The Players Corner Archive

We get more hits during the weekday in the afternoon than any other time. I can only think of one reason for this happening:

People playing Gemstone and doing their GS activities AT WORK.

So how many of you actually do this? Play GS behind your boss' back, come to the boards and read them when you should probably be working, and always keeping an eye out when to minimize your GS related windows or IMs?

- Lord Kranar, human Archwizard reg

I can't play GS from work due to firewalls, but I read the boards to entertain myself.

I hate when my boss comes in and I don't have time to put up an AFK in AIM because then I keep looking at the screen out of the corner of my eye to make sure no IM's pop up. Then when they do, I look silly lunging for the computer.

I'm just lucky my office is in a far out location and I can see people coming from a little distance. reg

Lord Kranar, I'm just shocked and appalled that you would even entertain this thought for a moment! Why the very idea....

Now, having said all that...heck, yeah! I check the boards often during my work day. During the Summer when things are slow, I might wander into Elanthia for a bit. Okay, okay, there were a few months that I had to work graveyard and the only thing that kept me awake was "picking in the Tower".

I'm fortunate enough to have my own office, so I usually have plenty of time to look "officially busy" when the brass walks in. But, I tell you true, there is nothing more stressful than FINALLY being chosen for an alteration, the merchant is waiting for your grand idea... and the boss picks that very moment to come and chat!

Summer reg

[Who needs punctuation anyway? ]
Anticor Rifling, Giantman Wizard

[This message has been edited by AnticorRifling (edited 12-07-2001).] reg

[ The names where changed to protect the computer illeterite! ]

Anticor Rifling, Giantman Wizard

[This message has been edited by AnticorRifling (edited 12-07-2001).]

====================================
Sorry dude, I hate to be anal, but a swear is a swear. I just abbreviated the extended version of bs.

Sonic

[This message has been edited by Alfador (edited 12-07-2001).] reg

I have played during times when I bring in my laptop and am sitting a safety shift. It passes the time and doesn't distract from normal duties because they are done and it is after normal customer hours.

Hiway reg

::coughs::
Aerienne reg

Once I'm home, I actually play or do other things. Very rarely do I access the boards when I'm home (and the one time I did I found nasty posts directed at me, and reading them at home makes me vulnerable.. at work I can take it better.. don't ask me why so I don't do it anymore).

Do they care? As long as my work is done, I don't think they do, but I'm not about to ask them. Most of my work is based on the internet, and the boards are as close to document looking text than anything else. Since they changed the look of the official boards, it's harder to get away with. reg

Aeri, I travel a bit and always take my laptop with me. The trick is once you've checked into your room, to try to find the local access numbers for your service. Once you use the local number, the hotel will only charge you the fee for dialing a local number (usually .50 - $1.00 per call), no matter how long you stay on-line.

I have had experiences where I thought I was using a local access number and it was long distance, that's when the bill can add up. Now I double check and make sure the number I'm using is local. I'll go on-line for about five minutes and then check my bill and make sure I was only charged the hotel fee to make the local call (.50 - $1.00), and NOT any long distance rates.

Summer reg

Sometimes the hidden catch is after 20 or whatever time there will be a per minute charge even for a local phone call.

Many more are starting to offer highspeed hook ups to your network card.

I get lucky most of the time because the airline's contract usually waives any local phone charges. I always check at new locations to make sure though.

Been bit before in Chicago once.

Hiway reg

I spend time with the Mister at night so my online time in the evening is minimal..

My work is mostly answering the phone from technicians needing me to look up this and that, so I can read the boards inbetween

reg

Aren't you people supposed to be working when you are at work? Where, oh where, has the work ethics gone??

I mean I can see if you have to test the network to make sure that your computer can communicate with another computer at Simutronics, or if you want to see if your work computer can sustain a connection with another computer for a long period of time for disaster preparedness purposes. And since you don't know when a piaster might strike, you have to be ever diligent and test it everyday. That's one thing, but to play from work??? Absurd!!!

However, for those of you who "operate" from work, I would offer the following suggestions:

1. Have your back facing the wall opposite the door.
2. Have your monitor facing you.
3. If you have a window on your door, put up a one way mirror so you can see out, but people can't see in.
4. In addition to #3, you can also hang something up in the door window so that people on the outside have something "nice" to look at, or you do - whichever excuse you want to use.
5. Have a chair in front of your desk so that you can offer all of your guests a seat when they come into your office. Have this seat set back a little ways from the desk so that when they sit down, they have to scoot the chair closer, giving you valuable time to operate on your screen to get in that last skin and search. Plus, it keeps them at bay from your screen.
6. Turn off external speakers. Nothing like unexpected company hearing the IM incoming message alerts, or the "Going Out Wehneimer's Gate To Kick Butt" song.
7. Have your maps organized and placed in see through sheets in a notebook. Therefore, in an emergency, you can close the notebook in a hurry without dispersing your maps all over the place.
8. Consider using a high resolution monitor, and adjust so that the text is not visible from any distance.
9. If you have an adjustable door, adjust it for harder resistance so that it takes longer to open the door. Plus, the harder they push, the more resistance there is in the mechanism.
10. Consider upgrading to an operating system which gives you effective locks when you leave the keyboard, as when if you have to leave your office in a hurry to keep out nosey co-workers.

I am currently in-between jobs. At my last job, I would take it upon myself to patrol the lands and check the boards - as per the e-mail protocol which states that you should check your e-mail as soon as you get to work, before and after lunch, and before you go home for the day. <whistles, cough, cough>

Gand - the cookie baker reg

Those 10 tips could save you your job.

- Lord Kranar, human Archwizard reg

I don't think I'll be accessing from the road since I'm using a company laptop. I can't even figure out how to check my personal email. ::mumbles:: At home I can make someone set up my alt email box, but here....I can't find the alt email settings. ::gazes up::

I think I'm just going to have to be pathetic and keep whining until someone hooks me up.

::winks::
Aerienne reg

PS. The Alt+Tab thing is the fastest and safest way.

Windows 2k Users also have a little button on the bottom left hand side (If enabled) that will minimize all windows immediately.

Windows NT you'll have to right click on the taskbar and choose that option.

And for increased security for the paranoid types... Check out www.zonelabs.com, they make personal firewalls that work very well. This will keep those probing eyes off your PC.

D reg

Side note what type of email are you trying to set up? Hit me with the specifics and I might be able to walk you through it.

Anticor Rifling, Giantman Wizard reg

Any info would be appreciated.

What I've done in the meantime is set up a yahoo email account.

LadyAerienne@yahoo.com

Aerienne reg

quote:

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Originally posted by Aerienne:
Ok, I'm staying at a Marriott, and it has highspeed internet, but it's $9.99 for 24 hours, which is really silly because who the hell stays in the room for 24 hours straight?

---

heh.. they mean $9.99 a day... what a rip!

At the moment, I live in Texas (that changes all the time!)
Last year, I was doing a 'working vacation' at a bud's shop in Napa, Ca... The cheapest long term hotel I could find was 20 miles awy in Fairfield... After being there for 3 weeks, I was really needing an online fix (didn't have time to play on the net at work, even though was had a great connection)...

I drove down to San Jose one day and bought a cheap computer from a dud there (mine stayed with the wife, so I was
'puterless).... Hooked it into the hotel phone system, and got a quick GS fix.

About an hour later, the hotel owner came and beat down my door, yelling something about the place only having ONE outgoing line, and I was hogging it!

For the next 3 weeks, i was lucky to get an hour a week in at really late hours.....
reg

quote:

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Originally posted by Aerienne:
Outlook express from Win98. I think they've got some sort of modified version. I thought all I would need to do is go into the options folder and access it that way, and just add another account name, but that doesn't work. I also can't find where I would put the server address to access it, which on my home pc was easy to find.

Any info would be appreciated.

What I've done in the meantime is set up a yahoo email account.

LadyAerienne@yahoo.com

Aerienne

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If you have the outlook CD what I would try is popping that in and doing a repair/custom install. For whatever reason that program (Office suit/outlook) does not always load everything it needs. If you do a custom install and ensure that everything is selected you should be able to throw your mail server/username in without a hitch. Thats the only idea I have at the moment.

Anticor Rifling, Giantman Wizard
reg

Aerienne reg