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Author
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Topic: Chinese, Animators, Universities, and Idiots in Management...
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gav
Neophyte Pen
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posted 04-27-2001 17:52
   
I love management. Especially stupid ones.
Background to this story: I'm a system administrator for several different departments at the University of Central Florida (within an hour of that Disney void we all run screaming from...It's a Small World should be a shooting gallery), including animators, digital media students, programmers, and people who just generally need the Internet for their lifeblood.
I'm at work on Monday, preparing for finals and trying hard not to be bothered by the incessant "I've forgotten my password" questions which only I am able to answer. Around 1:30 in the afternoon, I get an e-mail from a name I only know in fear: management in Computer Services. Computer Services, the controlling people to the outside world, are the most evil people, ever. Ever. Apparently, something from my networks is killing their payroll network.
After I got over laughing (since I already knew where the problem was, we have this collection of SGI machines for my animators, they have to use these, which I referred to as my "anal rape point of entry"), I called the contact person, who sounds alot like he has pool cues shoved up both nostrils. I can summarize the conversation thus: "If you don't find why this has happened twice, and it happens again, we shut you down". Bitch. Well, being that I have exams, I choose to go to class first, thinking "you know, it's final exams week. They'll be lenient." Meanwhile, they shut us down. Not that it happened again. They just felt like shutting us down. Rah.
I discover this halfway back. My animators are generally a pretty fun bunch of people, most of whom I wouldn't like to beat with a stick (at least, not much...but there are a few...), who find me on the way over and start screaming "Maya won't load!". Hearing this phrase causes chills up my spine and bags spontaneously form under my eyes, thinking of previous late night experiences with said animation program.
I visit my digital media students first, since they are on the way. They can't get to the website where all their demo work is. And then it hits me. We're off the Internet.
Now, this doesn't sound traumatic. "It's only the Internet," you say, "you can live without it!". Oh hoh. Not these people. During final exams week, when film reels are due, and web sites are to be shown, the network going down would cause Gandhi to kill people bare-handed. It just doesn't work like that. Now, I fear, for I can see my study time flying away faster than doves at a cat convention.
They decided not only to take off my animators, whom I could have moved to another lab. No. They disconnected our entire segment of the world. Approximately 200 students are now unable to submit final projects. They are pissed.
Come to find out, it's the Chinese. In response to the whole political situation that has cropped up, some Chinese hacker factions have decided to destroy as many US networks as possible. Simplings.
Of course, the lab full of graduate Chinese students was quite impressed with their brethren (except for the one who actually likes it here in America), and proceeded to mock my networking skills. Someday, those floor tiles will be bulging, as the bodies pile up.
It's what, Friday now? After a careful evaluation of the "anal rape cluster", they have graciously decided to let us back onto the world. Of course, only after every professor whose department I work for made a point of telling the fools exactly how stupid they are to pull this at finals.
Now, I have students frantically shooting for that last extended deadline, and hopefully no sleepless night ahead.
I love politics. An addendum: While I was writing this, I received an phone call from my "real" job (i.e., the one outside of academia, where the pay doesn't suck). Apparently, our web server down there (maintained by our NT admin, who also works in the same labs I do on campus...) was just 0wn3d by another Chinese hacker group, who posted, roughly "USA Government sucks! PoisonBOx 0wns!". Maybe we'll *both* be up tonight... Are we the only people who have suffered reprecussions, technological or otherwise, from our political oopses? I'd like to not feel quite so singled out...  -gav ------------------
"And I don't know what to say to you, but I smiled anyhow..." - Dido IP: Logged |
deeznuts
Member with a member
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posted 04-27-2001 18:53
questions:
why didn't these people simply block your segment after the first attack?is there any reason for animators to be accessing a payroll network, anyways? so are you castrating the clown who did it, or what? inquiring minds want to know. IP: Logged |
Jimbo
1 dr3w j00 4 p1ggy!
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posted 04-27-2001 20:17
Yeah, no doubt. Don't the payroll clowns have a fucking firewall up?IP: Logged |
kokinolimoneiki
Member with a member
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posted 04-28-2001 21:17
We, the peons of America, the hard-working, shit-upon, underpaid, never helped, and overworked to the point of flu or death itself, are always and forever amen going to be shit-upon and blamed and underpaid and all those things... as long as "management" is what it is - NOTHING BUT A BUNCH OF WHITE BREAD, UNEDUCATED, FAT, COMPLETELY STUPID AND COMPLETELY FUCKING USELESS SORRY EXCUSES FOR HUMANS WHO MAKE OUR MONEY!!!!!!!I feel your pain, as I'm sure most of us here do. People suck. Yes, they do. Most of them anyway. I have to get at 4 am to work for free so, later! ------------------
One for sorrow two for joy
Three for girls four for boys
Five for silver six for gold
Seven for a secret never to be told [This message has been edited by kokinolimoneiki (edited 04-28-2001).] IP: Logged | |
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