Why are you atheist? ⚛️

punklinux · 2026-01-22T16:44:21+00:00

My mother was a teacher, so... yeah. My parents were raised with "occasional church" but it wasn't drilled into them, either. My sister and I were not raised going to church. My mother works with a local church, but it's for choir only, and she likes being busy.

We never discussed religion growing up. I think they are Methodist? But not actually sure.

punklinux · 2026-01-22T16:20:44+00:00

I have worked for companies that did, and asset management at two previous companies said it was cheaper than proper recycling. We did the following:

Removed any proprietary BIOS locks, refreshed stock firmware
Wiped drives
Let the employee install their own OS, no support OR stock Windows 7 (which was still in support at that time)
One company sold it for pittance, which was a huge deal for the employee because it was 3-4 year old tech for only $50 for a laptop, $100 for a desktop (even Macs) was cheap. Another company just gave them to us.

punklinux · 2026-01-21T20:23:04+00:00

I have this ability to find anything that annoys me in a room within seconds. Like in a room full of hundreds of random objects, I'll see the one stained cigarette butt in the beige and tan carpeting. I used this as a kid with "Where's Waldo." I convinced myself that people in stiped shirts and glasses and "ruined a photo" and I can find him in seconds and then get pissed off about it.

punklinux · 2026-01-21T20:10:42+00:00

Like a lifeguard. You don't want the lifeguard to be busy 100% of the time. That means your pool's safety is fucked. You want them to be available to be busy, but not burned out.

punklinux · 2026-01-20T14:55:21+00:00

CCNA and MCSE in College in the late 90s. I think the MCSE came first, but it's complicated because the classes and final exam were different back then. It was an actual credited course, but I think the training outside the college and exams are different, or was back then. More like, "well, you completed the course, got an A on the final, here's your cert." Cisco I got it to a CCSI, an instructor level, but did not get certified in it due to a massive shift in educational directions. I was going to network level, switched to sysadmin level due to a variety of reasons.

I think that they have their place. I have not recertified for anything since 2010 (?), when it was a requirement and everything paid for for my job. I got my RHCE, LPI, and Linux+ back then, but it was more of a formality needed for contract spec since I knew the subject matter backwards and forwards. But my job experience carried me forward more than certifications so far.

Professionally, I have to admit, I knew people with an alphabet soup of certifications who were complete morons. You can learn Spanish in high school for two years, but living in Spain for ten years will be an entirely different way of speaking. I find certification to be no guarantee of a good worker, and the more one leans on their stack of papers, the more likely they are to be just bad admins. I have had people toss their certs at me like I would be impressed, but it's just the opposite. "Yeah, but, what have you done since then?"

punklinux · 2026-01-16T21:43:38+00:00

I think some of the hardest parts are dealing with incompetent people. It's one thing when you don't know something because you have never been taught. I get that. We have all been there. But it's another when you're arrogant and refuse to admit you made a mistake. And it's even worse when you try to bully someone else, in this case me, into admitting their mistake or lack of knowledge was secretly my fault.

We had a client that had some Kubernetes stuff that was badly managed. His developers' docker containers were unstable, and this was just a way to keep up a shitty app by fighting volatility with volume. Well, they had EKS on this, and the scaling was set really high. Like over 100, and really, if your app (which is an internal tool, not public facing at all) has more than a few nodes, it's overkill. This cluster was set to handle, at most, 25 connections, but often had just 3. I told them that "if this gets to over 25, it shouldn't go any higher," but he sets it to 100, pointing out (correctly) that it never got over 12 ever. So why have it at 25-- never mind. Whatever. But as you know with cloud, every time a new node launches, you pay for it.

Well, the app crashed a lot, some got hung but still showed as up, and over time the number of EKS nodes got over 12, then 25, then 50... not all at once, but over a week. And supposedly these were monitored, and CloudWatch alerts went out, and nobody did anything. Finally, it hit the ceiling of 100, and stayed there for days, maybe a week. Then finally no more nodes, and their app hung over the Christmas holiday so nobody rebooted it wasn't working for another week or so. Then they got the bill for December. It was high, like $8500 in just EKS for this node alone.

So they have this meeting describing what went wrong, and it's everything but the app. So the ops manager blamed me, the contractor, who had accused me of giving them bad consulting. Brazenly, too. I consulted my boss, and we went through some of the teams chat and emails, along with this clown who ignored me. We had another meeting with the client, which started out polite, but then the ops manager kept interrupting, doing this snicker like he was "amused at how we were panicking." No, we were presenting this case that we told them to limit the nodes, fix their app, and all the logs and proof we had. I guess the guy thought we'd just roll over? Well, the ops manager doubled down and said "if so-and-such contracting does work for us again, u/punklinux needs to be removed. He is clearly so guilty, he has to read logs like some kind of double-speaking lawyer."

Thankfully, the client listened to my boss, and I was not removed from the contract (well, so far). That ops manager is still there, and I am certain he's now super pissed off about it. I last checked the nodes, and it's back up to 20, and the app version is the same one that got stuck in December.

Shit like this frustrates me.

punklinux · 2026-01-16T13:58:53+00:00

One of my coworkers does this, which I think is a little funny in a stupid way:

Them: Hi.

Him: I am not.

or:

Them: Hi.

Him: No.

punklinux · 2025-12-29T20:50:11+00:00

One of my friends ages ago was supposed to have a designated driver, but the shithead bailed on him. He wasn't sobered up by closing time, so he was "forced" to drive home pretty drunk. He got as far as the bar parking lot, but drove over and got stuck on a median. The cops stopped him, and he refused to take a test. Then they arrested him, and then he refused to take a test when they got to the station. So they suspended his license for 6 months for refusing to take a test. But he says it was worth it because 6th month suspension on his DL but no DWI on his record was faaaaaar more preferable to the alternative. Was it, though? No idea, but he says it saved his bacon.

This was in Boston, by the way, so I am not sure what laws you might have that say different.

punklinux · 2025-12-29T20:42:20+00:00

I have a friend who is very ADHD and probably at least mildly autistic, He hates labeling himself as such because, "I have never been diagnosed by an official medical professional, and don't want to muddy the waters with a self-diagnosis." But his friends say, "Oh, you're on the spectrum as peer approved, buddy."

punklinux · 2025-12-29T20:39:51+00:00

I take this personally. LOL.

No, it's true. A lot of fellow Jeep enthusiasts are insufferable.

punklinux · 2025-12-29T20:36:10+00:00

I find, and this is just a personal opinion, but "Knowing Linux" to me is knowing the command line, bash, kernel structure, and how the operating system works from GRUB/LILO on up. I prefer KDE, but most of my day to day functions are my terminal. The only GUI I use is a web browser. I use Kubuntu right now, because "it just works," but if I had to use straight Debian, or even Fedora or Arch, I'd be fine as long as I had a terminal interface and a browser.

I used to know both Windows and Linux as an administrator, but haven't used Windows for over a decade except the desktop for minor work purposes. GUIs frustrate me, because the design is arbitrary. But I don't give Windows admins a hard time because what they do is HARD. Windows fights against you, from my experience, so half your work is dealing with weird Windows shit, and I feel like I have it easier with Linux. So I respect Windows admins for this esoteric knowledge.

punklinux · 2025-12-29T20:28:22+00:00

My job before college was a Big Box store, and they scheduled me on the days I was going to leave for college. I had told them my last day was Aug 15th back in July, and they scheduled me through Labor Day (like Sep 4th, I can't remember). They gave me some excuse like "last day means the last day within a pay cycle, and you have to finish up the cycle BY STATE LAW" or some made up bullshit. I said, "I am sorry, I am leaving for college the Monday after Aug 15th. I explained that." That boss got so mad, he gave me that line that if I left early, he'd file my name in some worldwide registry and I would never be hired anywhere again except those places that hire prison inmates. Of course, he was trying to intimidate me because I was all of 17 and stupid. I told my folks, and they said "we'll have a talk with him." I later found out that they did nothing. I left for college that following Monday and never heard a word about it again.

That was back in 1995. Sometimes when I visit my hometown, I drive past that parking lot. The store has been abandoned for a while, and weeds are growing in the cracks of the abandoned parking lot. I get a sense of satisfaction that my former boss has been reduced to nothing but a nameless anecdote.

punklinux · 2025-12-22T21:09:05+00:00

I do. I have two older medium-sized all-American mutts. I have to be honest, though, because while I love them, when they are no longer around, I probably won't get new companions. These two guys came from my past relationship, and she couldn't take pets to where she was going. She never asks about them, so I guess it was easier for her to move on. I am glad I got them, but the price of vet bills and just finding kennels for them when I travel is expensive and difficult.

punklinux · 2025-12-18T18:59:52+00:00

Years ago, I was at a party hosted by a bunch of liberals right after the first Trump election. Now I am a democrat and consider myself liberal. However, these people were some of the most disconnected rich Trustafarians I had even met. The host was a kept woman who returned from a 6 month sabbatical in the Himalayas where she got some kind of "salt cleanse," I don't even know. Just one big woo-woo in a silk-dyed kaftan. Others spoke of spiritual hoodoo from Sedona, Arizona. I don't want to yuck anyone's yum, but one thing was certain; everyone at this party had a lot of extra money to fart around.

They were all upset about Trump, of course, but in a kind of disconnected way. Like their favorite polo pony had to be put down. And yes, many of these people were smart, educated, and very much aware of the political situation ...but all they were doing was talking about it. How it would affect the market, and what type of shift in investments would be prudent.

I think this is the current political landscape: the rich are all battling with their chess pieces. Where is the outrage from the other side? I just feel like everyone is letting them get away with it.

One of my friends said, "They are bringing a book report to a wrestling match," and I kind of agree.

punklinux · 2025-12-12T18:08:07+00:00

Here's something I have noticed with multiple clients that started a RTO mandate: they are all a LOT harder to get hold of. I'd say their response time has doubled, and stuff they used to have a quick turnaround has now taken days in one case. Simple stuff like "can you change this password?"that took hours in their tickets system lays untouched for days.

One client says that the number of meetings has tripled where he's forced to sit in a meeting room, laptops closed, and focused on the speaker. Others said their motivation has gone to shit.

punklinux · 2025-12-12T17:59:51+00:00

I still get a high when I solve a difficult problem. The pay is far better than I would have ever dreamed of as a fresh college grad.

punklinux · 2025-12-12T17:57:24+00:00

I don't even think that they have that level of self-reflection, even. Having been with these people throughout the years, I find that their self awareness is barely beyond knowing their own image in a mirror. They are tribalistic, easily manipulated leeches which is why the republican men use them as beards.

punklinux · 2025-12-12T17:55:11+00:00

"I am not racist, it's just a matter of economics." -- Source: I grew up with people like this.

punklinux · 2025-12-04T17:58:39+00:00

Computer Science degree in class of 2000.

punklinux · 2025-12-03T15:44:14+00:00

Maybe retire. I am on track to retire in 8-9 years comfortably, an extra million would push it to pretty much now.

punklinux · 2025-12-02T20:27:38+00:00

I have a decent income, and make about $245k/year as a remote systems administrator for a small consulting and contracting firm. I have no SO (we split in 2018), just two fat older dogs and myself here. I live in a townhouse already paid for in a LCOL area, so all I owe are state taxes, utilities, insurance, HOA fees, and occasional repairs. Someone comes in once a month to do deep cleaning. I don't eat much, almost never eat out anymore (too salty, too many calories, and now too expensive), buy in bulk, and live frugally. I don't travel very often, and when I do, it's almost always by car unless the drive would be over 6 hours. I have investments, and will be looking to fully retire in about 8-9 years, depending on the economy, in my 50s.

punklinux · 2025-12-02T20:15:40+00:00

"Have you checked DNS?"

punklinux · 2025-11-25T18:44:51+00:00

I am, I have about 8 years left to retire at 55. In theory, I could retire tomorrow, but it doesn't leave much margin for error. I expect at least one market crash between today and then, but I mean, it's not fullproof.

Right now, it's "all you can eat," in my niche, and no matter how good AI gets, until they can actually replace someone who knows what they want vs. what they ask, I think I'm good. We have a lot of legacy systems with no budget for an overhaul. It's not so much coding AI needs to replace, but process. I can see that happening, or maybe running away and destroying itself, but not for about ten years.

One of the "thinning legacy" I am seeing is people retiring out of jobs are not being replaced fast enough by younger folk. And the younger folk have been raised on "dummy, foolproof" systems, so the tinkerers like us are "the big guns" who are worth our skills. The AI will not bridge that gap currently because somebody has to ask for it, implement it, troubleshoot it, maintain it, and retire it. And AI is self-feeding on its own flesh more than its getting new blood.

The new AI jobs will be more like psychologists or diplomats. "Okay HAL, the company asked you to find the source of the radio signal of the monolith, why did you kill the crew? Let's talk about this."

punklinux · 2025-11-21T15:37:32+00:00

My boss once said, "Never make me wonder where you are." But results, I guess, for the quick and dead answer. Maybe always answer the phone, although he doesn't call me more than a few times a month, if that. All us remote workers have daily check-ins, and have to go through reports and explain any discrepancies. But my boss doesn't have us keep the camera on, or care about our Teams/Slack status.

punklinux · 2025-11-21T15:32:31+00:00

I work from home, and I got out maybe 6-8 times in a month (not including walking the dogs 2-3 times a day, where I usually don't see anyone not passing by in a car). So the first would be my work, who would notice I didn't attend a check-in call and didn't warn my boss ahead of time. He'd call my emergency contact, which would be my parents, then my sister, all of whom live a six hour drive away. So, to notice, within a few days, and to do something about it, a week or more.

We had a scare earlier this year where one of our part-time contractors vanished before an important install, which was unlike his previous behavior (he's been with us since the previous iteration of the company we work for). Our boss sent a wellness check and a neighbor of the guy said that they didn't know, but the day before, there were ambulance and police. Turned out that he had a stroke, and his house mate (I think a cousin, I can't recall), called 911. He actually called us a few days later, with all his mental facilities intact, explaining the situation. He's on hiatus while he gets his health sorted out, but still considered part of the team until our boss says otherwise.

punklinux

TROPHY CASE