June 11, 2001
It's FREAKIN' slow here today. I wish more people would show up. I'm supposed to be helping people use the computers.
A whole slew just moved into the lab across the hall. I don't know if I'm allowed to go see what they're doing. I would go, but this is a college, so they probably know more than I do. I wonder if it's a programming class. Oh well, I got all summer. Today's just plain slow. It'll pick up.
I am studying DOS assembly language and the way a computer works, deep inside. I can't understand Windows assembly yet because I haven't got the foundation for it. All I know is, I call a few functions and they do stuff. The rest of Windows is so screwed up, it doesn't deserve to be called an actual OS. It's like the difference between a reliable, small car and a yuppie SUV. The SUV will get you places. It will also use lots of gas, get low gas mileage, and remove your contact with the pavement by about 5 feet of metal and mechanism that you sure as hell didn't put there, and you could never recreate. Can you tell I also prefer walking to driving?
I was looking for a zip drive and I pushed in some panel without warning. It gave no resistance and now I can see wires and stuff. So much for Compaq.
My boss will not be here for this entire week. Last time I had a job, the manager was named Josh too, and he was never there either. Of course, this time I got in the building on my first day. All in all, if someone needs computer help, I'm there - otherwise, I'm busy with stuff of my own.
I wish people wouldn't ask me about things I don't know. If it's computer technology related, that's one thing, but the friggin' lab availability schedule!? Hell, I dunno...how about if the door's open, you can go in! I should post the log-in bypassing procedure on the front door of the lab :) But then I'd get fired probably.
That brings up another point. I have to bypass the log-in programs because Josh hasn't given me a log-in code yet. For anyone who wants to know how to do it, it's a simple procedure.
Bypassing an external log-in program:
- Close the log-in dialog box by using the close box in the upper right corner. IMMEDIATELY after you do that, press F8.
- You should now see the Windows standard log-in screen. Simply press Cancel to log in as a guest.
Well it's about time to wrap things up here. It's 2:00, my shift's over. I'm just gonna walk out without telling anybody. Bye now, see you all tomorrow.
June 12, 2001
I wonder if there's stuff going on downstairs and I'm sitting up here with nothing to do for no reason at all. At the moment, I don't feel too much like programming. Somehow, my brain is just tired.
Next week Josh gets back. I hope I get some work to do then. On the other hand, being able to do whatever I want isn't bad, either. I just feel like I'm not doing the kind of service I'm getting paid for.
I haven't seen any notice of whether I'm getting paid here or not, nor have I seen anybody at all. I'm starting to see why the college kids rejected this job. It doesn't matter, though, because I've got everything I need right here with me. Except food.
I want to program things. Work with the computers. It's very dull and quiet here. I think I'll try to hack a little game together.
Well, it's the end of the day and I didn't get anything together yet, physically. I was too loopy and hungry. But I did come up with some pretty interesting possibilities for operating systems. Given enough time, I could write one...I just don't know how to install it so that it runs at start-up. I'm gonna get on the idea of game-writing when I get home, though.
Somebody needed help today, the system clock froze when he logged on and we were able to shut the clock down and get Windows running. That was good.
Some girl came in about 15 minutes before 2:00, and by the time she left, she had somehow crashed Windows so bad that I couldn't even turn the thing off manually. I tried everything available to me, and then I had to go tell the IT bosses to unplug it.
I met some people today, and they seem pretty cool. I just know that next time that girl walks in, I need to monitor a few things. And if she crashes the system like that again, we need to quarantine that computer. It r bewitched! :)
I'm starting to really understand what it will be like to be a freshman again next year. Everybody here is older and smarter by many years over me. But how many of them can grasp the inner workings of a system? Well, most of them, but we can still pretend I'm God.
June 13, 2001
The same person keeps coming in here every day. We're starting to strike up a little dialogue. Interesting person.
I got a call today. I was just in the middle of some stuff when the phone rings, and I realize it's not the one across the hall. I pick it up and hear ringing. So I said "Hello? Hello?" and then put it down. It stopped ringing and I ignored it. I think it's possessed but I don't have any holy water.
It rang again later, but that time there was a real person on the other end. She was asking about her log-in number for the computers. I told her I knew how to log in to a computer without a log-in number, and she said she needed to get her log-in number. I gave her the number for the IT main office and got back to what I was doing. I think she may be possessed, but I don't have a crucifix that I can send through a phone line.
There are some things about programming that are far more irritating and complex than they should be. Take, for example, your average .exe file. WHAT THE F00K WERE THEY THINKING WHEN THEY CAME UP WITH THAT SCHEISSKOPF FORMAT!? I want some answers from some real computer technicians, so I went to the House of Hackers. As far as I know, (and I do have some Macintosh experience) Macintosh OS does not use the .exe format. I never even heard of .exe format until I went over to a PC four years ago. I dunno if that format is unique to PCs or not, but it's not the DOS standard file format, so I have this sneaking suspicion that it's a by-product of Windows, which we all know is a really great OS.
I'm realizing that half of this "job log" is more of a technology rant session. However, since I have nothing to do at my job, I've been spending most of my time working on these projects, which so far have only ended in failure - but as Thomas Edison said, "I have not failed. I have merely found ten thousand ways that didn't work." Well, I hope I don't get up to ten thousand, but it's the same concept.
Good day to you all.
Postnotes:
Before I left, a guy came in...total jerk. Spouting off about how he hates the computers and the way they screw up. I got up from fixing one of them to go and see what was going on, and he said "nothing." After about a minute, we resolved that he was trying to get something printed and he was late to a class or something. He spent about 15 seconds calling me a kiddie idiot, in so many words, and then in his infinite wisdom opened a list of all files in a directory with Word and starting looking for a .doc. I subtly suggested that he filter the dialog, and he did, after making it "his idea."
Then he left, and I left.
June 14th, 2001
I just spent 2 1/2 hours looking through program hex for a password I could use to log into Clean Slate and make it possible for a professor to load some software onto the computers without it being removed at startup. I became frustrated - I had found what was evidently the password, but it didn't work. I hate .exe format - again. Anyway, I found out after all that time that the problem had been solved already by another tech. I started working on decoding a .com file for the purpose of programming my own later.
In comparison to the techs here, I am in some ways smarter, in other ways not. The techs here know their stuff, for the most part, at least the seasoned ones. I don't know how to fix the computers the way they do, but I'm learning quite a bit here. I'm trying to learn a bit of hacking, and along the way, some security skills. I wish I could find the passwords of different logins so I could fix some of these problems. For example, there's a lot of fatal exceptions (BSODs) on these comps. I know it's based on a single instruction at a specified memory address, but I don't know how that stuff happens at the starting of the OS.
Why the hell do I have a phone on my desk!?
I still don't have my own log-in ID for this network. Josh won't be here until next week, and it's still slow as hell. A few scattered people come in, most of them the same old bunch. So I sit here once more, writing my log and doing code. Byebye.
June 15th, 2001
A couple interesting people showed up today. One of them was a girl who works in a radio station here on campus, and another was presumably a professor here. He was asking me a few questions about the computer printers, which I couldn't answer. It should be fun to learn how they work when I ask these questions to the IT people.
I was able to answer one question about the browser freezing up. It was as easy as Ctrl+Alt+Del. He was using Netscape, but we'll get that nasty habit done away with eventually :) Other than that, a pretty cool guy. Lots to say about music and stuff. I shouldn't ramble about the people specifically, but hey there's only one or two every few hours here. I get tired of talking to the computer occasionally.
I wish I could load my forums from this computer, but they just don't run right somehow. I wanna log onto KBB and post with my buds. Maybe if I use the link from MultiCorp it will work. I'll try it.
My buddy Mike, who works on this floor and who I met a couple days ago, is often walking to and from the upstairs to the downstairs. My boss works in the basement and is on vacation. The guy who hired me is off on training. I have no log-in name and pass. There's still a phone on my desk!
I need to get a grad pic of myself and scan it onto MultiCorp soon. I will use the one in which I am not wearing a fairy tassel. I hate tassels. I damn all tassels to Hell.
June 18th, 2001
Oh, the boss came back,
He couldn't stay away...
Yep, folks, the guy who hired me is back from his training. I had to go down to Schoenherr Hall today and watch The Video. It was about 7 minutes of training on hazardous materials, required by law to be taught to all workers at this college, regardless of what their job is. Well, if a mad terrorist comes into the computer lab with a bottle of hazardous materials, I'll put on some latex gloves.
I also had to fill out several forms. These are designed so that the government can use my money to do whatever it is they do.
I gave my new buddy the answers to some of the questions he had asked last Friday, and he had two more ready that I need to bring to the IT people. I will learn quite a bit by the end of the summer, and it will be quite interesting.
My scanner is the only one in this lab, and people keep wanting to use it. If it keeps up, I will just start up the scanner software as soon as I arrive each day, and just use it whenever it's needed.
I'm going to get back into the graphics swing. With some good equations and pointlogs, I can reach new heights in screwy bugsplat patterns.
June 19th, 2001
I'm very anxious to get my CD-ROM drive working again. There's not a whole lot going on in this lab, as usual. A few people furiously typing away. There's still a friggin' phone sitting on my desk. I swear it's taunting me.
I suppose I should probably talk with Josh about the time-card thing at some point. It seems like I'm getting paid for just sitting here most of the time. Which is fine.
Ok, hold that thought. We got problems here again. Clean Slate is a program that saves system settings in a log, and uses that file to restore the system and delete extra files at every reboot. Short term, seemed like a good idea. Long term no-no. Daylight Savings time now pops up a dialog whenever Windows is started, since it is never allowed to update. If you press Ok, it locks up the computer until you Ctrl+Alt+Del and close the date/time program.
On another note, Netscape Navigator will not start because it's looking in the F drive for some Profiles or something. So I thought "hey, no prob, I',ll just launch Internet Explorer! Netscape sucks anyway." Well whaddya know, Houston we got a fatal exception! Make that two! Launching either browser now causes fatal exceptions up the wazoo until you have to CAD-restart. Basically, we need to overhaul and fix these POS's, and I don't have the access to do it. So I will talk to Anthony once he's done chatting with some other dude, and hopefully fix these things soon. A student at this college was unable to do her research here at my lab because of these problems, and I draw the line at that. When it affects classwork, it's not cool. So today, we begin the tech servicing of the NCC computer network.
I spoke with Anthony about the problems, and after some experimentation on my part, it became apparent that he had told the truth: the fatal exceptions and failure to locate the "Profile" are attributes of the user. Apparently, when you are given a log-in to the network by the IT staff, you start out without the necessary profile folder on your network drive. Because of this, the said FEs and failure to launch the browser will invariably occur. The only solution is to put the profile folder, with all its contents, on your network drive. So, I bit the bullet and put it on one of the disks I always carry with me. Next time there's a problem, I can put it on the person's network drive without hassle.
I just have one message for all the techs out there:
Quit with this "it's the user's fault" attitude. No matter what the extra circumstances are, or how complex the problem, it's usually not the user's fault. The only time it's the user's fault is when the user has done something that totally defies reason and sense. In all other cases, the problem is with the computer, whether software or hardware. Although this instance was directly tied in to the user-specific profile and log-in, the obvious question is, "Why didn't the tech give you the profile when you signed up for a log-in? Why doesn't the network automatically install the profile in the right place when you create the account?" Next time you try to tell somebody that the problem's at their end, get your head out of your own first.
Josh is away from his desk, again. This is ridiculous. I think I irritated Anthony a little, but I don't care - I got some answers out of him. I still need more info, but that's not why I called Josh. I called Josh because one of the machines is completely screwed. Somehow, it doesn't even turn off right. Same problem as the one I saw last week. I put a handwritten 'Out of order' sign on it, and I want it fixed. I think it needs to be unplugged, but I don't want to do that because I may cause more problems than I fix. Where the hell is Josh!?
June 20th, 2001
I've got a new website from Josh. It's a special problem-posting service. Here's how it works: I post a problem I have in the lab, and one of the techs will come up and fix it. This works because they all see the message.
I found out that people are given profiles at the time they sign up for a log-in, but somehow the profiles can get "lost." There's a program that can reload them. I'll have to make sure I know how to use it. I still am not sure what the "second-step" file creation is.
I wish they'd get off their butts and fix the Clean Slate problem. They're saying they'll fix it all in a few weeks, when they upgrade the whole lab to...*drum roll*
WINDOWS 2000!
Yes, folks, that's right. This whole lab will be running on Windows 2000. An operating system that completely obliterates all ties with DOS, thereby destroying all hope of simplicity and promoting a total lack of thought about the processes of the computer. We'll see how it all turns out. I don't like the extra layers that Windows goes out of its way to put between the user and the computer. I'm expecting a 30% jump in the total number of error complaints I get in this lab.
If they eliminate Clean Slate, it'll be a tradeoff I can live with. If Clean Slate is still on these comps after the switch, though, I think I'll just go about happily removing it. Why? Because people are voicing the fact that they are sick of the Daylight Savings Time dialog popping up at every reboot. They're tired of this crap. And so am I.
People are also saying we should have a recycling bin in this lab. Maybe I'll bring one in, or preferably, I'll get the IT peeps to install one.
The following note is being written for posterity and to look back on when I'm old and gray:
I FIXED A PAPER JAM!
I ACTUALLY OPERATED SUCCESSFULLY ON A PIECE OF HARDWARE!
June 21st, 2001
Dear God is it dull. I've been doing a lot of captioning at scifi.com, but I got tired of that after a while. Now I'm looking up stuff on ancient history - cause it interests me, that's why! :)
I'm studying the historical events that are portrayed in the Bible. The time periods, culture, et cetera. The Bible's really just a history book with a religious spin. So I'm reading about it, and pretty soon, I will be reading the Bible itself for the historical info. Mostly, I'm interested in the places and events that are represented by religious symbols in the Bible. There are theories that the darkness plague was caused by a huge volcanic eruption. Theories that the parting of the Red Sea was the result of water being pulled back by the ebb of a tsunami. Theories that Moses and Jesus were black. (And while we're at it, so am I - I'm part Jew :D)
Historical proof would indicate, actually, that Moses and Jesus could have been black. But that would mean that the black Jews were led out of Egypt, and the European white Jews just sat around twiddling their thumbs all that time. Unless Judaism spread from Africa to Europe later in history. If you're as confused as me by all this, you're in good shape.
Argh. I wish there was more to do in the lab. Today is a truly slow day. I am out of the programming loop temporarily due to a complete mind fry. It happened when I analyzed all 256 different bytecodes individually, only to realize later that most of them are not real commands, but simply the disassembler's interpretation of the byte value. Then I discovered that these bogus commands make up 95% of an exe file. I've opened myself up to graphics development again, and I'm playing video games once more.
The CD-rom saga is over. It's fixed. And we have a new monitor. Here's the scoop:
The old CD-rom drive was left in the machine because taking it out would have ripped the whole computer apart. A new one was added in the middle of the machine, just above the zip drive. Then the monitor didn't plug in properly anymore. It seems that the plug, which has two extra screws for security, was completely obliterated. The pegs were pointing every which way and the screws didn't screw. On top of that, part of the righthand screw broke off in the machine when we took it out two nights ago.
The screw piece is now out of the machine, and everything's working again. This means that for the next few nights, I'm going to catch up on my video game withdrawal. I think I need to check my email.
June 22nd, 2001
A woman came in today who didn't have an ID number and just wanted to use one of the computers to look things up. I knew how to get her in, so I did. She and I talked a bit about college and stuff, and I found out that she has a cousin who's going to Western this fall. So even though I don't know him, and I probably won't ever meet him among 10,000 others, it still seemed interesting. Then there were several fatal exceptions and we ended up moving the woman to my special Lab Assistant computer, which of course works with the Internet. I'm kinda irritated that the rest of the computers require a profile that you don't get until you're on the network. I know it's security, and part of the college student's registration package, but there are special cases. Like the woman today. How are we equipped to deal with special cases? Obviously not much better than Windows deals with its exceptions.
There's been extensive use of paper in this lab lately. We've gone through an entire ream in the last two days. I left the ream out sitting yesterday, with the logic that it would be more useful for people to refill the printers if they had it right there by the printers. I also made an assumption that nobody would steal printer paper. Well, either 250+ pages were used in one day, or else somebody DID steal a bunch of printer paper. So now, I'm gonna just refill them whenever they need refilling - problem is, I'm not always here.
I've got to try to make a visual application in DOS coding format. I won't yet succeed at doing it in Windows because that's just crazy. Eventually, friends, eventually. Oh, when I was playing around with the code for a game, I accidentally made DOS draw the Sierpenski Gasket.
June 25th, 2001
Holy crap! There's suddenly a class in here! This is new.
Apparently, it's a freshman orientation. Josh is here teaching them how to use the computers. They're talking about the technical stuff like getting student email working and logging in properly. The lab is completely filled, all 17 computers taken.
There's a lot of talking about the computer stuff here. And there's been a lot of fatal exceptions. I tried to get a dig in on Josh for the updating of these systems...but that's still gonna be next week.
Unbelievable, really. Five fatal exceptions, one on each of the five computers in the nearest row to the door. It was a Kodak moment - all our BSoD's in a row.
June 26th, 2001
Son of an absolute schnauzer! When the bosses here upgrade the computers, they're not replacing the OS - they're actually getting a bunch of new computers! I won't be able to learn anything about how operating systems are installed. Still, it's not so bad - new computers are always better than old ones. Unless they're Compaq - again.
That's right, folks, my bosses are upgrading the OS's to Windows 2000, but keeping with their tradition of using Compaq computers. These computers are put together with spit and rubber bands. I still can't fix the panel that I pushed out two weeks ago. It's a wonderfully short-sighted...no, scratch that. It's a totally blind piece of the computer. It is "held on" by two prongs that it is put onto during the building process. It can be pushed off, presumably with the purpose of being able to get in and fix the computer. But there are several flaws to their weak logic:
1) The opening through which you would "get inside the comp" is at a height level that requires you to perch like a bird on the floor to see inside without killing your neck.
2) The opening measures about 2 inches up by 6 inches across, not really large enough to allow you to do anything.
3) The way the computer's beautiful aesthetic overhang frame is set up makes it impossible to put the panel back on completely if it gets pushed off, which is gauranteed to happen because
4) the system by which it is "held on" is flimsier than paper-mache.
Perhaps I'm being unfair to Compaq by ripping on their computers because of one flaw, but I consider this flaw to be major. It can't be good that one flimsy panel can get pushed in and never put back on, and behind it are a bunch of wires.
So, my bosses are getting Windows 2000 on a bunch of Compaqs.
Anthony and Pete were trying to fix a totally screwed computer today, and I was watching and listening. Anthony used a bootable CD to get into some DOS system files and try to get the thing running. Nothing worked for about a halfhour, then they started checking cables. Then they said they were gonna go downstairs and get a long enough cable, but they haven't come back yet. I think they've given up and ditched it. The comp's still off.
There's a lot of people having problems with their profiles not appearing, or even their entire F: network drives. I will destroy something if they tell me this problem's at the user's end, because it's happened to several different people over a spread of almost a week. It is clearly an issue that the techs need to fix, NOW.
June 27th, 2001
Josh told me yesterday that if people have that problem with their network drives, I should send them downstairs. I asked him if could do something so that these situations would be less frequent, and he told me to send people downstairs. I complained that there had been too many occurrences of this problem, and he told me to...
Then I left for the day.
I've had nothing at all to do today other than continue work on the secret project. It's good that I have time to do that, of course, but I want to do something with the computers here. Once they're upgraded, I'm gonna be getting into them and trying to make sure everything works as well as possible.
I was wrong when I said that very few problems are at the user's end. Some girl came in today, used one of the computers for a little while, then walked out and left it sitting with a BSoD smiling happily at me. She's the same girl who somehow thoroughly crashed a system a couple weeks ago. The fact that there was a fatal exception was the computer's fault, don't get me wrong. However, common sense should tell you not to just leave it like that! I mean, come on, people, have a little caring for your computer, or at least think about the next student who wants to come in the lab.
Some girl asked me where the bathroom was...!?
June 28th, 2001
People are always coming up to me and asking for things I don't have. A girl came by and asked if I had magic markers. I don't have magic anything, for God's sake. I work on a Compaq POS and I'm not sure how to dial out with my phone - IF it dials out.
This same girl later came back and asked for a pencil sharpener. That's one thing that I literally left in my other pants pocket.
I HAVE STAPLES! I don't know why I have staples. They must have gone with the stapler, but I lost the stapler. I also have a hot glue gun in my desk. I guess they use it to hold the Compaqs together. There's toilet paper for blowing your nose and printer paper for printing things.
Another girl came in and said it was hot in this lab. All jokes aside, it is quite warm in here in comparison to the other labs. I'll have to go get that fixed. I never noticed it because I soak up heat. I wear long-sleeve shirts all year round, even when it's 90 out. Cold is a different story. I freeze.
She came to me later and asked for headphones. I don't have those, either.
She's just taken 3 white sheets of paper from the printer and left. Even though she talked more than anyone else who ever came in here, I get the impression I won't like her very much. At least I'm just here to the end of the summer. Maybe she won't come back...
I just finished writing that and she came in to get something she forgot. I just scrolled up on the editing page for a couple seconds there. It's all good.
There's some orientation going on for the college freshies today. It's across the hall and right outside my lab. The congregation out there keeps growing. Pretty soon they'll be using floor space in my lab. There's nothing wrong with a group of 17/18-year-old girls sitting there, but it CAN get ridiculous. :)
Well, I'm gonna be leaving pretty soon. I finished a pretty good lot of work on the secret project in the last couple days. I'll be continuing to work on that project here at "work" where I just sit around and nothing happens.
June 29th, 2001
Woohoo! Yesterday I got my room assignment and roommate's name, along with plenty of advertisements. The beds at WIU are nonstandard size, and they sell special linens made specifically for their beds! Proprietary stuff is one thing, but we're paying thousands of dollars to the college every year! Why should we have to pay more for special bedsheets? It's a crock, I tell you! So I'm just gonna bring my own and make them fit. And I will never buy their T-shirts.
There's a woman in the lab today who's been in the lab for the past few days as well, and whose husband always calls the computer lab number and asks for her. It's kinda weird. I don't mind it too much, it's just kinda bizarre, like I'm her secretary.
She always leaves the computer with her log-in still active. This is a problem when the screen saver comes on, because it requires her password to turn it off. I always have to manual-kill and then do the scandisk thing.
There's a bunch of people out there arguing over how to work an elevator, apparently. They just figured it out and went up. Sudden patches of noise like that are interesting, yet ridiculous.
Other than all that, a pretty uneventful day. I'll catch you all next week. Peace out.
July 2nd, 2001
A whole class of...I'd say high-school freshman just came in here. I've been around the lab, working on small problems people have been having. It's all fixed now, so I have...
Wait a minute, we're getting a signal. Aw, nutz! It's the Idiot Alarm.
The "teachers" of this "State Scholar" group, in their infinite wisdom, had every member of their class saving their work on ONE GROUP DISK. I don't think I need to point out the flaws of this, but since this is a log of events, I will display the results. Students often lost their work due to malfunctions involving the saving of data when the disk was not in the machine. For some reason, the computers there display a BSoD when you try to save to an empty disk drive. Part of the problem was the inflexibility of data writing. There's only one disk drive, so there could be no immediate disk transfer. The hard drive was protected, so no saving action there. And to top it all off, they had one "special" group ID and log-in, and therefore no network drive to save stuff on.
Due to some bizarre technical problems that really need to be fixed, if people click the wrong button in a dialog box at startup, the dang machine don't print nothin'. Several students fell prey to this. They also fell prey to the Daylight Savings time dialog causing lock-up if they hit 'Ok.' A teacher did this a few minutes after they came in, and then did it again later, even after I told her about it.
At one point, the class disk got full, and they started having THREE class disks. At a certain point, it should become obvious that each student needs a disk. Of course, they couldn't do much once they got in because they had been shortsighted beforehand. Saving $10 on floppy disks is really, REALLY not worth it.
My bosses haven't upgraded to the new computers yet, so I'm going to push to get it done tomorrow. I've got it all planned out - we do them one a time, starting with the one that's out of order. Since we rarely have large numbers of people in my lab, no one has to even notice that we're doing anything. I just hope they agree and start the process, because I can't even carry the damn things up to the lab.
July 3rd, 2001
Oh, blarg. I have only one thing to say:
DAMN COMPAQ!
They've screwed up royal this time. They shipped 87 computers out here on an order by my bosses for some 1Ghz Win2k computers. Did we get 1Ghz, you ask? Of course not! We got 866Mhz! So while they go through the protracted process of having people come back here, pick up all 87 computers, take them back to the company, and get the right ones shipped out here, we're still running on these Win95 machines. Win95 isn't bad, but we got a 5-10% BSoD rate and a slew of other problems. I think the network here is pretty good, but then again, we got Clean Slate screwing everything over and people losing or never having their profiles. We really, REALLY need those new computers, but Compaq management is clearly in the same mindset as the "teachers" who were here yesterday.
A girl came in today. She was an aide for a teacher in a highschool freshman Algebra class. Apparently, this teacher was trying to profess the knowledge of mathematical history. To highschool freshmen. While the history of math is very important to those who seek a deeper understanding of computers, math, and at some basic level, EVERYTHING, it seems a futile and lost effort in a highschool freshman class. When I was a freshman, even an 8th-grader, I remember my algebra teacher trying at one point to teach the historical development of mathematics up from early number systems - and back then, I didn't give a damn about any of it.
Anyway, she was looking up sites and finding nothing. Even thinkquest.org didn't help her - and I'd say that means this whole project is going to amount to no good. This means...
Oh, crap. Idiot meter reading of 8.7 - it's that "teacher" again. He's here with 3 students. He's telling them exactly what to do, it's some special thing they're looking for on the internet. He figured out how to get past the profile requirement to Netscape, so they're using it now. They're trying to find 3 articles and print them for later use. After talking to him, it seems they're planning to change the one-disk-for-all thing. If they come back in here again with only one disk, I'm gonna be extremely pissed.
Well back to the math history project thing. What a stupid idea. 'Nuff said.
July 5th, 2001
Yesterday sucked.
Here I am, at "work" again. Some kids just showed up from a class and are searching for 4 facts on Australia. For the first time, a large group came in and I don't have to run around everywhere fixing stuff. The only thing I had to do for these kids was help them spell Australia.
These are cute kids, really. It's funny listening to one little girl singing "here go Australia" repeatedly, and then her neighbor telling her to shut up. The teacher remarked on how much fun she was having...
I scanned in my graduation pic today. Once I get home, I'll JPG it and make it web-viewable. Then it'll go on my personal page here.
I wish I had a recorder to pick up what's been and what's being said, because it's so hysterical. Listening to little kids is a great stress reliever. One of them was trying to be a teeny-bopper, with a lot of "wow, cool" and "super-dee-dooper" kinda stuff.
Couldn't really say much more about what I did today at work. As jobs go, it's not bad. I just hate what I call "desk jobs." Such ennui.
July 6th, 2001
A class of young kids came in today again. One of them was quite the problem child. The teacher, Mr. Brown (who was the only white guy in the class) was constantly giving him warnings and scoldings. He was fairly intelligent, so I'm pretty happy about not having to do a whole lot to help the kids. On the other hand, it's more interesting when I have to work.
I'm just a lab assistant for the summer, though. I'm not down in the trenches with the techs who gotta haul computers everywhere. And they are REALLY not happy about the Compaq fiasco. Pete chats with me when he comes up here. He's always carrying something or pulling a cart.
I went downstairs to ask for a toner cartridge, because I had been informed by someone in the other lab that it was low. When nothing happened for 10 minutes, I went back to get the toner myself. I asked Josh about it and he said I had to bring the old one down to him. He took 5 more minutes to get another one and bring it up. I wish they would tell me where to find things so I could do the job faster than them.
July 7th, 2001
There were many classes in and out today. They're 5th and 6th graders, so you can't blame them for not knowing how to work the intricacies of computing. But I wish they wouldn't have to be told the same thing over and over again...
Strangely enough, there was a lot going on but nothing I can really write about. The teachers yelled, the kids were kids, and all was well in the land of Nod.
July 8th, 2001
Oh how I hate them. The idiots took residence up in the lab across the hall today. Those stupid teachers. They're still operating off of ONE DISK.
DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMN!
I try. I really do. But I guess I don't try hard enough. The next thing I need to do when I see them is explain exactly and clearly what they should do. A disk for each student. A damn floppy disk - is that so freakin' hard? I mean, they're teachers! They're supposed to know what they're doing. I really hate it when authority is abused. These pompous friggin' arses! They didn't listen to me last time, and they had to call me over again today. It turned out to be a problem with the disk drive rather than the disk, but in the process of going to the other lab I found out they were using one disk for everybody, again.
MAY THE BASTARD IDIOTS ROT IN HELL FOR THEIR PRESUMPTION IN CLAIMING TO HAVE AUTHORITY OVER A CLASS OF YOUNG CHILDREN!
I mean it. Those people deserve to be fired. Part of it can be chalked up to their inexperience (they are college students or else recent grads), but the disk thing gives them no excuse. They had experience with that, and didn't learn. For that I say they should be fired.
And then, another teacher in MY lab was doing a lot of yelling at the kids at the end for messing up the computers - like that's her jurisdiction...
IT'S MY LAB! IT'S MY JOB! You don't need to yell at the kids, I will fix the computers. Sheesh. I'd say more, but I'm focusing all my hatred on the idiots from the other class.
I helped a girl with some C++ today, for a few hours. She still hasn't solved the problem, and I can't solve it either. I haven't done C++ in a while. I need to kick into high gear once I crack assembly.
Sheesh, who am I kidding? I need to kick into high gear NOW. I've been kinda lazy these days.
Well, I better head out. My mom'll be here soon to pick me up.
Peace out. Kill the damn idiots.
August 12th, 2001
Well, after that last post about a month ago, I started getting wrapped up in the work I was doing. Things finally started to get really interesting, and I just decided to let go of posting in the job log so I could properly enjoy my work. But as everything begins, it also ends, and I quit this summer job two days ago so I could use this week to get ready for college life.
Looking back on it, I had some great times. I enjoyed the feeling of professionalism - for the first time, I was treated like an equal among my co-workers. Co-workers. I like saying that.
The last few days of my job were a gift from God. On Wednesday, the new Compaq computers finally came in. The minute I learned about this from Anthony, I got out of my lab-assistant seat and went over to the other lab, where he was starting to take out the old hardware and put in the new. I did the unplugging for all the computers/monitors and helped put them on The Cart. Once this was done for half of the computers, a group of the new computers was wheeled in. We scored the tape on the boxes with whatever we had on hand and put the computers on the tables. I then proceeded to plug all the computers in again. Monotonous, perhaps, but at least it was work towards some useful end. I also took the extra stuff, like keyboards and mice, to the storeroom.
The next day was Thursday, and after sitting around in my lab doing nothing for a while, I saw Anthony and some other guy start moving the other half of the computers out, and the new computers in. I quickly rushed in to join the process. Anthony left this other dude and me to get the computers put on the tables, and we did. While the other tech was putting the computers up, I was taking out the empty boxes and extra materials. When I'd finished, I came back in to see him starting on the wiring. I helped him. In the process, I noticed he'd plugged the monitor in wrong on some of the machines.
WTF is that!? Needless to say, I told him where they were supposed to go. He said "ok" and continued his wiring. Then, when all computers seemed done, he went on his lunch break. It was during this time that I checked the computers to discover that half of them were wired wrong. I rewired them so they would work.
At that point, I was alone in the lab, and during the process of wiring I'd noticed that the wires were crossed like spaghetti. I unplugged and replugged all the plugs and wires for 6 of the computers with the time I had left that day. I figured out a wiring scheme to maximize efficiency and flexibility.
On my last day, Friday the 10th, I brought a bunch of blue twist-ties from home. I wandered about outside my lab, waiting to see if Anthony would come up to work on the upgrades, because then I could get in and start the rewiring process. After a few minutes of this (or 15) I went back to my lab, and two teachers were sitting there. They stared at me as soon as I walked in and said "Can you help us with PowerPoint?" So I did. Wow, that's something to think about. At the beginning of my job, a few months ago, I wasn't recognized as the lab assistant if I wasn't sitting at that desk. It was a nice touch that on my last day, people finally realized that if they asked me for help, I could help them. They KNEW who and what I was, without the special uniform or station. That counts for something.
So I helped them get sounds recorded and put their presentation together for about an hour.
I asked Mike to let me in to do the rewiring that I'd started on the previous day, and he agreed. I entered the lab across the hall and twist-tied some bundles of plugs together on the 6 computers I'd done on Thursday. Then, I rewired some of the other computers. I managed to get an entire set of 12 done in the course of those two days. I also got the end pair set up and bundled on the second set of 12 in that lab. By the time I'd connected everything and organized it on the first set of 12 computers, I had an extra plug. How could there be an extra plug!? Needless to say I took it out of the works. I set it on one of the tables in the second cluster of 12 computers. I forgot to tell the techs about it, but I DID hand off my twist-ties to Mike and tell him how I had wired things.
It was a good job. This is one bunch of people I would happily work with again any day. As I was leaving the basement office for the last time, I called out "See you next summer!" through the last crack of the closing door. I also said that to the payroll staff worker who gave me almost $400.
Much Joy And See You All Next Time!