January 2017 Ice Age

[Fierofool]

I never had a hurricane day when I was growing up in Duluth, either. 

[pgackerman]

Didn't have one of those until college.

[GTRS Fiero]

I never had a hurricane day when I was growing up in Duluth, either.

They call those evacuations.  I don't know about hurricanes, but we had plenty of tornados.  When flying over a friend's house after one, I couldn't agree with what he said happened.  His description was that the house took off as he was walking into the basement, but from above, the house had clearly exploded.

For tornados, we went about our day, and took shelter as needed.  They were usually only during the summer, so no school.

[Fierofool]

tshark, looks like you're about to get the storm you didn't get.  Might even get an ice day thrown in with it, too.

[GTRS Fiero]

Yeah, I was just going to post that they're predicting iceageddon.  My wife did her weekly shopping today, and said Aldi's shelves were mostly empty.

They still don't have all the cars out of the ditch from the last ice storm.  There was ice, but it wasn't like I didn't go on about my daily life.  For the bad storms, I usually hang back and let the people who are going to wreck do it without involving me.  I've seen a wreck before, and the idea of being involved in one doesn't excite me.

I can work remotely.  Most of my work from the office is remote, so I don't really get to be ”off”.  In 2014, while on vacation on another continent, I ended up remotely doing a mail server migration, moving a DNS server, rebuilding a phone system (flash drive crashed), and setting up a firewall.  I couldn't do the physical install or wiring, but I did all the software and config.  The hardest thing was dealing with a bad RAID controller, which necessitated recovering data and moving it, then rebuilding the RAID array once the controller was replaced.  Also difficult was a domain controller that was rebooted, but lost its date/time sync, and wouldn't allow logon, and Windows would override the CMOS time.  Actually, I have full control of all servers, thin clients, TVs, cameras, etc.  I have remote console of switches, routers, firewalls, etc.  Workstations are limited to VNC and RDP, but I have PXII or PXE, which provides some flexibility.  And the closets have robotic automation.  As long as both ends have power and internet, I'm usually good.  I have facilities I control in Florida, but I've never been on-site.

[Drewbdo]

I can't understand this.  How much snow do they get before they close?  What type of service business closes for snow?  Heck, I'd have to take calls from home, but at another job, we just moved the calls to another center.

I was used to having 4 feet or more.  I have never had a snow day.

For tornados, we went about our day, and took shelter as needed.

I can work remotely.  Most of my work from the office is remote, so I don't really get to be ”off”.  In 2014, while on vacation in another continent, I ended up remotely doing a mail server migration, moving a DNS server, rebuilding a phone system (flash drive crashed), and setting up a firewall.  I couldn't do the physical install or wiring, but I did all the software and config.  The hardest thing was dealing with a bad RAID controller, which necessitated recovering data and moving it, then rebuilding the RAID array once the controller was replaced.  Also difficult was a domain controller that was rebooted, but lost its date/time sync, and wouldn't allow logon, and Windows would override the CMOS time.  Actually, I have full control of all servers, thin clients, TVs, cameras, etc.  I have remote console of switches, routers, firewalls, etc.  Workstations are limited to VNC and RDP, but I have PXII or PXE, which provides some flexibility.  And the closets have robotic automation.  As long as both ends have power and internet, I'm usually good.  I have facilities I control in Florida, but I've never been on-site.

You sound like "I.T. Grandpa"... 

"Why, back in my day, service updates had to be pushed out, uphill both ways ... in -83* temperatures. Even 14' of ice wasn't enough to stop us... a firewall was the only warmth we had for Snowicane Gertrude, but we didn't leave ... our butts froze to the chair... heck, it was a week before they could chisel the ice off our keyboards and drag our frozen carcasses out of the call center into the sun to thaw out ... kids these days have it so easy...

lol I'm just teasing you. It just struck me as funny.

[GTRS Fiero]

.. was the only warmth we had for Snowicane Gertrude, ...

That is funny, but   Never heard of it.

Things were different.  Apples and oranges.  No AC or central air, so the body learned to adjust.  (Not my body, though.  I'm always cold.)

When I watched Short Circuit, I was very amused about the ”impervious” to environment part.  Computers require a cool, clean room--especially back then.  A school wanted us to donate an IBM 3 sickly, and we told them they couldn't afford the donation, because of the cost of space, cooling, service, etc.  We did later donate an IBM 9760, but I think the install, silos, 500Gb storage units, and python cabling cost about $80,000.

Can you imagine loading 1Gb of data from punch cards?  Suppose you spilled a few carts of punch cards?  How about a home computer from back then?  The relays were annoying.  Talk about clickety-clack!  If I never have to replace another vacuum tube, I won't mind.  Have to do some math?  Dig out the slide rule!  Oh, and no FRUs.  I hated working on wiring, soldering, and electronics in general, or reading schematics.  I have to hand it to those guys.  They really were geniuses. 

[Fierofool]

In the late 60's, I used two of those IBM's with the wide magnetic tapes that couldn't make up their minds which direction they wanted to run.  They were about twice as wide as the one the two technicians are pictured working on. 

I definitely wouldn't want that guy on the right as an employee.  He'd cost me a fortune in Workers Compensation Insurance claims, what with standing on a roll-around, tilting, swiveling office chair. 

[GTRS Fiero]

I definitely wouldn't want that guy on the right as an employee.  He'd cost me a fortune in Workers Compensation Insurance claims, what with standing on a roll-around, tilting, swiveling office chair.

...while using a soldering pencil.

I don't recall there being workers' comp, or insurance at all.  Of course, I was very young, and not really concerned with that type of thing.

[Raydar]

I could totally do my job from home, if they would let me. (They won't.)
All of my troubleshooting is done remotely, anyway. I could just as easily do from here, as I could from downtown. (I actually have done it from here, in a pinch.)

[GTRS Fiero]

Nothing happened.  No icy roads (they were pre-treated, though).  Ice formed on trees, cars, dirt, and grass.  A bit of ice on driveways and sidewalks.  Most of the weekend was above freezing.

[GTRS Fiero]

They're telling us to expect snow and 18 degrees tomorrow.

[Fierofool]

A little of that stuff is forecast to visit North Georgia this weekend, reaching almost to the northern metropolitan Atlanta area.

[GTRS Fiero]

We did get a little, but not enough to justify them spraying the streets with my tax dollars.  Less than a quarter of an inch.

[fiero128]

What is the typical temp there, this time of year?

My sister was in the Floriida Keys, and reported good temps.  A 17-degree swing.

16C here in the morning