Comments on: My First Week Working for Big Blue http://www.loudmurmurs.com/2007/07/27/my-first-week-working-for-big-blue/ "Be the change you wish to see in the world." — Mahatma Gandhi Mon, 25 Jul 2011 17:05:21 +0000 hourly 1 By: ddrucker http://www.loudmurmurs.com/2007/07/27/my-first-week-working-for-big-blue/comment-page-1/#comment-5799 ddrucker Fri, 03 Aug 2007 19:43:26 +0000 http://www.loudmurmurs.com/2007/07/27/my-first-week-working-for-big-blue/#comment-5799 Hi NetChick! Yeah, the security is a little weird, but I guess the upside is that it forces you to be neat. (You have to keep a clean desk pretty much at all times). I'm planing on BarCamp - hoping to do a presentation this time! In the meantime, I'm hoping I can make the next Meetup, as I had to miss the last 2. Hi NetChick!
Yeah, the security is a little weird, but I guess the upside is that it forces you to be neat. (You have to keep a clean desk pretty much at all times).
I’m planing on BarCamp — hoping to do a presentation this time! In the meantime, I’m hoping I can make the next Meetup, as I had to miss the last 2.

]]> By: NetChick http://www.loudmurmurs.com/2007/07/27/my-first-week-working-for-big-blue/comment-page-1/#comment-5781 NetChick Fri, 03 Aug 2007 01:51:22 +0000 http://www.loudmurmurs.com/2007/07/27/my-first-week-working-for-big-blue/#comment-5781 Wow, did you get a job at the FBI? ;) Sounds like you've got an interesting project to keep you busy, anyhow! Congrats! Hope to see you at one of the meetups, soon! Are you going to BarCamp? Wow, did you get a job at the FBI? ;)

Sounds like you’ve got an interesting project to keep you busy, anyhow! Congrats!

Hope to see you at one of the meetups, soon! Are you going to BarCamp?

]]> By: ddrucker http://www.loudmurmurs.com/2007/07/27/my-first-week-working-for-big-blue/comment-page-1/#comment-5663 ddrucker Sun, 29 Jul 2007 22:59:55 +0000 http://www.loudmurmurs.com/2007/07/27/my-first-week-working-for-big-blue/#comment-5663 Hi Dmitry - Small world, eh? Thanks for the advice about security and blogging, etc. Perhaps the 'clean desk' policy will even get me to reform a bit when it comes to my pack-rate tendencies of having papers pile up. Jan - Good point about the Second Life specificity to work. Given my tendency to tread lightly on work issues in my blog, I probably won't run into any problems. Of course, I wouldn't mind railing a bit against all of the loss of productivity from using Notes and Visio for email and drawing. The number of hours lost on these two horrible software packages must be costing the company millions over time. As for the car, yes, you can see that Pam had a large say over the make and model. I don't know if I'll be hooked on the Mercedes. Frankly, some of it seems just stuff that will be an expensive problem some day. Power windows drive me crazy, and all of those key-less locking and other electronics are just options that add some value, but mainly are expensive to fix, and they all will break down, sooner or later. The servos and electric motors, as well as the sensors and even the wiring are sensitive to temperature and humidity changes, not to mention friction and entropy, and they are nearly always hard to get at. Great for a new car, but in a used one...well, we'll have to see. Hi Dmitry — Small world, eh? Thanks for the advice about security and blogging, etc. Perhaps the ‘clean desk’ policy will even get me to reform a bit when it comes to my pack-rate tendencies of having papers pile up.

Jan — Good point about the Second Life specificity to work. Given my tendency to tread lightly on work issues in my blog, I probably won’t run into any problems. Of course, I wouldn’t mind railing a bit against all of the loss of productivity from using Notes and Visio for email and drawing. The number of hours lost on these two horrible software packages must be costing the company millions over time.

As for the car, yes, you can see that Pam had a large say over the make and model. I don’t know if I’ll be hooked on the Mercedes. Frankly, some of it seems just stuff that will be an expensive problem some day. Power windows drive me crazy, and all of those key-less locking and other electronics are just options that add some value, but mainly are expensive to fix, and they all will break down, sooner or later. The servos and electric motors, as well as the sensors and even the wiring are sensitive to temperature and humidity changes, not to mention friction and entropy, and they are nearly always hard to get at. Great for a new car, but in a used one…well, we’ll have to see.

]]> By: Jan Karlsbjerg http://www.loudmurmurs.com/2007/07/27/my-first-week-working-for-big-blue/comment-page-1/#comment-5630 Jan Karlsbjerg Sat, 28 Jul 2007 22:58:32 +0000 http://www.loudmurmurs.com/2007/07/27/my-first-week-working-for-big-blue/#comment-5630 Hey, I heard about the "three strikes and you're out" rule (my wife's ex used to work for IBM in the 80's) but I had no idea it was still in effect. Interesting article about IBM employees in Second Life. Though when you read it closely it does say for example <blockquote>IBM wants employees who <b>work</b> in Second Life and other virtual online worlds to be on their best behavior.</blockquote> If we're talking about people representing IBM in various forums, then it's very reasonable that IBM puts out some guidelines, right? I see from the Flickr photos that you and Pam went with a snazzy little Mercedes for your new (used) car. Bad move, guys, now it'll be impossible to settle for anything less in the future. You should've gone for an old clunker. :-) Hey, I heard about the “three strikes and you’re out” rule (my wife’s ex used to work for IBM in the 80’s) but I had no idea it was still in effect.

Interesting article about IBM employees in Second Life. Though when you read it closely it does say for example

IBM wants employees who work in Second Life and other virtual online worlds to be on their best behavior.

If we’re talking about people representing IBM in various forums, then it’s very reasonable that IBM puts out some guidelines, right?

I see from the Flickr photos that you and Pam went with a snazzy little Mercedes for your new (used) car. Bad move, guys, now it’ll be impossible to settle for anything less in the future. You should’ve gone for an old clunker. :-)

]]> By: Dmitry http://www.loudmurmurs.com/2007/07/27/my-first-week-working-for-big-blue/comment-page-1/#comment-5625 Dmitry Sat, 28 Jul 2007 20:15:43 +0000 http://www.loudmurmurs.com/2007/07/27/my-first-week-working-for-big-blue/#comment-5625 Hi David, how interesting that you're now at IBM. I can assure you that your reaction to all the security measures and the weird and wonderful software configuration is perfectly normal. :) It's too bad that they have implemented the licence rental policy - when I was there, you could still get good old-fashioned individual licences for things like Visio. It's good to hear that you're enjoying your project, though, and I wouldn't worry about saying too much in a blog entry - one of the great things about IBM is the well-established culture of both external and internal blogging, which is pretty remarkable for a large enterprise. Good luck at Big Blue! Hi David, how interesting that you’re now at IBM.

I can assure you that your reaction to all the security measures and the weird and wonderful software configuration is perfectly normal. :) It’s too bad that they have implemented the licence rental policy — when I was there, you could still get good old-fashioned individual licences for things like Visio.

It’s good to hear that you’re enjoying your project, though, and I wouldn’t worry about saying too much in a blog entry — one of the great things about IBM is the well-established culture of both external and internal blogging, which is pretty remarkable for a large enterprise.

Good luck at Big Blue!

]]>