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nasa · 2 months ago

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Hubble Space Telescope: Exploring the Cosmos and Making Life Better on Earth

In the 35 years since its launch aboard space shuttle Discovery, the Hubble Space Telescope has provided stunning views of galaxies millions of light years away. But the leaps in technology needed for its look into space has also provided benefits on the ground. Here are some of the technologies developed for Hubble that have improved life on Earth.

Image Sensors Find Cancer

Charge-coupled device (CCD) sensors have been used in digital photography for decades, but Hubble’s Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph required a far more sensitive CCD. This development resulted in improved image sensors for mammogram machines, helping doctors find and treat breast cancer.

Laser Vision Gives Insights

In preparation for a repair mission to fix Hubble’s misshapen mirror, Goddard Space Flight Center required a way to accurately measure replacement parts. This resulted in a tool to detect mirror defects, which has since been used to develop a commercial 3D imaging system and a package detection device now used by all major shipping companies.

Optimized Hospital Scheduling

A computer scientist who helped design software for scheduling Hubble’s observations adapted it to assist with scheduling medical procedures. This software helps hospitals optimize constantly changing schedules for medical imaging and keep the high pace of emergency rooms going.

Optical Filters Match Wavelengths and Paint Swatches

For Hubble’s main cameras to capture high-quality images of stars and galaxies, each of its filters had to block all but a specific range of wavelengths of light. The filters needed to capture the best data possible but also fit on one optical element. A company contracted to construct these filters used its experience on this project to create filters used in paint-matching devices for hardware stores, with multiple wavelengths evaluated by a single lens.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

#Hubble #NASA #Spinoff #space exploration #medicine #technology #tech #health #healthcare #science

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sstechnetwork · 2 years ago

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SSTech Networking is India's Top IT Service Provider, Fulfilling a Range of Needs.

In the quickly advancing universe of information innovation, organizations in India are progressively depending on complete IT solutions to remain competitive. One standout player in this field is SSTech Networking, a main IT specialist co-op that has gained notoriety for conveying a wide range of services, going from cloud computing to computer customization.

Cloud Computing Greatness

SSTech Networking is at the forefront of the cloud computing insurgency, offering organizations adaptable and secure solutions that influence the force of the cloud. From cloud-based capacity to cutting edge computing assets, the organization guarantees that its clients can outfit the maximum capacity of cloud innovation, upgrading flexibility and proficiency in their tasks.

Computer Cleaning and Maintenance

Perceiving the significance of all around kept up with computer frameworks, SSTech Networking gives exhaustive computer cleaning services. Standard cleaning works on the longevity of hardware as well as guarantees ideal performance. SSTech Networking's careful way to deal with computer maintenance assists clients with keeping away from possible issues, adding to a smoother and more solid computing experience.

Custom Computer Building and Upgrades

For organizations with explicit computing prerequisites, SSTech Networking offers custom computer building services. Customized to individual requirements, these solutions ensure that the hardware meets the specific determinations of the client. Additionally, the organization succeeds in computer upgrades, staying up with the latest with the furthest down the line innovation to improve performance and productivity.

Complete Hardware and Software Installation

SSTech Networking's expertise reaches out to exhaustive hardware and software installation services. Whether it's setting up a new computer, designing software applications, or coordinating new hardware parts, the organization guarantees a consistent installation process. This tender loving care assists clients with streamlining their IT framework for most extreme productivity.

Mac Services for Apple Enthusiasts

Understanding the interesting prerequisites of Mac clients, SSTech Networking offers specific types of assistance for the Apple environment. From Mac setup to investigating and maintenance, the organization's experts are knowledgeable in the complexities of Apple innovation, guaranteeing that Mac clients experience smooth and effective computing.

Network and Printer Setup

SSTech Networking goes past individual gadgets, offering master network and printer setup services. The organization guarantees that networks are designed for ideal performance and security, while printers are flawlessly incorporated into the general framework. This comprehensive way to deal with IT framework setup adds to a strong and productive working environment climate.

New Computer Setup and Fast Arrangement

Organizations frequently need to set up new computer frameworks rapidly and proficiently. SSTech Networking succeeds in fast sending, guaranteeing that new computers are designed, associated with networks, and prepared for use in the most limited conceivable time. This assistance is especially significant for organizations going through extensions or upgrades.

Repair and Maintenance Expertise

In case of hardware or software issues, SSTech Networking gives fast and powerful repair and maintenance services. The organization's talented professionals analyze and determine issues effectively, limiting personal time and guaranteeing that clients can continue their activities with negligible disturbance.

Server Support for Vigorous Tasks

Perceiving the critical job servers play in present day business tasks, SSTech Networking offers extensive server support services. From setup to maintenance and investigating, the organization guarantees that servers work at max execution, supporting the reliability and scalability of the clients' IT foundation.

About conclusion,

SSTech Networking stands out as a flexible and dependable IT specialist co-op in India, tending to the different requirements of organizations across different areas. From cloud computing to computer customization, hardware and software installation to server support, the organization's extensive scope of services positions it as a go-to accomplice for organizations hoping to improve their IT capabilities. SSTech Networking's commitment to greatness and customer fulfillment concretes its status as a forerunner in India's competitive IT services landscape.

#Cloud computing #Computer cleaning #Computer Customization #Computer upgrades #Custom Computer Building #Hardware & software installation #Mac #Network & printer setup #New computer setup #Repair & maintenance #Screen replacement #Server support

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ms-demeanor · 2 years ago

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One thing that I keep seeing whenever I make posts that are critical of macs is folks in the notes going "they make great computers for the money if you just buy used/refurbs - everyone knows not to buy new" and A) no they don't know that, most people go looking for a new computer unless they have already exhausted the new options in their budget and B) no they don't make great computers for the money, and being used doesn't do anything to make them easier to work on or repair or upgrade.

Here's a breakdown of the anti-consumer, anti-repair features recently introduced in macbooks. If you don't want to watch the video, here's how it's summed up:

In the end the Macbook Pro is a laptop with a soldered-on SSD and RAM, a battery secured with glue, not screws, a keyboard held in with rivets, a display and lid angle sensor no third party can replace without apple. But it has modular ports so I guess that’s something. But I don’t think it’s worthy of IFixIt’s four out of ten reparability score because if it breaks you have to face apple’s repair cost; with no repair competition they can charge whatever they like. You either front the cost, or toss the laptop, leaving me wondering “who really owns this computer?”

Apple doesn't make great computers for the money because they are doing everything possible to make sure that you don't actually own your computer, you just lease the hardware from apple and they determine how long it is allowed to function.

The lid angle sensor discussed in this video replaces a much simpler sensor that has been used in laptops for twenty years AND calibrating the sensor after a repair requires access to proprietary apple software that isn't accessible to either users or third party repair shops. There's no reason for this software not to be included as a diagnostic tool on your computer except that Apple doesn't want users working on apple computers. If your screen breaks, or if the fragile cable that is part of the sensor wears down, your only option to fix this computer is to pay apple.

How long does apple plan to support this hardware? What if you pay $3k for a computer today and it breaks in 7 years - will they still calibrate the replacement screen for you or will they tell you it's time for new hardware EVEN THOUGH YOU COULD HAVE ATTAINED FUNCTIONAL HARDWARE THAT WILL WORK IF APPLE'S SOFTWARE TELLS IT TO?

Look at this article talking about "how long" apple supports various types of hardware. It coos over the fact that a 2013 MacBook Air could be getting updates to this day. That's the longest example in this article, and that's *hardware* support, not the life cycle of the operating system. That is dogshit. That is straight-up dogshit.

Apple computers are DRM locked in a way that windows machines only wish they could pull off, and the apple-only chips are a part of that. They want an entirely walled garden so they can entirely control your interactions with the computer that they own and you're just renting.

Even if they made the best hardware in the world that would last a thousand years and gave you flowers on your birthday it wouldn't matter because modern apple computers don't ever actually belong to apple customers, at the end of the day they belong to apple, and that's on purpose.

This is hardware as a service. This is John Deere. This is subscription access to the things you buy, and if it isn't exactly that right at this moment, that is where things have been heading ever since they realized it was possible to exert a control that granular over their users.

With all sympathy to people who are forced to use them, Fuck Apple I Hope That They Fall Into The Ocean And Are Hidden Away From The Honest Light Of The Sun For Their Crimes.

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techav · 24 days ago

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On Major Milestones

I left off previously with init immediately crashing when trying to run NetBSD on Wrap030, my 68030 homebrew computer. I was completely lost and didn't know where to start looking. The error code it gave, 11, didn't tell me much.

Until now, most error codes I've gotten have been defined in kernel errno.h, which has 11 defined as:

EDEADLK 11 /* Resource deadlock avoided */

That … also isn't helpful. I'm still not entirely sure what that means, but since this is process 1 we're dealing with, I didn't think it was relevant.

Finally, I was able to find someone who had encountered the same error six years ago. Helpful soul [Martin] explained the exact cause of the error, how to fix it, and why the kernel errno didn't line up:

I'm running a NetBSD live disk on a laptop as a test host, so I mounted my disk on it and spent some time with mknod adding the essential device nodes, referencing the "majors" file for my arch. Sure enough, on next boot it skipped right past the point it had been panicking. It worked for a bit then finally printed on the console:

Enter pathname o

Enter pathname of what? The machine appeared frozen. Nothing further printed, and it responded to no input.

I was afraid this would happen. That string is 16 characters. The 16C55x UART chips I'm using have a 16-byte buffer. The system is hung up waiting for the UART to interrupt to indicate it has finished transmitting everything in its buffer.

There's just one problem — I don't have any serial interrupts wired.

I have a confession to make. Until a few weeks ago when I got my timer working, I hadn't really worked with hardware interrupts before. So between a limited understanding of how to use them effectively and limited board space, I had omitted the interrupt signals from my 8-port serial card. This was now a Problem, and I was going to have to find a solution.

I had a few options:

Force the com driver to 8250 mode so it doesn't try to use the buffers

Use my timer interrupt to check status bits on the UARTs and fake the interrupts

Deadbug an interrupt handler onto my serial card

Respin the serial card

Option 4 would've been expensive and risked passing my deadline. I wasn't sure option 1 would even help. And option 3 would have been difficult and error-prone. I decided option 2 would be the way to go so I set about researching how to accomplish it

I spent a few hours digging through the com driver. In the process I found softintr(9), a native NetBSD software interrupt process that looked like just the thing I needed. Digging in a little deeper, I realized that the com driver was already using softintr. And then I realized all it needed to do polled mode serial ports instead of interrupt-driven was to set a single variable, sc_poll_ticks, before initializing the driver. It's such a simple thing, but it's not really documented anywhere I could find, so the only way to know it was even an option was to spend hours studying the code.

With that in place, I recompiled my kernel and tried again.

It was asking for a shell. This is promising. I accepted the default shell, /bin/sh, and waited a moment. It printed a single #.

I had a shell prompt.

I typed in the first thing that came to mind, echo "hellorld" (thanks, [Usagi]). It responded:

hellorld

and printed another # prompt.

I had a working shell.

This is a major milestone. I have a modern operating system kernel loaded and running on my homebrew computer, and I have a functional root shell. I can navigate disk directories and run commands and programs.

But only as root, and only on this one console. I have seven other serial ports I want terminals on, and I certainly don't want them all running as root.

What it's running here is single-user mode. It is just the kernel and a few core services, somewhat analogous to Safe Mode in Windows. It's a fall-back for setting up or repairing a system. It's not quite the full operating system just yet.

Getting the rest of the operating system up and running is going to be a significant task, on par with getting just the kernel running. Setting up a working Unix system from scratch is not easy. It requires a lot of detailed knowledge of the various programs and libraries and config files scattered across the disk. For a sense of scale, the AT&T Unix System V manual was over 1100 pages, plus an 800 page programmer's guide and a handful of other manuals … and that was 40 years ago. That's a lot of specialized knowledge that I don't really have.

But still, this is something I've wanted to do for years and after countless hours of work, I finally have a glimpse of what it can look like. I have a lot to learn and a lot of work to do yet, but I'm certain I can figure it out.

I'm still hoping I can get this running multi-user on all those terminals in time for VCF Southwest in June. The show is just a few weeks away and I have a lot of work to do.

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cog-bucks · 2 months ago

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Random Cog Headcanons: Outmoding, Decommissioning, & Death

Went for something a bit different today and decided to compile my headcanons on how cogs actually, y’know, die. Because I definitely think they can, especially in a world like TTCC where things tend to get a little more serious at times. Be aware that a couple of these can get a little messed up and morbid… But honestly, it’s no more morbid than Blue Sky's movie Robots if you think about it a little too hard. So, if you’ve seen that, you can probably handle it just fine.

TW for general discussion of death and dying, obviously. Other posts of mine that may help you understand this one even better in context:

⚙️ The Personality Matrix

⚙️ Suit Memories

Summary: Despite their ability to be fixed when damaged, suits unfortunately do not live forever. After being outmoded, it’s only a matter of time before natural degradation—or even the company that built them—leads to the end of their lifespan. Though not every form of being shut down is necessarily permanent, there are many cases in which it’s blatantly unfair, and a point of no return can come about in a multitude of ways. The manner in which family members may cope with the loss of a loved one varies from person to person, though not every suit gets the courtesy of a ceremonious sendoff.

Becoming an Outmode

All suits have a given period of time that their model is still being actively supported, similar to how most operating systems and physical technology have a period of time that they are continuously updated and easy to repair. ㅤ

>> Though not all suits are built by the same companies or independent entities, suits from each ‘generation’ of sorts tend to have similar components and run on the same few operating systems. Think of it like generations of phones or computers. ㅤ

Suits can extend the period that their model is supported by keeping up with important upgrades and ensuring their systems are always up-to-date with the latest software and/or hardware. However, there inevitably comes a time where a suit’s systems are no longer compatible with the latest technology, at which point they will inevitably face being outmoded once service for their model and/or operating system is discontinued. ㅤ

Models that have been outmoded no longer have first-party components produced for them, which makes getting ahold of quality parts and maintaining themselves exponentially more difficult. ㅤ

>> Though discontinued parts tend to be somewhat plentiful immediately after discontinuation, over time they become more and more difficult to find, and by extension more and more expensive. ㅤ

>> Repairs also tend to become far pricier, as fewer mechanics are willing to work on older models that could be considered a hassle or liability to deal with. Suits that have been outmoded for an extended period of time are often forced to turn to specialists. ㅤ

So long as a suit has the resources to continue upkeep on their systems, they can survive long after being outmoded. Unfortunately, not every suit has the resources to do so, especially if they happen to be very low on the totem pole overall with subpar pay. ㅤ

As per usual, “grunt” or “stock” cogs get the short end of the stick here, since they technically count as company property and can have the rug pulled out from underneath them with very little warning. ㅤ

Suits that cannot keep up with repairs, but would be otherwise functional if they could, often end up decommissioned.

Decommissioning

Decommissioning typically occurs when a suit’s body ceases to function due to a lack of upkeep (as in, they can no longer afford to live), or when a company decides to outmode and terminate the employment of a series of stock cogs en masse regardless of their current functioning—often to save money on upkeep or recycle their resources. ㅤ

>> The latter cannot occur to non-stock suits or stock suits that have been legally emancipated from the company that built them. ㅤ

>> A great deal of policy surrounding suit rights have come under fire recently, as there is a distinct lack of fairness when it comes to the rights of stock suits in particular, leading to more hoop-jumping than is reasonable or necessary to get the same considerations and opportunities as others. ㅤ

Suits that have been decommissioned are not truly ‘dead’, per se, but rather have just been shut down and taken out of service. Should one have the time and resources, it is sometimes possible to recommission a decommissioned suit and effectively bring them back to life. ㅤ

Despite not being a ‘true’ death, decommissioning is often treated as such. Decommissioned suits continue to degrade even when they are no longer active—especially if they are stored in subpar conditions, as is the case with many decommissioned grunts—and the cost of fully restoring them is often not considered to be worth the time investment as obscure components become ever more scarce. ㅤ

Due to Suitopia’s current political climate, stock suits decommissioned while in perfect working order are often stored away somewhere to avoid public backlash and quietly disposed of at a later date. Yes, it is as cruel as it sounds, but megacorporations easily get away with it, as they can claim inability to function after a period of time stored where they’ll obviously degrade. ㅤ

Suits with the time, money, and connections to maintain both their independence and health often never end up decommissioned, and instead are subject to a natural process of degradation that results in a ‘true’, or irreversible, death.

Degradation & True Death

Though physical age and degradation is correlated with the ultimate lifespan of a suit, cogs don’t necessarily ‘die’ when their physical bodies break down; rather, it occurs when some core part of them becomes unrecoverable. In such instances, restoring the physical body would not be sufficient to bring a person back, resulting in what could be considered a ‘true’ death. ㅤ

While suits can have the vast majority of their bodies repaired or replaced in the event of damage, there are certain components that define their personhood, and thus stay with them for their entire lifetime. Because these components, such as the personality matrix and memory chip, cannot be effectively replaced or refurbished throughout time (lest you risk irreversible damage, a ship of Theseus situation, or violation of privacy laws), they are subject to inevitable deterioration that effectively gives every suit a finite lifespan. ㅤ

>> The irreplaceable nature of such components also makes them very vulnerable to physical damage. As such, it’s possible to suffer a ‘true’ death from physical trauma as well. See: Atticus Wing from Break The Law. (Yes, yes, I know that isn’t technically canon anymore, but I still think it’s neat.) ㅤ

Common ways that suits may experience a ‘true’ death include, but are not limited to: Failure of the personality matrix, causing loss of identity; failure of the memory chip, resulting in either immediate or continual loss of personal memories; and gradual corruption of the operating system, which can be considered equivalent to a terminal disease or progressive condition. ㅤ

It is usually considered more respectful (at least in terms of suits with actual rights and perceived value) to not go through with repairs if a suit's "self" is truly not recoverable. After all, it would be a bit grotesque to rebuild a suit that looks and sounds like a deceased loved one, and maybe even acts like them in some ways if they have a default personality loaded, but who is simply not the person you knew. ㅤ

>> In the same vein, it isn’t uncommon for immediate family members to choose to shut down a declining relative that is no longer lucid or acting themselves, rather than wait for some sort of inevitable deterioration that results in a complete loss of functionality. This is especially true in cases where personality data or memory data are lost, as while such conditions may come near the end of one’s physical life span, they do not in and of themselves cause the body to stop functioning (unlike corruption of the operating system, which eventually bricks all of a suit’s functions).

Cultural Practices

For suits with families or those who are considered to be important, there are cultural practices that tend to take place when a suit is permanently decommissioned or deemed unrecoverable. ㅤ

The most common practice is taking a small piece of the deceased as a memento, occasionally having it crafted into something wearable such as jewelry. This is viewed as roughly equivalent to the practice of keeping ashes. ㅤ

If the memory chip is still intact, some may choose to preserve it, as any unconsolidated memories can be pulled and played back as mementos in themselves; however, this can be considered a violation of the deceased’s privacy in some contexts, so it’s a matter of personal preference. Consolidated memories can only be unencrypted and recovered by specialists, and necessitate having legally obtained permission prior to a loved one’s death in order to access them due to privacy laws. ㅤ

Funerals are not uncommon, though rather than burying or cremating the body, it may be melted down or otherwise recycled into something else, such as a headstone, memorial, or whatever else feels appropriate to the next of kin. ㅤ

If no next of kin cares enough to claim the body in the first place, chances are that it will just be sold, scrapped, and reused for industrial purposes. It’s morbid, but efficient—and good news for anyone who might be in the market for an outmode’s spare parts. ㅤ

Unfortunately, stock suits often don’t get any sort of heartfelt sendoff, as they are generally considered unimportant and entirely replaceable. Disposing of them is, for the most part, unceremonious and flippant, as they’re frequently destroyed in workplace accidents on a massive scale. ㅤ

>> There are exceptions to every rule, however, as is the case with stock suits that somehow manage to rise significantly above their station. Models that would otherwise be considered grunts, such as Jennifer, for example, appear to be treated well in a position of relative power and are unlikely to be handled as carelessly.

#cw death #tw death #ttcc #ttcc headcanons #cogblr #cog headcanons #yappers university

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girlboss-enthusiast · 1 year ago

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Please tell us how to get into IT without a degree! I have an interview for a small tech company this week and I’m going in as admin but as things expand I can bootstrap into a better role and I’d really appreciate knowing what skills are likely to be crucial for making that pivot.

Absolutely!! You'd be in a great position to switch to IT, since as an admin, you'd already have some familiarity with the systems and with the workplace in general. Moving between roles is easier in a smaller workplace, too.

So, this is a semi-brief guide to getting an entry-level position, for someone with zero IT experience. That position is almost always going to be help desk. You've probably heard a lot of shit about help desk, but I've always enjoyed it.

So, here we go! How to get into IT for beginners!

The most important thing on your resume will be

✨~🌟Certifications!!🌟~✨

Studying for certs can teach you a lot, especially if you're entirely new to the field. But they're also really important for getting interviews. Lots of jobs will require a cert or degree, and even if you have 5 years of experience doing exactly what the job description is, without one of those the ATS will shunt your resume into a black hole and neither HR or the IT manager will see it.

First, I recommend getting the CompTIA A+. This will teach you the basics of how the parts of a computer work together - hardware, software, how networking works, how operating systems work, troubleshooting skills, etc. If you don't have a specific area of IT you're interested in, this is REQUIRED. Even if you do, I suggest you get this cert just to get your foot in the door.

I recommend the CompTIA certs in general. They'll give you a good baseline and look good on your resume. I only got the A+ and the Network+, so can't speak for the other exams, but they weren't too tough.

If you're more into development or cybersecurity, check out these roadmaps. You'll still benefit from working help desk while pursuing one of those career paths.

The next most important thing is

🔥🔥Customer service & soft skills🔥🔥

Sorry about that.

I was hired for my first ever IT role on the strength of my interview. I definitely wasn't the only candidate with an A+, but I was the only one who knew how to handle customers (aka end-users). Which is, basically, be polite, make the end-user feel listened to, and don't make them feel stupid. It is ASTOUNDING how many IT people can't do that. I've worked with so many IT people who couldn't hide their scorn or impatience when dealing with non-tech-savvy coworkers.

Please note that you don't need to be a social butterfly or even that socially adept. I'm autistic and learned all my social skills by rote (I literally have flowcharts for social interactions), and I was still exceptional by IT standards.

Third thing, which is more for you than for your resume (although it helps):

🎇Do your own projects🎇

This is both the most and least important thing you can do for your IT career. Least important because this will have the smallest impact on your resume. Most important because this will help you learn (and figure out if IT is actually what you want to do).

The certs and interview might get you a job, but when it comes to doing your job well, hands-on experience is absolutely essential. Here are a few ideas for the complete beginner. Resources linked at the bottom.

Start using the command line. This is called Terminal on Mac and Linux. Use it for things as simple as navigating through file directories, opening apps, testing your connection, that kind of thing. The goal is to get used to using the command line, because you will use it professionally.

Build your own PC. This may sound really intimidating, but I swear it's easy! This is going to be cheaper than buying a prebuilt tower or gaming PC, and you'll learn a ton in the bargain.

Repair old PCs. If you don't want to or can't afford to build your own PC, look for cheap computers on Craiglist, secondhand stores, or elsewhere. I know a lot of universities will sell old technology for cheap. Try to buy a few and make a functioning computer out of parts, or just get one so you can feel comfortable working in the guts of a PC.

Learn Powershell or shell scripting. If you're comfortable with the command line already or just want to jump in the deep end, use scripts to automate tasks on your PC. I found this harder to do for myself than for work, because I mostly use my computer for web browsing. However, there are tons of projects out there for you to try!

Play around with a Raspberry Pi. These are mini-computers ranging from $15-$150+ and are great to experiment with. I've made a media server and a Pi hole (network-wide ad blocking) which were both fun and not too tough. If you're into torrenting, try making a seedbox!

Install Linux on your primary computer. I know, I know - I'm one of those people. But seriously, nothing will teach you more quickly than having to compile drivers through the command line so your Bluetooth headphones will work. Warning: this gets really annoying if you just want your computer to work. Dual-booting is advised.

If this sounds intimidating, that's totally normal. It is intimidating! You're going to have to do a ton of troubleshooting and things will almost never work properly on your first few projects. That is part of the fun!

Resources

Resources I've tried and liked are marked with an asterisk*

Professor Messor's Free A+ Training Course*

PC Building Simulator 2 (video game)

How to build a PC (video)

PC Part Picker (website)*

CompTIA A+ courses on Udemy

50 Basic Windows Commands with Examples*

Mac Terminal Commands Cheat Sheet

Powershell in a Month of Lunches (video series)

Getting Started with Linux (tutorial)* Note: this site is my favorite Linux resource, I highly recommend it.

Getting Started with Raspberry Pi

Raspberry Pi Projects for Beginners

/r/ITCareerQuestions*

Ask A Manager (advice blog on workplace etiquette and more)*

Reddit is helpful for tech questions in general. I have some other resources that involve sailing the seas; feel free to DM me or send an ask I can answer privately.

Tips

DO NOT work at an MSP. That stands for Managed Service Provider, and it's basically an IT department which companies contract to provide tech services. I recommend staying away from them. It's way better to work in an IT department where the end users are your coworkers, not your customers.

DO NOT trust remote entry-level IT jobs. At entry level, part of your job is schlepping around hardware and fixing PCs. A fully-remote position will almost definitely be a call center.

DO write a cover letter. YMMV on this, but every employer I've had has mentioned my cover letter as a reason to hire me.

DO ask your employer to pay for your certs. This applies only to people who either plan to move into IT in the same company, or are already in IT but want more certs.

DO NOT work anywhere without at least one woman in the department. My litmus test is two women, actually, but YMMV. If there is no woman in the department in 2024, and the department is more than 5 people, there is a reason why no women work there.

DO have patience with yourself and keep an open mind! Maybe this is just me, but if I can't do something right the first time, or if I don't love it right away, I get very discouraged. Remember that making mistakes is part of the process, and that IT is a huge field which ranges from UX design to hardware repair. There are tons of directions to go once you've got a little experience!

Disclaimer: this is based on my experience in my area of the US. Things may be different elsewhere, esp. outside of the US.

I hope this is helpful! Let me know if you have more questions!

#answers.txt #feel free to reblog with more advice btw

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rearranged-fanfic · 1 year ago

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(Update 6/3)

Sit down a spell, weary traveler. Come and sit by my fire; bask in the warmth of the flame and rest your aching scrolling finger. You'll be sitting a while, for I have a tale to tell:

Okay, so I've had a Toshiba laptop for the better part of ten years. Maybe a little longer. That laptop has survived being struck by lightning, submerged in a bathtub, and literally having a whole bookcase topple down onto it. I thought it was immortal...

I was sadly mistaken.

About six months ago, I noticed that the typing was getting sluggish. I'd patter away at the keyboard and the letters would appear with a bit of lag. That's fine, since I use Dragon to talk-to-text for quite a bit of my writing. I really only use the keyboard for final assembly, editing, and doing quick rewrites. So, it really didn't bother me. Fastforward to April, which we will call The Great Depression. The time discrepancy between typing and having letters appear on screen became a whopping 40 seconds. Yes, I timed it.

But that was okay, because I could still use my Dragon headset.

Until I couldn't.

It would connect, but the words wouldn't appear on screen. I made sure that all of my programs were up-to-date, and that everything was working. The headset connected to my family's computers just fine. So that meant it was something wrong with mine.

Without being sure if it was the hardware or software at fault, I backed everything up to OneDrive and Google Docs.

I factory reset.

Twice. To no avail.

Over the next few days, my laptop stopped registering any keyboard input at all. It got to a point where I wasn't able to turn it on or off.

Taking it to an electronics store to get repaired didn't help, either. No luck. They said that it would be more cost effective to just buckle down and get a new one, since the age of the laptop meant that I would probably be constantly maintaining it.

My poor Toshiba died kicking and screaming, putting up a fight worthy of an epic ballad.

I saved up for a few weeks, got a new laptop, and went through the rigmarole of getting all of my programs back on it. My files are in order. My life is in shambles (but that's normal, LOL).

I DID do some story work without my computer, but... it's bad. Like, I'd die in shame if I posted anything that I thumbed in. So. Many. Spelling. Errors. How people write on their phone is beyond me. That's a talent I simply don't possess.

At this point, I'm thinking of renaming this story "HIATUS" lol. JK. But I'm seriously peeved that this happened after my last big break. Why couldn't the Depression and laptop breakdown coincide nicely? I guess that's too much to ask of the universe *Shakes fist at the sky*.

I'm creating a damn bingo card for every stupid thing that happens to me while I try to write. Because this is getting ridiculous. I broke my fingers, there was a total solar eclipse, I had a major-ish mental breakdown, and my computer bit the big one. With a free space, that's a bingo. Let's hope I don't get a blackout before the end of 2024.

I doubted the fanfiction curse. I really did. But it's apparently real. And this writer's curse has teeth, people. It bites hard.

I have my MerMay two-shot pretty well done (because I was typing it during The Great Depression), but the next chapter for REARRANGED is still rough. Crimson Chapter 3 is halfway done, but who knows how long that'll take.

The bottom line is that I'm alive and still working on the stories. The next update on this blog will be the posting of several chapters for a few different works. Fingers crossed.

Also, I'm very, very slowly answering the comments in my AO3 inbox. Some of them were pretty lengthy, so it might take a bit. Oof.

If there ever comes a time that I drop this fanfiction or am unable to continue for whatever reason, either I or my husband will be posting the entirety of my outline, as well as anything that's been pre-written for you guys to enjoy. That way there are no questions left unanswered or mysteries unsolved.

#rearrangedfanfic #behind the scenes #update #AO3 bingo

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