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No Internets at Work

AprecheApreche
edited April 2007 in Everything Else
There are no Internets at work. Everyone is sitting around reading and talking. I'm using my laptop on a nearby open access point. I finished reading my manga, so it's tower defense time until the sysadmin shows up to work! Anyone else have any internet or power outage at work stories?

Comments

  • JasonJason
    Not really - the electric provider (or at least the municipal grid building) is in a quiet little brick building next door, so we're always the first to come back up. With our handy BUPS on every machine, which last approximately one hour, we're rarely forced to shut down at all. We've probably got a generator around here, too, but I can't remember if it was necessary to crank that mofo up even during the northeast US grid failure a couple of years back.
  • kenjurakenjura
    At previous jobs, no Internet was an excuse to leave, and maybe come back if the connection returned. That makes some sense in web development.

    Sadly, at my current job, I'd hardly notice. All my dev and test servers are on the local network, so unless that went down, the only thing I'd lose would be internet distractions. (Hey, maybe I'd actually get some work done.)
  • HMTKSteveHMTKSteve
    edited April 2007
    I thought you were the system admin?

    Some of us have been working at jobs since before the Internet was available at work...
    Post edited by HMTKSteve on
  • kenjurakenjura
    But surely, Steve, there was plenty to do in the 60's that didn't involve ARPAnet!
  • HMTKSteveHMTKSteve
    In the good old days at the phone company...

    The operator desks faced a switchboard panel. There was a small maint walkway between the backs of these panels. (i.e. panels were not back to back but instead had an access hall between them for maintenance.

    The beauty part is that the lower half of the switchboard was open so... If you were working behind the panels the girls would be sure to wear dresses and no panties! Thus, when you were working they always made sure to give you a nice show.

    That is where we found our pr0n before the interweb!
  • baltmatrixbaltmatrix
    Ah. I remember the days of the Fiber Seeking Backhoe. During some construction work, one of the diggers pulled up the main backbone cables for this side of the Inner Harbor (in Baltimore). For an entire week we had not internets or phone. I basically had a week off.

    Then there was the whacked out Domino Sugar truck driver who thought that it would be a GREAT idea to drive his molasses filled tractor trailer into my business complexes' main electric station. The resulting explosion caused the tanker, full of sweet molasses, to explode. The smell of burnt sugar actually caused many people to pass out.
  • RymRym
    edited April 2007
    I've never had a real job without Internet access and a computer. (I worked a few part-time jobs for short spans at RIT that didn't, but they were summarily quit and many of them lasted but a single day).

    Federal Government: unrestricted Internet access, shared desk with shared PC
    RIT: unrestricted Internet access, private cubicle with shared PC
    RIT: unrestricted Internet access, private office with private PC
    IBM: unrestricted Internet access, shared office with private PC
    EHIT: semi-restricted Internet access, private cubicle with private PC
    Post edited by Rym on
  • ColinColin
    In what capacity did you work for Uncle Sam, Rym?

    I can't see you enjoying most federal government jobs. Government agencies don't encourage free thinking, they are slow to change and they are usually far behind the times when it comes to technology.
  • RymRym
    I worked in the administration of the 2000 Census. Everyone there, from the bottom to the top, was there because they wanted to be. The pay was good ($10.50 an hour for a high school kid in 2000), the people were fun, and the job was incredibly easy.

    Funnily, I got the gig due to the government test for Census worker applicants. It was literally elementary school math and minimal reading comprehension. I got a perfect score (as anyone with an IQ above 90 should be able to manage), and apparently most people actually do pretty poorly on it. Instead of having me walk the beat, I got an office job that included some tech support.

    Good times.
  • TheWhaleSharkTheWhaleShark
    If tests for civil service jobs were difficult, we wouldn't have civil servants. That said, it's amazing how poorly some people perform on tests. I've seen very intelligent and knowledgeable people choke when tested on things they know and do in their day-to-day work. I suppose that you sort of forget how to take a test after some length of time in the real world.
  • RymRym
    The US Census test was generally along the lines of:
    Bill has seven apples. If he eats three, and gives one away, how many does he have left?
    The rest was simple drawings of maps and simple questions about said maps, such as circling where x address would appear.

    Simple stuff. ^_~
  • ColinColin
    I have to take some issue with TheWhaleShark about his comments re: civil servants. Yes, there are some who are there because they couldn't compete in the private sector. Still others like the stability and good medical and vacation benefits. However, there are many capable and intelligent civil servants.

    There are some jobs that are almost entirely found in civil service. Depending on your field of expertise, some civil service positions offer more challenges than you can find in the same field in the private sector.

    I worked in civil service for 15 years. It was my general experience that the career civil servants were usually dedicated and hard working. The department heads, particularly those who were political appointments, were another story.
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