Diary of a Network Geek

I’ve had so many jobs, I’ve lost track of what my title should be.

I’ve been called everything from “Network Engineer” to “Server Administrator” to “Network Ninja” to…  Well, let’s just say I’ve been called a lot of things during my career, some nicer than others.  But, in the end, what they all had in common was that I usually spend long hours confined to a small, often dark, usually quite loud, space, never seeing sunlight for days or weeks at a time.  It’s not anywhere near as sexy as they make it seem in Hollywood, trust me.  Anyway, back in the day, I described my job to a friend who’d spent some time in the Navy.  His comment was that it sounded like I was a perfect candidate for the Submarine Service.
From what I’ve read, though, they eat better than instant ramen with leftover pork loin.
*sigh* One day I aspire to live like a human and not a morlock.

Advice from your Uncle Jim:
They say integrity is what we do when no one is watching. What are you doing now?

This seems like a problem…
Over two years ago, on my other blog, I noted a little news article about dolphins geared-up and trained for combat. Well, it seems that not only do they exist, but they may have been released into the Gulf of Mexico, by accident, due to the effects of Hurricane Katrina. At least, according to this news article at the Guardian, that’s quite likely. The US government will neither confirm, nor deny, the veracity of this story, but sources close to the military indicate that as many as 36 bottle-nose dolphins that have been trained by the Navy to attack terrorists compromising ocean vessels may be loose in the Gulf. These sources say that divers and surfers may be in actual danger from these swimming mammals who have been armed with some kind of “poison dart gun”. The concern, according to the article, is that these dolphins “have learnt to shoot at divers in wetsuits who have simulated terrorists in exercises” and could attack innocent bystanders who fit the profile.
The good news is that the “poison” darts are designed to put their target to sleep for later interrogation, but a lone swimmer or diver could find themselves in trouble. And, again, the Navy will not confirm or deny this story. It could be nothing, but…
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water!

Okay here are two stories about kids and their place in society.

More to the point, how they’re inappropriately categorized. The first story is about gum with inappropriate, stick-on tattoos. The tattoos, which I normally enjoy, included nudity, sexually explicit material and references to the Klan. These are subjects that are inappropriate for me and I’m 34 years old! The gum is made in Turkey and shipped to a distributor here in the States, who has said they’d pull all the gum. I wonder if the factory people in Turkey sent us those tattoos on purpose? Trying to stir up trouble in the States and/or corrupt our children? No matter how you slice it, it’s damn disturbing. Now I have to watch what comes with the candy, not just how much candy my kids eat.
You can read the story here.

The other story is a little more cute. Apparently, a seven-year old got on the list for military recruiters and has gotten calls, or letters, from both the Marines and the Navy. But, little Joey doesn’t think much of the facilities that sailors get, so it looks like the Marines have the edge on recuiting this youngster!
You can read that story here.