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Admin
Well, that would stop him d*cking around.
What that place needs is a nice fire. Try explaining it to teh insurance..
Admin
Anyone notice that there are two "see larger image" that are the exact same image? Amazonian Failure.
Admin
Ah yes, small businesses. The backbone of the American economy.
Admin
That sounds really nice, but I am living your dream right now and you've left some things out.
These are people who don't understand the tech. That means they don't see the value in it, and don't want to spend money on it. You think a guy that builds a floor out of plywood, in violation of the law as well as a high-schooler's understanding of physics, is going to shell out for anything? You think those people are going to like not being admins on their own box after years of being able to install whatever crap they want? You think they'll remember their passwords? No, you end up either having to (a) walk, or (b) make short-term concessions but plan on very slowly tighten up security and make necessary upgrades one at a time.
You end up spending half of your time doing the work and half defending what you did to people who will never see the value in it. Having free reign is nice, though. But if it was just about the money I'd be looking for something else to do.
Admin
Actually, I work for immigrant entrepreneurs (who aren't bad at all) but more importantly 90% of the business is selling to other immigrant entrepreneurs. He couldn't be more right.
I am first generation American and my first reaction to that statement was honestly, "wow, how true." Now that you pointed out that it's bigoted I agree and I feel bad about that. But really, it's pretty damn true.
Some guys just think if they can work cheap everything will work out in the end. Or they think "I can do this" and try anything, even stuff they're grossly underqualified to do, like network cabling. Or they call up Jimmy so-and-so who knows how to hook up a car radio. Eventually through trial and error they get something that sort of works. Perhaps it's because immigrants are they type of people crazy enough to just move to a whole other country.
The nice thing is, if business is good, sometimes you do get the chance to get it right. There are worse qualities to have than confidence.
Admin
Okay, it's possible, maybe likely that there is more than one shop in the world that precisely fits this description. That said, I fixed a network for a customer that had a setup /exactly/ like described in this office, in about 1993-1994. I couldn't remember the name of the place now if I tried, but it was a jeweler in some small town, Wisconsin. They had a respectable shop up front and in back, an office/warehouse/grinding+polishing area in back that had the described cubicle loft.
Wiring, power, network issues aside, I actually thought it was pretty cool in the same sort of way that kids think bunk beds are awesome.
Heh!
Admin
But it has to be in moderation. Do you remember Dick Cheney or the Neocons?
Admin
PS, the problem is not always confidence, as here where it appears to be values: If the depictions of American and third-world offices I have read and seen are correct, Steve appears to be used to doing business in the third world where the local equivalents of OSHA are too often corrupt hicks more interested in kickbacks than occupational health and safety, and he does not understand that workplace safety is something important. Likewise, people like Peter Brimelow (from England) come to America, and others such as David Duke are BORN AND RAISED there, and think it is supposed to be a land of opportunity for only politically correct immigrants (IE English-speaking, Christian, not "Liberal", and depending on the xenophobe, often necessarily white).