Pax

you would not believe the number of end users who get angry that there's a firewall or website blacklist active at a company. we'll get these incensed emails from end users berating us for "blacklisting a needed site" that they "must get into ASAP" when it's clear this is the first time they've ever tried to access it.

by default, most companies with this setup work off a whitelist of allowed sites, and everything else is blocked either by policy or category. if you ever went to an internet-connected high school and tried to visit Facebook in the computer labs, you'll be familiar with what happens.

This is mostly implemented to prevent end-users from clicking on malicious links to spam or virus-laden websites. Which they do much more frequently than you'd think for "professionally trained" employees.

Just think, if Richard from accounting would stop believing his manager is giving him a $1,000 Amazon giftcard, we wouldn't be in this mess.

#tech support #tales from tech support #long post #story

Pax @pxdg9/9/2022, 5:43 PM

colin @vogon

Jolon @wikispittingace9/9/2022, 2:42 PM

the local town mechanic calls it "the beast"

Lumix G85 / Panosonic 25mm f1.7
1/6400 sec / ISO 200 / F2.8

This is my Brother's 1991 Mercedes 350SDL. Only <3,000 were made so it's a technically rare car.

Our trouble started when it blew a turbo gasket only a mile out from the owner's house, sat in a shop for 5 months, blew a radiator, sat in our yard for 2 months, blew a vacuum pump, made it to our new property, started smoking, and sat even longer.

As was first to be 'my car' has been my brother's problem child ever since he impulse bought it. As of now, it's a functional car, it doesn't have an exhaust system and sounds like a tank, BUT IT DOES CAR STUFF.

It has the block of an OM603.961 and the head of an OM603.97x because of Mercedes's allergic reaction to emission regulations and head gasket redesigns.
Is it reliable? Yes-ish. It's started after 4 months of sitting and gets 27MPG. We just don't trust it enough to drive long distances.