Brewster Rockit by Tim Rickard for February 06, 2011

Kill Cliff! Kill Cliff!

There’s no need to murder Cliff – just let the next hull breach take him out. :-D

In space, no one can hear you scream in frustration.

At least she didn’t have to listen to muzak for fifteen minutes.

We at R U Serius are happy to have solved your problem. Remember our world wide team of operators are ready to serve you anytime. This may have been recorded for quality purposes.

When we have a problem at work our IT is downstairs but we now have to call India and try to explain our problem for 20 or more mins. (longest was 1 1/2 hrs) before they connect us with IT downstairs. We are not allowed to direct dial or walk down.

That’s crazy, but I know of a university in the Northeast where you have to call the “help” desk in Florida who then calls the IT people on campus if it’s a hardware issue.

That’s no way to wreck a nice beach.

a giant peach … a huge dress … forced to sit in one place for too long … a bear with impressive teeth … helpful elves … there’s a great fairy tale in there somewhere!

So if the crew could fix the problem themselves, why’d they bother calling tech support?

BTW… anybody remember the classic Arthur Clarke story in which a space crew survived a hull puncture by planting one guy’s… ahem… fleshy nether region… against the hole to seal it?

The original (and still) purpose of “IT” is to help the other departments in the company be more efficient and productive. Most have morphed into the Information Denial Department. Even if you have and call a direct line to your I.T. no one will ever answer (you get voice-mail). They begin with a boilerplate policy of service denial and one is forced to justify every mundane “privilege”.

Perhaps these departments have been around so long that the “Peter Principle” is now prevalent to the max.

@puddleglum1066, I remember that scene. Didn’t remember it was Clark and couldn’t tell you which story. Now it’s going to bug me until I figure it.

They need to fix the Rooster Bracket.

Tim must have changed the motherboard on his Windows PC recently…

Love the classic toonwork.

PUDDLEGLUM & CATQUEEN I could tell you the title of every Aurthur C. Clark written except I’m not as old as you. The best of his work was alrady in the library when I was a teen, so obviously I’m a young whippersnapper. If I say that 3 times and click my heels, will I————

Puddleglum & Catqueen, I don’t know about an Aurthur Clark story, but it does sound like one of Robert Heinlein’s future history stories. I just can’t remember the title.

The story was “Gentlemen, Be Seated” and it was part of Heinlein’s Future History. It was first published in Argosy Magazine, May, 1948. It was included in the anthologies “The Green Hills of Earth (1951) and The Past Through Tomorrow (1967). Geez, is there ANYTHING you can’t find in Wikipedia?!

A good five-cent cigar and a dime cup of coffee. /* goes off to check… */

Nuts. We’ll have to settle for the coffee.

I wish I had Cliff’s job; I’d love to work at nothing all day.