Dang It's Late..

[Second Hand Pat]

..and I'm still at work :(

[Darrell Ward]

Well, gotta pay for those new fish! :)

[Second Hand Pat]

Darrell, I don't get paid for the overtime :(

[Darrell Ward]

Ouch! That ain't good!

[Second Hand Pat]

Especially with 12 hour days

[Disgirl]

Hi Pat, are you able to tell us what type of work you do? If not, I understand. Hope you are asleep as I write this!
Barb:)

[Second Hand Pat]

Hi Barb, well almost asleep lol. I work for a defense contractor which builds training and logistics systems for our armed forces. Specifically I'm working on Automated Test Equipment (ATE) which is a rack in instruments used to test specialized components on military vehicles. The components we are testing are navigation and targeting pods which attach to the bottom of aircraft (F15, F16, etc). Confused yet lol.

I'm a software engineer and taking one of these ATE systems and updating the computer which attaches to the instrument rack. By update I mean updating the operating system from an old Unix based system (UP-UX) to Windows 7. When you update the operating system you have to update the interfaces which are used to talk to the instruments. This instrument rack is about 20 years old and there is only one at my work location.

We are running up on the delivery date for this system. So my project manager has split the team into two shifts. Idea is to get more time on the system to help complete testing in a more timely fashion. Bored yet.

Personally I rather not work with hardware, it is rather boring and not my area of expertise but it is a job so must be grateful for that (I guess). Simply put I write software which runs on a computer.

[MKD]

Wow Pat, long day at work and youre still up? I work in mortgage industry and have those long day often but don't get pay for OT. It's ok, I'm thankful I still have job in this kind of economy and now a day there is no loyalty, they can let you go any time (work at will).
No work -> no discus :)

[Second Hand Pat]

Hey Tony, went to sleep about 4 and up at 7:30...ugh. Not use to this. You are totally right....no loyalty...but it's a job and pays the bills.

[Darrell Ward]

Dang, still putting trust in 20 year old Unix based systems involving navigation with today's giant military budgets. Reminds me of one of the reasons I didn't reenlist in the Navy back in 82, crappy, frustratingly worn out equipment. LOL!

[Second Hand Pat]

Darrell, our military does not use these systems today. This is for a foreign government.

[Darrell Ward]

Well, that's more reassuring. LOL!

[Second Hand Pat]

The ATE is part of the package when they buy our older aircraft.

[Disgirl]

WOW Pat, very impressive! Thanks for the job description. I bet you are a good and reliable employee! Now I must return to my job, pottery making with one hand and arm. Still no word on what is to be done with the other one:mad:Hopefully I will find out tomorrow.
Barb

[Second Hand Pat]

Your shoulder still out? That bites. Is something torn?

You should charge more on cones made with one hand. Takes skill to do that ;)

[Disgirl]

Yes, my arm gets worse each day. I had a bad fall on concrete, onto my head and left arm due to no electricity after Hurricane Irene. Was trying to get the garage door open and something broke and I flew backwards onto the floor. I am finally about to find out the damage and what is to be done tomorrow. Will let you know. Thank goodness I am good with my right hand and arm or I would be lost these days.
Barb

[Second Hand Pat]

Darn Barb, so sorry to hear that. Please post back with the results.
Hugs, Pat

[Chad Hughes]

Hey Pat!

You're speaking my language! :D

I'm an aeorscpace engineer for the DOD here in San Diego. I deal mainly with vertical lift. I straddle the fence between hardware and software. We are definately headed full bore in to the digital age.

Don't work too hard!

[ericatdallas]

I'm a software engineer and taking one of these ATE systems and updating the computer which attaches to the instrument rack. By update I mean updating the operating system from an old Unix based system (UP-UX) to Windows 7. When you update the operating system you have to update the interfaces which are used to talk to the instruments. This instrument rack is about 20 years old and there is only one at my work location.


I don't consider that an upgrade... writing window drivers? Fun...



Personally I rather not work with hardware, it is rather boring and not my area of expertise but it is a job so must be grateful for that (I guess). Simply put I write software which runs on a computer.

I used to be a test engineer (electrical) for two different telecom companies before I joined the military. This is exactly what I loved to do... except the software part.


Dang, still putting trust in 20 year old Unix based systems involving navigation with today's giant military budgets. Reminds me of one of the reasons I didn't reenlist in the Navy back in 82, crappy, frustratingly worn out equipment. LOL!

I don't know.. there's comfort putting faith in SOFTWARE with a proven track record. I would rather upgrade the hardware and keep the software. I say that, but I also complain about being forced to write programs in Fortran b/c the "higher-ups" are resistant to change in the name of reliability.



I'm an aeorscpace engineer for the DOD here in San Diego. I deal mainly with vertical lift. I straddle the fence between hardware and software. We are definately headed full bore in to the digital age.

Uhmm you are DOD Chris... the rest of the world is ALREADY well into the digital age ;)


Don't work too hard!

Especially since it's a foreign government ;)

[Second Hand Pat]

Eric, not all the interfaces are driver based. Have 1553 (VISA) and GBIC (driver, plus speciallized cards). To integrate this stuff together you have Atlas, TYX, customs dlls and a bunch of application code written in Ada and C++. Enough to have a hair pulling ceremony dealing with interfaces.

Sometimes you can update the hardware without any software updates. Depending on interface and big endian/little endian issues.

Been a long time since I have written any Fortran. lol

[ericatdallas]

Eric, not all the interfaces are driver based. Have 1553 (VISA) and GBIC (driver, plus speciallized cards). To integrate this stuff together you have Altas, TYX, customs dlls, and a bunch of application code written in Ada and C++. Enough to have a hair pulling ceremony dealing with interfaces.

Oh no, that's not what I was implying.. I merely meant, "Are you writing Window drivers?" <insert pitying tone> <"fun...">
;)



Sometimes you can update the hardware without any software updates. Dependings on interface and big endian/little endian issues.


That's why we hire sharp software engineers to write 'interfaces' to deal with all that stuff and ecapsulate everything so it's transparent to us :)


Been a long time since I have written any Fortran. lol

When I went to college, my professors told me I would never need to learn it... EXCEPT if I end up working for the government (mind you, that was 15 years ago and supposeldly by now, even the government was supposed to have converted). I heard one of the national labs is looking for the original punch cards to a simulation they lost the algorithm for ... that must be some algorithm for them NOT to be able to figure it out again. At least I'm NOT that guy trying to learn how to read punch cards...

:P

[Second Hand Pat]

Eric, application code for me. No drivers. When I did punch cards long, long time ago and far, far away...the code was also printed on the punch card...or was it. Now I don't remember...lol

[Disgirl]

Pat and Eric, you computer folk have your own language I see!:);):D
Barb

[Darrell Ward]

LOL! It's like Simply has it's own "Geek Squad". :) It's funny, but my son-in-law develops some kind of computer stuff for corporations. (He once explained it to me, but I had no idea what he was talking about) He's done work for Bank of America, Toyota, NASCAR, Honda, Burger King, Bojangles, the list goes on. He's 30 years old, works out of his huge house in Charlotte,NC, and is already a millionaire. Dang, I was born to late, and never got the right training to get rich in the computer industry. Computers is where the money is these days. Everyone else is getting laid off it seems.

[Second Hand Pat]

Yes Barb, I try to hold the geek speak down in normal conversation. My whole family is a bunch of engineers and my poor mom is not but tolerants it well when we get rolling on some engineering subject.

Darrell, it is even tough in the engineering fields. My husband is a software engineer and he was laid off two years ago and still no job. :(

[ericatdallas]

Yes Barb, I try to hold the geek speak down in normal conversation. My whole family is a bunch of engineers and my poor mom is not but tolerants it well when we get rolling on some engineering subject.

Yeah, but all fields do it. Heck, a newbie to the aquarium hobby coming here would be overwhelmed. I wasn't a newbie and I still had a hard time understanding people here with Discus stuff. That's part of the reason I made my acronym/abbreviation thread.


Darrell, it is even tough in the engineering fields. My husband is a software engineer and he was laid off two years ago and still no job. :(

Yup, there's some competition overseas. When your worker sits in front of a computer, it's cheaper on infrastructure to let them work from home. Extend that a little and it doesn't stop them from working on overseas. The defense industry is a bit isolated from outsourcing (for obvious reasons) but it can also be competitive to get a defense job because of pretty good pay and stability (perceived or true is debatable right now). Even there, I know a few cases where a US company outsourced part of their contract work to another country.

One of the friends (a SW engineer) I went to school with was asked to fly to India to train the engineers there... my thoughts were "uh-oh".

About the only kind of engineer safe from outsourcing is the one that drives trains (Maybe one day we'll have ROT's? Remotely Operated Trains?)

Even in the military, about 4 years ago, they released 25% of the engineers (I think this was overall). This year, I'm waiting on results for them to release another 10% (from my year group - military tries to target it by rank, to make sure the organization isn't too top/bottom heavy). That means the engineers that joined around the same time I did are about 1/3 as many (that's not accounting for attrition).

[Darrell Ward]

They still are computer related jobs with good pay available around the Charlotte, NC area. I see them advertised regularly. Unfortunately, I ain't qualified.:(

[strawberryblonde]

Eric, application code for me. No drivers. When I did punch cards long, long time ago and far, far away...the code was also printed on the punch card...or was it. Now I don't remember...lol

FORTRAN for the win! lol

I swear I never thought I'd hear that code name again. And yep, way back when we used punch cards the code was on the card. Those things make lovely Christmas wreaths yanno. We used to sit around thinking up uses for the stacks and stacks of cards in our "office".

COBOL, another one of those codes they forced me to learn...ugh!

[YSS]

Wow! A lot of geek talk here. :) Been there, done that, and got out to make more money. I guess I shouldn't have. Now, the guys I manage who are much younger than I am are making almost as much.

I do work late often, Pat, but I get to do that from home. So, can't complain that much. Yes, at least we have a job and can support our expensive hobby. I do count my blessings.

[Second Hand Pat]

FORTRAN for the win! lol

I swear I never thought I'd hear that code name again. And yep, way back when we used punch cards the code was on the card. Those things make lovely Christmas wreaths yanno. We used to sit around thinking up uses for the stacks and stacks of cards in our "office".

COBOL, another one of those codes they forced me to learn...ugh!

Toni, have not written FORTRAN in quite a while and only COBOL in school (thanks goodness). Today mostly C, C++, some C# (windows services) and rehosted Ada from HP-UX to Windows 7 :(


Wow! A lot of geek talk here. :) Been there, done that, and got out to make more money. I guess I shouldn't have. Now, the guys I manage who are much younger than I am are making almost as much.

I do work late often, Pat, but I get to do that from home. So, can't complain that much. Yes, at least we have a job and can support our expensive hobby. I do count my blessings.

Yun, worked a 14 hour day yesterday. I'm beat. Lucky you getting to work from home. :)

[Keith Perkins]

FORTRAN, COBOL, SPSS, and a fourth language I don't recall the name of all packed into one lousy two credit course some 30 years ago. Never worked so hard in my life for two credits, but I loved it.

[Second Hand Pat]

SNOBOL4 maybe? primitive but interesting or PL1. Or maybe BASIC before it had an else statement.

[Keith Perkins]

Ah yes, it was BASIC. Nice to know a computer nerd that can fill in my bad memory sectors.

[Second Hand Pat]

Keith, trying defragging ;)

[Keith Perkins]

Third glass of red, I'm going for a complete reformatting.

[Second Hand Pat]

Just don't crash