viking fridays – the system is broken.
December 5, 2008
The picture you see here is an artist’s conception of a typical Factory worker attempting to use a “really great” software package called ROAD* – attempting, and failing miserably.
(No, it isn’t Friar, not at all…)
ROAD was developed in-house by a dedicated team of cyberzombies who have done their best, given the resources they had at their disposal.
However, I have a friend who knows that there are several other packages available that would do a better job than ROAD – and in fact, one of them is even OPEN SOURCE, which means that the Factory could use it completely free of charge.
Sure, there is no support included with the open source package, but the Factory could pay for it. I mean, they are already paying their cyberzombies to do the support in-house!
My friend, and the worker you see in the picture, have both suggested that there might be alternatives. The response has been that “this is the Factory standard, and we have to make do with it”.
No.
No, no, no, no, no.
The system is broken.
Something is wrong when you cannot question the status quo.
Thank Odin that people throughout history have had the courage to challenge broken systems worldwide. If not for them, we wouldn’t have the basic human rights we all (hopefully) enjoy in our respective countries.
The system was broken, and people worked to fix it.
The system is still broken, in other ways.
This is why we have had to deal with this “economic crisis“, which I still don’t believe is that so much as it is a combination of many things, including a broken system that allowed criminals to do this in the first place.
Of course, the broken system also includes the rampant consumerism that many still think is “the right way to live”.
As Tyler says:
You’re not your job. You’re not how much money you have in the bank. You’re not the car you drive. You’re not the contents of your wallet. You’re not your fucking khakis.
So, let’s all challenge that system, and work together to fix it.
Of course, the word “system” can be applied to many things – your desire to change your life, your job, your exercise habits.
Perhaps you can’t do it because your system is broken. I know mine was, for a long time.
You don’t have to be a victim of your bad habits – change them.
You don’t have to be a victim of the “bad economy” – do something different. Get busy and start generating some other income with your talents, or learn a new skill.
Or like my friend, if the people you report to directly won’t listen to you, start emailing the CEO of the company. He will probably listen.
If the system is broken, challenge the system.
Make it better.
(*names changed to protect the “innocent”)
(click HERE for a full sized version of Friar’s artwork)
Absolutely! Get up and get moving! And most of all, stop whining! Great post!
Betsy’s last blog post..ENDANGERED SPECIES: THE FULFILLED CAMPAIGN PROMISE
Very inspiring! (Is the viking in the cartoon you, by chance? …)
Rebecca Smith’s last blog post..Bam, wham, kapow!
@Betsy,
That’s right – whining about the system being broken serves no one, really – talk with someone about it, if they can’t help you, find someone else.
But whatever you do, get on with it!!!
(And thanks.)
@Rebecca,
Glad to help out!
LOL the Viking in the cartoon is definitely not Friar. Nope, not Friar at all
but it might be me…
Where to start? Be part of the solution, not the problem. Too often management is afraid to listen because it would show their own incompentence. A rather frustrating reality.
As they say “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But if it’s broke, fix the damn thing!”
I love the Tyler quote as well!
Neil’s last blog post..Movember, End Of The Mo
@Brett
The system is broken. SO TRUE.
This reminds me of the scene in “Good Will Hunting”, where the Robin Williams’ character tells Matt Damon:
“It’s not your fault…….it’s not your fault…..it’s not your fault….!”
Sometimes it ISN’T our fault…but we cant’ do anything about it. The Fearless Leaders can’t (or won’t) listen. They make the rules to the game.
For example, I dont’ think the ROAD software will be replaced any time soon.
But the one thing we CAN do…is decide not to play the game anymore. (Or find another better game down the street!)
Friar’s last blog post..Happy Blog Day To Meeeeee.
Hey Brett. A little off topic, but I thought of you when I read this. Tyler Durden was named the best movie character *ever* in some survey thingy. Darth Vader was second!
Here’s a link (unless the spam filter gets me). http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Entertainment/International_Buzz/Greatest_Movie_Character_of_All_Time_named/articleshow/3789131.cms
Thought you’d get a kick out of that.
Good post. Go get ‘em Vikings!
Karen JL’s last blog post..The Long Shot: Dissecting Wall-E
@Neil,
That has been my experience exactly – and I keep trying to be part of the solution – and yet, you run into it time and again – in the interests of saving face, they will literally spend hundreds of millions of dollars…
Fix the damned system
That has to be one of my favourite quotes from Fight Club. Time to watch that movie again…
@Friar,
Hey, I forgot about that scene – awesome example. Some of the Fearless Leaders can’t listen, but more often than not they just won’t, which is a shame.
Because some of us, such as my friend and that Viking in the picture, well, they’re eventually going to find a better game down the street.
Or make their own game
@Karen JL,
I am quite happy when people go off topic! That’s the best part about this stuff.
Wow, that’s a cool link – what a great list! I think that Darth Vader is a close second myself. If I couldn’t be Tyler, well, I’d settle for Lord Vader any day of the week.
Being able to Force choke someone in a meeting sure would come in handy
For those who didn’t click the link, here’s the list:
1. Tyler Durden in Fight Club
2. Darth Vader in Star Wars
3. The Joker in ‘The Dark Knight’
4. Han Solo in Star Wars
5. Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs
6. Indiana Jones
7. The Dude in The Big Lebowski
8. Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean
9. Ellen Ripley in Alien movies
10. Vito Corleone in The Godfather
@Karen JL again,
PS – thanks – I’m glad you liked the post!
You used to be funnier when you lived in Hamilton. Geez you’re so serious now. Fix the system its broken. That’s not funny.
And stop picking on the system. It works just fine. If the system was broken you would see a Blue Screen of Death with an error code like 0×0000006f.
Now get back to work. Log back onto ROAD and make it work. Work with the system, not against it. Whose side are you one son? Don’t you love your company? Then how about getting with the program? Why don’t you jump on the team and come on in for the big win? Son, all we’ve ever asked of our employees is that they obey orders as they would the word of God. We are here to help our customers, because inside every one of them there is profit to be made. It’s a hardball world, son. We’ve gotta keep our heads until this market crisis blows over.
Francis
@Francis,
LOL, I’ll tell you a joke then… the interface of ROAD makes Windows 3.11 look like the computer interfaces on Star Trek TNG!!!
Getting back to work, boss… logging into ROAD, boss…
(type type type typity type type)
0×0000006f
Crap.
Maybe I’ll go down to the Mega-Mart and buy some shit I don’t need.
Yes, but did you get the FMJ reference?
“What’s that on your jacket? A peace symbol? The duality of man. The Jungian thing, sir.”
The dead only know one thing, that it is better to be alive.
Yes, yes it is.
Oh, I did… gotta watch that one again too. Tonight’s shaping up to be a good night off (FMJ and FC) – would be good if we lived next door to each other again, I’ve got some really nice pints that would go well with those movies…
Man, now you are just depressing me.
What would I rather do tonight? Go to my wife’s work Christmas party. Wearing a tie and talk to doctors all night zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Or watch cinematic masterpieces with my friend while drinking a pint of excellent ale.
Where is Scotty when you need him.
I know, I’m depressing myself too…
it’s a nice ale too, Wychwood Breweries special Christmas ale called “Bah Humbug!”
Good for what ails (ales?) you…
Oh look! MORE motivation to get the hell out of Splat Creek!
In the meantime, why don’t you and Friar start up a soap factory.
PS. In all seriousness, it really pains me to hear about where you guys work. You are so much better than that. So much more than that. All I can say is, you are the masters of your own reality. Don’t give up: you can change it.
steph’s last blog post..I Miss You — And Me
PS. I’ve never seen a bald Viking before.
steph’s last blog post..I Miss You — And Me
@steph,
No kidding… it just gets better and better every day (I could tell you more here, but that would be doocin’ – email works though)
That’s a good idea, you know – a soap factory. There’s two homemade soap companies in Splat Creek, but once Project Mayhem pays them a visit, they’ll get out of the business
Believe me, I hear you – we are both doing that very thing – working to change our realities.
Oh, and the bald Viking – it’s a side effect of working with ROAD… you tend to pull your hair out. It’ll grow back once he goes on vacation…
@Steph
Yeah, I’m still stuck here, but it’s part of the game plan…to pay the bills till I decide what it is I REALLY want to do…no sense starving myself in the mean time. And no sense moving towards another Widget Factory, and ending right back to square one
a year later.
And like Brett sez. You wouldn’t believe how much time I’ve spent on projects (my own, and with Brett), working towards making changes. Compared to year ago….I’ve accomplished a lot (even though it appears that I still assemble Widgets at the Factory).
Friar’s last blog post..Happy Blog Day To Meeeeee.
@Karen JL
FRIAR’S LIST OF ALL-TIME SHITTIEST MOVIE CHARACTERS
- President of the United States (in Mars Attacks). Jack Nicholson’s less memorable role.
- Any character from Plan 9 from Outer Space. (Pure Cheese)
- Demi Moore as GI Jane (Memorable quote: “Suck my **** “)
- Jar Jar Binks (’nuff said).
- Rambo’s Sidekick (That Rambino-Afghan kid in the third movie). WHY in God’s name do they pair up Rambo with a little snot-nosed brat?
- Indies’ maggoty little sidekick kid in Raiders II (see above).
- The fat fighter pilot in Star Wars who gets blown up without doing anything. (Dude, Thanks for coming out)
– The angry Chimp in 2001 Space Odyssey (AECK!)
- Gramps from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (the original one). He’s too weak to hold the axe to chop the girls head off, and he keeps dropping it every time they put it in his hands.
- The computer from Golden Eye. (A HAL wannabee)
- The entire cast of Meatballs II.
Friar’s last blog post..Happy Blog Day To Meeeeee.
Good list Friar…
Plan 9 is an awesome operating system from Bell Labs, but yeah, sucky movie…
Oh, and Porkins from Star Wars – come on, what a mean name for the guy…
I loved the Martians in Mars Attacks! though – neat little guys…
@Brett
I liked it when the Martians listened to the yodelling and their head exploded into green goo!
Friar’s last blog post..Happy Blog Day To Meeeeee.
@ Friar – I’m with you on the Jar Jar thing. I mean…who ISN’T??
And I *hated* ‘Mars Attacks’. Irritated the heck out of me.
I do have a soft spot for ‘GI Jane’ though. I’ve told a few guys in my day to “suck my **** “. Ha!
And how sucky is it that in the first list there is only *one* woman? Geez.
Karen JL’s last blog post..The Long Shot: Dissecting Wall-E
@Karen
That’s because the woman are all too busy making CHICK FLICKS….!
(Ducks and runs…!)
Friar’s last blog post..Happy Blog Day To Meeeeee.
@Friar,
Heh heh, me too…
@Karen JL,
The movie itself – well, it’s not in my collection – but I *love* those little green buggers! Just something so 50’s about them, makes me laugh.
I noticed that too about the list, to be honest. Surely there are more strong female characters than Ripley…
@Friar,
You’d better keep running!
Brett,
Darn, Karen beat me to telling you that about Tyler. But I had a link to Empire Magazine’s big explanation all ready, so I’ll drop that in:
http://www.empireonline.com/100-greatest-movie-characters/default.asp?c=1
The whole list is very neat, even if I think they missed quite a few. (And Karen—in the whole 100 there’s still precious few women. I liked this assessment: http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/empire-100-movie-characters.html )
I need to have that kick in the pants more often. A lot of times I’m wondering where’s the progress, and I find I’m standing in my own way. Thank you for the kick!
Your friend has found his brass cojones, and I must say I think they’ll carry him far. Not that I’m for fighting the power, exactly, but I am ALL for fighting broken systems. Keep it up.
Does Francis write a blog? If not, WHY doesn’t Francis write a blog? He has the most wonderful dry wit. Bone-fracking-dry wit. I always LOL when I read his comments. Goodness, you must have fun when you get together.
*writes picket sign, begins march in her living room: “Francis Needs a Blog. Francis Needs a Blog.”*
Regards,
Kelly
Kelly’s last blog post..Tip of the Week: Unlined Envelopes Save Customers!
Kelly,
Thanks for linking to the whole list – and the list of people who were overlooked, as I think a lot of them should have been on the first list, and high up as well.
For you, it is a gentle kick, my friend – you’re doing a bang up job as I see it. You’re right – no need to fight the power, if the system is working – but if it isn’t… *BAM*
Oh, Francis and I always do have a hell of a time when we get together.
I owe him a visit, and I’ll be doing that some time in the new year.
(You hear that, brother?)
So many people at my work hate the new system they’ve implemented – but they refuse to learn how to use it properly – they’d rather spend hours saying “this is how it used to be.”
Matthew Dryden’s last blog post..You’re Not Writing, Are You?
@Matthew,
Oh, I agree with you entirely on that one. The ROAD system was developed in-house to replace a commercial package that already worked fine, but a case of NIH created what has to be used now.
The help file is a PowerPoint slide show… there are warnings everywhere such as “Don’t press this button now, the feature isn’t implemented and it will crash the program” etc.
Most people have learned to use it and wouldn’t mind using it – if it worked!!!
Just give us tools that work. If the entire company is saying “the tool is broken” and no one is listening…
@Brett
How about the fact that ROAD is such a Fuster Cluck that you’re supposed to take a “pre-training course” to prepare you for the “real” training course?
Or how about the fact that ROAD doesn’t allow you to search the entire database according to author, title, or date (like MOST LIBRARIES ON THE ENTIRE PLANET DO?)
How about the fact that our own professionally trained librarians hate ROAD and won’t have anything to do with it?
Or how about the search engine is so shitty, that it’s easier to download the results into Excel, and use THAT to find the documents you want?
Or how about performing two identical searches on two adjacent computers, right next to each other, and getting TWO DIFFERENT results?
Or how about that if you want to search for a related file that might help you with your work, ROAD may (or may not) show it to you.
So you can’t even ASK permission to see a file, because you don’t even know it exists.
..Geez…Don’t even get me started
(Ooops! Too late!)
Friar’s last blog post..Friar’s Revised Zodiac Signs
@Friar,
You should submit this to the “Complaints Department”, you know, where it will have the greatest *impact* hahahahahaha
@Brett
You’re pretty good at making “observations” like these. Thanks for the “coaching”.
Friar’s last blog post..Friar’s Revised Zodiac Signs
@Friar,
Heh heh, just giving you the TOOLS you need to make sure your day remains FREE of EVENTS
… but that’s the way we’ve always done it!
*chuckle*
Urban Panther’s last blog post..Birch bark
Exactly… the way we’ve always done it…
Try this – it is therapeutic – http://www.doodie.com/anger_management.php
@ Kelly
Yes Francis writes a blog….. kinda. More of a place to post my stories. Only problem is people who know me can’t figure me writing them.
I’ll have to remove my last post though. But much I think, even for Brett. He actually commented on it. I’ve had exactly 3 comments since I started.
I’ll have to wite something funny, maybe people would visit it more.
And I visit Kelly’s site when I can but not as often as I should. The damned IT guy at work monitors my usage like a hawk. I hate him.
I’ll let Brett explain that joke.
Francis
Francis Kopke’s last blog post..No, I am not all right
@Francis,
It is a good place, and I like it. I know it’s you, of course. Then again, we’ve known each other for 16 years (holy shit!)
Your last post was not that bad – sometimes, we just need to say stuff. It can be therapeutic.
You write what you know – besides, you save all your best funny stuff for when we’re together
I’ll have to have a word with that IT guy where you work. He needs to let you get out more often
-Brett