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Praetorium Honoris

Wednesday, August 2, 2023

Backstage Pass

(Source)
So the past cuppla posts (of mine) have been spent reintroducing the characters from the first volume of the prequel. The prequel to Almost a Lifetime, of course, (newcomers can look here for what I'm talking about).

I'm not done yet, I still have the Brits and the Soviets (I say that rather than Russians as some of the characters are actually not Russian) to cover. Not to mention there are a couple of tank crews in North Africa waiting patiently to return to the story (one British, one German).

Some of these characters are in Almost a Lifetime, some are not. Let me explain ...

In war, as we've seen, people die. Characters in the two (?) prequels aren't going to make it to Almost a Lifetime, because they died. But their existence helped formed the storyline of the characters who do make it to Almost a Lifetime. At least that's the plan.

I can't guarantee a new episode everyday, excepting Monday of course, which belongs to Juvat. But I'm going to try and get this thing up and running, quick as I can, and as quick as the Muse allows.

 In other news ...

Air conditioning has decided to go south in my computer lab at work. Temperatures in the low 80s, surrounded by equipment which may or may not decide to fail depending on internal temperature.

They say they're working on it, why today they managed to actually choose a vendor. Well, sakes alive that sort of progress is just dizzying. Why, next thing you know they might actually sign a contract, then haggle over terms and conditions.

Hell, we might actually have a cool lab by the time Halloween rolls around. Wee doggies, as Jed Clampett was wont to say.

Grannie and Uncle Jed
(Source)
Apropos of nothing (but I do love the tune) ...



Well, that's all I got for today, y'all come back now, ya hear?



16 comments:

  1. Gosh Sarge, our governmental leaders would congratulate you for NOT having that evil air conditioning that is responsible for destroying the earth. Buy the Muse a cuppa Sarge.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Indeed, they probably would.

      Seems to be working today, wonder of wonders.

      Delete
  2. Getting a bit sectionalist, aren't you? "Gone south"....why not "gone north?" ;-)

    The "Folkways" recordings are great, I used to have several of the albums.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gone south, like Sherman. Fire, and all that?

      Delete
    2. Joe - Well, it is hotter in the south, neh?

      Heard that song while watching an episode of Fargo, Season 4. Love it.

      Delete
    3. a bear - Well, it was kinda Sherman in Atlanta hot yesterday in the lab.

      Delete
    4. Again, I was lucky. For about my first ten years, I worked in a lab/office that had its own through-the-wall heating/air conditioning units independent of the rest of the building that we could control. In winter, you could grow bananas, in summer, you could hang meat.

      Delete
  3. Thanks for the background Sarge. How people write and their thinking is always interesting to me.

    I am no IT genius, but do I remember correctly that heat and electronic components do not mix well? If so and someone does not figure it out, I suspect there will be a slightly different challenge...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Indeed, excessive heat and electrical components are not a good mix. The equipment will eventually shut down if it gets too hot. Then we can't work and/or the equipment needs to be replaced. But as I mentioned above, it seems to be working today.

      Delete
  4. We'll(least I'll) be back, Sarge; nae worries.
    BG

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  5. I like the title-header picture.
    The CG helo (H-65) came with air-conditioning for the electronics, the extra went to the cabin.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We had problems with the AC in our Data Centers (where the main processing equipment lives) a few weeks back. So it's a separate system from that used to cool the workspaces. Our problem is that the building was designed a certain way with air-handling equipment sufficient to that set-up, but when yu close off areas, open up other areas and change the basic layput, and not change the airhandliong stuff, you get problems.

      Update: The AC is not fixed, it's just a really cool morning and the interior temperature reflects that. As the day heats up, so does the lab.

      Delete
  6. A good company will have a relationship (called a service contract) with plumbers, electricians, HVAC folk and such. Oh, machine be acting up, call the contractor on file and they'll handle it. Geez, when I had the house I had a contractor for my HVAC, yearly service and priority service for repairs and replacements.

    But companies are notoriously stupid about such things. And so are government agencies.

    Case in point #1: Proprietary software for battery manufacturer, didn't wanna pay the service contract, got it in the neck when the Juarez computer software went fritzy.

    Case in point #2: PD I worked for bought a very expensive computerized fingerprint id system, but did not buy the service contract. Of course the system went down, duh, and, of course the city balked at the expense of paying the service guy as soon as he stepped out of his house in Chicago and flew down to Gainesville and paid for his per diem and lodgings and rental car and for him sitting on his arse for 4 days while expensive pieces of equipment were air-freighted from Chicago to Gainesville. Yes, finally, the penny-pinchers at the city office paid for a service contract, which came out cheaper than just paying for the above visit. Service contract, of course, covered per diem, car rental, air freight, costs of parts and such....

    Never underestimate the stupidity of Sharp Fiscal Management!!!!

    Seriously, if your company is so stupid not to have an HVAC contractor on call and on contract, that's a pretty good sign they're cutting costs all over the place, and might also be a sign that retirement may be more of an option than before.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My company has ever been penny-wie and pound-foolish. It's what happens when you contract for the U.S. Gubmint.

      Delete

Just be polite... that's all I ask. (For Buck)
Can't be nice, go somewhere else...

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