Sometimes I really gotta wonder about this place.

[xforge.livejournal.com]

Makes you wonder about how professional your co-workers are, when something like this happens:

Last week I was informed that the Marketing department is going to get rid of all the older Macs in the department and upgrade a bunch of people to all-new systems. So I take an inventory of systems and parts, and I go get two of the machines and pull out the DVD-RW drives so that when they dispose of the machines they won't be disposing of practically-brand-new drives that they can actually do something with. At 5:30 on Friday I'm still in the middle of drive switching and doing wipeout/reinstall OS on the machines so they'll be all secure and ready to go out the door. The two DVD-RWs are sitting on my desk, one atop the other.

Today I come in, pick up the top drive and swap it into another old Mac, so that I can use the Tiger install DVD to do the wipeout/reinstall. Except it won't go into the drive sled on the Mac, because it has 2 little black screws in each side. Because it's a CD drive that's been pulled from one of the HP desktop machines the company uses.

Yeah.

Someone just walked right the f*ck into my cubicle and took a DVD-RW drive that didn't belong to them, installed it in their own computer and left their old unit in its place.

It's just unbelievable to me that people would do such a thing, but I guess I shouldn't really be surprised when someone named Bob puts a lunch box into the fridge that says BOB'S LUNCH on it, and then comes back at 1 p.m. and someone who's not Bob has eaten it all. Still, these people are f*cking barbarians, and not in a good way either. Shit!!

(xposted my journal, coworkers_suck, techsupport

Comments

[crazdgamer.livejournal.com]

Unfortunate.

Do you have any recourse, or are you stuck with useless CD drive?

[xforge.livejournal.com]

Well, I can complain to my boss but he might only say "you probably shouldn't leave valuable things sitting out," which is true I guess but still kinda pisses me off - I mean, what's next, somebody gonna just make off with my 20" monitor 'cuz they wanted a bigger screen?

The other thing I can do is act like a little bitch and refuse to do anybody any favors anymore - no more Mr. Nice Guy, since I'm obviously going to be treated like a supply closet where anybody can steal anything they want, they can all go f*ck themselves. I don't wanna do that but I would if I had to.

[garpu.livejournal.com]

I think you should find the drive, take it out of their computer, and disassemble theirs into bare parts. I'm willing to bet he/she would get the message.

[xforge.livejournal.com]

I think if I find it that's exactly what I'm going to do. = )

[jon787.livejournal.com]

How many machines would you have to examine to find the offending user?

If its not too many just take the drive back and leave a note with "sorry, but I needed this drive and it was just sitting out" and don't sign it with a name. When they come looking for their drive, hand back their original one.

[xforge.livejournal.com]

It doesn't seem to be installed on any machines of the helpdesk support team, which would mean that either a developer took it, or some random luser from elsewhere just happened by my cube and did the swap himself, which is highly unlikely. Tomorrow I'm sending an email to all of Corporate IT and from there I dunno. It's a stinkin' $50 part but I'm pissed, dammit.

[jon787.livejournal.com]

There is also the chance that it migrated home with them

[xforge.livejournal.com]

Yup, and the more I think about it the more I wanna string their entrails down all the hallways of the corporate offices, as an example to those who touch Forge's stuff.

Actually since it was replaced with what was obviously a CD-ROM drive freshly yoinked from one of our HP minitowers, I'm thinking it's in some machine nearby. Just donno which one yet.

[jon787.livejournal.com]

Wait till everyone leaves and go hunting.

[xforge.livejournal.com]

Yah, no one around right now actually, but I'm stuck with the phones 'til 7 Eastern. But I will find out, oh yes I will.

[jon787.livejournal.com]

Did you find it?

[xforge.livejournal.com]

Noop, the Mrs. wanted me home early last night, but I'm gonna be looking around tomorrow. I was sincerely hoping the email I sent to the whole department saying "I'd like it back, please" would get to someone; serves me right for hoping people have some kind of common decency.

[ravan.livejournal.com]

Two words: locking cabinet.

People at my place will cannibalize the machines of departed people, but they aren't insane enough to raid the IT room. Apparently people think I'm crazy, or something....

[xforge.livejournal.com]

I hate even the idea that I'm going to have to lock up my cubicle in my place of employment, 'cuz that means I'm admitting to myself that I work with people who would just as soon rip you off as ask you for something. And that just SUCKS!!

[notthebuddha.livejournal.com]

that means I'm admitting to myself that I work with people who would just as soon rip you off as ask you for something. And that just SUCKS!!

Er, you just admitted it to us: Still, these people are f*cking barbarians, and not in a good way either.

[255-255-255-0.livejournal.com]

4 words: they are cheeky Ba$t4rds

It would be very tempting to track them down and, when they are not around, swap several bits from their office with useless crap.

Damn that would annoy me

[torkell]

Nonono, what you need to do is get a nice-looking drive, open it up, and do some... creative... rewiring. Leave it on your desk with an easily-missable note about how it's got some problems reading CDs, and wait for it to vanish.

Level of creativity is up to you, but wedging the IDE bus could make it very hard to track down.

[conglacio.livejournal.com]

I wonder what would happen if the power pins were swapped....

[notthebuddha.livejournal.com]

I hate it when people swipe stuff I just swiped.

[notthebuddha.livejournal.com]

You're inferring; the OP doesn't provide any of that context. All he definitely says is that someone took stuff at work that he had also taken. He provides a good reason for his taking to us, but not to the people he took it from. The other taker likewise did not share theior reasons.

For all we know, someone in Marketing had already made a deal to swap those drives or machines for something useful that now they won't get.

[gotica.livejournal.com]

I think this section of the post gives the context of IT reclaiming eq.
----
So I take an inventory of systems and parts, and I go get two of the machines and pull out the DVD-RW drives so that when they dispose of the machines they won't be disposing of practically-brand-new drives that """they"" can actually do something with.
----

:)

[notthebuddha.livejournal.com]

disposing of practically-brand-new drives that """they"" can actually do something with.

Looks like '"""they""' did something with it, all right.

[http://users.livejournal.com/shiara_/]

Reminds me of a guy on the 8th floor (I work on the 7th floor of this particular tower) who left his lunch in the fridge and someone swiped it.

He wrote a note that was priceless. It read: "To whomever had the Chinese food for lunch yesterday. I really hope you enjoyed it."

Of course, the implied "You f*ker" was right there, but geeeeeeeeez.

Pens and *normal* office supplies are one thing. Drives are another.

[adamjaskie.livejournal.com]

Laxatives.
Unmarked bag.

[captpackrat.livejournal.com]

Set out some traps. Spray a DVD drive disk tray with a light coating of spray adhesive, then sprinkle sand over it. Thus any disk the thief puts into it becomes an instant coaster.

Or just short the 12V and ground pins on the back of the drive. This is easier to reverse if you need to use the drive again later.

As far as the lunch, fill the box with a bunch of spring snakes. Or one of those light activated alarms (http://store.qkits.com/moreinfo.cfm/FK245).

[notthebuddha.livejournal.com]

Spray a DVD drive disk tray with a light coating of spray adhesive, then sprinkle sand over it. Thus any disk the thief puts into it becomes an instant coaster.

Not a best bet, as you due to the discs being clamped and spun at clearances that vary by make, it needs really coarse sand to make reliable contact, and the coarser the sand, the more visible.

[the-s-guy.livejournal.com]

Sounds like it's time to insert a little extra auditing item into the SOE - something that keeps track of all the hardware plugged into every PC and flags when something changes.

Of course, officially it's to be proactive when workstation hardware dies, so staff management don't have to waste their valuable time reporting a busted drive or card.

I don't suppose your cubicle is covered by security cameras or webcams...?

[xforge.livejournal.com]

Actually I think there is a camera in my vicinity. I could have the ops manager take a look.. hehehehe

[claidheamhmor]

Can you send out an email saying that the surveillance tapes will be examined, and the culprit charged with theft? Or does everyone know there are no cameras?

[xforge.livejournal.com]

There are cameras; I don't know if the wanker who touched my stuff knows he/she was caught on one.