Famous operational issues

Mon Feb 22 17:34:20 UTC 2021

On Mon, Feb 22, 2021 at 7:09 AM tim at pelican.org <tim at pelican.org> wrote:

> On Thursday, 18 February, 2021 22:37, "Warren Kumari" <warren at kumari.net>
> said:
>
> > 4: Not too long after I started doing networking (and for the same small
> > ISP in Yonkers), I'm flying off to install a new customer. I (of course)
> > think that I'm hot stuff because I'm going to do the install, configure
> the
> > router, whee, look at me! Anyway, I don't want to check a bag, and so I
> > stuff the Cisco 2501 in a carryon bag, along with tools, etc (this was
> all
> > pre-9/11!). I'm going through security and the TSA[0] person opens my bag
> > and pulls the router out. "What's this?!" he asks. I politely tell him
> that
> > it's a router. He says it's not. I'm still thinking that I'm the new
> > hotness, and so I tell him in a somewhat condescending way that it is,
> and
> > I know what I'm talking about. He tells me that it's not a router, and is
> > starting to get annoyed. I explain using my "talking to a 5 year old"
> voice
> > that it most certainly is a router. He tells me that lying to airport
> > security is a federal offense, and starts looming at me. I adjust my
> > attitude and start explaining that it's like a computer and makes the
> > Internet work. He gruffly hands me back the router, I put it in my bag
> and
> > scurry away. As I do so, I hear him telling his colleague that it wasn't
> a
> > router, and that he certainly knows what a router is, because he does
> > woodwork...
>
> Here in the UK we avoid that issue by pronouncing the packet-shifter as
> "rooter", and only the wood-working tool as "rowter" :)
>
> Of course, it raises a different set of problems when talking to the
> Australians...
>

Yes. I discovered this while walking around Sydney wearing my "I have root
@ Google" t-shirt.... got some odd looks/snickers...

W

>
> Cheers,
> Tim.
>
>
>

-- 
The computing scientist’s main challenge is not to get confused by the
complexities of his own making.
  -- E. W. Dijkstra
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