by zutgorak | Jan 21, 2010 |
Well, work went … so and so I guess you would call it, but all in all, a positive day.
The random customers having problems to solve and I actually enjoyed myself in knowing that this
is what I do best. Solve technical problems for people so that they wont have to worry about
it all to much. I guess what my former boss said was true. He said “You where born to do tech support”
and really, I am older then most people working with tech support but I still have not aqcuired that
distilled bitterness that seems to go into support workers after about 2 years. I can still smile
and see the funny side of things, and appreciate the fact that when you have solved a clients
problem, you will get a lot of good reputation for the company, and the better the company
does, the more secure I am in my job.
What is it that makes certain people so bitter with tech support you ask? Well, I have been
bitter at it, and bored to hell at it, but after some careful consideration I have figured out that
it was not the job in itself that drove me up the walls. It was the tools and rules I had to abide with.
Look at it this way.
I have a problem with standing up for something that I know is not working as good as promised.
I have an even bigger problem with being FORCED to sell the product as a common peddler when I know
that the product will be needing to be replaced, mended, patched and whatnot in a very short time because
I, as a representative for the company, will be blamed for the customers displeasure beacuse I was the
one that convinced the customer that he needed just that piece of equipment. Sheesh.
Second, I am not a salesman. I never will be. I can tell you my personal experience about certain
things, and in many cases recommend different things, but what if those things happens to be a competitors
things? Then I am forced to shut up big time.
Now, I really want to ramble on at my former work place, but personal ethics really stop me from
mentioning it all. But I know for a fact, that I could have made a vast amount of customers happier by
A: telling the truth
B: being allowed to make my own decisions regarding certain things
C: not being forced to sell products to people calling me for tech support.
Three simple things, that apparently, for some companies are too hard to understand.
by zutgorak | Jan 20, 2010 |
Well, the 10 work day paternity leave ends tomorrow morning, and it is with mixed feelings
that I go to work tomorrow. Mixed because I do like my work, I enjoy the coworkers and all
but still, I have this little bundle at home that is squeeking for its parents because its all it knows
how to do. What is its name? Well, we have settled for Emil, wich in my ears and eyes suits this
little thing because despite being only 2 weeks old, he still has a face and eyes twinkling with
mischief.
I am however, already starting to dread the fact that I will be having 2 sons, close of age, wich
will have a set of my genes in them. I was high and low when I was a kid, and from the looks of
things, so will David, and I seriously doubt that Emil will be any different, so, my guess is that
my hair will increase its natural bleaching strategy and push forward full. Probably hitting
warp speed by the time Emil reaches the two year mark.
Having kids is a little like getting a meaningful tattoo. You sometimes stop and wonder
and just look at it thinking, what the hell have I gotten myself into, and other times you
just forget its there. But let me tell you. It’s there to stay and no matter what you do, remember
that there are no refunds on either tattoos nor kids.
by zutgorak | Jan 20, 2010 |
Lets face it, blogging is a fashion thing. Not as in everyone who blogs do so about fashion, but rather
everyone more or less has to have one to be with the “in” crowd and have a slight chance of getting
some recognition. Now, there are thousands of blogs created each day. Literally. And of those,
maybe 10 survive the 5 first posts because people dont have the energy to write, or dont know
of what to write. This has 2 effects. The web gets more and more “dead” pages that doesn’t get updated
content and it gets harder and harder to get those gold nugget sites that keeps you coming back.
Now, I do know that I have some recurring visitors from various places of the world and
frankly, I am grateful for it. I dont feel that I write because I want recognition, I write to
share my thoughts on various topics and maybe get some good suggestions sent back to me
on those said topics, or to just push my opinion out for people to view. Is that something that is
wrong?
Now though, companies have started to regard personal blogs as somewhat of a threat. If someone
is writing negative comments about the company that they work for, they risk getting fired from
that company. Now, that in itself, is something that I dont support by any stretch of imagination
but apparently freedom of speech is not something that is covering blogs. Now, I would like
to interject something here. If someone lets out work secrets such as upcoming campaigns or a fusion
with another company like that, of course you should get the sack, but telling about the work
environment, or bosses who dont know jack about things without mentioning their names, now that
is a whole different story.
But a lot of companies that has employees, unfortunatly have rotten HR politics, and seeing that the
economy is what is is, as well as the job market, well, it is really the employers choice and you
as an employee may not have much say in the matter. I know that I have a union rep that I could
talk to, but they are pretty much powerless in everything but a sexual harassment case and this
does not qualify as such, wouldn’t you agree?
So, all in all, we are hampered by our bosses by telling us “you cant talk negative about the company”
and we are hampered by the state as they tell us “you need constant surveillance, because you might be
a criminal” and we are hampered by ourselves, in not being abe to oppose this.
Lets rock this globe.
by zutgorak | Jan 4, 2010 |
These days censoring things have become more and more 
common again for some reason and unfortunatly, the
reasons are none other then pure greed and monetary interrests.
Do you remember when democracy was a lead and a motto that
was to be followed and everyone was to have their say in the
proceedings in what went on and what was decided?
Well, when it comes to art, this is no longer true. Lets say that
I make a really cool video with pretty much whatever, it might
even be one of the best/funniest/saddest/whatever in the world
but the theme goes perfectly together with one of all these cookie
cutout artists songs that are so popular in the mainstream these days,
so I decide to use one of them as a background song for the video.
It fits perfectly and I decide to put the thing on youtube or whatever,
and voila, I get the sound removed from the movie or even get the
movie deleted because a record company or other owns the
copyright for this song. … but.. but.. I am not stealing your music,
I am using it yes, but I am not cutting into your monetary interrests
by using it as an audio backdrop, am I?
Now, I dont create that much music, and probably never will, I do however, as you can see
create digital art and if someone wants to us it for pretty much whatever, I am only happy to oblige
and my conditions are simple. 1. dont claim you made the image and 2. send me a link with the final
thing so I can watch in awe and admire your work and know that I had a part in it. Whats the harm in that?
I really cant see it.
Now, lets say that I am a well paid recording artist with a few dollars more then the blue collar guy
in my wallet, wouldn’t it be good of me to spread my work out a little and let users create using what I have
already created and hence maybe enlarging my fanbase and in the end open up possibilities for a bigger
revenue stream?
Unni Drougge released audio books on pirate bay without any intention of getting paid for it, since
“everyone knows that filesharing is stealing”, yet, someone urged her to set up a paypal account,
and guess what…. she got paid, and paid pretty much the same amount that a normal advancement on a
novel from a real publisher would have gotten her.
Hold the phone right here. Yeah, just stop and smell the greens. Pirates actually PAID to download her
audiobook from a place that is known to keep everything free. Now, something is twisted here.
Now, I dont presume to know how the big record, software and movie companies think, and I probably
never will get that insight seeing that I am who I am, but really, shouldn’t new ways of reaching potential
customers be welcomed? There will always be filesharing, theres been filesharing since the old days
when a few holes in a square piece of cardboard was all that was needed to create a working software copy,
and I very much doubt that a phenomenon so ingrained will be removed, more likely it will be pushed
underground and sadly, that will also open up for other, worse situations with other activities best
not mentioned.
So, I have previously made my standpoint clear in what I think, and I will keep it as a mantra and
repeat it over and over and over and over again. I DO belive that artists should get paid for their
efforts, but I also feel that there are a lot of things that needs to be changed, such as the time that they
have an exclusive right for looooooong after they have passed away…. sheesh. When it comes
to software there are also different models that might work, and I even left a suggestion earler,
if you want to browse it, you can find that HERE
Now, this whole post became a giant sidetrack in itself, I think I would be better off stopping here
so I will do just that and say the following: Clear your own yard before complaining about someone
elses.
by zutgorak | Dec 31, 2009 |
OK, we tried to protest against FRA… nothing happened, the law was passed and its now in effect.
We tried to protest to IPRED …. to no avail.
Now ACTA is starting to creep in, and people dont seem to care!? Ok, many people dont seem to grasp
the effect of ACTA, the new trade “agreement” between EU and US, but one of the things it is stating
is that after three illegal downloads, you are to be completely shut out from the internet. HELLO!
I am not sure how they are gonna solve that technically but it will be a tremendous job, and rest assured
that you as the end customer will pay the price. The agreement also states “in the family” wich in this situation
is a very loose term, but in effect, lets say I “borrow” some of the neighbours internet using their unprotected
wifi connection.. 3 downloads later, voila, their internet gets shut down. COMPLETELY. They wont
have to prove that it was anyone in that household that did it, because obviously it was from their
router. Thats all they need to know.
On top of it all, we now have the swedish government sniffing around our internet for whatever mails, instant
messaging and our surf habits of us of the populace, now we are gonna let the entire EU AND the US sniff around
to see if we are doing something that the RIAA doesnt approve of.
Now really, someone needs to set a stop to this foolishness of surveillance and turning entire nations
into objects of observation because frankly, this is all turning into STASI and GRU controlled nations where
you need to keep a constant eye on the population to discourage different thinking. This has got to stop
somewhere and I really wish I had the power to change things, but no, I am just a geek amongst millions
The only thing I CAN do is what I am doing right now. Voice my opinion and, in the spirit of the current
government, expect to have it summarily dismissed.
Sooner or later, I will be clapped in irons for voicing this, then thrown in some unknown jail!
No, I am not wearing a tinfoil hat yet, but thats the way we are heading. I think you have noticed
that extreme right wing parties are on the move forward, at the same time as the government is getting
more and more controlling. When the extreme right wing gets the power, because from the looks
of it, it will, they will already have the tools to find their opposition and do something about it. Cool huh?
I dont think so, and frankly, I am starting to get a little scared with the rulers in sweden and their indifference
to peoples opinion, and their obvious interrests of fattening their wallets with the lobbyists money.
I am sorry, but if the vote was today, my vote would go to “the one issue party” “Piratpartiet” again.
It might be a wasted vote in the eyes of some. How I see it, is showing my dissent by voting for the
only party that has something besides the same old regurgitated crap.
by zutgorak | Dec 1, 2009 |
Well, today is the day when the swedish government will be able to monitor all traffic that is going to
cross swedish servers (i wonder how long it will take for them to realize that MOST things that goes
over the internet will go abroad…. i do hope they have plenty of storage space) so, as of today
I will start giving some tips on how to protest this idiocity, in a few easy steps.
First up, for you bloggers. Unless you are doing like me and hosting your own servers,
you are most likely using blogger.com or wordpress.com blogs. Both situated in the US.
Now, all your bloggposts will be monitored when sent online, and you wont get a single
reader point for it. Depressing isn’t it? However, you can protest that with an easy set of
actions.
First off, I am pretty sure that they are not sitting there and manually scanning all the
data being sent through the nodes, but rather using an advanced filter algorithm that
goes through what you are sending and if something suspicious is found, saves it to be
controlled at a later date. Now, lets see if we can activate that filter and get our posts
stored shall we?
Add this paragraph as the last part of your post and voila, you will most likely get scanned.
Jihad, Mulla, Sarine, C4, Explosives, Plane, Hizbollah, Infidels, Muhammed, Sura, Subway, Stockholm,
shipment, panic, authorities, Akbar, seize, attack, heart, anarchy, riot, cataclysmic.
Now, I am pretty sure that you recognize the words, and I am pretty sure that if a machine is set
to search for words that may give hints of future acts of terrorism would be squeeling in delight
at that combination of words.
Now, the majority of people in sweden seems to be using e-mail services from either gmail, hotmail or yahoo. Guess what.. neither of those are situated in Sweden. So, no more steamy e-mails to your
missis while she is visiting her mothers, because one wrong word in it, and most likely, your
email will get stored so that someone can read it. Great huh? Now, you can protest to this
aswell using the above mentioned string of words, but why not do it in a more blatant way?
Add an automatic CC to hostmaster@fra.se and save them the trouble of scanning your mail
since you will be sending them a copy of every mail you send. On top of that, if more
people do the same thing, you will get a nicely spammed box in that system. And heres the
kicker: If they have a catch-all adress, that one will be spammed too. Not by bulk mail, but
by information that they explicitly have asked for.
Now, most of you who read blogs are pretty well versed in technology, but still dont
really want to be bothered with the deep details about encryption, but there are easy
ways to come around the traffic scanners. One is using encrypted traffic.
Here are a few easy ways to do just that. Follow one of these links
http://software.informer.com/getfree-ip-traffic-encryption-software/
http://www.google.se/#hl=sv&q=internet+traffic+encryption&meta=&aq=f&oq=internet+traffic+encryption&fp=49ab7a78993c0a42
Until next time.
