The Marines got it right...

At church today, the sermon was about outreach.  One of the random things discussed was Isaiah 58:10.  It says...

If you extend your soul to the hungry

And satisfy the afflicted soul,

Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,

And your darkness shall be as the noonday.

And once again, I was thinking about why so many Marines I've met are successful in the Marines and not very successful in the rest of their lives. The key is turning what happened into the Marines into a successful future. 

During my time in the Marine Corps, there was never a time for my problems.  There was only the mission and the welfare of the group.  We were always taught "mission first, troop welfare second".  In many aspects, this idea is exactly what God was talking about in Isaiah 58:10.

Maybe I'm not that smart, but if I hunt down a section of the Bible and it tells me how to solve a problem, the best way to solve that problem is to follow what the Bible said.  And then it becomes easy. 

Now, how can we take this and translate it into success?  Simple: if you have a problem in your life, help others.  Quit worrying about your problems and help others.  If you are depressed, go help others in any method you can.   Serve others, and you will gain.

The pastor used an example.  The Sea of Galilee in Israel is a fresh water sea that is teaming with life.  The water flows southward, feeding crops and providing for the needs of those around.  Finally, the river reaches the Dead Sea.  Nothing grows in the Dead Sea, and entering into the Dead Sea leaves a greasy, nasty feeling.  But that's how people who are self-centered and do nothing but consume are.  They consume and consume, and nothing grows in them. 

So, to finish off this line of thought: Marines on active duty are much like the Sea of Galilee. They produce for others with no thoughts of themselves.  They grow, and grow, and grow.  Nothing can stop them.  But they then leave the Marines and become the Dead Sea.  They consume and consume, asking and demanding over things and forgetting that which caused them great success. And their lives stagnate and become bitter and resentful.

But Isaiah 58:10 tells why the Marine Corps is so successful.  Isaiah 58:10 is the life style and life of the Marine. 

If you want to succeed, continue implementing Isaiah58:10. 

The Education System

I just realized why everyone hates school and learning.

Learning using school approved methods is BORING.

All the stuff I'm learning now I've had to learn through practical application.  When doing it there, what I learned had an immediate impact and I developed an understanding of what I was doing.  I went from basic understanding to crash course learning to extended knowledge.  I learned implications and troubleshooting methods that would lead me to success.  Going through the training courses on the same subject puts me to sleep.  And this is stuff I have taught others.

The difference, I suppose, is the training methods.  I learned facts slowly, as they became relevant and important.  As such, the facts had some context for my brain to attach to.  I can read information all day long, but it might be two or three weeks down the road before my brain has processed the information and started looking at implications and reasoning.  It doesn't happen immediately. 

But that receptive feedback we are used to is not conducive to getting people to learn.  Answers are expected to be forced out within minutes of learning the material.  There is no thought put into any of it.  It's just a matter of peer pressure and the desire to not fail.

Technology has not changed the methods of teaching in the least.  It's still instant feedback / sit in silence / I want answers ten minutes after I teach you.  If you want to blame the attention span problem, blame our education system.  There is never any thought of the implications.  It's a matter of learning, remembering long enough to pass the test, and forgetting.  Maybe the problem isn't our education, it's our brains.  Our bodies have adapted to our shoddy teaching methods after years of staring at someone drone on about something that has no use in our current mental state. 

I've spent a lot of time in meetings.  You learn a lot of stuff in those meetings.  But you aren't ever expected to recite those facts minutes after.  You are generally given days to look and examine what needs to be done before fixing the problem.  It's so weird that I had one meeting where a solution was needed that day, but the people I was talking to were selling something three weeks down the road.  "I want this fixed TODAY" became a running joke.  But I think they got the point.  It gets kind of serious when you're missing 1.666 of me in money.  That's a lot of money.   And I was the lowest paid guy in the room.

Technology is the key.  But the entrenched system doesn't want to give up its hold.  The CD industry was much the same way until it was forced to change.  Now, businesses that used to make a killing selling CDs are vacating their mall slots and moving to different businesses.  Technology is the game changer.  CPU power and memory are finally at a point where things can be accomplished, and bandwidth and network communication have changed everything.   The platform and the groundwork has been laid.  Now, it's time for someone to come in and wipe out the aging education industry. 

Tools of the Trade

So all the stuff I do requires a lot of tools.  Did I say a lot?  I should have said a whole lot.  I think I'm going to spend a bit of time discussing tools today.

I have two different cordless screwdrivers.  My favorite is a DeWalt.  I've been using it since I started the job, and it works like a champ.  Depending on how high you crank up the clutch, it can bust knuckles fairly easily.  But with all that torque it goes through cinder block pretty easily.  My only problem with DeWalt is the price. 

I recently added a Ryobi screwdriver and circular saw.  The Ryobi screw gun doesn't have the torque, but I like it anyways.  It's a good alternative to DeWalt if you don't have the money or don't want to spend the money.    A friend of mine said I should have bought the bigger super combo kit, but I didn't.   Truly, it's not my money but there are limitations to what I'll do.  If money hadn't been an issue, I'd have probably gone with this and bought DeWalt.   

For drill bits, I don't have a preference.  I generally use DeWalt because that's what someone bought me when I started the job.  I also have a set of Ryobi and Milwaukee bits.  I use what I have.  I haven't become a convert on any of this as of yet.

 My current set of crimps are a set of Paladin Datashark similar to this set. I go through a set a year.  What can I say?  I've got a grip and I tear through cheap crimps like nothing.  The next time mine break, I'm buying Klein. 

Speaking of Klein, I've also got a Klein Lan Scout, a Klein Compression Crimper , Klein 11 in 1 screwdriver , Klein Scotch lock pliers,  Klein wire cutter/stripper , and a Klein punch down tool.   I would buy everything Klein if it wasn't so darned expensive.  The only thing I wouldn't buy Klein would be fish tape.  Their fish tapes suck.

The electrician we have working for us is a beast.  He's the kind of electrician you want when you want solutions.  He also carries a full electricians' pouch full of nothing but Klein.  The only thing he doesn't use is Klein fish tapes.   Go figure. 

The 11 in 1 screwdriver and punch down tool are great for working on phone systems.  The 11 in 1 has all the tools in one needed to open most phone company demarc boxes.  The punch down tool also has a 66 block punch down device that turns working with 66 blocks from being a pain to being simple.  The right tools make certain jobs easy.

I also use a Commercial Electric wire cutters.  This is my third set.   The first set was lost by some guys we called in to run wire.  The 2nd set was broken trying to cut a fish tape. 

For a test set, I use a Fluke test set.  Once again, having the right tools makes the job easier.  For 2 years, I carried an Ideal toner, but that was a piece of junk.  I got the Fluke toner and that works like a champ. 

I've got an extra set of 6 small screw drivers from Husky.  Those are a recent addition, but I like them.  The Klein 11 in 1 is great, but sometimes I don't want to adjust the tip.   To carry it all, I use a Dead On Electricians pouch.   I've tried many different pouches, and none worked very well.  It's a matter of having the right amount of tools without being weighed down too much.  Considering I usually have all this, plus a label maker, plus a box of screws, and generally a tape measure...  it's not exactly a light pouch.   

I also carry a custom made safe pick.  And for safe repair tools (that aren't listed earlier) I have a couple of socket drivers I got from Harbor Freight.  I have the whole set, but the two I carry are sized to replace bill readers and take of most of the other safe repairs I do frequently.  I still have to pull out my full socket set to take out floor bolts, but that's about it.  

That's not everything I carry on a regular basis, but it's close enough and gives a good idea of what it takes to do my job. 

Construction II

Most training modules are mindlessly boring.  There is a definite need for the training, but do people have to make it so dull?   There's got to be a better way to train people than death by power point or some other CD based variant. 

Enough about that. 

Back to construction.  Now, it's time to add devices and create new wires for each section.  As I've said before, it's all Cat 5e bought from Deep Surplus.  The credit cards in this location have a phone line dial backup, so I check that first to make sure it's working.  Next, install a new external switch and move the ATA (analog telephone adapter) and plug that in.  At the top of the board will be a starting point for all the phone lines in the building.  Well, other than the phone company demarc.  The ATA plugs into the new external switch.  Add a cable from the ATA to the top breakout point.  RJ11 jack on one end, two bare wires on the other end.  We use blue/blue white to designate the VOIP phone line, so that's the pair I use.  I then punch it into the block at the top. 

The block at top is a "telephone expansion module".  It supports up to 4 phone lines to 9 locations.  It's kind of like a 66 block, but less complicated.  Anyways...   Trace the CATV cable on the back of the cable modem and make sure I've got enough slack.  I do, so it's time to move quickly.  The instant I unplug the cable modem, the store internet is going to go down.  With store internet down, the credit cards go down.  That's not a good thing.  It was probably about 3 in the afternoon when I was doing this, and that is a relatively slow time.

As any tech knows, the instant you have to reboot the internet or take a system off line, the location will get mobbed.  A dozen people will show up to a store that second before was a ghost town.  And they will all be mad at you for breaking things.  The second point of interest is the home run cable from the current external switch to the credit card processing device.  Is it long enough to serve my purposes, and run down my wire duct?  I know it is, but it's something to think about.  I know it is because the front of the building is to the right of the wire duct.  If it was to the left, the cable might have to be extended and this entire move couldn't happen until a later date.  As is, I made the move. 

Unplug the cable modem and pull the power cable out of the tangle and mess.  Unscrew the CATV cable from the cable modem.  Move the cable modem onto the board and strap it down.  Plug the power cable in and run it through the path I want.  Connect the pre-created Cat 5 patch cable from the new external switch to the modem.  Grab the credit card processor cable and thread it up through the ceiling and down the wire duct.  Plug it into the external switch.   The main process is finished, and the store is back up and processing credit cards in less than 10 minutes. 

The next contentious issue is getting the store internetwork online.  The Cisco 891W with the antenna (not in this picture) is where that cable goes.  Run a new cable for that, and boot it properly.  It's the orange cable with orange boot in this picture. Also a big issue because we've got an internetwork based proprietary card that processes.  So it's not something you want to go down for a long time.  It also alerts everyone and their dog if it goes offline for too long.  The last thing you want is a bunch of people calling you up asking why you are taking a store down.

This would be a good place to visually talk about our new wiring method.  We use a combination of colored wire with colored boots.  The boot is the same on both ends, so you go looking for a green wire with an orange boot, and you know you found the right cable because the other side is a green cable with an orange boot.  We have around 10 different cable colors and 10 different boot colors.  Wires are exceptionally easy to trace this way, and it doesn't take a toner to do so.  But it does take time and work to do the job right. 

Finally, tap in two biscuit jacks at the top of the board to provide service.  There is always a need for phone service on a board.  Sometimes it's for a dial-in situation.  Others it's just to test the phone lines and troubleshoot.  No matter the situation, we have phones to cover it. 

Once all that is done, attack the place like crazy with a label maker set in flag mode.  We've tried to put the labels on the cable, but those don't stay.  Flags have to be cut off.  Those suckers stay forever. 

Next time?  I don't know.  From here, it's a matter of building the replacement equipment and moving a few more devices into the back room.  But those are night of upgrade tasks. 

Obfuscation

I've heard various complaints about Windows and Linux systems.  I'm a Windows based user as that is what most of my job uses.  The rest is proprietary junk that has limited access.  One of the big complaints about the newer versions of Windows was that the directory system was obfuscated.  Meaning: you used to know where something installed, but now it just kind of shows up and goes somewhere. 

Strangely enough, when comparing Ubuntu 12.04, you have exactly the same thing.  Seriously...   I've been looking for the last 15 minutes through the file system and can't find where TeamViewer installed.  All I want to do is figure that out, and then maybe I can get it to start on boot up like I want so I don't have a fear of updating the computer.  See, if I want to mess with something remotely, I generally use my iPhone to connect to the Ubuntu machine to ping something to determine if the device in question has network connectivity through our corporate VPN to the site router and through the site switch, down to the device.   It's a good "is networking for this device working as expected?" test. 

But I don't dare install updates unless I'm here babysitting the machine because I can't get TeamViewer to start manually.  Because I can't find where the program installed.  And I finally found it.   Now, it could be because I'm using a more Windows style interface that things are complicated.  But that's pretty crazy...   also, why isn't my system auto logging in anymore?  I prefer it that way because I use it for remote access.  

Just as I think I've got one problem solved, here come 10 more.  And all this is stuff I already know how to do in Windows...   Maybe it's time to head home for the day and fight this problem later.