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Old 13th August 2022, 09:11 AM   #1321
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Originally Posted by gnome View Post
So how did it get resolved in the end?
Timed restrictions? Second browser? Virtual machine?
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Old 13th August 2022, 09:27 AM   #1322
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My money's on timed restrictions, that's a good idea. The other ideas still need a login to distinguish.
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Old 13th August 2022, 12:21 PM   #1323
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Could Person A use a citrix session or rdp to a server?
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Old 13th August 2022, 02:33 PM   #1324
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Perhaps the easiest solution is to get rid of Person A from the front desk. Put them somewhere else where they can get on with their job without having to do front-desking. Completely non-technical, so "Not a Service Desk issue".
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Old 13th August 2022, 03:04 PM   #1325
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But then they wouldn't be able to share a desk over different shifts. Employees love doing that, don't they?
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Old 13th August 2022, 09:44 PM   #1326
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Originally Posted by Norman Alexander View Post
Perhaps the easiest solution is to get rid of Person A from the front desk. Put them somewhere else where they can get on with their job without having to do front-desking. Completely non-technical, so "Not a Service Desk issue".
No, the easiest solution would be to murder both persons, and also whoever replaces them. By the time you go through five or six replacements nobody will take those jobs and management will give up. That's also a non-technical solution, and it saves the company money as well so it's the best choice.
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Old 14th August 2022, 06:54 AM   #1327
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Originally Posted by TragicMonkey View Post
No, the easiest solution would be to murder both persons, and also whoever replaces them. By the time you go through five or six replacements nobody will take those jobs and management will give up. That's also a non-technical solution, and it saves the company money as well so it's the best choice.
So outsourcing then?
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Old 15th August 2022, 11:25 AM   #1328
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- Update. Turns out User B has a company issued laptop and always has. She's going to use that for the job fairs.

- On that why do so many users demand laptops and literally never take them away from their desks?
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Old 15th August 2022, 11:29 AM   #1329
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Dear Users.

- If you plug a 1500w Space Heater and a Laser Printer (I don't remember the exact numbers but ever new more energy efficient one draw big power numbers at certain parts of the printing cycle) into a cheap 20 dollar Walmart power strip and then plug that into the wall... you're gonna trip some breakers. This isn't an IT problem. I don't need to know about it or fix it.

- It's August. In Florida. Why do you need a space heater?
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Old 15th August 2022, 12:09 PM   #1330
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In a passive-aggressive feud with whoever sets the thermostat for the AC?
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Old 15th August 2022, 12:16 PM   #1331
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Originally Posted by gnome View Post
In a passive-aggressive feud with whoever sets the thermostat for the AC?
No the building isn't cold, anymore so than any other public building. It's just part of the "Old Lady Persona" they all are cold all the time.
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Old 15th August 2022, 01:22 PM   #1332
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Originally Posted by JoeMorgue View Post
No the building isn't cold, anymore so than any other public building. It's just part of the "Old Lady Persona" they all are cold all the time.
I've never worked in an office where space heaters weren't specifically forbidden because they're fire hazards. Damn, next to unattended candles it seems like space heaters are mentioned in a lot of news reports about fires.
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Old 15th August 2022, 01:24 PM   #1333
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Originally Posted by TragicMonkey View Post
I've never worked in an office where space heaters weren't specifically forbidden because they're fire hazards. Damn, next to unattended candles it seems like space heaters are mentioned in a lot of news reports about fires.
Yeah I don't know how they are so tolerated either, but they are all over the place. Electric blankets too.
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Old 15th August 2022, 02:00 PM   #1334
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I just can't function without my oily rags near half-full gasoline containers by my desk.
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Old 15th August 2022, 04:09 PM   #1335
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Originally Posted by gnome View Post
I just can't function without my oily rags near half-full gasoline containers by my desk.
And your job is to test matches?
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Old 15th August 2022, 10:28 PM   #1336
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Originally Posted by JoeMorgue View Post
Yeah I don't know how they are so tolerated either, but they are all over the place. Electric blankets too.
I worked in an office where every second cubicle seemed to have an electric fan heater till they got banned.

There was one cubicle where they must have thought it was too hot to actually aim it at anyone directly so they just aimed it up at the ceiling.
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Old 16th August 2022, 01:40 PM   #1337
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The funny thing is the closest thing I have to a desk/work area is a ramshackle setup in the server room which is legit frigid and the idea of just hauling in a space heater never occurs to me.

I just put on a jacket and go about my day. These broads are acting like they are in a Jack London story.
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Old 16th August 2022, 05:56 PM   #1338
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After working in male dominated work spaces I worked in one, in the entertainment industry, where it was fifty fifty.

It was always too hot in winter. And the women still wore all the winter gear indoors.

Maybe they should stop wearing skirts and dresses. Pants are far more practical
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Old 16th August 2022, 09:46 PM   #1339
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Originally Posted by TragicMonkey View Post
I've never worked in an office where space heaters weren't specifically forbidden because they're fire hazards. Damn, next to unattended candles it seems like space heaters are mentioned in a lot of news reports about fires.
I'll bet they're not permitted lots of places, but no one that is aware of that fact knows of their presence.

Still better than the guy trying to test a rack-mount server in his cube. Which until the OS starts has to run the fans at full power. I swear someone has finally figured out how to stuff two CFM-56 fans into a 1U box. And at boot, it punches the TOGA button.
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Old 16th August 2022, 11:35 PM   #1340
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That thing our service provider took almost a year to fix? Just gone down in production, "can we provide some testers in the early hours of Sunday morning?"

Swear words
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Old 17th August 2022, 03:58 AM   #1341
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Originally Posted by Filippo Lippi View Post
That thing our service provider took almost a year to fix? Just gone down in production, "can we provide some testers in the early hours of Sunday morning?"

Swear words
At their cost.
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Old 17th August 2022, 04:42 AM   #1342
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Dunno. Probably not. We haven't had any failures, but have been told we have to test it, so I'm copying other teams jobs. Who will also be testing. What a complete waste of time
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Old 17th August 2022, 11:38 PM   #1343
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Originally Posted by BowlOfRed View Post
Still better than the guy trying to test a rack-mount server in his cube. Which until the OS starts has to run the fans at full power. I swear someone has finally figured out how to stuff two CFM-56 fans into a 1U box. And at boot, it punches the TOGA button.
Don't they provide test rack space at this aircraft company? Perhaps a quiet but firm word from the chief sysadmin might be needed.
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Old 18th August 2022, 01:06 AM   #1344
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Originally Posted by Norman Alexander View Post
Don't they provide test rack space at this aircraft company? Perhaps a quiet but firm word from the chief sysadmin might be needed.
Oh, we have a lab area with lots of benches that's normally used for testing junk (easier than racking it up if you need to get in and out with hardware changes).

Just the folks sometimes think that they can do one quick thing at their cube.
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Old 18th August 2022, 03:02 AM   #1345
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Originally Posted by BowlOfRed View Post
I'll bet they're not permitted lots of places, but no one that is aware of that fact knows of their presence.

Still better than the guy trying to test a rack-mount server in his cube. Which until the OS starts has to run the fans at full power. I swear someone has finally figured out how to stuff two CFM-56 fans into a 1U box. And at boot, it punches the TOGA button.
Some servers default to max fan if there's only one power input.
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Old 18th August 2022, 03:43 AM   #1346
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Originally Posted by BowlOfRed View Post
Oh, we have a lab area with lots of benches that's normally used for testing junk (easier than racking it up if you need to get in and out with hardware changes).

Just the folks sometimes think that they can do one quick thing at their cube.
Perhaps their neighbours should be allowed one quick swing of a pick-axe...
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Old 19th August 2022, 10:02 AM   #1347
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Originally Posted by catsmate View Post
Some servers default to max fan if there's only one power input.
That as well. In this case it was because even with 2 plugged in, they don't spin down until the OS starts. And he was fiddling with cards in the "BIOS" screens, so 2 supplies didn't help.
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Old 19th August 2022, 10:06 AM   #1348
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Originally Posted by Norman Alexander View Post
Perhaps their neighbours should be allowed one quick swing of a pick-axe...
We didn't have one nearby. We threatened to lock him into a closet.

He was apologetic that he didn't realize quite how loud it would be. One more server in the server room or even in the lab doesn't sound like a big deal. (Especially if you're wearing hearing protection like you're supposed to). Then in a regular office you realize it's insane when it turns on.
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Old 25th August 2022, 04:14 PM   #1349
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Two gemlike questions, from two different people, on the same day:


1. "Why didn't the July report have the August data on it?"
2. "Why doesn't this data reflect the changes I forgot to ask for?"

Honorable mention to the person who panicked because the latest figures showed "very low numbers" for one particular thing. Yeah, the numbers for that thing are low. They were low every month this year. And last year. And the four years before that. In fact, those numbers are low every month since we started recording data. This person had no idea what the numbers normally are, they just saw it for the first time ever and decided it was unusual and cause for a fuss.
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Old 26th August 2022, 03:23 PM   #1350
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Originally Posted by JoeMorgue View Post
Dear Users.

- If you plug a 1500w Space Heater and a Laser Printer (I don't remember the exact numbers but ever new more energy efficient one draw big power numbers at certain parts of the printing cycle) into a cheap 20 dollar Walmart power strip and then plug that into the wall... you're gonna trip some breakers. This isn't an IT problem. I don't need to know about it or fix it.

- It's August. In Florida. Why do you need a space heater?
Because the AC thermostat is set way to low (at least as far as the person with the space heater is concerned), I suppose. What better way to deal with it than waste lots of KW to have cooling and heating fight it out?

Last edited by CORed; 26th August 2022 at 03:24 PM.
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Old 26th August 2022, 03:34 PM   #1351
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Originally Posted by TragicMonkey View Post
Two gemlike questions, from two different people, on the same day:


1. "Why didn't the July report have the August data on it?"
2. "Why doesn't this data reflect the changes I forgot to ask for?"

Honorable mention to the person who panicked because the latest figures showed "very low numbers" for one particular thing. Yeah, the numbers for that thing are low. They were low every month this year. And last year. And the four years before that. In fact, those numbers are low every month since we started recording data. This person had no idea what the numbers normally are, they just saw it for the first time ever and decided it was unusual and cause for a fuss.
Regarding the honorable mention. It's a variant of, "The numbers weren't what I wanted or expected them to be, so there must be something wrong with your report."
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Old 26th August 2022, 03:51 PM   #1352
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Originally Posted by CORed View Post
Because the AC thermostat is set way to low (at least as far as the person with the space heater is concerned), I suppose. What better way to deal with it than waste lots of KW to have cooling and heating fight it out?
In my car and at home, on certain days I like to have both the A/C on and the window open. It's OK, Dad... I'm paying for it myself.
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Old 26th August 2022, 09:22 PM   #1353
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Originally Posted by CORed View Post
Regarding the honorable mention. It's a variant of, "The numbers weren't what I wanted or expected them to be, so there must be something wrong with your report."
And yet is there anything (at work) more sublime than having someone question the data on a report and being able to prove it's accurate?

Ok, probably lots of things but I still like it.
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Old 27th August 2022, 02:56 AM   #1354
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Originally Posted by TragicMonkey View Post
Two gemlike questions, from two different people, on the same day:


1. "Why didn't the July report have the August data on it?"
2. "Why doesn't this data reflect the changes I forgot to ask for?"

Honorable mention to the person who panicked because the latest figures showed "very low numbers" for one particular thing. Yeah, the numbers for that thing are low. They were low every month this year. And last year. And the four years before that. In fact, those numbers are low every month since we started recording data. This person had no idea what the numbers normally are, they just saw it for the first time ever and decided it was unusual and cause for a fuss.
Typical non-helpful support staff not trying to help build synergy and efficiency across the organisation.

1) don't you understand if they could have the August data they'd be able to get ahead in their workload and be able to plan better?!?
2) how am I meant to know what I need to know - it's all computers and that's what you are meant to do?!?!?
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Old 27th August 2022, 05:50 AM   #1355
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Originally Posted by Darat View Post
Typical non-helpful support staff not trying to help build synergy and efficiency across the organisation.

1) don't you understand if they could have the August data they'd be able to get ahead in their workload and be able to plan better?!?
2) how am I meant to know what I need to know - it's all computers and that's what you are meant to do?!?!?
My former company used to do something called front-loading at the end of each quarter. They would pull all the orders for October 1 and process them as September 30 items, to make the quarter's numbers larger. I never understood it because they were just translating them from the next cycle.
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Old 27th August 2022, 06:27 AM   #1356
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Originally Posted by alfaniner View Post
My former company used to do something called front-loading at the end of each quarter. They would pull all the orders for October 1 and process them as September 30 items, to make the quarter's numbers larger. I never understood it because they were just translating them from the next cycle.

It works once, then creates needless, pointless work every month forever after.
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Old 27th August 2022, 07:07 AM   #1357
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Originally Posted by a_unique_person View Post
It works once, then creates needless, pointless work every month forever after.
Unless they only do it once, and double-count that month in the numbers. That's what in some industries is called "fraud", and leads to a bit of a fuss sometimes.
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Old 27th August 2022, 07:18 AM   #1358
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Originally Posted by gnome View Post
And yet is there anything (at work) more sublime than having someone question the data on a report and being able to prove it's accurate?

Ok, probably lots of things but I still like it.
Amen! That's why for every high-falutin', summarizin', mathin', complex query I do I also write a parallel version that uses the same logic except just returns the base level detail, hundreds and thousands and sometimes millions of rows. So if anybody dares to challenge my accuracy I can spit out bazillions of rows of data, dump it into Excel, and send to to them and their bosses asking "show me where you think the error is".

Or sometimes if someone questions my logic in a call I'll share my screen and show them the SQL and go through it bit by bit, Socratically asking about each piece. "This is the part that excludes the deceased from the counts. Did you want to include the deceased in the counts, Kevin? No? Then this bit is right and we move on to the next bit. You can see in the notes I included that this bit was added on 3/1/2017 per your request, Kevin, and it quotes the email you sent me asking for this to happen. Did you not want to have this part happen, Kevin? Yes, you did? Then this bit is right and we move on to the next..." And if they're especially annoying to me I'll type in more notes, right in front of them, "--confirmed correct in call 8/27/22 by Kevin, Nancy, Joan..." listing everyone in the call.

My performance reviews usually include the word "thorough". I thoroughly enjoy thoroughly proving that everything that ever happens is never, ever my fault. CYA ought to be painted in four-foot-high letters on the wall of every IT office.
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Old 27th August 2022, 07:55 AM   #1359
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Dear xFinity support bosses: Get your people some decent headsets -- ones that can filter out all the other people shouting in the obviously close quarters. It doesn't help on top of an accent that's difficult to parse, and as one with hearing difficulties anyway it makes for a difficult experience. Also, adopt standard words for spelling out difficult words. "I" as in "information", or "N" as in "nuance" are just as hard to parse. (Exaggerating here to make the point.)
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Old 27th August 2022, 08:04 AM   #1360
Darat
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Originally Posted by alfaniner View Post
Dear xFinity support bosses: Get your people some decent headsets -- ones that can filter out all the other people shouting in the obviously close quarters. It doesn't help on top of an accent that's difficult to parse, and as one with hearing difficulties anyway it makes for a difficult experience. Also, adopt standard words for spelling out difficult words. "I" as in "information", or "N" as in "nuance" are just as hard to parse. (Exaggerating here to make the point.)
Ever had the following:

Me: A as in alpha
Them: How are you spelling alpha?
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