Good
For a litany of sorry tales about dopey end users just ask IT managers, they seem to have an endless supply. This tale about a sales manager's new notebook, which has a wireless network card, has to be one of GBU's favourites. For a day or so the sales manager just loves his new toy until the battery goes dead. The dead notebook is then taken to IT where support staff asked if he plugged it into a power outlet to charge it.
"No", says the sales guy impatiently, "It's wireless, why would I?" Another favourite is the story of the small remote server in a tiny warehouse office which keeps dropping off the network, then returning later. IT asks the supervisor who uses the office if he knows what might be the problem. "What? You mean the radiator?" says supervisor. "When it gets too warm in here, I just switch it off."
On the flip side, techie IT managers aren't appreciated by everyone. One of Australia's larger outsourcing providers has been bemoaning the lack of business nous held by Australia's IT managers. "The reality is that only one in 10 know anything about business, they would rather hide away with the tech heads. There hasn't been any great realignment of business and IT except at the CFO, CEO level," he told GBU.
Bad
The US military is appealing for the return of a CD-ROM that is packed with secret information on the Balkans. The Guardian newspaper claims the disk turned up in a laptop computer auctioned on the Internet and authorities are trying to locate details on the disk, apparently compiled for NATO's bombing of Kosovo. The laptop sold for $US101 and the seller said he unwittingly picked up the laptop in an army surplus sale unaware of its top secret status.
Ugly
Grieving relatives and friends can now pay tribute to their loved ones through an Internet memorial service. Memories e-ternal (e-ternal) publishes tributes to the deceased in words and pictures, and will soon also feature sound and video clips at www.mcb.wa.gov.au GBU suggests an e-burial for the play on words.
* E-mail hot news tips to Sandra_Rossi@idg.com.au