Aug 22 2008

False economies …

Category: Pointless Bureaucracy Journal — Computer Monkey @ 10:00

Pointless Bureaucracy Journal

Okay, so one of the “perks” of my job is that I’m attached to an SLA that supports a lot of the uni’s clerical staff. This is basically the textbook definition of public service cubicle monkey.

I went up there to roll over an ANCIENT computer. Standard policy is just to roll over the computer itself, leave all other peripherals the same. This old machine we’re taking had a PS2 keyboard. Yeah, old school. So we needed to find a USB keyboard. We don’t have any spares in our stores, so we scrounged and stole a keyboard off an old PowerMac G4. Obviously, Mac keyboard + windows machine doesn’t appeal, and thus begins a discussion on supplying a keyboard.

Seriously, we had a 30 minute “discussion”, involving 1 IT and 3 bureaucrats about getting a USB keyboard, whether IT took a previous USB keyboard that should’ve been there, if there were any spare USB keyboards in the department, roaming around and searching… All because they didn’t want to buy one.

Let’s think about this. Just MY hourly wage for 30 minutes would buy a keyboard and still leave change for lunch. Now put in the salaries of everyone else. Suddenly we’re talking Optimus Maximus keyboard ranges, seriously.

Focus on the big picture people … fiscal efficiency is NOT acheieved with keyboards, forms and cheap teabags.

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Aug 06 2008

Working is expensive!

Category: Generic — Computer Monkey @ 11:45

I’m sure I was saving more money when I was on a small retainer, working one day a week and basically being a man of leisure the rest of the time. Back then, I would make myself coffee at home, occasionally wander out after lunch and do some grocery shopping or just enjoy being outside. Okay, who am I kidding? I made coffee and played World of Warcraft. But still, it was cheaper than now.

See now, I’m working full time and being paid a satisfactory amount, but I’m still paying for all the regular things that I was paying for before. In addition, I’m now spending around $10 per day just on coffee. To break it down, that’s one on the way in to work, one in the morning (yes, often straight after I get to work) with the team and then usually one after lunch or in the mid afternoon.

On top of that you have lunch, which can cheap out at $0 (brought from home), or can involve a further $8-$15 per day (far, far more frequent). And then there’s getting home after work, not being bothered to cook, and so the “takeaway” (that quotation marks mean “delivered to the door”).

So I’ve gone from spending between $0-$10 per day (on a splurge day) to now sitting at around $20-$25 most days, and occasionally $45. Ouch. Working is expensive!

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