Give us the cheat codes to your industry/place of work!
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I’m a waitress. It never hurts to say it’s your birthday or better yet, anniversary. Birthdays get free dessert most places but anniversaries get free bubbles. It costs me nothing to give it to you.
Just make sure to tip on the pre-discount amount and it’s all good.
Even if my wife and I get our meal fully comped because the kitchen messed up or it took a long time (has happened a few times, college town. We never complain or get upset, the managers just come over and apologize then comp it), we qt least tip as if it wasn’t comped, if we liked our server and/or the food a lot (both, most of the time) then we tip the full amount of the comped meal. Without fail the servers have been surprised that we tip at all when that happens
Tertiary education: university professor.
LPT: Talk to your professor and ask questions!!
I have so many students that don’t perform well because they didn’t understand some material. I’m seriously getting paid to help you understand it, but I can’t present it in a way that works perfectly for every student since they all have their own learning styles. I also wont know if they aren’t getting it of no one speaks out.
I want:
- to help
- everyone to learn the material
- to talk about science because I’m a super nerd
- what is and isn’t working for you in class
- students to show up to office hours
I don’t:
- expect anyone to already know something they haven’t learned about
- care if you ask me a million questions
- want you to perform poorly
- want you do go to the field unprepared
- like it when students treat me like they are bothering me
- grade papers that are ridiculously wrong because students didn’t try to ask me for help
The vast majority of university professors are obsessed with what they teach, so much so, that they made a career out of talking about it. Asking then about it would make their day. If you go up to one that seems like they’re being bothered, then that’s the exception. Don’t let that one stop you from engaging with all of the others.
Note: This is true for almost all courses. However, there are some courses in certain universities that are considered “weed out classes”. These classes, typically taken in the first 2 years, are informally designed to have lower performing students fail before they advance too far into the major and find out later that they don’t have what it takes to be successful in the field. The professors of those classes are more commonly not helpful at all. Don’t give me shit about it because I didn’t design this system nor do I teach those classes.
Tertiary education: IT (software developer)
Same theme for my LPT, different area. Are you having a problem? Housing? Tuition? Health issue? Ask about it! Likely you’re one of many and we (support staff) have systems in place to point you in the right direction. If you’re the first to run into a problem, we need to know so we can fix it. Don’t worry about bothering us, that’s what we’re there for. Many students wait until they have no other choice but to get in contact when it would have been easier for everyone if they had brought it up sooner. I totally understand the impulse, I’ve been that kid.
I was going to say I had the polar opposite experience until your last paragraph.
Lecturers were very rarely excited about the material they taught, left as soon as they could and were far more concerned with their research than helping students.
That was EE so probably a mix of weed-out and the fact that they were all socially awkward mega nerds.
I completely agree.
Back when I was taking GEs I had an ancient history class that I just couldn’t get. One visit to the professors office hours and he basically guaranteed me a decent passing grade as long as I did the final essay.
His job was to teach and help students pass. He knew his subject wasn’t everyone’s passion and was super chill about it.
One caveat of this, is in my experience it was younger TAs running 100 level classes that were the strictest. They for whatever reason didn’t have the experience or self-awareness to know that their teaching method didn’t align with every student.
You also have the viewpoint that some freshmen level classes were designed to specifically weed people out. If you aren’t able to have a way to pass those classes, then it was thought that teaching you further would be a waste.
Which is such a poor attitude. Just because someone is bad in one subject doesn’t apply to every subject. English, math, and history were all GEs. What use does having an English major be weeded out by their ability to do stats or calculus?
Or a psych major because they have no particular interest in pre-silk road civilizations?
Just because someone is bad in one subject doesn’t apply to every subject.
No, but the freshman year is supposed to lay the groundwork for later classes and teach soft skills for use later.
What use does having an English major be weeded out by their ability to do stats or calculus?
I’ve found it rare that universities require English majors to take advanced math. However, even within that, calculus is just a different way of preparing logic proofs and statistics is commonly used and misused in developing arguments.
Also, a four year degree isn’t meant to be a technical degree, but to help create a more well rounded leader. That means having more knowledge than just the subject. This is the reason why engineers have to take humanities classes.
Thank you for putting all of this so succintly. I’m not into teaching, but I’ve done a few workshops and I always struggle to express the attitude you described to get the pupils engaged.
I had this same attitude when I was a student. Even though my professors were older and more knowledgable, I always tried to approach them as peers and it worked out great. I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed, but because I talked, I could use my strengths better because I was more aware of the expectations and requirements than a portion of other students.
I work in information security.
Don’t use biometrics to secure your devices. Biometrics are a convenience feature to make it easier to access your device. Biometrics are NOT security. You can be compelled to unlock your device by having it pointed at your face or your finger forced onto the reader. Don’t do it.
Use 2FA/MFA everywhere you can. If it’s an option, turn it on.
Use a password manager that generates strong passwords and use a different password for every service you use.
Update, update, update. Allow your devices, OSes, and software/applications to update automatically.
Talk to your parents about safe surfing. Tell them that their bank won’t send them an email or text asking them to send personal information. Set a password with your family to identify them if they are in trouble and need help. Tell parents and grandparent not to send you bail money to get you out of jail in Morocco.
Teach your kids that everything they post on the internet is public and permanent. Teach them that if they do something that they think will get them in trouble and someone is blackmailing them that it’s better to tell you and ask for help than to give in to the blackmailers.
A verbal secret passphrase to identify yourself to your family would be pretty smart.
Yup. Also having an agreement that an X from any family member means they are uncomfortable or in trouble and you should call them in one minute, tell them that there is an emergency, and you need to pick them up right now. Get them safe and don’t ask questions unless they want to talk.
Allowing apps to update automatically often means that advertising and feature removal or nerfing, etc., can happen. Checking manually has saved me a lot of grief.
I finally let my phone do some app updates the other week, my banking app now displays full screen ads for their credit cards, conveniently right as you go to click the transfer button.
I don’t update shit anymore. I update my OS and apps on my desktop, but my phone is now being actively neglected in regards to app updates. Every single app update breaks something, removes a feature, or brings ads into the picture.
That’s my expert opinion. Take it or leave it. It’s your device.
In this day and age where updating an app means losing half the functionality, no thanks. Would love a way around that though!
You’re exposing yourself to unpatched vulnerabilities for convenience instead of updating or deleting the app. If you lose half the functionality because of an update it’s time to find a new app in my books.
If only that were an option…
You’ve done a threat and risk assessment and decided that the inconvenience of uninstalling or disabling the app is with accepting the risk of your device being competing and your data stolen or ransomed, your banking or other credentials being stolen, your friends, family, and other contacts being targeted, and your employer being put at risk if you use your device for work. That’s an acceptable way of handling the situation. You can always accept the risk.
I’ve heard this sentiment for almost 20 years. “The app works fine, why update, it only breaks things.”
Then they blame me when it starts being incompatible with the current OS or some other application. Even if the only fix is to update they still resist or refuse outright.
Regarding biometrics, I’ve felt that one advantage is that if I’m in a public space, I don’t have to worry about someone watching me enter my password over my shoulder. If I got into a situation where someone is physically overpowering me to get my finger onto my device against my will, I’m probably going to give them whatever password they want so I don’t get a beat down.
That’s a threat and risk assessment. You’ve decided you’re willing to accept the risk of anyone being able to unlock your phone. For me, I’m not really worried about someone in the street strong arming me. I’m more worried about a state actor, border guard, police officer, etc demanding that I unlock my phone. They can physically compel you to unlock your phone by pointing it at your face or putting your finger on the pad but they cannot compel you to give them your password.
I’m probably preaching to the choir, but for those who don’t know, at least on an iPhone and I’m sure android has something similar, if you foresee the situation coming you can just hold the sleep/wake button for a few seconds (even while your phone is in your pocket) and it will require the passcode and not allow biometrics.
Edit: my memory, it’s the sleep/wake button and volume down. Similar to android as per the below.
For android it’s power+volume up to bring up the power options menu (shutdown, restart, etc) and there is a “lock down” option that disables biometric unlock.
Wish I could do it with one hand, but good to know it’s there.
I definitely see your perspective, but mostly wanted to make sure I wasn’t overlooking some obvious downside in my risk assessment.
I figure my chances are low that I will get into the situation where an authority demands access to my phone but I also don’t have the opportunity to lock out biometrics. Like if I get pulled over I just hold power and volume up buttons for three seconds and biometrics is off. That said, it certainly doesn’t eliminate my risk completely, and I wouldn’t consider anyone crazy for just opting out completely.
The other problem with biometrics is you can’t change them. With the OPM breach a few years ago they lost 5.6 million finger prints. Those finger prints are now useless since they are in the wild and can’t be changed. Not a problem for your average phone user but in my world that’s a really big deal. In my world biometrics are a convenience and convenience is bad for security.
As long as you’ve considered and accepted the risks you’re good.
Time to start using the middle finger, until the next data breach. Then the ring finger.
Can I use my dick head?
“You want me to unlock my phone? I used the head of my erect penis. I’m not going to get it up myself. Knock yourself the fuck out.”
Corporate IT: I see nearly everything you do on your computer. I can see exactly how long what application is open. If I ask you to restart your computer, you don’t, and you somehow get me in front of it, restarting it better not fix it or your next ticket is gonna be low priority no matter what. If you want in with IT, always open a ticket and include as much info as you can clearly convey. Snacks and bribes won’t always work with those of us who are very antisocial.
I’ve dealt with my share of PC issues and apart from digging in and writing scripts, I’m an advanced end user. One time le tired IT guy needed to remote in for some issue I didn’t have appropriate access to deal with. He seemed rather startled when I opened notepad and said “Hi!”
I also swear I began to get more difficult to recognize fake phishing attempts shortly after.
Dave, if you’re reading this you never caught me with one! Gotta try harder!
Can you hijack the camera and see us too?
Yes, of course. Though your camera light would alert you of the usage, unless of course, your IT guy ordered a camera that can deactivate the light via software (or simply opened the camera and yanked the light)
No and if I found a way I would file a report against any other IT agent who did. That’s invasion of privacy IMO. Microsoft can tho, remember the Kinect?
or your next ticket is gonna be low priority no matter what.
That’s childish and won’t ever cause a change in their behavior.
Bonus points if they show management the ticket that’s stalling a project from progressing and has been sitting on your desk for 2 weeks.Stalling a ticket here means a day, not two weeks. I have 72 hours to respond at a maximum before I get penalized. We are worked so fast here the skin flies off your bones.
I will prioritize nicer clients (assuming the issue is equal as fast to solve) if they are more pleasent to work with.
You say that like it’s the one “high priority” ticket that the one big project is waiting on. In a sea of backlogged high priority issues attached to critical projects, being an asshat means that yours will be at the bottom of the 100 other super-important, my job-is-special tickets.
BUT MY SLIDE DECKS
Snacks and bribes won’t always work with those of us who are very antisocial.
Always ask the person you are trying to bribe what they like to be bribed with.
I’m a philosopher, nothing matters, so stop worrying about it and live your life the way you want to live it.
You put the peeps in the chili pot and make it taste…bad.
The real question is, do you have Nietzsche’s mustache too?
The beautiful thing about life having no sense is that you are free to give it the one you want.
You can freeze chips/crisps indefinitely. I used to work for Frito Lay. Just thaw them when you get close to snack time. Of course I never do this because I just eat the chips I have at home.
They don’t get soggy?
I mean, if they’re bagged in a low humidity environment and the bag stays sealed, there should be very little chance of them getting soggy. Because in order for them to get soggy, the bag would need humidity.
I only interned there, but the handful of times I thawed the chips, there were no issues.
My instant thought was that that’s amazing, my next thought was along the lines of how badly that would murder freezer space unless you open the bag. Can I open the bag?
Never tried, but I think it would work. Oxygen is the enemy, but the reason is because oxidation leads to other byproducts that lead to a stale flavor. I believe the cold temperature slows all that down.
I suppose if I really wanted I could buy a tank of nitrogen, too.
It’s okay to not start in your ideal job on day one and to take sideways shifts to get closer to it. I went from phone monkey in a call centre, to a letter monkey, to a software tester, to a software business analyst (all at the same company), to a software product owner, to a software product manager. I gravitated back towards my stronger IT oriented passions over time.
Brother, Pharmacist:
Just because we called doesn’t mean your prescription is ready. Listen to the message
Just because your doctor said they sent in your prescription… it means nothing. He or she probably asked an assistant to send it or put it in their inbox.
Like 1 in 3 people drove here without a drivers license.
Lmao, is the bottom one because you ask to see some ID?
Correct! It’s a disturbingly large proportion. Some medications absolutely require one, and people who just drove up will tell you they didn’t bring any form of ID whatsoever.
Ok random question: the Walgreens near me almost never asks for my ID when I pickup my Adderall, is it really not required for that? I thought it was a hard rule to check ID for any controlled substances
In my state you aren’t required to have your license with you while driving. You just have to provide it within 24 hours of getting pulled over, etc.
What the fuck is this world sometimes
I read that in Alabama (or maybe Mississippi, I can’t recall) you can drink alcohol while driving. You just can’t be above the blood alcohol concentration limit.
Louisiana, I believe.
Louisiana had famously (or infamously) lax liquor laws for decades, so maybe that‘s what you’re thinking of. Shit like drive-thru daiquiri stores, where as long as they don’t put the straw in the cup it’s not considered an “open” container. So they can just hand you a cup full of liquor, and the straw separately.
It’s also a large part of why New Orleans developed a reputation as a party town; Louisiana kept their drinking age at 18 while every other state was at 21, so all the college freshmen/sophomores would go to Louisiana during spring break because they could drink.
And I thought Fat Tuesdays was weird as a visitor…
TIL. Thanks.
In Canada, the drinking age is 19 everywhere except Quebec where it’s 18, so in Ottawa 18 year olds just go across the river to buy liquor.
I’m the
UKEngland and Wales you can’t be required to carry ID at all.If the police ask you for them, you have 7 days to present them at a police station.
(Edit: really not sure it extends to Scotland where such laws often vary, and pretty sure it doesn’t apply to NI, where they vary even more, especially on driving/licensing, so UK was inaccurate)
Huh, I didn’t know that. I used to give my da shit because he never carried his license. Though we’re in NI and police checkpoints are a thing here.
You know I said UK but this is exactly the sort of law that tends to be different in NI.
That’s kind of ironic for a nation that’s leaned into eyes everywhere pretty hard.
Really.
AFAIK the ID law is a consequence of a centuries-old right that you cannot be required to identify yourself if you’re doing nothing wrong, and then even if you did do something wrong, you still can’t be required to have brought ID with you since it’s likely you didn’t set out knowing you’d be doing that today.
But the surveillance/camera thing is recent, when rights of ordinary people apparently are less fashionable.
HVAC, most maintenance check ups are scams. Very little in residential air conditioner/heat pumps needs any up keep. All the motors are sealed and you’re better off not putting gauges on a system unless there’s an actual issue.
Change the air filter every three months, and in the spring shut off the outside unit, and hose off the coil fins of any debris trying not to spray anything electrical looking. Wait a couple hours and turn it back on. YouTube probably has videos.
Can I pester you with a question? Feel free to tell me to get bent because I know your time is worth money and this is just the internet. We have a new Trane system that was flawless when it was first put in, but over the past five months the blower has started making louder and louder vibration noises. Almost like it’s slightly off balance. If it was an older system I wouldn’t think twice, but it was dead quiet at first, just the sound of moving air pretty much.
Part of me wants to open up the cabinet and just see if there’s some sort of vibration pad that’s gotten loose, but I also don’t want to to void a warranty, or something. It seems so trivial a thing. We live in the boonies and a service call is pretty onerous for a tech. I thought maybe there could be balancing weights, like a car wheel or a lawnmower blade, but your comment about motors being sealed is making me think twice.
Opening up the panel to the blower area won’t void the warranty. ( not that I would tell anyone you opened it, because disreputable companies will make a stink even though its legal.)
It’s possible a mounting bolt came loose (simple fix). There isn’t anything to balance on any of the blowers I’ve ever worked on. So that leaves a bearing going bad in the motor. Or the set-up being out of balance and it destroyed the bearing. Either way, you should put in a call to a company that is authorized to do warranty work on Trane. If your not sure call their 1-800 number and ask them to recommend someone in your area.
Now, if they recommend only replacing the motor I would ABSOLUTELY make them show you the blower running after they replace the motor. So you can see for yourself that the blower isn’t out of balance. I’ve known way to many lazy mechanics that would just replace the motor, because replacing the whole cage is a royal PITA.
Thank you. It’s a new construction and the builder seems to generally pick really good subs, and I’m pretty sure whoever installed it did the entire house, so they should be familiar with it. I’ll give them a call.
Edit: Update to this. I cut the circuit breaker and opened the unit and something was clearly wrong with the blower motor. Mountings and bushings etc all looked fine, but rotating the blower manually was rocky. It seems like a bad bearing or something but I’m no expert. The tech came out and confirmed in about 15 minutes the blower motor needs warranty replacement. Unit is less than 8 months old, he said it’s rare but he’s seen it before. I kind of want to do a teardown but not enough to buy it. Tech said it was OK to run, and I did that up until yesterday when it sounded so bad I was afraid it was going to grenade the whole box and stopped using AC. Temps close to 100F so hopefully he gets to it soon. I’ll be sure to have him run it before he leaves. Thanks again.
I would add water softeners to this. Just installed one for a mate and bloody hell they’re so low maintenance. Step one, add salt. That’s it.
I know of three other people that are locked in to maintenance contracts for the next three years
Tech, specifically AI automation. My LPT is that most services are just using GPT4 in some capacity. Automated workflows are not plug and play, credentials expire, variables change, limits are exceeded, etc. Rather than pay a random company to build and maintain something for you, you can save a shit ton by just hiring someone in-house who knows Zapier or Make and having them build the workflow you need.
So I typed out a long reply with helpful tips and everything but Lemmy broke and I couldn’t send that, and I really can’t be arsed again, this is already too much effort.
Massage/Wellness: your posture sucks and your back hurts all the time because you have a flabby gut and no ass. Get to exercising.
IT: Rebooting a device is sometimes the only legit troubleshoot step.
But we decide when this is truly the last trump card.
Did you remember to clear your cookies and cache?
Actually, just please try rebooting before you call me, though.
Or “power cycling” as we say, because we enjoy complicating simple things
Report dev/data analysis/data engineering: if you think data or a report is wrong tell us exactly what information is wrong, exactly what report/code you ran, exactly what filters you selected, and exactly what you are using to compare that information. Second thing: no we can’t just ”make the data different", we pull the data in the database. If it is “wrong” it is upstream of us, we need to find the root issue.
Theatre tech. Show up on time. Sometimes shows don’t take late comers even with a bought ticket. And it’s bothering everyone else, artists included.
If the venue has a bar, stay for a drink. Like everyone else, artists (and techs) love to have a drink after a hard day at the office.
