2000-06-30 - 09:30

Why has he done this to Tux?

Okay, two long days later and the project is nearing completion . . . but I'll still definitely be in on the weekend. I've wrapped up every test but one and turned them into graphs for the paper. The results were good (after I fixed the last mistakes in how I was doing things). The last experiment is giving me a bit of grief; but I'll either get it going today or scrap it.

Abder announced that he is leaving the group to join the same wireless team that Muhammad joined. Work is turning into the corporate version of Survivor: every week somebody leaves the island (although here, they're voting themselves off). In a way, it's disheartening. I wanted to work here because I enjoy the work and I think that the people are cool. The nature of the work has changed a lot (although I'm still doing old school stuff for now), so if a lot of people leave . . .

I dunno. I talked to Nabil about it for a little while last night. He is of the opinion that as long as I don't dislike the type of work that we're doing now, the job still has a lot to offer someone in my position, even if a lot of the other guys leave. I think that whatever happens in the near future, I'll wait it out for a bit and see how things end up.

I had some fun at work yesterday with Jamal. Dr. J clearly gets a lot of enjoyment from bugging me ("Blondie, what are you doing? Get out of here, man!"); but I gave a little back. To understand, you have to realize that the doctor is a huge Linux freak. It's essentially a religion for him. So Wednesday night, before I left, I took Don's stuffed Tux (the Linux penguin mascot) and used the collection of pipe cleaners (which were at my desk when I started here, for some reason) to fashion a noose and hang him.

Don noticed yesterday morning; but it wasn't until last night that Jamal came into the lab: "Don, have you gone crazy?!" After Don professed his innocence, Jamal turned around: "Blondie!! That was you?! Are you serious, man? That was you?" Then he rounded up the Linux lynch mob and came back after me. Heheh.

Greg told me afterwards that he was flipping out outside the lab, where I couldn't hear him, calling people over to witness the outrage. "Do you see what this Satanist has done?!" (Actually, with Jamal, it sounds more like Satin-ist, but what the hell? The spirit is threre.) Of course, that made my day, especially when I heard that his reaction was so strong. Great fun. It's just too bad that I was a little stressed out with a problem in the lab at the time, so I couldn't fully enjoy the response. Regardless, I feel the satisfaction of a job well done. Heheh.

J.