyone who wants me to build them a computer is getting a Linux box.
Spend 12 hours getting the da**ed OS working the way you want it to. Spend 12 years NOT hearing any tech support requests.
Worth it.
LinuxSteamOS compatibility, gaming has much better prospects than it used to.
Currently it has "playable" Steam Deck compatibility status. Most listed issues are related to having to use on-screen keyboard during the set up process and turning the controller support on in game, though it does say that graphics have to be manually configured to work well.
So, I've been trying really hard not to come here and vent... but holy f*** this one makes me want to scream and punch something (or someone), so better to vent than resort to violence.
I have encountered the Perfect Storm of Stupidity and Stubbornness:
** spoiler omitted **
** spoiler omitted **...
Yeah.
The world has changed.
Mom is slowly adapting but there are some bouts of distemper. There are also a few issues where there is an entire generation of people for whom anything online must be distrusted/is a scam/will get you a virus, so they don't trust cell phones. I am old enough to remember/have seen a moderate virus absolutely devastate a computer even when someone was careful and that person was sour on computers from that moment forward.
What gets me with respect to mom is the sudden adoption of things are new to her and surprise me at times. Like her love of emojis, for example.
So glad my tower is too old to have a Bitlocker chip.From now on anyone who wants me to build them a computer is getting a Linux box.
Spend 12 hours getting the da**ed OS working the way you want it to. Spend 12 years NOT hearing any tech support requests.
Worth it.
We have an old joke about Linux and making your own cereal. It's too much go get into here, but it was hilarious.
So, I've been trying really hard not to come here and vent... but holy f*** this one makes me want to scream and punch something (or someone), so better to vent than resort to violence.
I have encountered the Perfect Storm of Stupidity and Stubbornness:
** spoiler omitted **
** spoiler omitted **...
Preparing myself for disappointment by assuming that Unnamed Moog wasn't a sentient modular analogue synthesiser.
In other news, since the supermarket that sells MATZOS is far away and expensive, I ordered mine straight from the (local) manufacturer. It turns out that £20 gets you more MATZOS than you really know what to do with (18 packets, all with an email address for the Factory Rabbi on the back) - I've already played a delightful game of MATZO TETRIS when trying to fit the lot in a kitchen cupboard, have found a recipe for Macchu Picchu, sorry, MATZO PIZZA (which may well be revolting), and could also build a small fort for one of the cats if I wanted.
yummy.
Matzo.
Yum yum yum.
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So, I've been trying really hard not to come here and vent... but holy f*** this one makes me want to scream and punch something (or someone), so better to vent than resort to violence.
I have encountered the Perfect Storm of Stupidity and Stubbornness:
** spoiler omitted **
** spoiler omitted **...
Yeah.
The world has changed.
Mom is slowly adapting but there are some bouts of distemper. There are also a few issues where there is an entire generation of people for whom anything online must be distrusted/is a scam/will get you a virus, so they don't trust cell phones. I am old enough to remember/have seen a moderate virus absolutely devastate a computer even when someone was careful and that person was sour on computers from that moment forward.
What gets me with respect to mom is the sudden adoption of things are new to her and surprise me at times. Like her love of emojis, for example.
So, my mother is about to turn 94 and has suffered two strokes. And yet whenever her phone/tablet/computer shows her something new, she Googles it to find out what it is/does and whether she wants to bother with it.
And I still remember the process of teaching her something. No, you could not sit at the computer; she had to do it all herself so that she'd remember it. You could point, but not touch. And she'd have a stack of post-its and if you said something she thought was important, she'd put it on a Post-It. And the next day you'd find her monitor surrounded by all those Post-Its as she practiced and learned what you'd taught her.
There are people who want to learn, people who are willing to learn, and people who refuse to learn. And I am utterly exhausted with the final category.
EDIT: And yes, a text message every few days of, "I just got this email/message. <Screenshot>. Is it a scam?" is SOOOOO much better than a once-per-two-or-three-months, "I got an email and followed the link like it told me to and now I can't get into my account!"
So, I've been trying really hard not to come here and vent... but holy f*** this one makes me want to scream and punch something (or someone), so better to vent than resort to violence.
I have encountered the Perfect Storm of Stupidity and Stubbornness:
** spoiler omitted **
** spoiler omitted **...
Yeah.
The world has changed.
Mom is slowly adapting but there are some bouts of distemper. There are also a few issues where there is an entire generation of people for whom anything online must be distrusted/is a scam/will get you a virus, so they don't trust cell phones. I am old enough to remember/have seen a moderate virus absolutely devastate a computer even when someone was careful and that person was sour on computers from that moment forward.
What gets me with respect to mom is the sudden adoption of things are new to her and surprise me at times. Like her love of emojis, for example.
So, my mother is about to turn 94 and has suffered two strokes. And yet whenever her phone/tablet/computer shows her something new, she Googles it to find out what it is/does and whether she wants to bother with it.
And I still remember the process of teaching her something. No, you could not sit at the computer; she had to do it all herself so that she'd remember it. You could point, but not touch. And she'd have a stack of post-its and if you said something she thought was important, she'd put it on a Post-It. And the next day you'd find her monitor surrounded by all those Post-Its as she practiced and learned what you'd taught her.
There are people who want to learn, people who are willing to learn, and people who refuse to learn. And I am utterly exhausted with the final category.
EDIT: And yes, a text message every few days of, "I just got this email/message. <Screenshot>. Is it a scam?" is SOOOOO much better than a once-per-two-or-three-months, "I got an email and followed the link like it told me to...
It's also intetesting to see the world that we are in now develop around us- so many of my staff and younger coworkers DO NOT KNOW how computers work. They know their phones and tablets think they are the same as their computer and are incredibly frustrated when they discover they are NOT the same. It's obvious to me, but the frustration and even anger is incredibly real to them and it has lead to some issues at work, especially when they get a tablet from work that does indeed work like their phone but has to interact with a desktop computer program in some way. I still wonder how we got her some days and who is right or wrong. I would love nothing more than to sit down with you and vany and see what you think. Virgin drinks only.
I don't know whether to be complimented or enraged: I'm in a customer-facing session presented by engineering...
...AND THEY STOLE MY TRAINING!!!!
They're literally presenting my slides without permission, and my slides are behind a paywall. So internal plagiarism. I'm noting it to my manager, but it's pretty funny.
I'm enraged because I lost my best job ever for exactly this behavior:
(1) Sales/engineering/PM say they need our slides to help them make sales/train custo0mers/whatever.
(2) Execs insist we share our content with them.
(3) They present all content for free.
(4) Our revenue numbers plummet because no one has to pay for our content any more and we all get laid off.
I don't know whether to be complimented or enraged: I'm in a customer-facing session presented by engineering...
...AND THEY STOLE MY TRAINING!!!!They're literally presenting my slides without permission, and my slides are behind a paywall. So internal plagiarism. I'm noting it to my manager, but it's pretty funny.
After some....things....that happened at the second job, yes, inform your immediate supervisor(and only them) gently but immediately.
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...Snippy...It's also intetesting to see the world that we are in now develop around us- so many of my staff and younger coworkers DO NOT KNOW how computers work. They know their phones and tablets think they are the same as their computer and are incredibly frustrated when they discover they are NOT the same. It's obvious to me, but the frustration and even anger is incredibly real to them and it has lead to some issues at work, especially when they get a tablet from work that does indeed work like their phone but has to interact with a desktop computer program in some way. I still wonder how we got her some days and who is right or wrong. I would love nothing more than to sit down with you and vany and see what you think. Virgin drinks only.
The answer would be pretty short: I have no patience and no sympathy.
Impus Minor has *no* medical training, *no* experience in optometry, and started a job this week as an assistant at an optometry clinic. They showed him the machines. They gave him the checklist of steps he needed to perform. They made him walk through it. And in a single 4-hour training session he had successfully examined all four people at the clinic to the lead optometrist's satisfaction.
(1) Assume you don't know anything.
(2) Accept what experienced people tell you.
(3) Learn.
If you can't handle that, you can't handle employment.
EDIT: I think the best comparison I can come up with is if I were suddenly forced to work at Burger King. I've been cooking for 45+ years. But I'm sure even though they have stoves and griddles and spatulas and all these things that look familiar to me, there's a very strict process they go through to make their food consistent. So I'd go in with an open mind and try to duplicate how they do things, not what I've learned in all my years of cooking. Because they're the ones paying me to do it their way.
Almost. It, and several login/passwords for various accounts were typed up, printed out, and taped to the monitor stand. Very secure.Ugh, Bitlocker. The old computer for the front desk used to require you to put in the bitlocker code every time it rebooted. The computer it was replaced with has plenty of issues of its own, but at least you don't have to type in a massive alphanumeric string (like 32 characters, if I remember correctly) every time it restarts.Was the code written on a stick-it note next to the computer?But don't worry, our current system is MUCH more secure.
The logins/passwords are taped to the printer next to the monitor stand.
Rage
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I cannot begin to count the number of times that I have been training someone and they just constantly said "Why are we doing that way? I don't wanna do it that way. I'm gonna do it my way." And when I tell them that we do it a certain way because either a) it's a brand standard and we don't have a choice, or b) that's how the manager wants it done, they keep complaining, do it their way, and then get mad when the manager tells them to do it the way I showed them. Usually they quit or get fired shortly thereafter.
Or the ones who are like "I don't want to do that. I've decided that's not my job, so I'm not going to do it." and get fired.
I've said it before and I'll say it again:
(1) Be on time.(2) Do your job*.
You will be the best employee your employer ever had.
* OK, it's a little more than that. It's, "Since your boss is paying you to be there, you should be doing something work-related when you're on the clock." The example I give is when I worked at the video store. Most employees would just sit there watching movies unless a customer directly interacted with them. Since the store was usually empty, they got paid to watch movies. Since I was being paid, I'd go through the store, tidy up the racks, make sure all the movies were in the correct racks, make sure everything else was organized, and then, once the store was completely in order, I'd watch movies. It took less than half an hour to put the store in order before settling in. But the boss considered me "the most incredible employee" ever because of it, and I could use him as a reference for everything. It's not hard. You're being paid. Do what needs to be done before you slack off. Done.
Yes partially because this is contrary old Freehold talking but also because of interesting life experience in a time and a place and a field where modern technology often jarred up against "but this is the way we have always done it", I have seen people either get written up for insubordination and/or leave for MUCH greener(i.e. more money) pastures when the young punk kid showed up the exasperated vet using modern technology to do their job better/faster.
Yes partially because this is contrary old Freehold talking but also because of interesting life experience in a time and a place and a field where modern technology often jarred up against "but this is the way we have always done it", I have seen people either get written up for insubordination and/or leave for MUCH greener(i.e. more money) pastures when the young punk kid showed up the exasperated vet using modern technology to do their job better/faster.
The young punk would be right to leave. Let's take my Burger King example. I, with 45 years of cooking experience, notice that they could significantly improve the flavor of their burgers without affecting productivity by doing xxx.
I don't just do xxx, I notify my manager that, "Hey, this method is significantly better. You should try it!"
If manager doesn't listen, I go to manager's manager.
If neither of them listen, I find a new job with someone who'll listen.
At no point do I just do xxx because I know it's better but both my manager and my manager's manager told me not to. Because even though it's right, it's still insubordination. So I leave.
Yes partially because this is contrary old Freehold talking but also because of interesting life experience in a time and a place and a field where modern technology often jarred up against "but this is the way we have always done it", I have seen people either get written up for insubordination and/or leave for MUCH greener(i.e. more money) pastures when the young punk kid showed up the exasperated vet using modern technology to do their job better/faster.The young punk would be right to leave. Let's take my Burger King example. I, with 45 years of cooking experience, notice that they could significantly improve the flavor of their burgers without affecting productivity by doing xxx.
I don't just do xxx, I notify my manager that, "Hey, this method is significantly better. You should try it!"
If manager doesn't listen, I go to manager's manager.
If neither of them listen, I find a new job with someone who'll listen.At no point do I just do xxx because I know it's better but both my manager and my manager's manager told me not to. Because even though it's right, it's still insubordination. So I leave.
looking back professionally, things got bad when modern technology became a must and stepping into work every day turned into the Simpsons old folks home "we thank you for not discussing the outside world".
I'm sure you remember some of my old posts.
looking back professionally, things got bad when modern technology became a must and stepping into work every day turned into the Simpsons old folks home "we thank you for not discussing the outside world".
I'm sure you remember some of my old posts.
Yeah, it's really weird. Maybe it's a West Coast thing (we're notoriously laid-back about work hierarchies here, and we pretty much invented, "Jeans and a t-shirt are fine for people with 6-figure salaries"). Maybe it's white male privilege (which is definitely a thing, 'cause I've seen it with GothBard in similar situations).
But as you all know, I am not hesitant to express my opinion. So for every job I've had, from paperboy to tutoring center to T.A. to professor to trainer to curriculum developer, I've told my driver/supervisor/professor/dean/manager ways I thought we could improve things. And all but one have considered my statements. Most responses are, "We tried that before and this is what happened." A few willingly tried my suggestions.
And the one dean who told me to shut up and do my job, I quit the same year and got a better job at a 50% better salary.
So in my West Coast, highly educated white male experience, I've been able to approach my direct supervisor and say, "I think this would improve things," and they have almost uniformly given me reasonable responses. Usually, "No," but always, "No, because..." Even as a 13-year-old paperboy when I told the driver he could make fewer stops by dropping papers on the boundary, he very nicely responded, "Yeah. We tried that. And the paperboys got confused and kept taking each other's papers. So we don't do that any more. Sorry. Everyone asks. And now you know."
Of course, I've never worked for government outside of education, and banks and government agencies are rather infamous for, "No. This is the way we've always done it, and this is the way we'll always do it."
Which, I believe, is one source of the great disdain people have for established institutions.