Seeking Unix Admins for Paid Interviews

Thu Mar 13 16:05:39 PST 2003

Quoting Elizabeth McLachlan (ecm at otivo.com):
> Sun Microsystems is looking for UNIX system administrators who have some 
> experience managing UNIX networks and systems, and who are currently 
> employed in the San Francisco Bay area. Contractors are okay as long as you 
> work on site at your contract company.  Individuals who manage UNIX systems 
> along with other platforms (e.g. Windows, Linux, BSD, Apple) are highly 
> desired.
> 
> Sysadmins who participate in the study will be observed for 5-6 hours in 
> their work environment(s) by a videographer and an ethnographer. You will 
> conduct your job duties and be asked occasional questions. Each participant 
> will receive a $300-$400 honorarium. Your employer/boss/office mates have 
> to be okay with this - we will ask for a signed consent form.

Having studied lots and lots and lots of documentary
in college (computers were a backup plan when i was tired
and rich from documentarizing...) does anyone ELSE flash
to Flaherty and "Nanook of the North" when they see this?

"The admin extending his senses with snmp, big brother and a pager,
 is able to feel problems in his network from thousands of miles away."
or
"Watch as he sets a honeypot out and waits for {cr,h}ackers.  If
 he catches one tonight, his family will eat for 2 weeks, wasting
 no part."

I just have to offer that, for the most part, this is going
to be the dullest documentary every, if it's just film of
us working.  I've suffered the torment of going to client sites
to install and tune and configure software to be told:

This is So&So.  We don't want training, so he'll learn
by observing you while you work.  (with a bonus of: He speaks
little english and has never really looked at an rc file).

I've thought loudly:  "Gee, I hope doctors don't learn medicine
by watching their seniors give exams and go mmm-hmmm, ahhhhh, oh!
Now breath... breath.... again...."

There's a reason keyboards beep and unseen GUIs are used to represent
computer work in films.  It's freaking boring.

Now, high speed IRC logs might be fun.