WPIG was the worst.
There are still many freeform (often student) stations dedicated to oldies that haven't transferred all their records to digital. For instance, you'll occasionally hear records from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WCBN-FM
Sadly, they've still not been upgraded to the 3kw transmitter. University politics, mostly.
fade
Staff member
Why is it that fully 50% of all IT guys I've ever met are elitist dicks? Yes, guy at client company, I absolutely do expect you to drop everything and create a new repository for me to upload the code your company paid me literally millions for. Especially when I asked you to do it 3 months ago. And no, it's not some arcane art. I know how to create a Bitbucket repo; I made one just before I called. I know it takes 5 minutes, and the only reason I cannot do it myself is because you've got your side locked up tighter than Fort Knox. Which is fine, but maybe don't do the asshole chuckling and tell me it's already 3. Good that means you have 2 hours before quitting time, unless you're planning on turning back into a pumpkin before then.
Because for a while there, 5 to 10 years ago, and in some sectors/regions still, IT are/were THE most sought-after guys, being head hunted left and right, dictating terms. Their art/science/knowledge was indistinguishable from magic, and often still is to non-IT-folks. They think they can get away with setting terms and inventing time needed with little oversight.
As the first generation of IT folks ages, more management or oversight is done by people who actually know what they're talking about, some of these people get called out on it and either learn to cope or get out. Our firm's IT department saw about a dozen people fired and throughput times literally halve in less than 6 months when they brought in an IT manager who knew a keyboard from a mouse.
obviously, you see similar things in other professions. The BS car mechanics will tell non-car-enthusiasts is pretty much the same thing.
As the first generation of IT folks ages, more management or oversight is done by people who actually know what they're talking about, some of these people get called out on it and either learn to cope or get out. Our firm's IT department saw about a dozen people fired and throughput times literally halve in less than 6 months when they brought in an IT manager who knew a keyboard from a mouse.
obviously, you see similar things in other professions. The BS car mechanics will tell non-car-enthusiasts is pretty much the same thing.
It's because at least half of all IT guys learned IT by being antisocial in school and retreating into programming/web coding/whatever as a way to deal with it all. They knew it would give them work when they left school, but they also seem to think this skill is the arcane work of wizards it was during the 90's. It's not... and IT guys are a dime a dozen. You just pay them well because you want to disincentive them wrecking your company in a fit of rage.
Nothing is worse than calling with an urgent issue and being asked this.
GasBandit
Staff member
90 percent of IT calls are successfully resolved with those two questions, so unfortunately, it is most efficient to ask it right away.
The point is that some people do.
Enough that I dread having to call tech support when I can't dig out of the latest software screwup. Yes, I know what a web browser is. I know what an address bar is. Hold on... I've waited for half an hour on hold and then had you talk to me like a four year old while you connect to my workstation and slow it to a crawl just so you can reinstall Adobe Reader? Get off of my system and thanks for nothing. *click*
GasBandit
Staff member
Could I interest you in Google Ultron, perhaps?
We're only into February and you already need a new one?
Well, you have to admit, January 2016 wasn't that great. I wouldn't mind a do-over.
We all know these crappy consumerist Chinese knock-offs don't last as long as the real American products of yore.
Aaaaand it's started hurting.
I'm trying to decide between taking hourly doses of painkillers for the next two weeks, and manually removing the tooth myself with a pair of pliers.
You really should see if you can find someone to do something on an emergency basis. 2 weeks is way too long for that kind of thing to go on...
GasBandit
Staff member
I love getting called in a panic at 6 am. No I don't, that's sarcasm. But at least usually people don't call me without good reason at 6am. As in, usually a station is completely off the air and they can't reach the engineer.
NOT TODAY THOUGH. Today the MISSION CRITICAL EMERGENCY that necessitated CALLING ME AT 6 AM was that the internet was down.
The temptation to just snarl "fuck off" into the phone and go back to sleep for 2 more hours was nigh irresistible. But I threw on my sweats and hauled my happy ass down to the station in the 33 degree Texas morning to put little miss Hissyfit McMeltdown on the other gateway. Yes, this is the same person I just ranted about a day or two ago. I hope someone replaces her lube with icyhot.
NOT TODAY THOUGH. Today the MISSION CRITICAL EMERGENCY that necessitated CALLING ME AT 6 AM was that the internet was down.
The temptation to just snarl "fuck off" into the phone and go back to sleep for 2 more hours was nigh irresistible. But I threw on my sweats and hauled my happy ass down to the station in the 33 degree Texas morning to put little miss Hissyfit McMeltdown on the other gateway. Yes, this is the same person I just ranted about a day or two ago. I hope someone replaces her lube with icyhot.
Hugs for the first part, funny for the last part. Anyway, if I call IT helpdesk or whatever outside of hours for a non-critical emergency, I get not only reamed out by my boss ,but also get their stand by premium deducted from my pay check. teach her what is, or isn't, important, or she'll keep on thinking this perfectly ok.
fade
Staff member
Did they try turning it off and back on again?
Oh God. Even your winters are egg-frying hot.
(no, that's not me intentionally misinterpreting your scale. Above freezing at 6am sounds luscious )
{Ref missing}
GasBandit
Staff member
So here's the fun deal with the internet at my office. We have two internet service providers, so we have two routers each with their own gateway. One router has DHCP on, the other doesn't. The DHCP'd ISP used to be called Texas Communications, but they've been bought and bought again in the last year or so, and now they are doing business as Rise Broadband. This is the internet connection that just went dark.
While I'm busy tending to squalling people who can't get their e-mail (because just about all the computers with actual people on them are using DHCP) by assigning them static IP addresses and pointing them to the non-Rise Broadband gateway, our engineer is on the phone playing the "let me transfer you" tango with Rise's support line. He gets shunted two or three times then finally gets to somebody who tells him "We don't show you having an account with us."
Well, we don't have so much as an "account" as a "trade agreement." Engineer tries to explain to them that the contract (signed by the staff of 2 owners ago, granted) says we let them use our towers for their wireless ISP, and in return they provide us internet. "Oh no, sir, we have our own towers." Engineer tries one more time to explain to them how things are set up, but support person isn't grasping the situation.
Engineer finally tells them "Ok, look, you escalate this to someone who actually knows the particulars of your infrastructure and have them call me back within an hour. I'll be here deciding what fuses to pull first."
"Fuses?"
"Yes, to remove power from the equipment you definitely do have installed on my towers, which will basically will cause all of your customers in this market to lose connectivity."
Meanwhile I get DHCP working on the Mikrotik (hate these things) for the second ISP, and get the wireless access points reconfigured correctly too.
Last I have heard, nobody has called Engineer back. Rise Broadband's support lines are about to light up like a christmas tree.
While I'm busy tending to squalling people who can't get their e-mail (because just about all the computers with actual people on them are using DHCP) by assigning them static IP addresses and pointing them to the non-Rise Broadband gateway, our engineer is on the phone playing the "let me transfer you" tango with Rise's support line. He gets shunted two or three times then finally gets to somebody who tells him "We don't show you having an account with us."
Well, we don't have so much as an "account" as a "trade agreement." Engineer tries to explain to them that the contract (signed by the staff of 2 owners ago, granted) says we let them use our towers for their wireless ISP, and in return they provide us internet. "Oh no, sir, we have our own towers." Engineer tries one more time to explain to them how things are set up, but support person isn't grasping the situation.
Engineer finally tells them "Ok, look, you escalate this to someone who actually knows the particulars of your infrastructure and have them call me back within an hour. I'll be here deciding what fuses to pull first."
"Fuses?"
"Yes, to remove power from the equipment you definitely do have installed on my towers, which will basically will cause all of your customers in this market to lose connectivity."
Meanwhile I get DHCP working on the Mikrotik (hate these things) for the second ISP, and get the wireless access points reconfigured correctly too.
Last I have heard, nobody has called Engineer back. Rise Broadband's support lines are about to light up like a christmas tree.
Were there contractual provisions he had to be wary of?
GasBandit
Staff member
Yeah, a little snippet in the contract about how the lessor (us) agrees not to take any actions that prevent the lessee (the ISP) from being able to do business. So unplugging them technically would have been a breach of contract. Granted, they were in breach first by stopping our service, but if we don't pull their plug, we have the high ground if it comes to legal action.
