June 2001
30 June 2001
Cookie-Time cookies are LONG GONE. Don't
even bother asking anymore ;-)
Well, this has definitely been a week to forget.
On Tuesday, the layoffs around the lab were announced. Because of the large number of people 'affected' (40 all up), management decided against tapping people on the shoulder and then escorting them to the door. Instead everyone was told to go to a particular room. Everyone in the room was then told whether or not this was a room of affected people or not.
Luckily, I was sent to a room where people weren't affected, so I still have a job. Unfortunately though, a number of my good friends weren't as lucky.
To make sure that we all keep in contact, I have been busy setting up a new website, where people can leave messages, find contact details for the rest of the team, and of course, reminisce about the good times with all the team's photos from parties, meetings and Secret Santas past.
Web Update
Added a Guestbook!
New photo added to the Flora and Fauna section
New link of the week
TeamION website set up (Sorry, for team members only - password protected)
Changed the subscribe/unsubscribe email links so they will automagically fill in the correct subject line.
Added a photo of yours truly somewhere on this site. I'm not gonna tell you where though.
Well, this has definitely been a week to forget.
On Tuesday, the layoffs around the lab were announced. Because of the large number of people 'affected' (40 all up), management decided against tapping people on the shoulder and then escorting them to the door. Instead everyone was told to go to a particular room. Everyone in the room was then told whether or not this was a room of affected people or not.
Luckily, I was sent to a room where people weren't affected, so I still have a job. Unfortunately though, a number of my good friends weren't as lucky.
To make sure that we all keep in contact, I have been busy setting up a new website, where people can leave messages, find contact details for the rest of the team, and of course, reminisce about the good times with all the team's photos from parties, meetings and Secret Santas past.
Web Update
Added a Guestbook!
New photo added to the Flora and Fauna section
New link of the week
TeamION website set up (Sorry, for team members only - password protected)
Changed the subscribe/unsubscribe email links so they will automagically fill in the correct subject line.
Added a photo of yours truly somewhere on this site. I'm not gonna tell you where though.
23 June 2001
Another week has passed, and another week of
uncertainty at work traversed. Still no mention of
any redundancies, although there was a corporate
announcement on the NASDAQ to say that another
10,000 employees will be laid off - making a total
of 30,000 (or about a third of Nortel staff
world-wide) for the year. Rumours were rampant on
Friday. Most were preparing for the worst when a
security officer was spotted outside the main
entrance. As it turns out, this was only because
the University was having problems with people not
paying for their parking on campus. I believe that
we will know one way or another by the end of next
week. It is the end of the financial year, and I
believe that is when the funding starts to run
out.
I got up bright and early this morning. Took a two hour train ride to Sydney, picked up my parents at the airport, and then another two hours on the train back to Sydney. Spending some four hours in a train is not what I would consider to be 'fun' - well not on CityRail trains anyway - but at least I have the pleasure of some adult supervision for the next couple of weeks.
After dropping off the luggage at the apartment, we did a brief tour of all that Wollongong has to offer. The beach, the bay, the lighthouses, the steel works, the entertainment centre and of course, no visit to Wollongong would be complete without a visit to the supermarket. Ok, so I needed to pick up a few essentials, but I'm sure they were dying to know how much bread cost over here. (About $2.65)
With the arrival of my parents, I can now also announce that I have a new stash of cookie-times (see related story). It will be interesting to see how high the bidding at work will get <g>
Web Update
Fixed vsoest.net index page for Netscape users (if there are such people these days)
Updated the description of the colourful bugs - they have now been identified
Added a photo of my soon-to-be-defunct EC-1 Team to the 'Work' Section
I got up bright and early this morning. Took a two hour train ride to Sydney, picked up my parents at the airport, and then another two hours on the train back to Sydney. Spending some four hours in a train is not what I would consider to be 'fun' - well not on CityRail trains anyway - but at least I have the pleasure of some adult supervision for the next couple of weeks.
After dropping off the luggage at the apartment, we did a brief tour of all that Wollongong has to offer. The beach, the bay, the lighthouses, the steel works, the entertainment centre and of course, no visit to Wollongong would be complete without a visit to the supermarket. Ok, so I needed to pick up a few essentials, but I'm sure they were dying to know how much bread cost over here. (About $2.65)
With the arrival of my parents, I can now also announce that I have a new stash of cookie-times (see related story). It will be interesting to see how high the bidding at work will get <g>
Web Update
Fixed vsoest.net index page for Netscape users (if there are such people these days)
Updated the description of the colourful bugs - they have now been identified
Added a photo of my soon-to-be-defunct EC-1 Team to the 'Work' Section
17 June 2001
New Website! www.vsoest.net
is now the place to look. To go straight to my
webpage, the URL is now http://www.vsoest.net/Gerard/.
I decided it was about time my family was dragged into the 21st century. I've signed up with a new webhost which gives me a lot more space to play around with, unlimited email accounts, mailing lists, a free domain name and of course - specially for the people visiting this site - a faster connection to the net.
I'm going to be playing around with all these new features in the next couple of months, so no doubt this site will be in a constant state of flux.
Now that I have set up my site with a new host, I can now offer a proper mailing list. If you would like to get an email every time I make an update to my homepage, then check out the 'Contacting You' details in the new 'Contact' section.
Web Update
New location, faster access
Added photo of some colourful beetles to 'Flora and Fauna' section
Added two new photos to the 'Wollongong' section
Added one of the new Wollongong photos to the 'Favourites' section
Added 'Fun Stuff' section - currently contains an Invite and some cool Wallpapers
Removed 'Mail' link in left column. Replaced with Contact section.
Created new Contact section, containing a list of my current email addresses and details on how to subscribe to the new 'webupdate' mailing list.
<PLUG>
If you are thinking of setting up a website, and you don't like the free alternatives (space too limited, sites too slow, no email, no cgi support or whatever) then give adfreewebhosting.com a try. So far I have been impressed with the service (replies to emails within the hour), and the cost is pretty reasonable at AUD13 p/month - which includes a free .com, .net or .org domain name. (And if you say that I referred you, I get two months for free :) )
</PLUG>
I decided it was about time my family was dragged into the 21st century. I've signed up with a new webhost which gives me a lot more space to play around with, unlimited email accounts, mailing lists, a free domain name and of course - specially for the people visiting this site - a faster connection to the net.
I'm going to be playing around with all these new features in the next couple of months, so no doubt this site will be in a constant state of flux.
Now that I have set up my site with a new host, I can now offer a proper mailing list. If you would like to get an email every time I make an update to my homepage, then check out the 'Contacting You' details in the new 'Contact' section.
Web Update
New location, faster access
Added photo of some colourful beetles to 'Flora and Fauna' section
Added two new photos to the 'Wollongong' section
Added one of the new Wollongong photos to the 'Favourites' section
Added 'Fun Stuff' section - currently contains an Invite and some cool Wallpapers
Removed 'Mail' link in left column. Replaced with Contact section.
Created new Contact section, containing a list of my current email addresses and details on how to subscribe to the new 'webupdate' mailing list.
<PLUG>
If you are thinking of setting up a website, and you don't like the free alternatives (space too limited, sites too slow, no email, no cgi support or whatever) then give adfreewebhosting.com a try. So far I have been impressed with the service (replies to emails within the hour), and the cost is pretty reasonable at AUD13 p/month - which includes a free .com, .net or .org domain name. (And if you say that I referred you, I get two months for free :) )
</PLUG>
14 June 2001
Web Update
Fixed left hand column for Netscape browsers
Added fall-back fonts for machines without the 'Verdana' font
Replaced 'Gerard's Homepage' with a pretty image
Fixed left hand column for Netscape browsers
Added fall-back fonts for machines without the 'Verdana' font
Replaced 'Gerard's Homepage' with a pretty image
10 June 2001
I am sooo glad that this week is finally over. What a nightmare! The custard is still hitting the fan as we speak, but at least I can get to sleep at night again.
The managers in the lab are starting to roll out details of the new projects that will be available, so people are starting to think that there is a chance that there might be some work to come to next week.
I had a talk to my manager (one of three), and started asking about one of the hardware projects that was mentioned. She kept on saying that there would be very little software development, which I couldn't quite understand. It wasn't until I pointed out that I was actually an electrical engineer that she finally figured out why I was asking. Anyway, it turns out that she quickly starting questions, and before I know it, I am approached to join the project. Very fast work indeed.
Although I am not going to count my chickens before I see some eggs, it would appear that I am now a hardware engineer! How is that for flexibility? It is a good thing that my business card just says 'Engineer'.
Still have to wait until next month to wait for the dust to settle - but things are looking hopeful.
On another topic : Housewarming party at my place this Tuesday. I know you probably won't be able to make it, but you are invited anyway. I figured people around work needed a bit of cheering up - and what would be better than an Austin Powers DVD night? I'm spending the long weekend (Queen's Birthday is celebrated on a different day than NZ) getting ready for the party. Still need to get lots of drinks and nibblies.
Finally, a reader of this site (yes, it would appear there is one!) suggested that an email list be set up to notify people when I make an update. Does anyone else have an opinion on this? The main reason I decided to switch to the web was to get away from the constant emails I was sending out. I know it can be annoying to people sometimes, and figured that the web would allow people to read as little or as much as they wanted. Comments please! I would also be interesting in hearing what else you would like to see more / less of on here.
Web Update
Added new Panorama section to the Photos area
New 'Link of the Week'
Made new 'Previous Links of the Week' page
The managers in the lab are starting to roll out details of the new projects that will be available, so people are starting to think that there is a chance that there might be some work to come to next week.
I had a talk to my manager (one of three), and started asking about one of the hardware projects that was mentioned. She kept on saying that there would be very little software development, which I couldn't quite understand. It wasn't until I pointed out that I was actually an electrical engineer that she finally figured out why I was asking. Anyway, it turns out that she quickly starting questions, and before I know it, I am approached to join the project. Very fast work indeed.
Although I am not going to count my chickens before I see some eggs, it would appear that I am now a hardware engineer! How is that for flexibility? It is a good thing that my business card just says 'Engineer'.
Still have to wait until next month to wait for the dust to settle - but things are looking hopeful.
On another topic : Housewarming party at my place this Tuesday. I know you probably won't be able to make it, but you are invited anyway. I figured people around work needed a bit of cheering up - and what would be better than an Austin Powers DVD night? I'm spending the long weekend (Queen's Birthday is celebrated on a different day than NZ) getting ready for the party. Still need to get lots of drinks and nibblies.
Finally, a reader of this site (yes, it would appear there is one!) suggested that an email list be set up to notify people when I make an update. Does anyone else have an opinion on this? The main reason I decided to switch to the web was to get away from the constant emails I was sending out. I know it can be annoying to people sometimes, and figured that the web would allow people to read as little or as much as they wanted. Comments please! I would also be interesting in hearing what else you would like to see more / less of on here.
Web Update
Added new Panorama section to the Photos area
New 'Link of the Week'
Made new 'Previous Links of the Week' page
5 June 2001
Well, what a roller-coaster this week has been. Last week I was spending a large amount of time working on a customer problem - and the rest of the team were busy working the next release. This Monday, out of the blue, the project is being downsized, and moved back to Ireland. The whole team (45 people) is now left stranded!
We have two-three weeks to package everything back up, so the guys in Ireland can start up again. Apparently, the people that used to work on it are being approached about coming back, but they are less than enthused about the idea.
The decision to move everything back was based on upper-management trying to cope with the sudden downturn in telco's spending. In total, about 70-80 people from our lab of ~190 are being told that their projects are being down-sized / relocated. The management here is frantically looking more projects to bring down to more projects to Wollongong to minimise the number of staff cuts.
Know of any jobs going anywhere? ;-)
Web Update
Moved all the old updates to an 'Oldies' section. Saves everybody from downloading weeks of my rantings :)
Added 'Dumb Ozzies' photos to the 'Photos' section.
We have two-three weeks to package everything back up, so the guys in Ireland can start up again. Apparently, the people that used to work on it are being approached about coming back, but they are less than enthused about the idea.
The decision to move everything back was based on upper-management trying to cope with the sudden downturn in telco's spending. In total, about 70-80 people from our lab of ~190 are being told that their projects are being down-sized / relocated. The management here is frantically looking more projects to bring down to more projects to Wollongong to minimise the number of staff cuts.
Know of any jobs going anywhere? ;-)
Web Update
Moved all the old updates to an 'Oldies' section. Saves everybody from downloading weeks of my rantings :)
Added 'Dumb Ozzies' photos to the 'Photos' section.