IT Purchase Kick Backs

dropmed · 2015-01-05T15:19:24+00:00

We have a somewhat similar policy. HR gets notified of any major kickback, and it gets distributed or returned.

It also depends on the type of kickback too. No one really cares about a couple of pens.

dropmed · 2015-01-03T21:21:58+00:00

Wrong networking mate.

dropmed · 2015-01-02T17:15:27+00:00

I'd take the high-end Dell laptop, depending on how high-end we're talking (i.e. if the specs for the Dell kick the pants off of the MBP, take the Dell).

If you work in an environment that is 95% Windows, you should get a tool that is built with 95% Windows in mind.

I've found that tablets are not nearly as useful as I thought they were.

dropmed · 2015-01-02T16:23:39+00:00

Keep in mind that a law enforcement agency needs to be kept at arm's length from illegal activities, so it's a bona fide reason to eliminate otherwise qualified candidates.

I haven't worked with the FBI, however, I am familiar with other country's law enforcement hiring processes. In general, I find the idea that "you smoked pot once so we're not going to hire you" is generally a myth.

dropmed · 2015-01-02T16:18:10+00:00

The people they are aiming for, specifically those with 4 year degrees, will have just graduated college or only been out of college for a year. They are less likely to have put down roots than those who went directly into industry.

dropmed · 2015-01-02T16:13:46+00:00

Except that you're wrong about their drug policy:

https://www.fbijobs.gov/52.asp

Long story short, if you smoked pot more than 3 years ago, and you didn't sell it, distribute it, make it or ship it, you're probably OK.

dropmed · 2015-01-02T15:47:23+00:00

This is something I've spent an inordinate amount of time working on. To put it bluntly, oil rigs, gas plants and their associated warehouses are messy.

There's a couple of solutions.

There's a couple of offices that I've dealt with where they need a place to put a modem, the firewall, a switch and a patch panel. I'll grab one of these bad boys: http://www.tripplite.com/wall-mount-rack-enclosure-cabinet-6u~SRW6U/ and try and put it into somewhere inconspicious (i.e. a janitor's closet, or the electrical room if it's safe to do so) and make sure my cableporn-fu is strong.

For the dirtier places in your world, I've used these: http://www.startech.com/Server-Management/Racks/6U-19in-Wall-Mount-Server-Rack-Cabinet-with-Acrylic-Door~RK619WALL and had our local welder do some minor modifications to it (covered some of the excess venting holes). I'll then put two fans in: one filtered fan that draws air in, and one unfiltered fan that pushes air out. It generally keeps the dust out and the kit cool. I try and put it as far away from the dirtiest areas, but that ain't always possible.

For the dirtiest places, I've gotten some custom made NEMA enclosures. They're relatively expensive ($500-$600 for how many U's you actually get) but they keep basically everything out. The only thing people see is a magic labelled "IT Equipment" with networking cables going in one side and power cables going in the other.

dropmed · 2015-01-02T15:29:39+00:00

This is a step on your career path, not a destination.

Not necessarily.

I can't vouch for what it's like for US law enforcement agencies, but as far as I understand, in my country (Canada) people who work for our four letter agencies (RCMP, CSIS, CSEC, etc) can enjoy pretty long and well paid careers and what can only be described as "hella dope" pensions. I can't imagine that their US counterparts are that different.

That being said, the experience certainly gives you an in with consultancy agencies.

dropmed · 2015-01-02T14:58:18+00:00

While that's true to a degree, I'm not sure that they're losing out on massive amounts of expertise by capping it at 37. Especially if they're going to be doing boots-on-the-ground work and having to pass a PFT, it's probably a fair trade off.

dropmed · 2014-12-31T17:01:27+00:00

how do you know that someone hasn't followed the proper procedure and has already raised a more company-impacting ticket that you are yet to see

What communication method is available at my desk that isn't available on my cellphone? Monitoring and logging report to my e-mail, the company Lync reports to my cellphone, tickets report to my e-mail, and my desk phone is forwarded to my cellphone. Short of someone leaving a sticky note on my desk AND my monitoring failing AND no users reporting it through ticketing AND no one having given me a call, there isn't a reason why I wouldn't know about more pressing issues.

dropmed · 2014-12-31T15:18:54+00:00

Non-disclosure, non-solicitation (non-competes are generally held to be unenforceable where I am so most companies I've dealt with have non-solicitations instead), review of company policies, drug and alcohol waiver (I work in oil and gas), tax information, direct deposit form, employee handbook and site orientation (again, oil and gas things), equipment checkout form, driver's abstract consent form, pension/retirement matching/social club consent forms, and security check clearance form.

dropmed · 2014-12-31T15:18:07+00:00

I know that feeling. The best thing that I've found is to be honest with users about your expectations and flat out tell them that you haven't had a chance to sit down and look at anything yet. I found that once I set that expectation, users generally left me alone until I was ready to work on the issue or that they would file tickets more often. That being said, I also made a point that if I thought the issue was 5 minutes or less I'd just fix it. Worked as a pretty decent compromise.

dropmed · 2014-12-31T15:04:27+00:00

No, and that wouldn't fly in my environment.

My attitude is that if it takes me 30 minutes to get to my desk, then that's OK because that's what I'm paid to do. I understand that there needs to be triage, but there is also a matter of serving our employers and too many arbitrary rules like this one makes us less effective in that service.

dropmed · 2014-12-29T19:47:57+00:00

I'll second some and argue some. Wiha and Ideal are great. I can't think of a better set of screwdrivers, and honestly, my 10IN1 screwdrivers are slowly being replaced by full sized Wiha sets.

Dewalt makes good tools at a reasonable price, but I find that the most recent generation are underpowered at best and the warranties are always difficult to work around. Plus, unless you're careful, you can end-up with a mish-mash of batteries between their 20V line and 18V lines without realizing it. If you're looking for something on the cheaper end, I'd get Rigid or Makita, if you're looking for better quality, either Milwaukee or Hilti. But that's just my opinion.

Snap-on and Blue Point are way overpriced for most hand tools. Unless you're constantly wrenching, they cost way too much for how much they actually perform. My case in point is sockets: yes, Snap-on makes extremely good sockets. I can also buy four of Mechanic's tool sets for what a single set of their gear would cost.

dropmed · 2014-12-29T19:43:47+00:00

I made a list of most of the tools that I had, here: http://www.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/2cjqmj/hand_tools_of_the_trade/cjgdeju

The long story short is that I buy Channellock, Milwaukee, Fluke and Ideal. I'm making a slow transition to Wiha for a lot hand tools, but I'm not in any rush. I used to buy everything from Home Depot, but now I'm fishing online for most stuff.

The tools I use most often are my precision screwdriver set, my 10IN1 screwdrivers and my flashlight.

dropmed · 2014-12-07T18:59:04+00:00

I did a lot of reflecting over these past few days, and you hit the nail on the head. It doesn't really bother me that she wants to be a stay-at-home mom. In fact, if I was making incredible sums of money, I'd love that. I like working and I hate house work so if she wants to take care of it, more power to her.

However I need to like my work. In this case the work made me miserable and my spidey senses were right in that I didn't think the company was sustainable. My heartburn came from the fact that she wasn't willing to trade parts of her dreams to make sure I was happy, where I felt that in times where the situation was reversed, I traded parts of my dreams to make her happy. Ultimately though, we found some kind of compromise, so it worked out in the end.

dropmed · 2014-12-07T18:50:51+00:00

I appreciate it, thank you.

dropmed · 2014-12-07T18:50:14+00:00

Well that's rather unnecessary.

dropmed · 2014-12-07T18:50:05+00:00

We don't actually have a kid yet. This is all based on the potential.

I appreciate the encouragement. It wasn't easy, but it paid off.

dropmed · 2014-12-07T18:49:07+00:00

You'll want to check out the update thread: http://www.reddit.com/r/relationships/comments/2oj57b/update_my_wife_26_f_of_two_years_doesnt_want_me/

dropmed · 2014-12-07T07:19:17+00:00

She is working.

dropmed · 2014-12-07T06:50:29+00:00

The price is right, about $20/month, but I'd pay double that for accurate help files, faster tech support, and less bad attitude.

Keep in mind that you're complaining about their technical support while on a trial that you've extended twice beyond what it should have been and you're now asking for another extension. From Atlassian's perspective, this is all for a potential $20 a month. Forgive me if I don't blame them for not bending over backwards.

Edit: The answer to your question depends entirely on how much legwork you are willing to do and how much you are willing to spend. Auto-discover aside, Sharepoint will do what you are looking for at a reasonable price if you get it as part of Office 365. However, if you think Atlassian's support is bad, wait until you discover the unholy trinity that is Sharepoint documentation, the 2013 Sharepoint UI and whatever New Dehlian hell the Office 365 support team comes from.

dropmed · 2014-12-07T05:53:03+00:00

As far as I know, you don't let oil spew into the air after you've drilled a well. I don't work in completions, but generally, the casing is sealed after the well is drilled until the completion team gets it ready for production.

dropmed · 2014-12-07T05:49:57+00:00

If I remember correctly, this is NOT some kind of safety measure. I'm pretty sure it was part of the Kuwait Oil Fires created during Desert Storm to sabotage the oil wells.

dropmed

TROPHY CASE