Since there seems to be no way to contact Frank anonymously (yeah, I'd like to keep my job) to suggest a new thread, I'll do it here.
I suppose everyone is aware of the repercussions of some asshole manager taking 3 computers home for his kids to play games on. Everybody else gets punished. Who is this jerk?
-Anonymous
Anonymous,
Actually there are two ways to contact me anonymously. Send a blog comment or send an email. The second doesn't work if your only email address is @lanl.gov. Yes, I'd keep it secret but please don't do it anyway. Bad idea.
The name of "this jerk" has been published but I'll not repeat it now. The biggest jerk was the person who kicked in his door to steal these laptops. Granted, I still haven't heard a good justification for having three LANL laptops at home. The real story here is that nobody knows how many LANL computers are off-site. Asking everyone to bring them in might be a good start, but the truth is we'll probably never know.
Frank
SUBJECT: Computer Equipment Physical Verification – Action Required by Laboratory Workers
In response to recent NNSA and LANL management concerns, we have elected to complete a physical verification of all LANL computer and computer related equipment holdings. This verification process is intended to reduce our vulnerability by strengthening our physical and cyber security and to provide managers with a new level of awareness as to the type of computers, the number of computer and computer related equipment, and computer use in
their organizations.
Computer and computer related equipment are defined as: computers, computer desktops, workstation desktops, workstations, personal computers, computer workstations, computer laptops, computer hand held, computer navigational – GPS, servers, computer servers, workstation servers, central processing units, computer mainframes, and telephone cellular PDAs.
This verification process will begin with the immediate recall and physical verification of all LANL computers and computer-related equipment that is being used for off-site domestic and foreign travel, and/or home-use. All employees with computers and/or computer related equipment off-site must bring the equipment onto the LANL site no later than February 20, 2009. Items brought in must be secured on Lab property (i.e. in your office or lab if possible and permissible). Your organization’s property administrator will be contacting you to perform the verification process. If you have not heard from your property administrator by March 9, 2009, please contact them. Contact information for property administrators can be found at http://busblue.lanl.gov/property/search.asp. Exemptions to this verification process will be very limited, handled on a case-by-case basis, and must be approved at the Associate Director level. Each organization’s property administrators will assist in the property validation and can provide forms for the exemption process.
Guidance for off-site use of LANL computers or computer related equipment will be forthcoming; it is our intention to implement well defined requirements for off-site use and risk mitigation procedures. Until this verification process and guidance is issued, all LANL computers and computer related equipment must remain on-site.
Within the next few months, LANL Property Management will be working with each directorate to physically verify all computers and computer related equipment assigned to the Laboratory and to verify that all security protocols are in full working order. In order for the complete verification process to be successful, I am asking all ADs to ensure full participation and cooperation within their organizations.
"..some asshole manager taking 3 computers home for his kids to play games on. Everybody else gets punished. Who is this jerk?"
ReplyDeleteHis name is Richard Epstein (hired in 1983) and he is a lab Fellow.
As per the usually, NNSA and LANS will over-react. I wouldn't doubt it if all LANL laptops will now be forbidden for home use and anyone going on domestic lab travel will be requred to check out a special LANL santized computer from a pool.
DOD, please come save us!
"..some asshole manager taking 3 computers home for his kids to play games on. Everybody else gets punished. Who is this jerk?"
ReplyDeleteChill off. You may be surprised that scientist actually want to work from home or on travel. But this concept is apparently too sophisticated for someone who is flipping burgers from 9 to 5.
It is called property removal request. It is an official LANL procedure to remove, e.g. computer equipment for work at home.One has to do that because logging into LANL from a personal computer is a big no-no. And, no, work from home is not just reading e-mail. There are big racks at LANL stuffed with electronic "things", called supercomputers. There are actually some scientist who develop programs and run their jobs on these supercomputers. And, surprise, one can do that both from work and from home (and on travel).
But I have to confess, why he had three lab computers at home is beyond me (except in the case that he is not the only lab employee living in his home)
"Guidance for off-site use of LANL computers or computer related equipment will be forthcoming; it is our intention to implement well defined requirements for off-site use and risk mitigation procedures." (Memo)
ReplyDeleteI can barely wait. We have a former Bechtelite as lab CIO who destroys all incoming Emails over the holidays, so this new set of policies should be interesting.
*-*-*-*-*
"There are actually some scientist who develop programs and run their jobs on these supercomputers. And, surprise, one can do that both from work and from home (and on travel)." (10:00 PM)
From home? Not for much longer, they won't!
Was there anything classified on these? How did the lab find out they were for his kids' games?
ReplyDeleteWe are quickly approaching "Work Free Safety Zone" perfection!
ReplyDeletePerhaps this will be just like the last time with the USB/removable drives. Once the laptops are all brought back into LANL, they'll be collected by managers and then locked up "for the duration".
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't laptops with kids games on them. That was just a dumbass comment from a lab hater.
ReplyDeleteI recall about 10 years ago that we had to bring in all off-site computers so that their bar-codes could be scanned into the system. A major inconvenience for people who were in van pools or rode the bus.
ReplyDeleteOf course, this was nonsense. Those bar-codes could have been typed into the system. This was just more harrassment of people who are willing to work extra hours.
They trust me with the nation's secrets via my Q clearance but they don't trust me with an inexpensive piece of hardware.
For those of you who are working at home, quit trying to lower the LANS overhead rate! Don't you know that as time goes on LANS will increasingly manage fewer and fewer employees, who do less and less work. That is how I guarantee my bonus. At our present rate of improvement, I'll be managing my own office staff for an $80 million dollar annual bonus fee.
ReplyDelete- Mikey
PS. The stockpile is safe and secure because I said so and I'm Mikey, dammit.
I would prefer if the discussion here
ReplyDeletecould be a bit less name calling. It is perfectly fine for someone to think
that someone else is a jerk or asshole, but I really do not need to read this here. I am here to get some information.
I can clearly see how someone can have two laptops at home, I certainly do, because I do program development on both Linux and Mac. It is just a lot easier than running a dual boot system, especially if you want to check out things simultaneously.
It seems to me then easy, to just forget an older one lying around, and not bringing it in.
So let's take this a notch down, and don't behave like managment.
Richard Epstein a Lab Fellow....such integrity in the selection of these Fellows. Latest selection is Kurt Sickafus...what a joke! Lack of ethics must be a requirement.
ReplyDeletePerhaps you haven't seen the latest directive from Linda Wilbanks (NNSA CIO). Effective immediately, any computer equipment that can store data has to be reported to DOECIRC within 24 hours. Regardless of whether the equipment actually has any data on it. Let's see.... computers, flash drives, PDAs, digital cameras, cell phones,,,,
ReplyDeleteThis will make it hard for me to input my Oracle Time and Labor when I'm on travel. (As far as I can see, that's all ULM cares about any more.)
ReplyDeleteGuys, this is crazy! Why he had laptop(s) at home? Guess what, you want to work at home, you have to do it on a LANL-owned computer, that's the rule, else you can't VPN. Now, a scientist who's any good does not stop working at 5pm. Only in the minds of the bean counters does work stop at 5pm sharp, charged in neat 15 min increments to "the appropriate charge codes". Ever woke up in the middle of the night to solve a problem on which you struggled for 3 months? If not, may I suggest a new line of work for you?
ReplyDeleteYou should not be asking why someone has signed out a LANL laptop for work at home, you should get alarmed if you know a LANL scientist who does not require a computer for home use.
This latest email from the management places a blanket order disrupting all science work throughout the Lab for an indefinite period of time, until "further instructions" -- that's the real shame. A laptop is worth $2000 new, effectively $500 after a few years. A scientist is paid a 6 figure salary, supposedly to do his job. If you disrupt the work of all LANL scientists because one of them had his laptops stolen, guess what's the real waste of taxpayer money?
The order on offsite laptops comes from Isaac "Ike" Richardson, the latest drive-thru admiral doing his part to shatter what's left of science at LANL. Together with the Great Email F*ckup of 2009 and the recent OCE mess, it completely the LANL conversion into a Work Free Safety Zone.
ReplyDelete2/7/09 9:40 AM,
ReplyDeleteAll good points and I don't disagree with a single word. Why he had three laptops is a small issue. Why nobody knows how many laptops are off-site is a big issue - a big management issue.
Being in charge is more than just a glamorous title and fat paycheck. Knowing who and what you have is just the basics, and LANS still isn't getting that right. What makes a great leader is a difficult question. What makes a bad one? That's easy.
What makes anyone think that no-one knows how many computers are off-site? It should be easy to know how many. Every computer has a barcode and you can lookup that barcode and find a location for the computer. I have three computers assigned to me. According to their barcodes, one is in my office and two are at home. In fact, this is correct. Perhaps they just want to verify the information; that's reasonable. But I feel like I'm hearing that they don't have the information; they do have the information.
ReplyDeleteLANS knows exactly how many lab laptops are assigned to travel and home usage. It's in the property database.
ReplyDeleteIf someone takes a laptop outside of LANL property without the required PTR paperwork, they are in violation of lab policy. Every employee at LANL knows this policy.
So, then, why are all travel/home laptops being recalled back to the lab? What's the real reason for this action? Is it a knee jerk reaction just to make NNSA think that LANS "is on top of the problem"? Or is this the beginning of something much more sinister and severe in terms of new LANS policies?
Who knows, but we shall soon find out.
“We have between 30 and 40,000 computers at the laboratory"
ReplyDelete- Don Winchell
We can't pin down the number to within 10,000?
“We have between 30 and 40,000 computers at the laboratory"
ReplyDelete- Don Winchell
We can't pin down the number to within 10,000?
I think the reason is that nobody from LANS told Winchell the exact number. As some other mentioned, every computer does have a barcode, the data is entered in the property management system together with the location (at the lab or with the proper request off-site). After Admiral Butthead ordered shutdown a wall-to-wall inventory was performed. Also there is a yearly exercise where the property managers running around and tracking down all barcoded equipment.
So the data is available and has been verified at least on a yearly basis. Thus this exercise is completely pointless other than generating "activity" with the side effect that research is getting even more difficult.
Where is the nonsense of "three laptops" for "kids games" coming from? He has a desktop, a 5+ years old laptop, and a new laptop, on which the data from the old one was being copied. The old laptop was a week away from salvage when it was stolen.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info, 11:06. Do you know if there was any sensitive info on any of these computers? I'm just wondering if there was anything serious enough to warrant such a severe reaction from mgmt.
ReplyDeleteNo sensitive information as far as I know.
ReplyDeleteAt *ANY* other institution but NNSA or LANL, this stolen unclassified laptop incident would have been a non-event.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how many government laptops are stolen or lost each year? My guess would be that the number is in at least the high hundreds, and perhaps even higher.
Even more important, I wonder who it was within LANL who passed along internal lab emails about this event to POGO? The email posted at POGO looks as if it was directly forwarded to POGO from somewhere within the management chain over at ISR Division.
2/7/09 11:06 AM,
ReplyDeleteThe games comment was probably written in anger. I published it because that is what I was sent. I don't know if the man even has any kids. Or perhaps his children are all adults now. Unless someone provides more details I wouldn't make too much of it.
2/7/09 10:57 AM,
Take a look at the email that POGO released. The lab itself has no confidence in their own databases. Add to that their severely eroded credibility and it's easy to see why people take Winchell literally when he says 30 to 40,000. I'm surprised no one is reporting the uncertainty as 39,970!
Shorter 11:39 AM.
ReplyDeleteOther people do it, so two wrongs should make a right.
and
Let's not fix the problem, let's find the snitch.
11:39 is emblematic of why no one in DC trusts anyone at LANL anymore.
Shoving a colonoscope up LANL's ass with every minor event is becoming tiresome and is helping to destroy this lab, 12:22 PM. There is no sense of proper scale when it comes to trashing LANL.
ReplyDeleteAnd being concerned about who leaked an internal lab memo to an outfit like POGO is not "going after the snitch". This email had no business leaving the confines of LANL. Perhaps we should be looking over some of the private email that you send out and receive? I wonder what we might see and how we might view your life?
I think you enjoy watching the DC folks trash LANL a little too much, 12:22 PM. Is there some reason for this?
Has the lab ever simply said, "Hey we screwed up here." Ever? Why do they always have to shoot themselves in the foot every time they stub their toe?
ReplyDeleteOh boo hoo, POGO is out to get us. The truth is you're doing a damn good job of that yourselves.
Has the lab ever simply said, "Hey we screwed up here." Ever? - 1:41 PM
ReplyDeleteAwwww. Is our little boy's itty bitty feelings hurt? I'm soooo sorry, 1:41 PM. Here, let me make it better for you. Come a little closer so you can hear this clearly. Are you listening carefully now? OK, then... STFU, you worthless POGO asswipe!!!!!!
Feel better now? I knew you would.
When this laptop story first broke, Kevin Roark claimed that all the correct paperwork had been filled out by Epstein for his LANL laptops. Was this true, or was it a cover up?
ReplyDeleteAnd did Epstein enter his laptops in the lab's Hostmaster database by the December deadline, like we were all clearly told to do by the emails, or did he simply ignore this new policy?
And what about all the PADs and ADs at LANL. Is their paperwork all in pristine order? Have they been following all these new PC policies they have been so freely issuing to all the employees?
Blog readers already know from some previous posts last year that LANS upper management frequently skip the required online training courses. Have they done the same with their laptop document requirements?
When I worked at the Lab I had several laptops, as my work required it; I had paperwork for taking them home; and at times I had several home at a time. One was a mac, one ran linux, the other served as a test machine. I was hardly unusual and I have as many or more laptops at my current job.
ReplyDeleteWhat's interesting is how quickly the lab jumps on the employees, assuming that something bad is going on, and puts every employee through the wringer, demands they bring machines in, and (in this case) the CIO uses the incident as part of a power grab. It's "blame the victim" at every step.
There's something really wrong when the lab can't take a day to find out what's going on and possibly defend its employees. That's symptomatic of a sick organization: routinely sacrificing your own people to avoid trouble.
But, there is a greater sickness at work at LANL: note that as hard as LANS is being on the employee, and not defending him; other LANL employees are being even harder, viz:
"..some asshole manager taking 3 computers home for his kids to play games on. Everybody else gets punished. Who is this jerk?"
It would be nice if we could think this response is not typical. Sadly, it is all too typical of LANL staff: when you're not attacking your boss, go after your fellow employees. It makes divide and conquer very easy for LANS.
LANL staff, who will defend you when your time comes? Certainly not your colleagues, it seems.
8:52 pm: Lots of stupid questions not very cleverly designed to raise more questions. Why don't you go away if you can't think of anything original to post?
ReplyDeleteGo to bed Kevin.
ReplyDelete"It would be nice if we could think this response is not typical. Sadly, it is all too typical of LANL staff: when you're not attacking your boss, go after your fellow employees. It makes divide and conquer very easy for LANS."
ReplyDeletePut rats in a cage, shake the cage really really hard for a long time and the rats start to attack themselves.
Go POGO Go! Expose the fraud, waste and abuse the "best and brightest" have done in this institution. Taxpayers are tired of their "elitism" attitude.
ReplyDelete"And did Epstein enter his laptops in the lab's Hostmaster database by the December deadline, like we were all clearly told to do by the emails, or did he simply ignore this new policy?"
ReplyDeleteClearly? CLEARLY???
Nothing about the lab's recent cybersecurity compliance drills has been clearly communicated, at least within my organization.
In today's climate, I don't know *why* people would be bringing computers home. The risk (being flogged and ridiculed) far outweighs the benefits (doing work at home).
ReplyDeleteWhat happens to LANL employees going on lab travel between Feb 20 - Mar 9 who need to take a lab laptop with them? Are they suppose to just cancel their travel? Where is the LANS guidance for this situation?
ReplyDeleteAnd why does LANS always roll out these types of crisis memos on a Friday afternoon when no one is around?
If you can't accomplish anything on travel unless you take a laptop, I have trouble believing the travel is actually necessary.
ReplyDeleteHow about you can't travel without falling behind unless you take a laptop? I'm guessing you don't travel much.
ReplyDelete2:14 obviously does not travel often if at all. Sure, some people may not need a laptop when on travel, but many of us need to be able to process/analyze data using custom software.
ReplyDeleteMany times the data is sensitive, so keeping it on my encrypted government laptop is a better option than using the hotel lobby computer.
My sponsors (NNSA and DHS) require that certain requests be responded to in very short time frames (sometimes less than 30 minutes). Tough to meet that requirement if I have to use that 30 minutes to get back to the office, assuming I am even in Los Alamos. I guess we could just let the funding go to another lab and not do it at LANL.
It seems clear there are two types of people at the lab. One group (A) who checks into 55 or CMR or wherever at 8, does whatever they do, then checks out at 5 and doesn't think about work until 8 the next morning. These people have no need for computers, information, or communication outside of 8-5 M-F. There is a second, smaller group (B), who are real scientists. Real scientists work irregular schedules, need access to information, data analysis software, technical publications, email with collaborators, budget information, project proposals, and other such tools of our trade at any time of the day or night. It doesn't matter if you are at work, at home, or on travel, these basic tools of any scientist must be available in order to do the job we are supposed to do. Each day, management makes it harder for real scientists to work at LANL by issuing knee-jerk compliance orders that have no effect on group A, but a hugely disruptive effect on group B. Group B will continue to shrink in the future. It will be a slow bleed though, given the current national economic picture, the Los Alamos housing market, the LANL golden handcuffs, and the challenge of finding a comparable job in a highly specialized field.
ReplyDeleteDisagree with 4:34. There are many project managers and staff who reside within ADSMS (ala 55 and CMR), who require off-site computers to correspond with customers and perform the same type of work as the "real scientists."
ReplyDelete2/8/09 4:34 PM
ReplyDeleteWho the hell are you to say what a "real scientists" is? Who are you to say what science even is? The problem with science are the cliques that say this or that. How is it that intelligent design is not considered "real science" by the so called scientists. Guys like Neal Adams are 10 times smarter than any of you clowns. Why is the taxpayer burdened with having to pay any scientists? The so called "best and brightest" you are so full of it.
NASA, NSF, NIH, NOAA, NIST, shut it all down. Why the hell is this stuff in the stimulus!!!
I smell bacon you pigs.
"I guess we could just let the funding go to another lab and not do it at LANL." (4:20 PM)
ReplyDeleteBingo! Give that man a cookie.
Try explaining to your WFO sponsor, "I was planning on being out their at the beginning of March with the new results and such, but LANL has taken away my laptop, so I'll have to cancel."
A real confidence builder with our outside WFO sponsors, to be sure!
Haven't the scientists at LANL, at long last, finally had enough of this mess? Wouldn't it be worth it to at least consider how a move to DOD might make life better at the lab?
Yes, it might be worse under DOD, but it also might be much better. We know where things are headed under DOE/NNSA, and the trajectory is headed downward at an accelerating and alarming rate.
"If you can't accomplish anything on travel unless you take a laptop, I have trouble believing the travel is actually necessary."
ReplyDeleteWhat decade are you living in? Just curious. Been to a conference lately? Or are you one of the DOE Old Guys who insist on paper mail and fax?
I find your comment absolutely incredible. I have to hope you are just another non-LANL troll.
2/7/09 10:27 PM certainly has it right.
ReplyDelete2/8/09 8:20 PM, really? "intelligent design"?! Sunday afternoon, and you just can't stay off the booze.
Mondays are getting harder and harder to face, huh?
Monday should be loads of fun at LANL. Group Leaders will have been informed of this laptop memo when they arrive in the morning and tons of meetings will then be hastily called to figure out what exactly is going to be done and how it will be implemented.
ReplyDeleteExpect more over reaction, panic driven management, dour faced TSMs when they get the news, anger, disgust, lethargy, etc, etc, etc.
Yes, Monday should be another interesting day at LANL. Be kind to your GL. He's probably under a great deal of stress.
If you need to be connected all the time, you yourself (as opposed to your digital apurtenances) are irrelevant. Get real. Is it your intellect, your thoughts, your ideas, that are important, or your skill at manipulating digital data, or at being the first to connect with someone who couldn't care less about what flight you're on and when you'll arrive? If you are required to "analyze data" in real time, on a laptop, while visiting your sponsor, you need to figure out how to prepare for your committments before you get on a plane. There are 8 gig flash drives that can carry your stupid presentations. But then, you wouldn't be able to annoy all your plane seatmates by setting up your little "plane office" while in flight, to make one-word changes in your precious presentations.
ReplyDeletePlease tell me how going to a conference, to listen to and share ideas, requires a computer? Perhaps you are of the generation that has never, ever, taken a note on a piece of paper, with a pen. Try, it, it works, and the pad of paper weighs nothing!
When is the last time you saw a high-level (i.e., SES-level or higher) come into a meeting with a laptop? All the whining about being without your little digital binkys is funny. And pathetic.
To be moderately successful here, one has to have the ability to connect via their computer on a 24/7 basis. Between training, e-mails with information (policy changes), etc, it is important to work during the "non-bankers hours" just to keep your head above water.
ReplyDeleteHow else can I keep abreast of where LDRD dollars are being wasted this week!
It is no longer an 8 to 5 job. The average staff member is probably putting in a minimum of 60 hrs each week. If the end up in a situation where we cannot taken a compuer on travel, have a laptop at home for work, or some other draconian situation, then our productivity will fall significantly.
"A real confidence builder with our outside WFO sponsors, to be sure!"
ReplyDeleteIf you think it's appropriate to whine to your WFO sponsor about not being able to take a laptop home and invoke that as a reason for late delivery on a project... well, you may already be facing an uphill battle for their confidence.
2/9/09 12:25 AM,
ReplyDeleteWelcome aboard, Ike.
"Nothing about the lab's recent cybersecurity compliance drills has been clearly communicated, at least within my organization."
ReplyDeleteThese common sense security measures have been highlighted at least once in the "Daily Links" email digest, which is the de facto standard for releasing new policy. If you don't spend half an hour every morning reading and memorizing the content of the links contained therein, you're obviously not taking safety and security seriously. These are our top institutional goals, if you hadn't noticed.
"2/9/09 12:25 AM"
ReplyDeleteSo you have never been on travel to a
conference, meeting, to give a colloquium, seminar, or to work with a collaborators. You sir are the pathetic one. Perhaps you are a troll or just deadwood. In either case comments are irrelevant.
Oh, wait sorry, you got me! It was just sarcasm on your part. It gets hard to tell sometimes.
Hey 2/8/09 1:16 PM,
ReplyDeleteYou said something about Feb 20 through Mar 9. What'd I miss? What happens on Mar 9? We get our laptops back? I thought the email said indefinitely until the new policy is implemented?
"If you need to be connected all the time, you yourself (as opposed to your digital apurtenances) are irrelevant. "
ReplyDeletenow that was a good one but this one is even better:
"Please tell me how going to a conference, to listen to and share ideas, requires a computer? "
What else can one say? I guess this is what happens when you don't get off the Hill more often.
"You said something about Feb 20 through Mar 9. What'd I miss? What happens on Mar 9? We get our laptops back?" - 7:58 AM
ReplyDeleteNo. On closer inspection, nothing really happens on March 9th. The memo just says that if you haven't been contacted by your property administrator by then, you should give them a call.
We may be in for the long haul on this one. Who knows? I doubt even LANS has a clear picture of exactly where their strict, new laptop policies are going.
The laptop policy seems to be open ended. Laptops must be back at LANL by Feb 20th, but there is no date on which they can be taken back out for travel/home.
ReplyDeleteAll the memo says is that LANS is working on tough new policies and they'll let you know when they are done. Perhaps it will end up being like the infamous Roach Motel. Laptops will go in but they will never come back out.
Army Suspends Germ Research at Maryland Lab
ReplyDeleteWASHINGTON — Army officials have suspended most research involving dangerous germs at the biodefense laboratory at Fort Detrick, Md., which the Federal Bureau of Investigation has linked to the anthrax attacks of 2001, after discovering that some pathogens stored there were not listed in a laboratory database.
Sound familiar? Call in Admiral Butthead and shut down USAMRIID.
More here: http://preview.tinyurl.com/dynlqw
9:14 am:
ReplyDelete""Please tell me how going to a conference, to listen to and share ideas, requires a computer? "
What else can one say?"
I noticed you never answered his question. I have seen people at conference over the last 5 or so years absorbed in conversations with their colleagues, and I have noticed those absorbed in their laptops, Wonder which are being more productive, not to mention more professional?
"I noticed you never answered his question."
ReplyDeleteOf course you could do it, but you won't be making any last minute modifications to your talk, or communicating with colleagues back at work, or looking at any papers, or doing any data analysis, or taking care of the daily administrative chores of working at LANS, or writing the proposal that's due the Monday you get back (well, I guess I could write it down on cocktail napkins with my pencil and mail that in). Just because you have a laptop doesn't necessarily mean you're looking at weather reports during the plenary session.
I understand your point, of course anybody can go anywhere without a computer and they're not going to die. My point is that I don't want to because it is an inconvenience. Why do you question people for wanting to stay in touch and get things done when they're on travel. What's wrong with that?
1:48 pm: "I understand your point, of course anybody can go anywhere without a computer and they're not going to die. My point is that I don't want to because it is an inconvenience. Why do you question people for wanting to stay in touch and get things done when they're on travel. What's wrong with that?"
ReplyDeleteAguably, nothing, except I wouldn't broadcast that "convenience" argument too loudly. But none of your colleagues were willing to give a reasoned response, just the teenage rolling of the eyeballs and "what else is there to say" nonresponse. Thanks for actually considering the question. Actually, I was a Group Leader until I left a couple of years ago, and never took a laptop on travel, 4-5 trips a year. I always trusted my staff to handle things and contact me by phone if there was a problem. Turns out there never was. Hire good people...
However, it is a symptom of the sickness of our times that people feel they must always be reachable. I am not one of those, and will never be. Most of this incessant "connectedness" is pure paranoia. And, there are some, unfortunately, who cannot live without "being in touch." Isn't is sad to be uncomfortable in your own skin, all alone?
"Actually, I was a Group Leader until I left a couple of years ago, and never took a laptop on travel, 4-5 trips a year"
ReplyDeleteI am calling bullshit on this. Hell I do not even think you ever worked at LANL. Where do you frauds come from?
"However, it is a symptom of the sickness of our times that people feel they must always be reachable."
I think the best response is to just roll my eyes and say "whatever".
You are right we do not need email to our jobs, we do not need telephones, we do not need electricity, we do not paper, we do not need domestic animals, we do not need fire!
Interesting definition of "convenience". By this standard, having access to journals, supercomputers, lab equipment and the like is "a matter of convenience". In other words, whatever is necessary to do one's job as a scientist. Without these "convenience" features, I could just sit in my office, stare at the ceiling, take all the training that comes my way and collect my $130K/yr. No "convenience", but definitely complete "compliance". Which, above all, seems to be the goal these days.
ReplyDelete"I always trusted my staff to handle things and contact me by phone if there was a problem. Turns out there never was." - 11:58 PM
ReplyDeleteGood grief! Thank goodness you have left the lab. I'm sure the "good employees" you speak of who suffered under your management are much happier now. You probably intimidated them to the point that they were scared sh*tless to even consider calling you while you were out on travel!
You are probably one of the LANL managers who thinks that micromanaging employees is a good thing. You also probably think they agree, and just love being checked up on several times a day while you're on travel. I think most of LANL's problems today are caused by mid-level managers who can't manage and don't know how to keep their people sheltered from the crap from above and allow them to do their work. If you don't feel comfortable letting your people do their thing without looking over their shoulders every minute, you shouldn't be a manager, and if that is really necessary, you have been a failure at hiring. In either case, LANL would be better off without you.
ReplyDelete11:58 seems reasonable to me. I prefer to read journal articles, but that's just me. I bet 11:59 is too busy crying to pick up the phone. Is that you, Chris Michels??
ReplyDeleteWAAAAAAA!! I am lanl employee and have to account for my government owned equipment! How dare they ask me to do anything I don't want to. Those assholes need to know who they are dealing with. An anonymous blogger, that is.
ReplyDelete8:36 - You are obviously NOT a LANS employee. One is forced to wonder what chip is on your shoulder that causes you to play here? Didn't your mommy hug you enough when you were little?
ReplyDelete“We have between 30 and 40,000 computers at the laboratory"
ReplyDelete- Don Winchell
Whenever I hear Don's name, my mind lurches over to thoughts of Winchell's Donuts. Is there some Freudian connection between DOE-LASO/LANS and a silly doughnut shop?