Christ Centered Gamer

Just make sure to play the best metal you can find.

There's a somewhat apocryphal story from my university about something similar. Not sure how true it is, but it is a good story no less.

So our university had a bell tower of sorts in the middle of campus that rings out every hour like a bell tower should (playing chimes every fifteen minutes, each one getting longer until the hour, after which the number of the hour chimes in single tones), but also signaled our daily chapel time at 10:50-11:00 (chapel was 11:00-11:30).

First, a little technical information. Originally, there were actual bells in the tower that were pulled by a mechanical system, not unlike most old bell towers. But sometime in the 90's, they refitted it with an actual speaker system. The system now consisted of a series of speakers at the top, which were controlled over the network (this was super sophisticated in the 90's for my school, lol). The only computer capable of connecting to it was a computer deep in the school's Biblical Studies building. This computer was behind locked doors in the faculty office, with the assumption that it would be very difficult to get to it. And they were right.

But either through forgetfulness or assumption that it was also a deterrent, they didn't actually put a lock on the tower's somewhat-disguised door. This is important.

So one day in 2002, when the chapel bells begin ringing, metal music instead began blasting from the speakers in the bell tower. Naturally, the university sends up a technical support technician to the top of the bell tower. At the top, he finds a small music player (it was either CD or Cassette, the story doesn't say) and a note reading "To the finder of this letter...". The technician, assuming this is a terrorist attack (it was less than a year after 9/11), immediately calls the police. The police come, and sure enough, no bomb. The students involved got suspended for a semester, I believe.


So go for it, but make sure to cover your tracks well.

Hmm...problematic. There are cameras everywhere, and the security/asset protection guy already has his eye on me (for nothing I did. Just sorta that way). Maybe something to do before I leave...Or there might be a simpler way. >_> <_<

Shifty eyes?

The best kind of eyes.

Does it seem like the logical processes at working locales are just incredibly stupid, and implemented for no reasons?

You have no idea.

Take the process at my workplace.


Suppose you want to make a simple two-line code change.

In an ideal world, you'd make a list of the changes, go over it with your boss, make the changes, test it, have people briefly look over the change, and be done. Maybe a couple days, tops.

Not so here. This way be madness.

Here you must fill out a two page form for your code change, and send it to a board who only meet once a week. They must approve it before you can proceed. Then you must "analyze" the problem and determine the solution. And send it back to that board to be discussed. Again, once a week meeting here. If you messed something up, you have to fix it (with almost no input from the board) and send it back. Again, once a week meeting. Now you make the change. Then you test it. Then you have people look over it (Which is supposed to last a few days, but lasts weeks in practice.) and make any changes. If you changed something, better test again (This is actually the most sane part of this process)! Now you send it for verification from quality assurance, and you'd better bet your bottom dollar they will take a week to get back to you. Then, only then, is the change "Done".

Case in point: Because of this, a simple 5-line code change (Which was trivial, just renaming some internal things) which should have taken a few days at most, took a month and a half. A month. And. A. Half. That is not how you do software, people. To top it off, my lead got mad at me for it taking so long. We're supposed to be a "Quick Reaction" team or something. Nothing about this process engenders speed. None. Not one bit. Either we need to stop calling ourselves "Quick" teams, or we need to serious streamline the process. Neither of which will happen, because the government is involved, and egos are at stake. Because God forbid you bruise someone's ego in the name of efficiency...

Kill me.

It's the same at Wal-Mart, if not as time consuming. Case in point: Stockers aren't supposed to put something on the shelf unless they can fit the entire quantity (IE: That twelve pack of canned peas isn't supposed to go up unless all twelve cans can be put on the shelf). Which makes sense. But since people don't buy things 12 at a time, odd numbers are often required. So the computer system requests that 5 can's of peas be picked out and sent to the stockers.

Problem is, IMS isn't supposed to partially pick something, since it will mess with the computer system and make the shelves unusable. So, if we skip those items, the bosses will be unhappy that we're not picking all the items on our list (and everything is monitored, from the time we scan our first item to the time we turn in the telxon). So we pick the entire quantity, knowing that it very likely won't go on the shelf, and we'll just have to put it in the back again later. @_@

Why is there stuff everywhere?

Ooooh goodness, I remember that. I worked in hardware during my brief stint at Walmart (Paint mixing was fun), and...yeah. Stocking sucked. XD


Because systems tend toward chaos rather than order. Which is why Walmart stock rooms can be a nightmare.

IMS is worse, I think. I sort of prefer stocking, actually. If you didn't have to deal with customers and the occasional crazy 8--10 pallet night, I'd say it was easier.

Though this experience has taught me a valuable lesson: Employees don't know everything. Some of them don't know anything.

Having to potty so bad, you almost lose it?

It's the worst feeling.

It's worth upgrading to 100% juice?

Depends on the juice, but usually yeah.

I love me some 100% prune juice. It has the consistency of slimy mud. <3

Why on earth would you tell my money saving self about the Steam sale?

I was literally beating my hand with a stick to keep it from grabbing my wallet.

Because I want to share the love. <3

I'm like...5 or six games in at the moment. Trying not to buy anything else. XD

Sword of the Stars: The Pit?

Never heard of it. What is it?