What I did at work today...

a photo essay.

So, we are deploying new computers at work...lots of new computers.

Yes, that is them all in their pretty boxes. Please, no comments about them being from HP, that wasn't my decision. I am just the lowly peon who deploys them...well, one of the peons.

As you might imagine, we aren't going to let those poor unsuspecting users open up the Christmas boxes and gaze at all the goodness inside, no, we are going to keep that fun for ourselves. I got to unbox a few earlier in the week, but someone else is handling most of that. So, then they look like this.

Obviously, there is more in the boxes than this. There's foam.........but that's not my department, so this is the next stage in what I did today. Now, the real work begins.

This is the Assembly line...well, not exactly, but this is the staging area. Four at a time...you'll see why later. Next, they need to become part of the Inventory, and that means tagging. Yes, I've blurred out all the juicy bits. This is the form that brings them onto the Inventory, and the little white tags are the White Tags of the document title. Neat how that works, huh?

In case you cannot guess, there isn't an ounce of originality or creativity in the entire building, but oh well.

Next, the tags go on to the systems and numbers get written down.

After the number writing, other numbers get added to a spreadsheet, so that someone somewhere will know that each HP tracking number also has another tracking number.

Now all the number and tag stuff is done and I can get back to the computers. I can barely contain my excitement. The covers are removed, and then the hard drives are removed.

Now, we have a special software build where I work, we call it Bro 2.1. Don't ask me why, I didn't get a say in the naming. If I did, the build would be called Camaro, but oh well. So, to get the software we want onto the drives, we use a Kanguru. Yes, that is spelled correctly, check the picture. Now, this copies one drive onto four drives. See, I told you I would explain it.

Two source drives because we have two images. There will be a third later, but that is a story for another day.

Now, the duplication takes 2-4 minutes, then I put the drives back in the systems and the sides back on...sorry, no pictures. You can scroll back up if you really want to, but it's not that exciting.

Then, I carry them over to the pallets where they await their deployment next week.

The stack on the left is ones that I did....well, most of them....yesterday, and the stack on the right is the ones that I did today. There are 39 in that stack, and I did 36 of them.

So, now you have a glimpse into the utterly fascinating world of the IT professional.

Sorry, no autographs.

Password Foo

I seem to spend my life changing passwords. If it isn’t my own, then it is all those I deal with at work. I spend part of every day resetting passwords. The best part of it is the folks who ask why their password has been changed. That’s when I have to bite my tongue. People forget their passwords, but they can’t admit that they forgot. Actually, I think some of them honestly believe that they remember it correctly.

Passwords don’t change on their own.

Remember that the next time you think you remember a password correctly, but it doesn’t work. A computer is less likely to forget a password than a human. There is no secret army of password changers out there. The funniest part is that it is same people over and over again who claim that they remember their password it just doesn’t work.

No. You forgot it again.

But that is only part of my password annoyance. The problem is all the various password rules. We only use about a dozen different systems at work and quite a number of them have different rules for the passwords. Some want only 8 letters, no more, no less. Some want a capital letter, others a special character (# & - *), others want a number. It gets so confusing I want to scream.

It gets worse away from work. So many passwords on so many sites, and each one has what they think is the right way to make a secure password. Not only do they have the same rules that I mentioned above, but some don’t want you to use a special character. Six character minimums, eight character minimums…it’s enough to drive you nuts.

Someone needs to publish the Ultimate Password Rules, and since no one seems to want the job, here goes.

1. Passwords must be at least 8 characters long. All you six character password people must get with the program.
   
   
2. Passwords must have at least one of each of the following:
   
   
   • Uppercase letter
     
   • Lowercase letter
     
   • Number
     
   • Special character, ~!@#$%^&*()_+`-=[]\{}<>/
     
     
   Yes, I put in all the weird rules. If you cannot agree on which ones are best, then we will just have to include them all.
   
   
3. Passwords do not need to be changed more often than every 90 days.
   
   
4. Past passwords should only be remembered to the number of 6. It’s hard enough on people to come up with 6, 10 is just plain cruelty.
   
   
5. Passwords rules will not include idiotic rules about repeat characters, except for 3 repeated characters in a row, or more than two sets of repeated characters in one password.
   
   

Okay, I think that is enough for those who have to create password rules, now for a few rules for all of us about our passwords.

1. Don’t use the same password everywhere. It is stupid, and it can lead to someone being able to access virtually every account that you have.
   
   
2. It’s okay to sync all your passwords, if they all expire, or if you change them when one of them expires. Even if your passwords are weak, they get stronger when they change regularly.
   
   
3. Don’t add a 1 to change a password. I’ve been guilty of this one too, but it is pretty stupid.
   
   
4. Do change a letter to a number to change passwords. Tower can become T0wer or even 70w3r. If that doesn’t make sense, then ask your kids or grandkids, they can explain it.
   
   
5. Don’t make them easy to remember. That generally makes them easy to guess.
   
   
6. If you write them down, don’t leave them on your desk. If you must write them down, then put them into a small notebook, and carry it with you, and don’t brag about where you keep it.
   
   

Well, I’m tired and I need to go change some passwords. Go thou and do likewise.

Crippling My Computer

As I write this, my cable internet is dead for the second time in less than 2 months. The first time it happened I wasn’t sure what was wrong, but I assumed it was the cable modem (wrong word, since it is not a modulator-demodulator, but oh well). It wasn’t. Turned out that the line from the back of the house, across the yard to the cable box in a neighbor’s yard had failed. Time-Warner was good enough to come out and fix it after a couple of days, once I got through the phone hell to someone who knew what they were doing.

Well, it failed again, but this time I am pretty sure of the culprit. She is lanky, and fuzzy. She whines when we shut her up in her crate and she barks in the backyard. Yes, my dog, or rather our new dog. We have a lovely old golden retriever who may be the sweetest dog of all time, but some six months ago, we got a german shepherd/border collie/aussie shepherd mix. She is a handful, and she will chew on almost anything she can get her mouth on. It seems that they did not bury the cable very deep, and she dug it up and chewed on it.

However, that is not what I came to write about. For the second time in the recent past I am without internet, and it occurred to me that my computer feels crippled without the internet. For some of you that may seem strange, but for me it does. I got started late on computers. I am now past 50, and that means that the earliest computers I remember were as big as my living room and had the name IBM on them. I remember they first hand held calculators; my dad bought one, a Bowman 10. I was past 35 when I got my first job with a computer. Amazing part of the job interview was typing up a memo and printing it. I had never sat at a computer before, but I managed it. What amazes me is that I did it better than the other applicants…which does not say much for them.

It was later that summer that I got my first computer. Remember, summer of 1996, and I had a 286 with 2mb of RAM, and two 40MB MFM hard drives. It was put together with spare parts by a friend. I learned Windows 3.1 and then Windows 95 on that computer, with eventual upgrades from other friends. A year later I was working at Dell doing Tech Support. I suppose I learn quickly.

I remember signing up for a free AOL trial just to try out the internet. I remember using Netzero, back when it was still free. All of this was dial-up of course, so I didn’t spend hours at a time online. If I wasn’t actually doing anything I closed the connection. Of course, there wasn’t as much to the internet then.

Now, I sit here writing on my disconnected computer and it feels like it is only half there, when I have no MSN messenger and email, and Wikipedia, and gizmodo and a hundred other website all at my fingertips.

Just last night, I was on Dada.net downloading music and using Wikipedia and last.fm to listen to songs before I downloaded them. I would never even have thought of that ten years ago.

As a student of history, and a fan of science fiction, there is one thing that the science fiction writers of the 40s and 50s got wrong. None of them saw the personal computer. None of them saw that each of us would have huge computing power right in front of us. Most of them saw a World Wide Computer Network that we would access through a terminal, and now we half come around to the point where they are nearly right. Our computers are still very powerful, but without the knowledge of the internet at their beck and call, it feels much less powerful, almost crippled.

I guess I will go play Dragon Age for a while to remind myself that there still is a lot to my computer without the internet.

This Isn’t Your Dad’s Sherlock Holmes

For my birthday this year, I was given a present of dinner and a movie. It seems only fair that I should give a review of both. The somewhat funny part is that it is also entirely fitting that this double review be handled together since both dinner and movie were experienced at the same place, the Alamo Drafthouse.

Now, for those who do not live in Texas, you may need an explanation of the Alamo Drafthouse. Imagine that someone found a wonderful use for an older theater. In the case of the Drafthouse they have found a use for at least three here in Austin. The theaters are among the earliest multi-screen theaters in town with 4-6 screens; at least the two I have visited have 4 and 6 screens each. They take the old theater, and they rip out ever other row of seats (I suppose it means they have lots of spares) and they put in long skinny tables. Now, one of the reasons why I love it is because that means I have all the legroom I need. At 6’4” that is a relatively important consideration. But, even better, they serve food and drinks…and yes, I mean drinks, beer, wine, etc.

Now, the food isn’t great, but it is good. My favorite is the Raging Bull Pizza, with Pepperoni, Canadian Bacon and Sausage. I suppose that if this were to be a proper restaurant review I would review more of the food, but oh well. My son had Porky’s Pepperoni Pizza, my wife had Fish and Chips, and my Mother-in-Law had a sandwich and everyone enjoyed their food.

I cannot really comment on drinks with dinner and during the movie, because I don’t drink. I just never really developed a taste for the stuff and never really saw a reason to, after I finished growing up, but my wife and mother-in-law had beer with dinner.

So, the Alamo Drafthouse gets a big thumbs up, so what about the movie?

Sherlock Holmes is one of the few subjects where a bit of my own personal history is important to how I feel about the movie. I am a fan. I discovered Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories years ago, and not only have I read all of the Sherlock Holmes stories, but I have read a few other things by Doyle as well. In addition, I am a fan of many of the movies that have been made from the stories. I enjoy Basil Rathbone’s Sherlock Holmes, though I am not a big fan of Nigel Bruce’s bumbling Doctor Watson. I am a huge fan of Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes and have all of them on DVD. I have seen at least a half dozen versions of the Hound of the Baskervilles with everyone from Jeremy Brett (the best) to Stewart Granger (the worst), with a few interesting performances in between, like Tom Baker (of Doctor Who fame).

Also, I am a purist when it comes to Holmes. I don’t mind an actor’s interpretation, but I do mind a writer’s interpretation. Of course, I should throw in a caveat here that I am not very impressed with the writer’s who turn books and short stories into movies. My experience tells me that writers who write novels and stories are much better than the hacks who turn them into movie scripts. If this were not the case, then we would not have so many awful movie’s made from books and stories, like Dune, Enemy Mine…oh, I don’t feel like trying to remember any others at the moment. I dislike movie writers because they don’t trust the material that was written by far better writers than they are.

I could go on, but this isn’t about how Hollywood ruins great stories.

Sherlock Holmes, with Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law

The biggest complaint I have about the movie comes from that deep seated Sherlock Holmes fan within me, and ties back exactly to the title of this review, except, this isn’t my Sherlock Holmes either. This is not a movie for purists. The tone and feel of this movie is nothing like Doyle’s stories, which means that I am actually happy that they didn’t try to use one of Doyle’s stories as the basis for the plot. In fact, in some ways the plot is more like a Victorian DaVinci Code. But, that also isn’t the movies main failure from a Holmesian standpoint. This is an action movie, and Doyle’s stories are not action stories, so whether it was a personal choice of Doyle’s or a sign of the times, the movie is not in the style of Doyle. I am not sure that is such a bad thing, since we have Jeremy Brett’s Sherlock Holmes, which is in most ways a very just and quite excellent rendition of Doyle’s stories.

Now, after having given you all the reasons why I might not like the movie, let me state now, that I did. It is not a great movie, but it is a good movie. Robert Downey, Jr. gives a strong performance, though at times he is overshadowed by Jude Law, whose performance is excellent. I find the choice of Law to be as unsurprising as the choice of Downey. Of course, I shouldn’t be surprised, Downey was chosen for his star power. He makes the movie a bigger draw, while it would have been a better movie with Law as the star. I liked the fact that they underplayed Holmes’ English accent. A few turns of phrase spoken correctly can go a long way. I was impressed with Robert Downey, Jr. because there was no Tony Stark in his performance. He was Holmes, but unfortunately, the coat didn’t quite fit, at least in my opinion. Not that he seemed uncomfortable in the role, but he just did not really seem to be English.

The rest of the cast was good, with the exception of Jude Law, who makes a great Watson. Nigel Bruce’s bumbling Watson is nowhere to be seen. This Watson is strong and smart, probably smarter, or at least quicker of wit than Doyle’s original, and thoroughly English. Rachel McAdams is good as Irene Adler and Mark Strong is suitably menacing as Lord Blackwood.

I like the plot, which at least at its foundation is suitably Sherlockian. Holmes would have loved to expose anyone attempting to use magic to cover their intentions. I was not terribly fond of the fight scenes, which were cut (I don’t think that the filming had anything to do with it) a bit too frenetically. It is at times hard to follow what is happening, which I consider a near fatal flaw in a fight scene. Holmes two one-on-one fights are okay, the one in the opening sequence, and the one in the fighting pit (though this last is terribly unHolmesian), but the group fight scenes are mostly a hard to follow blur of action and slow-mo. The one other good fight scene is the one in the shipyard with the giant, the comic elements thrown into the fight scene work perfectly.

One last thing before I wrap this up. I did not like that no explanation was given to explain the connection between Irene Adler and Sherlock Holmes. For those of you who did not understand it, you need to read Scandal in Bohemia. Irene Adler is the Woman, Sherlock Holmes’ one that got away.

So, where do we stand? I liked it. As a Sherlock Holmes fan, I found it less than satisfying, but as a movie fan, I enjoyed it thoroughly. It may eventually find a place on my movie shelf, but it will not find a place among my collection of Sherlock Holmes movies. It just really doesn’t belong there. Good as it is, this really isn’t Sherlock Holmes.

The Problem of the US Gadgethead

In case I haven't mentioned it before, I am a gadgethead. Unfortunately, I am a somewhat pathetic gadgethead, because I don't make enough money to truly indulge my passion.

Now, that should not be construed to suggest that I don’t have a fair number of gadgets. Let’s see…cellphone, PDA, UMPC, MP3 player (though I gave it to my son), DSLR camera, laptop, and desktop computer. Sure, I could have a few more, but it isn’t the number of gadgets that get you the label of gadgethead. No, it is the yearning in your heart that marks you as a gadgethead.

Can you identify all the following acronyms without looking them up?

PDA, UMPC, PMP, MID

If you answer yes, then you might be a gadgethead.

So, I have a new gadget that I lust after. If you are a follower of this blog, then you might have seen this post…I Think I'm in Love. Well, this post is a good example of the problem of the US gadgethead. Please note the date on that post, February 2009. It is now late December of that same year, and the Toshiba TG01 has not yet reached any US cellphone carrier.

It’s enough to make me cry.

Well, maybe not. See, I found a new love.



This is the HTC HD2. It has an even larger screen than the Toshiba, 4.3 inches. I still haven’t managed to replace my PDA and Cellphone with a smartphone, and if I had my wish, it would be this one.

Of course, that is if the darn thing ever reaches a US carrier. I would prefer that it be Verizon, since I am already with them, but I might consider switching for this phone, and a CDMA version isn’t out yet (bonus points for knowing what CDMA is).

I have waited nearly a year to see the Toshiba on these shores and now there is something new I would rather have. But, of course, I cannot afford to buy an unlocked one, so I have to wait to see who gets it and when.

And, it isn’t just cellphones, UMPCs, PMPs, and MIDs are also in the same boat. There are these incredible gadgets being built out there, in China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and elsewhere, but it takes forever for them to reach the US, and when they do there is usually something even better that has already been released elsewhere. You would think we were some backwater country, based on how devices get delivered across the world.

Makes me wonder if I wouldn’t be happier living in Europe.

What Do I Really Want for Christmas?

What Do You Really Want for Christmas?

Though I doubt it was intended, this Gizmodo contest got my mind wandering down an old path. What do I really want for Christmas? Now, in keeping with the intent of the contest I started to think about things like a larger wide-screened iPhone on a different carrier. And yes, I want that but I find it doesn’t really come close to what I REALLY want for Christmas.

When asked what I want for Christmas, I always think of my childhood, which is longer ago than I really want to lay claim to, but what I always remember is the toys.

What I really want for Christmas is toys.

The problem is that the toys I like now are way too expensive. They require lots of planning before the purchase and that sort of destroys the idea.

Several years ago, my wonderful wife found a way. She made me a robe. It was a tremendous robe. It was heavy, thick terry cloth. It was like wrapping yourself in an enormous towel. I wore it until it literally fell apart.

But, as great a gift as the robe was, my wife took it an extra step. After putting the robe on I reached into the pockets and found something. I pulled out several tiny die cast metal airplanes.

I am not sure that I can adequately describe how it made me feel. Even now, as I write this I am tearing up. It was as if I was suddenly ten years old again. I still have some of them. A few got into my son’s hands and did not fare too well, but even that was okay because he got as much fun out of them as I would have at that age.

So, what do I really want for Christmas?

I want to be ten years old again, with a pile of Matchbox and Hot Wheels and Legos under the tree, and to be on vacation from school without a single bill to pay and or deadline to worry about. Even just for one day.

That would be my perfect Christmas gift.

What's Wrong...

Page Two: Not Rocket Science

This voices an opinion that I have felt for a long time. There are others that have said the same or similar things, and if I can find them, I will link them here. I thought about writing my own version of this, but I doubt I could do better.

In case you are wondering why I put this under technology...

It is my opinion that part of the problem is the internet. We sit in our little cubicles and read everything and then spout venom that we would never do face to face. The internet gives us a degree of anonimity behind our usernames and avatars, and so we say things we would fear to give voice to where others would see our faces.