Intimidated by Lightning: My Story

[The_Professional]

I'm reading bits and pieces about Star Wars that I had to stop and avoid it altogether. I don't want to ruin it for myself...oh, and I read that Maaa...died

 

[Danger]

No prob. I chose to include myself in your remarks so I would have something to say.

Better than sitting idly by.

Right now the only thing that is intimidating me are computer viruses.

That's another advantage to Macs—nobody seems to make viruses for them. I have Disc Warrior, but I've never had to use it. It's a lot better than Norton, but I don't know if there's a PC version.

 

[Moonbear]

That's another advantage to Macs—nobody seems to make viruses for them. I have Disc Warrior, but I've never had to use it. It's a lot better than Norton, but I don't know if there's a PC version.

Oh, they do, but they don't spread like wildfire, and the one or two I've caught weren't all that nefarious. Of course, the antivirus software never seems to recognize the ones I've had. The only one I remember on a Mac was probably back on OS 8 or 9, and it changed some letters in the names of menu items so they made funny words. I think it changed some fonts on stuff too. I found the file that was suspiciously new, trashed it, and everything returned to normal and I never had a problem again. I think I caught that virus from a Kinkos computer, but it could have been from someone else using that computer too since it was a shared computer.

Here, the university is supposed to have a virus scan on email as it comes through the server to remove any viruses before they get delivered, but it doesn't seem to catch all of them. I've had my own anti-viral software identify those, but I don't think any of them infect macs, or it hasn't gotten me yet anyway. Just be sure to keep all software wrapped in latex before inserting, and don't be promiscuous about who'll you accept attachments from.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Okay, here's something that really used to intimidate me, but now I just whine a lot. My work [industrial automation, systems integration] involves no end of technical manuals, often hundreds of pages long each, with perhaps ten, or even twenty or more needed for a single large job. The technology is changing so quickly, and there is so much diversity between brands, and so many new companies popping up with new products that one almost never does the same thing twice. Almost every new job involves technology that neither I or anyone else has ever used. More often than not, new technology does not work exactly as claimed, and no one really understands how it does work, or how to make it work as promised. Of course the principles are all roughly the same, but the little nuances and/or glitches found most products can be a nightmare the first time through. This often results when product lines are mixed, which is common; and this can really reduce the profit on a job. I remember one product using something called Modbus protocols, that had a unique but undocumented requirement that three particular command words must be transmitted together, or the message would be ignored. It was completely unique to this one application and it was documented nowhere.

It's pretty common for me to be popping in at PF while I'm pulling my hair out over some stupid glitch that shouldn't be happening. But when I first started out on my own it was absolutely overwhelming. There were many long weeks during which I all but thought I had died and gone to hell. And it was common that after the thrill of the contract, a first review of what I had just promised to do often filled me with terror! So even though I love what I do, and even though I consider myself to be very lucky, I literally lived in state of constant fear for much the first two years and a good part since that. Failure is not an option and there is nowhere to turn for help. After seven years, it is still a stressor at times, but that's about it.

 

[Danger]

Just be sure to keep all software wrapped in latex before inserting, and don't be promiscuous about who'll you accept attachments from.

Hey, no glove, no love.
I'm still on OS9, but I haven't been around much yet. I'm sure that my Warrior version is newer than any bugs that would work on my system.

Okay, here's something that really used to intimidate me, but now I just whine a lot.

Sounds like a bloody nightmare. You must have a lot of patience.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Sounds like a bloody nightmare.

At times it was. I spent one weekend thinking that I had just lost the house and property [I was working but still waiting for my insurance policy]. As it turned out I was in the clear. We had a master CPU failure. But the losses were mounting at a rate of about $10,000 per hour or so, and it appeared to be my fault.

 

[Danger]

But the losses were mounting at a rate of about $10,000 per hour or so, and it appeared to be my fault.

And I thought it was bad that I busted a couple of windows breaking into cars that they hadn't designed opening tools for.

 

[Moonbear]

We had a master CPU failure. But the losses were mounting at a rate of about $10,000 per hour or so, and it appeared to be my fault.

It's a good thing Tsu is in a medical profession! With stresses like that, I'm surprised you didn't have instant heart failure!

 

[hypatia]

IRS audits, when the people in navy blue suits come to your house, sit at your table and then tell you this should take 2 to 3 days! I had to excuse myself from the table so I could go throw-up.

These people held my life in there hands for 3 days! The really scary part was, for all that time never once, did I see them smile.

 

[BobG]

Heights intimidate me.

I had a job as a mason's assistant for a couple of years and I hated working on the scaffold when building chimneys. When I first started, you'd have a lot of weight (bricks, mortar, chimney flus) way up at the top of the scaffold and the wind would blow it back and forth. I don't know how those guys could lay their bricks straight with the scaffold moving that much. I have a sneaking suspicion they didn't enjoy it that much either. I started making sure I was the one who built the scaffolding and my scaffolds wouldn't budge an inch. Not much fun to disassemble after the job, but the bricklayers seemed to become as intent on making sure I was the one building the scaffolds as I was.

Being afraid of heights didn't stop me from rock climbing when I was younger, either. It just made me very, very safe about rigging equipment.

While lightning used to not bother me that much, I have to admit that living on a hill has made thunderstorms a little more intimidating than they used to be. It's incredible how many close strikes you get here. We had one hit a tree in our yard and it left a burn streak down the side of the tree.

 

[zoobyshoe]

I remember one product using something called Modbus protocols, that had a unique but undocumented requirement that three particular command words must be transmitted together, or the message would be ignored. It was completely unique to this one application and it was documented nowhere.

To what extent do the manufacturers of these systems make themselves available to answer, or track down the answer, in this kind of situation?

So even though I love what I do, and even though I consider myself to be very lucky, I literally lived in state of constant fear for much the first two years and a good part since that. Failure is not an option and there is nowhere to turn for help. After seven years, it is still a stressor at times, but that's about it.

Faced with this, I think I would see if there is any way to cultivate a relationship with as many of the engineers behind these systems as you can. Call the companies and try, as nicely and non-threateningly as possible, to get access to the engineers. Compliments, and implied compliments, are, of course, as good as oil on a sliding machine element. You're not calling to complain, but with the valid problem of trying to get their superior system to cooperate with a merely run-of-the mill one. That sort of approach. Figure out what to say in a short time to a person who's bound to be busy, such that he'll want to get back to you when he's not busy.
If you could establish a relationship with even one of these engineers, you would have a soundboard. (Sometimes, even having someone who's consistantly wrong can indirectly help, by pushing you to sharpen up your analysis of the problem.)

 

[hypatia]

that three particular command words must be transmitted together, or the message would be ignored.

The Star Trek fan in me is screaming...
Kirk, Spock, Scotty!

 

[Danger]

The Star Trek fan in me is screaming...
Kirk, Spock, Scotty!

As one of my favourite buttons says: 'Beam me sideways, Scotty; nobody here knows which way is up.'

Now that Bob has mentioned heights, I modify my previous answer. I think of 'intimidation' as something that is annoyingly daunting. If you want to get into stark terror, then you can add heights and bugs to my list.

 

[zoobyshoe]

The Star Trek fan in me is screaming...
Kirk, Spock, Scotty!

In the damp woods of the Pacific Northwest, a lone engineer in an isolated office/barn just sat bolt upright and gasped "That's it! That's it! Why didn't I think of it??"

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Zooby, the best answer is that there is tech support available with nearly all products. The problem is that often the support is between bad to worse, and only the easy problems are answered. If I had a dollar for every time that I heard, "well it should be working"... There are rare exceptions on a person by person basis, but more often than not, as soon as a really tough problem is encountered we get the blame game; i.e. the problem is with the other equipment, not ours! If the products are all made by the same company, we get bounced from department to department. So in the end I get to solve most of the hard problems in addition to the primary task of writing the programs. And as I said, the biggest problems usually occur between brands so it may be that no one knows the answer.

Finally, I have a great in with many support engineers; I used to be one of them. Since this was a stepping stone to what I do now, most tech support personnel are relatively inexperienced. But like I say when times are tough, this is why I have a job. Anyway, I don't really mean to complain since I love what I do. But it was often very intimidating at first, and yes, I think I nearly did a heart attack or stroke that one weekend!

 

[zoobyshoe]

So in the end I get to solve most of the hard problems in addition to the primary task of writing the programs. And as I said, the biggest problems usually occur between brands so it may be that no one knows the answer.

The people who hire you probably have no idea what you're up against.

Finally, I have a great in with many support engineers; I used to be one of them. Since this was a stepping stone to what I do now, most tech support personnel are relatively inexperienced.

That's what I was thinking. If you could get around them to the actual people who engineered what you're working on you might get the useful scoop. Instead of "Well, it should be working," you might hear: "Oh, yeah, that component sucked! Don't even try to get that one to do what it's cracked up to do." That sort of thing.

But like I say when times are tough, this is why I have a job. Anyway, I don't really mean to complain since I love what I do. But it was often very intimidating at first, and yes, I think I nearly did a heart attack or stroke that one weekend!

My one remotely similar experience is getting handed a print in the machine shop, reading it over, and realizing that there's no possible way these tolerances can be held under the circumstances with the equipment available at that shop. I tore out much hair. Turns out the company who ordered the part had an unspoken willingness to accept out-of-tolerance parts, which is why our shop kept getting the job. It was too late for me, though, I had already gone from critial on to overheat and meltdown.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

There are definitely a few real experts for certain product lines, but only with the best companies. With others, you email Japan or Germany and wait for about six weeks, if ever. But I am way too small for the best factory experts to bother with. They are completely dedicated to the monster accounts like Boeing, Hughes, etc, and if I cross paths with them they are usually acting as a competitor. In fact I lost the next round of the NMD work and a trip to Ireland this way.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Yes, I can see, then, what problems you are trying to tackle, and don't envy your headaches.

 

[infinitetime]

what intimidates me?

hmmmmmmmm...not hard - exam week!

At this moment and for the next two weeks, I am and will be feeling very, very intimidated!