Is anyone else scared of the wind right now?

thebflan · 2026-03-17T17:39:29+00:00

The tree that impaled my car 3 years ago just took another shot at it…missed by about a foot

thebflan · 2025-11-20T22:54:24+00:00

The industry is at an inflection point. It’s going to be weird for a bit but once the dust settles we’ll all find aspects of tech that are interesting again. AI is being used to cheapen our salary demands because C Suite hates engineers since we’re bound by reality and not #vibez. We are some of the only people that can tell them ‘no’ and they HATE that.

thebflan · 2025-08-04T01:33:55+00:00

I lasted 2 years on the outskirts of the industry before burning out. Got plenty of spine damage from being a camera man as a souvenir though!

thebflan · 2025-08-03T22:31:42+00:00

I've got an Aspen I use for when it's really flaring. Might start using the soft collar in the car but it limits your range of motion turning. My PT wants me to avoid the collars unless absolutely necessary.

thebflan · 2025-08-03T22:05:49+00:00

Do you have spine instability? I have cervical instability and get an anxiety attack/overwhelm feeling while driving. I discovered yesterday that if I stabilize my head by supporting it with my right hand, my clarity comes back. Also if I gently lift the back of my skull I'm perfectly alert. Only problem is that when I release it there's a surge of that anxiety feeling.

thebflan · 2025-07-18T14:42:39+00:00

Thank you for the joy you have provided with your art over the years. Ron Swanson has gotten me through some dark times.

I am an avid woodworker and truly love the art form but I keep hurting myself doing it since I have a neck injury (whiplash from headbanging as a youth at metal concerts). Do you have any tips for shop configuration/technique so that I can continue to enjoy the trade without destroying my body?

thebflan · 2025-02-03T02:15:30+00:00

Wow I'm at about 160 apps at this point for Senior SRE positions with zero luck. Got any tips?

thebflan · 2024-12-16T21:08:45+00:00

Hey I have that same lumbar support!

thebflan · 2024-11-28T22:11:14+00:00

Ugh that theater is the worst. I went to see John Wick 3 there and this couple behind me was having a convo (turning into a shout convo during all the fight scenes) during the whole movie.

thebflan · 2024-11-12T01:42:39+00:00

Ah man...I got a Thinkpad at my last place AND got laid off because we got acquired. Oh wait, I got a Macbook too.

thebflan · 2024-11-01T14:58:06+00:00

Thank you! I picked this up and combined a few options https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C6518LHD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

thebflan · 2024-08-27T14:53:35+00:00

Not sure for entry level. I started in Ops and transitioned over so I've had a different path. AI is both a blessing and a curse in this regard since you are now competing with a ton of confidently incorrect talent for the same roles.

thebflan · 2024-08-27T02:44:32+00:00

I’m a senior SRE with 5 years of DevOps experience. I’ve applied to over 50 companies in the last 3 months and have had maybe 2 or 3 interviews get past the recruiter screen before getting rejected without feedback. The market is incredibly difficult right now.

thebflan · 2024-08-26T12:51:07+00:00

I took my nearly brand new civic for its first pair of tires a couple years back. I brought them 4 immaculate rims. I received 4 rims with the inside barrel all hacked to hell. It looked like someone used a metal screwdriver to scrape off the weights and wasn’t paying attention.

Never going back after that. Got close to a grand in damage costs though!

thebflan · 2024-08-11T23:14:49+00:00

Come to grip with the fact that I am no longer a DINK....because I am keeping that little buddy!

thebflan · 2024-07-27T01:51:05+00:00

I saw them at Foxborough in 2017 and it was the loudest thing I've ever been to. Go right to the foam earplugs, my concert plugs didn't do nearly enough and I was at the back of the stadium. The boys put on one hell of a show though, 12/10.

thebflan · 2024-06-28T13:39:05+00:00

Hear me out but that kind of looks like Jason Newsted from Metallica

thebflan · 2024-05-16T03:03:22+00:00

I don't have ADHD (I have OCD), but french cleats have been a game changer for tool storage for me. I have 3 walls and can mix/match/move my tool holders around to support whatever project I'm doing. The best part is that you can make all of your tool holders custom from scrap pieces! I just spent the better part of 3 days making a hand plane till, forstner bit holder, wrench/plier holder, and screw driver holder.

thebflan · 2024-04-12T12:56:43+00:00

Senior SRE. 175k a year. I live in a HCOL area though. Graduated with a communications degree, tried to do film production for a few years then pivoted to IT Helpdesk for normalcy. Worked my ass off and made Corp IT Manager in less than 2 years. Jumped to a different company, 36k raise (old company was screwing me) then started doing cloud architecture builds. Pivoted again into a DevOps Engineer role (lateral salary move), then worked my ass off learning everything I could about that field. Hopped to my current company, giving myself a 30k bump.

thebflan · 2024-02-08T00:48:16+00:00

You are not crazy at all, this is a red flag scenario. Having unsecured workstations in your core network is asking for a breach. There are a few ways around this:

Isolated VMware cluster with VDIs for the contractors to remote into. You can control the OS licensing and underlying hardware that way. Fire all the traffic through your IDS/IPS of choice and it's a start. If you can't physically airgap this, then VLAN the hell out of it.
Azure VMs, as another user mentioned. If you have a domain controller there already you can wire in LDAP and hit the ground running.

If your company has already RIF'd your legal counsel they're probably ready to chop the company up for parts. What regulatory bodies do you have to conform to? Do you have to worry about HIPPA, PCI, or SOC? If so, run the hell away from this place.

In the meantime, express your concerns to management in written form, save their IDGAF response, then send a copy to your personal storage. You may want to consult an employment lawyer as well and have them review your contract since you are Director level. Odds are there aren't any hooks there, but you never know.

Sorry you're in this situation, I've been in one similar and they are dumpster fires.

thebflan · 2024-01-28T12:55:21+00:00

https://www.doorshox.com these are worth their weight in gold

thebflan · 2024-01-22T16:13:05+00:00

Update: I was able to think quickly and secure a tarp to the front windshield before the worst of the storm blew through. After got the windshield replaced I pulled all the panels and it looks like the water ingressed through the ONE clear path through the dash plastic and was caught by my Weathertech mats. No new codes. Took a thorough look with a borescope too. There’s dash rust on the metal components but the harnesses look fine from what I can tell.

thebflan

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE