I’ve found a Software Development Meme (A meme  consists of any unit of cultural information, such as a practice or idea, that gets transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another) on a few blogs I’ve started reading (Larry Clarkin’s and Damon Payne’s), and I thought I would adapt it to the Sysadmin.

How old were you when you started using computers?

I was eight when I first started using computers.  My mom was a teacher for the local public school system and they were just getting computers.  She could bring one home over the summer and I started learning Basic on an Apple II.

What was your first machine?

The first machine we had in our family (other than the ones my mom could bring home) was an Apple II GS.  My first machine was a 486 IBM clone that cost me $2,000 (in 1993) (my summer work money - I was in high school).

What was the first real script you wrote?

The first “real” script I wrote was a Python script to enter addresses into a database system via ADO.

What scripting languages have you used?

I’ve used VBScript (marginally), PowerShell, and Python.

What was your first professional sysadmin gig?

My first professional sysadmin job is the one I currently have, with a local law enforcement agency.  I started officially as the IT Specialist here in April of 2006.

If you knew then what you know now, would have started in IT?

Definitely.  If I knew then what I know now, I would have finished college in the IT realm and started down this path sooner.  However, that might have changed how I’ve ended up, and I really like the position I have now and the opportunities in front of me.

If there is one thing you learned along the way that you would tell new sysadmins, what would it be?

Get involved.  I’ve learned more and met more great people getting involved in community.  By commenting on blogs, podcasting, spending time on IRC in the #powershell channel and participating in PowerShellCommunity.org, I have learned so much and met generous, knowledgeable people.

What’s the most fun you’ve ever had scripting?

The 2008 Winter Scripting Games were a blast, even though I got busy with work halfway through, I had a great time.  It was awesome watching the community provide their solutions and see people working on the challenges in the IRC channel and forums.

Who am I calling out?

Rich Niemeier

Keith Albright

Hal Rottenberg

Jonathan Walz

Shay Levy

Aleksandar Nikolic

Recorded: August 21, 2007
Your Hosts: Keith Albright, Rich Niemeier, and Steve Murawski

Show Length: 1:11:58

Our second ‘Special Topics’ episode. We welcome Steve Murawski to the show and discuss the need for a Code of Ethics for the IT Profession. Is something like this needed in our profession and why? We close with our suggestions for hiring ethical employees.

Here is a brief outline:

• Do we need a Code of Ethics?

-Does this problem stem from the psychology of the IT professional?

-Incidents in news related to IT professionals crossing the line

-Compare with other professions

-Have laws/regulations done part of the job (HIPAA, SOX, SB 1386, etc)

-What is crossing the line? If I am to be the information steward, do I not have the right to view ALL information?

-What about personal information (that does not belong in the workplace)?

• Can it be enforced?

-With no formal sanctioning body in place (e.g. Board Of Medicine, Bar Assn.) how can it be done.

-Has anyone ever been stripped of their certifications? MCSE, CCNA, etc.

• What can a company do to ensure their employees act ethically?

-Is an employee manual enough?

-Sign contractual ethics guarantee?

-How far does loyalty go?

Links mentioned in this show:

Too many to mention. Please see show notes for links.

View the full shownotes here.

Listen Now:

Download Here

Recorded: July 31, 2007
Your Hosts: Keith Albright, Rich Niemeier, and Ted Miller
Show Length: 1:29:40

This week we cover a variety of news and other topics; We have a brief discussion on technology vendor salespeople, Instant Messaging to interview job candidates, and a new fiber-optic cable. Ted informs us of the deadly threat lurking in our laser printers. As usual, we end with our website picks and we hope you enjoy.
NOTE: I think we finally nailed the sound quality. Let us know what you think.
Links mentioned in this show:

• Digital Pictures Backup Device
• Best Buy’s Geek Squad Tech Steals Porn
• Order food At Safeco Field from your Nintendo DS Lite
• Seven Ways Tech Vendors Blow The Sale
• Corning’s New Fiber
• E-Waste
• Using Instant Messaging In The Interview Process
• Cisco Adds CCENT Certification
• Secunia Personal Software Inspector
• Laser Printer Particle Health Risk

Other podcasts mentioned in this show:

Technorama

PaulDotCom Security Weekly

See the full show notes here.

Website Picks:

Keith’s Pick: Youlicit.com
Rich’s Pick: Free Church Music
Ted’s Pick: Etsy.com

Download Here

Recorded: June 22, 2007
Your Hosts: Keith Albright and Rich Niemeier
Show Length: 1:39:05

Rich and I discuss IT Organization structures and the trend toward the ‘hybrid’ model to align IT goals with the business. News items on Motorola acquisitions, RFID umbrella tracking privacy concerns, Safari Browser on Windows, and Spam Spikes. Rich talks about his battle with Internet connectivity problems during a big event and I relate my email and hard drive failure problems. We finish off with a couple of website picks.

As usual, we hope you enjoy.

Links mentioned in this podcast:

• Motorola Owns Netopia
• Nike Recycles
• Motorola Recycles
• RFID Umbrellas
• Computer Efficiency
• Safari For Windows
• Spam Spikes
• MessageLabs White Paper
• IT Organizational Structures
• More on IT Organizational Structures
• Even More on IT Organizational Structures

Full Show Notes

Website Picks:

Keith’s Pick: WhoCalled
Keith’s Second Pick: Feed The Pig

Rich’s Pick: PhysOrg
Rich’s Second Pick: Webcast Index

Download Here

I know; Rich and I discussed this on an earlier podcast.  Rather than bring this up on another show, I’ll just refer you to the article. 

I think this is an issue that most IT professionals have to address and I had my own struggles as well.  If you are experiencing this in your career, I’d advise you to pay particular attention to tip #1 - Ask yourself hard questions.

Do this after you’ve run through the rest of the tips since the results from those will affect your ability to answer those questions.  For me, I found that maintaining boundaries, delegation and strict scheduling wouldn’t and couldn’t work in the work environment I was in.

Take a few minutes to read the full article.

CIO Magazine: Five Sensible Tips for Achieving Work-Life Balance