Stories by Sharky

Anyone see a problem with this plan?

IT manager pilot fish is also a clinical psychologist, and he's worked out a way to piece together an electronic clinical records system for this large mental health center. Then his boss discovers the project.

Why we love last-millennium password policies

IT pilot fish goes to work at a large retailer's distribution center, where the policy is that passwords must be changed every 90 days -- which turns out to have unexpected consequences.

Experts, redefined

IT pilot fish is helping his aunt fix her PC because, well, that's where family members get their tech support, right? But this time, she suggests getting help -- from "the smart people."

Forgot your password? Good luck, chum

This retired pilot fish notices that nothing has shown up in his email in-box in almost 12 hours, which almost never happens. And when he tries his broadband provider's web mail access, he's got another problem.

Now THAT'S what we call a test!

Flashback to the 1980s, when this big bank's main data-processing site is underground and takes up most of a city block, according to a pilot fish on the scene.

OK, glowing pink ooze would worry us, too

Flashback to the 1980s, when this Australian organization finally eases into computerization -- and is trying to do it right, according to a pilot fish on the scene.

But it looks so nice now!

It's summer, the time of year at this large wholesale plant nursery when business is slow and supervisors decide to spiff up their work areas, reports an IT pilot fish there.

A pilot fish's need to school the masses

After a break-in at this company, CFO acquires a security system without IT's input. It never works quite right, the vendor is fired, and now it falls to IT to support it. "One day, the system freaked out and locked down two floors," says a pilot fish there. "The computer that runs the security system was locked away in the data center. My boss was trying to break into the impenetrable data center to fix the problem when I suggested, 'Why not use the keys we got months ago for just such a scenario?' He sheepishly took the keys and unlocked the door."

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