From the Desk of TGRR; Corporate Life in the 21st Century (blog)

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Everything that happens at your job is an excellent metaphor for life.

Imagine what things are like at your power company.  Or sewage facilities.

[Reginald Ret]

Everything that happens at your job is an excellent metaphor for life.

Imagine what things are like at your power company.  Or sewage facilities.

Have you read Paolo Bacigalupi's Pump Six? http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2819368-pump-six-and-other-stories
Because that is what you are talking about now.
Seriously, read it if it is the last thing you do alive.
It is written especially for you.

Edited to add:
The pump six story is about a sewage pumps maintenance guy who didn't really notice how retarded everybody else got. And then a pump breaks and he has to order a new one. The company that made them went bankrupt because their pumps were too solidly designed, they take decades to break down. Then he tried to find any kind of smart person to help him understand the science behind it so they can fix the pump. So he goes to the university, where he finds out that al the students spend literally all their time fucking anything that moves, the professors all died years ago and the only person with half a brain is the wife of the librarian (or something like that) who locked the library to keep the students from using the books for fires. It is a terrific horror story. As far as i can remember there is no good ending. The other stories in that linked book are similarly dark.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Everything that happens at your job is an excellent metaphor for life.

Imagine what things are like at your power company.  Or sewage facilities.

Have you read Paolo Bacigalupi's Pump Six? http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2819368-pump-six-and-other-stories
Because that is what you are talking about now.
Seriously, read it if it is the last thing you do alive.
It is written especially for you.

I read his story The People of Sand and Slag, and liked it, but wasn't wowed.

I'll look for this, give it a shot.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Fucking clouds are now at ground level (happens here once in a while).

Cloud rolls in, stop work.  Wait for cloud to roll out.  Next fucking cloud is right behind it.

Wow. 

[Junkenstein]

Everything that happens at your job is an excellent metaphor for life.

Imagine what things are like at your power company.  Or sewage facilities.

Have you read Paolo Bacigalupi's Pump Six? http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2819368-pump-six-and-other-stories
Because that is what you are talking about now.
Seriously, read it if it is the last thing you do alive.
It is written especially for you.

Edited to add:
The pump six story is about a sewage pumps maintenance guy who didn't really notice how retarded everybody else got. And then a pump breaks and he has to order a new one. The company that made them went bankrupt because their pumps were too solidly designed, they take decades to break down. Then he tried to find any kind of smart person to help him understand the science behind it so they can fix the pump. So he goes to the university, where he finds out that al the students spend literally all their time fucking anything that moves, the professors all died years ago and the only person with half a brain is the wife of the librarian (or something like that) who locked the library to keep the students from using the books for fires. It is a terrific horror story. As far as i can remember there is no good ending. The other stories in that linked book are similarly dark.

Until the last couple of lines, I was assuming this was non fiction. Even now, I'm not certain.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Everything that happens at your job is an excellent metaphor for life.

Imagine what things are like at your power company.  Or sewage facilities.

Have you read Paolo Bacigalupi's Pump Six? http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2819368-pump-six-and-other-stories
Because that is what you are talking about now.
Seriously, read it if it is the last thing you do alive.
It is written especially for you.

Edited to add:
The pump six story is about a sewage pumps maintenance guy who didn't really notice how retarded everybody else got. And then a pump breaks and he has to order a new one. The company that made them went bankrupt because their pumps were too solidly designed, they take decades to break down. Then he tried to find any kind of smart person to help him understand the science behind it so they can fix the pump. So he goes to the university, where he finds out that al the students spend literally all their time fucking anything that moves, the professors all died years ago and the only person with half a brain is the wife of the librarian (or something like that) who locked the library to keep the students from using the books for fires. It is a terrific horror story. As far as i can remember there is no good ending. The other stories in that linked book are similarly dark.

Until the last couple of lines, I was assuming this was non fiction. Even now, I'm not certain.

I am in the trades, Junk.  That story IS fiction.  For the moment.

[Junkenstein]

It's a matter of time over here. There used to be quite a few places in Scotland that actually engineered and shipped out pumps and pipes. I know a few places where ones cast in the 20's are still going. It's a matter of time however and the companies are long gone in most cases. I've got my eye on a few cracking bits of work over the next 5/10 years here pretty much because of this.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

It's a matter of time over here. There used to be quite a few places in Scotland that actually engineered and shipped out pumps and pipes. I know a few places where ones cast in the 20's are still going. It's a matter of time however and the companies are long gone in most cases. I've got my eye on a few cracking bits of work over the next 5/10 years here pretty much because of this.

It's not that, really.  It's that less and less people are going into the trades, for 3 reasons:

1.  Many people aren't getting educated enough to do the job.
2.  The ones with that education want a desk job.
3.  In many areas, the trade is "sewn up", and the senior men would rather have insufficient men than to allow non-legacy "outsiders" into an apprenticeship.

[Reginald Ret]

Everything that happens at your job is an excellent metaphor for life.

Imagine what things are like at your power company.  Or sewage facilities.

Have you read Paolo Bacigalupi's Pump Six? http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2819368-pump-six-and-other-stories
Because that is what you are talking about now.
Seriously, read it if it is the last thing you do alive.
It is written especially for you.

I read his story The People of Sand and Slag, and liked it, but wasn't wowed.

I'll look for this, give it a shot.

The People of Sand and Slag is one of the stories in that book, definitely not the best there, but there is one worse story in there, can't remember what though.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Just saw TKN riding one of our carts across the yard, and God help me, THIS came to mind:



Bugsy Malone.   

[The Good Reverend Roger]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1FgpBxXho4

[The Good Reverend Roger]

I have told Al about this comparison.  I think he may actually have shat his pants laughing.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

  TKN: future legend!

[Junkenstein]

Insist he speaks 1920's lingo exclusively or not speak at all.

Even for 5 minutes. Pay the man, it'll be worth it.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Insist he speaks 1920's lingo exclusively or not speak at all.

Even for 5 minutes. Pay the man, it'll be worth it.

Brooklyn accent or GTFO, kid!

Also, he fixed my network printer, which has been tormenting the fuck out of ISD.  They now want to talk to the kid.  I told them I'd fly down and beat them all stupid if they try poaching.