Jan 31st

Jan 31st - Question to LOTR Gurus: In the LOTR we read only a little about Gandalf's Order. We know that there are 5 Wizards. Saruman the White, Gandalf the Grey, Radagast the Brown... and two others. I can find no information as to who the other two are. In fact I am very afraid one of them is Tom Bombadil the Baby Blue. If there is a Mad Ogre Reader out there that knows anything of substance on this subject, please, enlighten me.

There is a great stir to attend the SHOT SHOW which is in Vegas this weekend. I have an invitation to attend, free tickets lined up, and even a room to crash in. Despite all of this... I can not attend because of finances. Even invited to work the SWAT booth from the owner of SWAT Magazine... DAMN! I wish I could go!

Interview. I have not been to a lot of interviews so I don't have that Pro Candidate Interviewee thing down. Just the concept of going to one makes me sweat. Here, sit in front of a couple strangers and sell yourself. *No Thanks*. I don't like doing that. I turn into Woody Allen... Neurotic and pathetic. Arrgh! The interview I just had today went very well. At least in my opinion. I want this job, and I think I sold myself for it. The company is very cool, and will be going places very soon. I hope I am on board with this one. Totally opposite concept from how Convergys worked... and that is amazing. Take a huge growth potential and combine that with a company that actually wants to like its employees... Exciting. I think this job would be a PERFECT fit for me. I would have the control to manage my team the way it should be managed! And I didn't choke in the interview. I am on cloud 9 over here. If I wasn't broke - I'd celebrate!

I just read a news article about Hollow Wood, I mean Hollywood. I think what summed up the article the best was the caption under the Planet Of The Apes image: "...But they still packed the theaters." Nice. That is what it is all about. The bottom line. The buck. There is no artistic integrity in Hollywood. They don't care about the art of the film making anymore. All they care about is "Can we bank off this?" There are a couple examples of the directors actually caring about what they put on screen - but only a very few. One example is Blackhawk Down. Not a popular theme, US Soldiers getting waxed by a bunch of damn dirty animals. (and yes they were - don't get PC on me) But the producers and directors made every effort to make it real and tell the story. LOTR, do I need to go there? Again, best effort to stay true to the story. And believe it or not, HARRY POTTER. The actual author rewrote the story to fit the screen play and she had her hands in everything else as well. The author's vision wasn't compromised. The first two were successful in my opinion because the commitment of the Makers to remain true. The last one was because of the commitment of the author to not abandon her work to some hacks. Hollywood Screenplay Writer Wanted: No experience necessary.
99% or more of the movies that get made are total trash, and for the most part, I blame the guys that do the screenplays. Idiots. Some directors are very good - for example Tim Burton. Great Director. Look at Sleepy Hollow. Awesome, IMHO. It had a great script that he was able to really work with. Now look at Planet of the Apes. You can tellBurton did his best. The problem was the Script. You can't direct enough to overcome a poor script. And whoever the hell cast Marky Mark in it. Talk about tools... No wonder it bombed. Tim had nothing to work with save Tim Roth and a set. Hollywood doesn’t even want to change its ways... its habits. They don't want to. Should they decide a change is needed, I have a few suggestions:
1. NO MORE SEQUELS! A joke is only funny once and if the story isn't a two part story - don't make two movies. LOTR - fine... make 3 movies out if it. Make a 4th? No. Put the camera down and walk away.
2. Screen writers. DON'T USE THEM. Use the AUTHOR. Get the author to join the project. If you can't do that - then DO NOT MAKE THE FILM. Simple.
3. Select your scripts from the BEST SELLERS list at any bookstore and filter them from there. We don't need Police Academy 12.
4. Don't add in any gimmicks. This goes out to Disney and George Lucas. All that is, is an insult to the audience. Your not helping anyone out here. Your just being an ass.
We still fill the seats because we are bored. That, and making fun of you Hollow Wood freaks has become more entertaining than your films.

Just when you think US-China relations could not get any worse... Oh Crap. They are going to be PISSED now! Either China will be attacking us very soon now, or they will spend the next couple months saying things like "I just don't get it."

PRUNE BURGERS in School. The idea that schools are serving PRUNE BURGERS is not that shocking. The big problem that I have is the comment made my John Lund of the USDA. This guy freaks me out. "John Lund, a USDA official who oversaw the taste test, said there's no reason for schools to disclose that the burgers contain prunes, since there's too little of the fruit to have the laxative effect for which prunes are known." No, please don't feel the need to tell parents what your feeding our fuqqing children! Never mind the FDA FUQQING REQUIRES LABLES THAT DISCLOSE CONTENTS... BUT CAFFETERIA FOOD ISN'T PACKAGED SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO TELL US WHAT KIND OF FREAKISH EXPERIMENTS YOUR DOING TO OUR KIDS! My sons will NEVER go to a public school. Never!

Here is another thing that I read... Blew me away. Tyson isn't insane... he is, in fact very clever. This article says Brilliant. And in light of this article's take... I have to agree.

Jan 30th - The MAD OGRE STORE is up and ready! Check it out and buy some stuff. Especially you guys at Convergys where MadOgre.com is blocked... wear the Mad Ogre T-shirt on Casual Friday!

Email from reader: "Dear Mad Ogre: First of all, let me say your site is awesome! It's great to get news, humor, and meaningful commentary all in one place. Keep up the good work. Second, what is your opinion of the Walther P-99 as compared to the HK USP, both in .40 caliber? I have read your thoughts on HK's on your weapons page, and just wanted your $.02 on the subject. I also thought you'd get a kick out of this: in Maryland, the registration forms for purchasing a handgun come back stamped "NOT DISAPPROVED" because the state government couldn't actually APPROVE you exercising your 2nd amendment rights. Bastards. Best Wishes, Adam" Adam, thanks for the email. Here is my take on the P99. It's a fantastic handgun. I'd compare it to the HK USP COMPACT more than that full sized USP. Between the two, I'll take the HK by default. This isn't saying the HK is better, I just have a preference for HK. The P99 (I wont even think about the Smith & Wesson version... I'm only talking Walther here) has a couple good things going for it. 1st, its well made and pretty damn slick. 2nd, it's backed by a company name that every shooter knows. The trigger is short, light, and crisp. This is important to me. Admittedly the trigger is better than the HK's but that doesn't take a lot of effort. It feels good in the hand and points well. That is after switching the grip inserts... A little trick that HK has included in it's P2000. I'll have to place the P99 above the Glock in the rankings due to the fact that you can alter it's grip profile by easily swapping out the back-strap. On a scale from 1-10, the P99 gets a solid 9. What could be better? The plastic guide rod. Really it is my only hang up on this pistol. Your spending this much cash on such a fine handgun... what is up with the plastic guide rod? To make it a solid 10 all you have to do is replace that with a metal one. To make it a 10+ install a set of Ashley Express sights. "Not Disapproved" Feh. Stupid fuqqing liberals. I'll never live in two states... Maryland and California. Never. Oh, throw in Arkansas and Ohio. Not because they are liberal - they just bug me.

State of the Union - If you didn't catch it, you can read it here. I'm not going to comment on everything he said. However, he did a FANTASTIC job. This is amazing - Sen. Tom Daschle, D-South Dakota, Majority Leader actually sounded supportive. "The president has put forward an aggressive agenda this evening, but with a renewed commitment to compromise from both sides, I believe that we can put our economy back on track, win the war against terror and meet our nation's great unmet goals." I’m amazed. Bully for Tom to speaking some truth for once. The freak… Anyway, what Tom really wanted to say was what Rep. Bob Menendez, D-New Jersey said. "The president's economic policies have robbed us of the critical resources needed to invest in homeland security and other domestic priorities, like health care, unemployment benefits, education, protecting the environment and providing America's seniors -- our heroes of the past -- with a prescription drug plan." There we go… there is the partisan bullshit!

The funniest reactions to Bush's speech comes not from the Democrats (although some are very funny - do people actually still listen to these liberal Gits?) but from other countries. The Philippines called the speech arrogant. Right. Didn't we save your asses once? Thought so. Your welcome. Now shut the fuq up. And Iran and Iraq are pissed because Bush called them evil. Oh, gimme a break! You guys call America "The Big Satan!" If you guys don't want to be called evil then STOP SUPPORTING TERRORISTS YOU STUPID EVIL FUCKING BASTARDS! Of course you have to define what evil is, I guess.

Oh THIS IS JUST GREAT! Saudis, the same people who will cut off you fuqqing hand for shoplifting, are biatching that Camp X-ray is inhuman. WTF? Okay, you guys have no right to an opinion on this subject! First off - these guys are lucky that we just didn't SHOOT THEM on sight! Second, they are getting 3 square meals a day and a bad, which is much more than what they had before. Third, they are taken care of medically. Again, better than before. These guys are actually growing healthier and stronger. Never mind the fact that they have threatened to kill every American that they could get out. This is why they are in cages. You act like a damn animal, you will be treated as such.

Soldiers stationed at Ft Hood, TX can take college courses online for FREE. Finally, a benefit for the soldiers that they can really use. I just love the commercials that advertise money for college from the Army or National Guard. "You'll earn $21,000 for college!" or whatever the amount is today. Its totally bogus. That amount is the total sum of all your enlisted pay plus benefits. Now, minus your living expenses from that amount and how much money do you have left for school? $2.43. So after you register for college you go to the book store and purchase 1 pen and 2 spiral bound notebook. Nice. "Oh, what about your GI BILL benefits?" Well, when I finally got them? AFTER I left college? It wasn't even enough to PAY FOR MY STINKING BOOKS! The GI Bill blows. If your thinking about joining the Army... Do it for reasons other than "Money for College". Seriously. If money is your motivation, you'll make a lot more money working as a clerk for Blockbusters. Now, this program at FT Hood... this is awesome. If I was there, I'd be milking that program for all it's worth.

Jan 29th - It looks like SGI has finally come out with a new box. It is called the "Graphics Fuel". Nice name. Where did SGI get it? From GNC? Too bad it is too little, too late. Apple has blown the doors off of SGI with its latest Dual Gigahertz G-4. The people who used to use SGI hardware are switching over to Apples now. Hey SGI, if your going to bring out a new box, at least make it competitive.

I kinda went off over at ConvergysSucks.com. I can often surprise myself by off the cuff, accidental discharge rants. Here is an example. BTW, if you can't tell who I am over there... Stop reading MadOgre.com. Please. If you have to email me and ask me - I wont be able to respond to you BECAUSE MY FREAKING HEAD EXPLODED BECAUSE OF YOU ASKING SUCH A STUPID QUESTION! *sigh*.

In the mail came something rather interesting. The full color catalog from Marlin. The website really doesn't do justice to these rifles. I've wanted a (and this can be verified by long time fellow ogre Shin Tao) Marlin rifle for over 10 years now (along with other guns) but have never actually taken one home from the store. Right off the bat there are two Marlins that I want badly. One is the Guide Gun, the Marlin 1895GS. Talk about a sweet rifle. This little lever-action carbine packs in the powerful .45-70 Government cartridge in a 4 shot magazine. SWEETNESS! Now, if 4 shots isn't enough there is the 1895 Cowboy version that hold NINE rounds of the same cartridge! HELLO! People, if you can't do it with 9 rounds of .45-70Gov't then you shouldn't be trying to do it. Put the gun down and walk away. Please. This isn't the other gun I am interested in... I like my rifles to be a lot shorter. And quite frankly, If I am shooting a Monster Crushing Cartridge like the .45-70, then 4 shots is more than I need. Seriously. During my Police Academy training, I tore my rotor-cuff in my shoulder. I still graduated, and did so only 6 points from the top of the class. Firing heavy stomping calibers like this is something I just can't do anymore. (I used to bench over 300 pounds but now, I can only bench my body weight... And to even do that is causing me serious amounts of pain. Of course I do weigh in over 200... Anything over 150 pounds starts to hurt. The recoil forces that hit your shoulder are hitting right into that old tear inside my shoulder. It never healed properly, and as of late, it is starting to give me more pains. Back to the guns... 4 shots of .45-70 is all I am going to do in a day anyways. I'll take the Guide Gun, thank you. The other rifle that I like/want/lust for, is the 1894P. This is a short carbine version chambered for .44 Magnum. This is the one that I have wanted for over 10 years. It is just awesome. Light and handy... its fast handling, easy to carry, fires a powerful round that is perfect for thin skinned prey such as deer or those that would do my family harm. For those out there that don't like .44 Magnum, or already have a .357Magnum handgun; consider the 1894CP that is the same rifle but chambered in the lighter magnum flavor. Why did this catalog come to me? Especially since I am poor and unemployed? I think it is because God is teasing me. I know Heavenly Father has a since of humor... and this situation is kind of funny.

President George W Bush is to give an address tonight. I am looking forward to the Liberals attempt to twist Bush's words. Seriously, I think GWB is the best president we have had since Reagan. Of course, that isn't saying much. A damn Chia Pet could have earned the same praise. He is set to talk about a few hot topics. I wonder if I can get it streaming off the web... we shut off our Satellite TV service because it is an "Extra" and being jobless doesn't mix with getting extras.

India just acquired two nuke-subs from Russia. This strengthens Indie's position in a possible nuke-fight with Pakistan. This isn't a good thing. Read the story here.

This must be a Catholic thing... Looking for Saints and stuff in things. This time it's Jesus, and he is in a tree. There is a totally lame photo to go with it. Sometimes things just get too silly.

Define Sandwich - Its now a legal issue in Az. If you want to read the story, here it is. And I thought the Jesus Tree was silly. Why is this? Why is it a legal matte? "It all comes down to taxes." Figures.

Stephen King - Looks like he is getting out of writing Horror. I hate to say it, but its about damn time. He should have stopped at "The Stand" and called it good. Every King book since has been another step down hill. Don't feel bad for King... he has made a MINT on his writing. But come one... he never really was scary. At least not in my opinion. His stories while sometimes interesting - always fall in the Endings. King can come up with idea... but can't finish the story in a way that doesn't insult the reader for spending five bucks on his paperbacks. The Dark Tower series... the first book rocked. Very cool. The rest? LAME! Someone slap King in the back of his head for that. Developed the coolest character out of any of his books, and then he turned him into a retard. Nice.

Speaking of stupid books... Do you know what the world needs? A Gender Neutral Bible. Yeah, that will do it. Everyone else has to be politically correct, so does God. I am sorry, but if your correcting God... your wrong. Not only that... your a fuqqing idiot too.

Jan 28th - It seems Convergys has terminated a large number of people from where I used to work. The reason? That they have association with Onsite Consultants and that violates the Non-Competition agreement that they had supposedly signed. This reason is totally bogus. Convergys is a CALL CENTER. Onsite Consultants, yes, will answer a phone... but we are not a Call Center. Hence the name "Onsite" On Site. Meaning HOUSE CALLS. Get it? The guys that have been fired today, when Onsite Consultants starts making money - these guys are going to be rewarded as much as we can.

Jan 27th- I've been a little slow updating the China threat special report. I'm working on that right now. I've been very busy with some other projects. I am planning to give the report a home in the political section. Of course that is still up in the air. I may or may not do that.

If you email me asking me what kind of gun you should get without giving me specifics of your purpose for the gun... the answer will always be a 12 gauge pump shotgun. Thank you - Ogre.

This just in from yet another former employee: "Greetings & Salutations, I was grieved, but not surprised to hear about you leaving Convergys. You didn't belong with that crowd anyway. I had written a big long (pissed off e-mail) I tried to send just after I heard the news on Sunday. It came back undelivered and by then I had decided against it. I'm sure nothing I could say about Convergys is going to be anything new to you. We all pretty much feel the same about it and besides, talking don't mean shit anyway. You are right; it’s a lot easier to find a new Job then a new backbone. Monday I sat down and went over my resume and then sent out a round of them. I'd like to use you for a reference if it would be ok with you. I hope you feel free to use my name as well if you need too. Well, I hope things go well for you and we can stay in touch. I'll keep an eye on MadOgre. We'll have to go out shooting, or there's always the crossroads of the west. Until then keep a deep seat and a far-away look in your eye." Thanks my friend. I'd be happy to go shooting with you anytime. As soon as I get another job and can afford the ammo. Do you guys get the impression that my employees loved me? Me too. This is the loyalty you get when you treat your employees with respect. A lesson to all managers everywhere. We still have not used the dinner for 2 gift certificate to Carver's just yet. Perhaps a Valentine's day date?

Added a link to the collective works of HP Lovecraft in the LINKS section. HP Lovecraft. The Old School of Horror. Scary old man.

Jan 26th - Yesterday my friend Steve was terminated from the same place I worked. Funny thing is, he was easily one of the best employees there. Why was he fired? Because he is involved with ConvergysSucks.com? So, if someone complains0 about an issue, instead of admitting there is a problem and looking at ways of fixing it - just fire them? I get it. It doesn't matter who it is... just fire them. It will teach others not to complain. Right? Heaven forbid someone raises his hand and questions a stupid policy. Or talks about it to other employees. I am happy to be out of Convergys... Steve is still in shock - but come Monday, he will be glad too. He has some money and will be okay. It just really sucks that a company would do that to a guy that goes the extra mile for the company and does his best effort... just because he had some complaints. Let me just say that the Operations Manager there has shown a complete lack of balls. Last Sunday Steve emailed me feeling really good about work, that the Operations Manager was there and talked to everyone and listened to the issues that everyone had. He even wrote things down. What a comedy that turned out to be. Operations wasn't "talk" to them, he was picking out victims. Who is next on your hit list? Hey, nice lip service, Ops. You know, I used to respect you... but you let me down, and now you let Steve down. Yes you did. You let us down because you failed in your duty. You are supposed to be a leader. We were under you. You were supposed to go to bat for us... fight for us. That is one of the things a true leader does. Battle on our defense as I did for those under me. Show some loyalty to those that served under you. Steve busted his ass for me, for you, and for the company... so you should have battled. But you couldn't do that could you? Of course not, your not a Leader.

What the hell is up with the people in the land of the rising sun? Don't they get enough sushi over there? Why do they feel the need to carve up some chunks of beached whale? Here is the deal, 13 sperm whales beached themselves over in Japan. Instead of just letting the die or trying to get them back into the water, they are bringing out the chainsaws and trying to get some for a home cooked meal. First off, why would you want to gobble down on anything named sperm? Is your name Monica? I'm not much of a naturalist, but I am sure whales are not suicidal and threw themselves on the beach in protest of prisoners in Camp X-Ray. These creatures which may or may not be sentient to some degree are probably more like hung over post drunk party goers are woke up in the tank after getting picked up from a night of binging. These things should get tossed back into the sea. After all, we catch and release drunks all the time. We don't go into the cell with a gas powered cutting tool trying to get some bacon. France just surrendered again. The only thing more ludicrous than this story, is that it is a current reality happening over there right now.

I added a link to PayPal. I've had some emails from people wanting to help out. If you want to, you can donate though PayPal to ogre@madogre.com as much as you like. Help pay the DSL bill, buy food for the kids, take over the world... You know, the little things. Any amount is thankfully accepted. Yes, I fixed the email address issue I was having with the @MadOgre.com address. I can now receive it just fine.

Jan 25th - SUPER TROOPERS. Check this out... the first 11 minutes of this movie. Funny as hell. This almost makes me want to get in back in a uniform. I laughed so hard my sides hurt. I have to admit, on patrol, fuqqing with the drunks was the most amusing thing in the world until you realized that if you hadn't taken this guy in, he could have killed somebody. Man, I hated drunks.

I have a ton more info to go into the China Report. Some seriously disturbing stuff. I'll work on that this weekend and finish it up. Lots of cool images and news you wont want to miss.

The interview I had today went well... but I don't think I want to take this job. Average salary is 58K a year - but I don't think I can do it. Sure the money is great, but as Shin Tao said "Too many disembodied people hang around there, confused and whispering. Ick." You see, it was for a position in a Funeral Home. Setting up plans for people to take care of their "Final Obligations". While I am sure I could do the job - it would be depressing to a high degree. Some things are just not worth the money. I'll have to turn it down. The upside is that I have some other very good possibilities on the horizon. I'm only 32... I can't be thinking about death every damn day. I'm already cynical and gloomy. Judas!

Jan 24th - FreeBSD. Man, I want run this OS! The more I read about it, the more I want it. Not just that... but the idea running something other than Windows. Something that is powerful, reliable, and doesn't require multiple patching for the patches. Windows is not secure, not stable, and it is a giant resource hog on your computer system. I want out of it. I am totally sold on the Unix OS, and it's offspring. FreeBSD is just my chosen flavor. As soon as I can, I'm blowing this Windows XP off my machine. Don't get me wrong, for Windows, its the coolest variant ever. The problem is that it's still Windows. I want a Mac... but can't afford it. FreeBSD? Yeah, I can afford that! I'm still learning about Unix and BSD... I'm not ready just yet. I'm going to put it on my laptop first. But before I can do that, I have to replace the laptops chassis fan. So I went over to Elite Systems to ask about them getting the fan installed for me. 1st off - they wanted ME to get the fan. Okay, not what I intended. Then they want "Maybe 1 hour, maybe two" for the price of 80 bucks to 160 bucks for a damn fan install and I don't even have the fan! Screw them! I'll freaking break the damn thing open myself and use DUCK TAPE to keep it closed if I have to get the fan myself. This is an old Compaq laptop we are talking here. A Pentium 1 133 with 32 megs of RAM and a 2 gig HD. I aint spending more than 20 bucks on this biatch.

Email from reader and fellow TFL member. "George, Sorry to hear about your employment difficulties, companies like Convergys only see their staff as labor units anyway, so they ain’t worth the sweat off your brow. You know the fastest way to get promoted for some senior management types is to be, a suck up or be so incompetent that they promote them just to foist them out of their AO. Both cream and scum rises to the top. just look at the Democrat party.:} Actually the Democrats lack cream. Surprising that some TFL'ers seem to dismiss the threat of the PRC. I doubt will see a D Day style invasion of CONUS, but the PRC claim on the ROC and the Spratley's means that some future head butting in the future seems all too likely. Hopefully after the stunning victory over the Taliban the U.S. gov won't slip back into head in the sand isolationism. Kia Kaha Josh" Hopefully sources are wrong and China will just roll over and not get pushy. Take a look at the fellows in the photo below. They look ready to get pushy don't they? Yeah, they sure as hell do. China is gearing/geared up for the the type of warfare that the US is ready/getting ready for. The entire Chinese military doctrine is designed to defeat US Military doctrine. They are gearing up to fight America and there is nothing we can do about it other than to mock the very thought of it and go on with our lives until we have Chinese soldiers calling us collect from Taiwan - and there wont be anything we can do about it.

Jan 23rd - The China Threat - I'm going to make a new section to MadOgre regarding the very clear and present danger that China represents to the US and to World Peace. Examine this image here, see the funny gizmos on 4 of the helmets? That is a fielded and operational version of the US Army's experimental "Land Warrior" system. The Chinese army has it in the field and they are using it. Also note the new bullpup rifle. This rifle combines every good feature from every other rifle in every other country. The guy on the far left. Check that out. That is an Anti-Tank weapon that is almost as potent as our TOW, yet very man portable. These guys are not playing around. China is getting ready to throw down with the US for control of the Pacific RIm. Check this out. A select fire 35MM grenade launcher that weights the same as an M-60 yet puts out firepower like one of our vehicle mounted MK-19s.

Jan 22nd - Sorry about the lack of any real updates... As you can see, some things have been a little crazy as of late. Things are fine over here in the Ogre's cave. We will be just fine.

Now, I have had many questions about where I find the news, stories, and things that I find that I mention here on MadOgre.com. That is a good question. The truth? I scan about a dozen news websites and pick out the subjects that I have any interest in or feel that there is any point to comment on. Lately, I have not been motivated to do anything really web wise. TheFiringLine.com has only received a few posts from me. Fark.com, while I registered to comment there, I've only commented a couple times there. To be honest I have only really looked at the "Photoshop" categories for a few laughs. Since things are settling into a groove again, updates will improve.

TFL has a good discussion going on over armored fighting vehicles. I submit that for a wheeled armored fighting vehicle, you can't touch the BTR. (the vehicle that is pictured getting blown to hell here) It is my firm opinion that a BTR 80, or as pictured here, a BTR 90, will eat the lunch of an LAV including the Army's new LAV III. And the funny thing is that for the price of 1 LAV III, you can almost by 4 BTRs! Seriously, the American military has some issues. Don't even get me started on the BMPs. A BMP-3 could eat LAVs and Bradleys like snacks.

Here is an email from loyal reader Mad Ronin: "Hey Ogre, Just got back from another foray to Erie. I left on Thursday night and it seems that I missed all the excitement. I understand that this was a shitty place to work, but I am truly sorry to hear about this. I know what you are going through because I just went through the same thing last week in law enforcement. I leave behind eight years in the shit and am now venturing into the world of a+ certification and networking+ training. I'm starting to wonder which one may be more dangerous. I think they're everywhere you go. I'll tell you one thing though-seeing all of the mail from co-workers really says something. I know that this is too corny but keep your head up. With your qualifications you probably will not even get a much deserved "vacation" before people will be knocking on your door. A toast to the Ogre, Ronin" Thanks M.R.

Define "COWARDLY": Convergys, the pathetic company that ousted me has blocked internet access to www.madogre.com. This just VALIDATES my position in my BS termination. Convergys can not abide criticism, even constructive criticism. Convergys management there and in most accounts, are too spineless to withstand being questioned. When I heard this I was thinking, "Damn, I've been trying to get blocked for over a year!" I had a good laugh.

A couple more emails from the old job - "George- I waited a couple of days to write so that I could let some of the shock wear off. When I got the news you were summarily dismissed, right after the initial disbelief, I was hit with the obvious: of course they terminated you. You represent everything they loathe. Convergys is built like an inverted pyramid: so far as these mid-level managers are concerned, everything rests on the pointy head of the next one up the corporate ladder. You treated us as though we, as engineers, were the rank and file: the ground troops that worked the front lines day after day. While the local Captains and Majors continue to kiss up to the Brass, they continue to treat high quality infantry like a bunch of worthless grunts, and any dissatisfaction or departures as "acceptable losses". Comments such as "we can replace any of them any time" (actually made by at least 2 of these sub-morons) do little for corporate loyalty. The only loyalty any of us ever felt toward the company was earned by you. So they trumped up some excuse to dismiss you. They have so many ridiculous rules and policies that they can, at any given moment, technically fire anyone on the floor. All they had to do was dig up some such technicality and tell you it was cause for termination. We ALL know the real reasons for your dismissal, and we know it had nothing to do with your performance. This already pathetic place is now so much the worse for your loss. (Forgive the military metaphors, but it just seemed to fit.)"

"George, I've been wondering all weekend, what the heck happened to my manager? I'm not sure I've heard all the reasons for you're getting fired, but things seem a little odd to me. I've honestly been worried about you and my wife is too. Unfortunately, it seems we are all at someone's mercy in someway, but some people just don't have any. I remember my first few weeks as a team lead. I was scared to try and evaluate other engineers and actually say something when they weren't doing things right. You gave me more than just a few pep talks that really helped. I even saw you back up my decisions even when those decisions didn't always shine favorably upon people on the team that you were somewhat close to. Ye helped me gain some confidence I don't think I would have got otherwise. You know, there wasn't an engineer on swing you weren't close to. I don't think the Ops people can say the same thing. George, I'm going to miss you a lot. Sorry I wasn't involved with the guys helping you out, but I had no idea it was going on, or I would have done something to help out. You'll be in our prayers."

Jan 20th - More emails from those I used to manage:
"George, I was shocked to come in Friday and find out that you had been terminated that day. I heard from others about how they escorted you out, like you were a criminal. Unfortunately they fired the wrong person; instead of you it should have been Alesha. I know I never said much to you, I generally am not a conversationalist person, but I am observant about how things are managed around the place. And I have to say that you were very good at managing people. Some people think that a manager should always come up with gimmicks or rules to stimulate the employees. But instead of promoting quality this often leads to dictatorship and poor workmanship. This is what the Nortel accounts is turning into. The more rules created the less creativity the employees have, the less creativity the employee has the less morale, and the less morale leads to poor quality. The sign of a good manager is one who insures that his employees have the tools to do their job well and gives them the reigns to do so. You focused your concern on our quality of work rather than what rules should be implemented. We need a manager because we get slack at times, and you would remind us of our duty. We generally would fall back in line, with the exception of Evan; just kidding. You allowed us our individualism, and I believe that we were better tech's because of it. You treated us like adults instead of children. In other words, you respected us, and in return we respected you. We showed this by the quality of our work, plus you were friends with everyone. The majority of managers in the world are not respected because they never show the respect to their employees. These managers I term as "poor" managers. You are not a poor manager. You not only treated us with respect, but you went above the call of duty, and you sheltered us from the idiosyncrasies of the other managers rules. Unfortunately this led to your demise at CONvergys. But at least you have character, something most of us dream we had but don't. Thank you for making this a fun place to work. You will be missed in a major way. Best of luck in your pursuits. **********"

"George, Glad to hear things are going better. Friday was a bad day. I had a little talk with Rasmussen later that night. He asked me if everyone was kind of pissed. I told him he fired someone who was fairly popular with the team he managed. It's kind of funny that on his way out Scott asked the security guard lady to keep an eye on us to make sure we didn't vandalize anything. Maybe he was afraid we would go through and Fdisk all the computers. Or something even worse. Believe me, it was tempting. *********"

"Anyone who cares about employees like you do is going to get kicked out of Convergys, anyway. Their corporate slogan is, "Use employees like toilet paper." I saw it once on an internal memo, I think. Anyway, good luck on the new job and let me know if there's anything I can do to help. *******"

Jan 19th - I awoke feeling much better about things. Being free of such a horrible place is a blessing. I've applied already to 4 potentially good positions... That's the wonderful thing about the internet - it lets you do a lot of legwork really fast. I'm not picky about the new job, because even if I get one shoveling shit out of an outhouse - it will be at better than the one I just lost.

Two guys from work came by with a good bye gift. It is a gift certificate for a dinner for two at "Carvers". Carvers is probably to the most posh restaurant in Orem. Thanks guys. You all rock to a shockingly high degree. I wont miss the BS and upper management morons - but I'll miss working with you guys. You know what? I bet Scott Rasmussen or Alesha LeMmon has NEVER had employees that showed them so much respect. This is the 4th time my guys have done this for me just within the last 6th months. Why is that? Respect. You have to EARN respect, you don't just get it by default of your position. I earned the respect of those that worked for me. Rasmussen once told me not to protect my employees because while I may make friends, it wont put food on my table. Carvers is a pretty fucking good table, Scott. And you know what? Friends are more important. I'll get another job - that isn't a problem. Treating people with respect and dignity and having friends is much more important. That's what life is all about, Scott. You might have Position, but you don't have the respect. You used to, Scott. Seriously, you used to. Think about what you did to lose it and try to get it back. You've got some key people that are going to be leaving now. If you want to keep that account on its feet, you need to earn the respect of the people that work for you. You are not going to get that from the "Leadership" PowerPoint that Wade gave you. Think about it. Seriously. Alesha? She never had it, and never will. If I was Wade, I'd transfer her out to a different account where employees flow like water. I sit here typing this as I eat caviar, and I am thinking about all of my friends. (Btw, the caviar was sent to me by a friend) And I wouldn't trade my friends for ANYTHING. If you don't understand that, then you are a very little man and you have my pity.

Email from one of my former team members: "George, I was really shocked to learn of your departure on Friday. This 19th century bitter cup of hell management style, is far beneath your potential. Here's to a fresh start. I wish also to thank you for going to wall and even over it, with Alesha and my raise. When I got all those tardies, especially the ones clustered together last year, I had an undiagnosed medical issue. With treatment, things have improved much. Thank you for treating us like professional "adults" and yet still coming around the team time to time and chatting with us. I'll stay up with things at the Mad Ogre site, as long as it is not blocked. Perhaps even an e-mail now and then. ******" I blanked out the name to protect the innocent... the backstabbing idiots there might take revenge on him if I posted his name. Thanks. Don't let them catch you reading MadOgre at work... they might think your subversive.

Another Email I had: "George Hill is an individual that knows the true meaning of the word manager. He is able to overcome undesirable issues managers have to face on a daily basis by creating and maintaining personal relationships with nearly each and every team member. He understands the employees needs, and never puts him self above any other. I have been in the Technical industry for over four years now, and have had the opportunity to work with a large scale of individuals in a managerial position. George is definitely at the top of my list as a manager I respect. I have been on the Nortel account over a year and have found that the authority George executes is always appropriate and in an employee beneficial manner. He understands the employee is the base of the corporate structure and makes that clear through his tactful supervision. Having George as my Manager has definitely added to the overall enjoyment of my job, and has created a work environment I delight in being a part of. - Ken Logsdon" This is coming from seriously, one of the brightest minds I have ever met. Thanks Ken. (Operation Suckasses have already seen this one)

Message regarding my firing: "Webmaster (of ConvergysSucks.com) called me tonight and told me about your situation. I feel for you, man. You were the most kick-ass manager in the world, not just at Convergys. They fucked themselves by doing that. I can see mass pandemonium breaking out. Call me if you want to chat. Webmaster has my number. I'll say a little chant for you and your family tonight." Thanks Wyatt, it means a lot.

Metal of Honor fails to impress Airline Security - Read This. This guy should have been treated like a king on this flight and instead was treated like a potential terrorist. Those security fools should be flogged for being so stupid. The people who have been given the CMH are true heroes.

Boycott Wyoming! Wyoming has removed it's reciprocity of Arizona, South Carolina, Rhode Island, North Carolina, New Jersey, Nevada, New Hampshire, Nebraska, Montana, and Minnesota concealed carry permits. What is up with that? 1/2 the money that state makes comes from out of state hunters! Wyoming has just shot it's self in the foot.

Jan 18th - Looks like I wont be going to FreeBSD just yet. Or buying that Winchester 1300 Defender I was eyeing. I just got fired. Alesha LeMmon and Scott Rasmussen concocted some bullshit excuse to get rid of me. I knew the story they started to feed me was bullshit (because I could see their lips moving) and when I asked what the real reason was, he said he couldn't say. I think in know what it's about. www.ConvergysSucks.com. Convergys Sucks? You bet it does. Have a complaint about something? You best keep it to yourself. Start voicing your issues and you have become a problem case. Let me fill you in, I worked on the NORTEL NETWORKS account of CONvergys. Supposedly one of the best accounts in Convergys... yet the Operations Managers feel the need to fuck everyone over. Well, I was a Team Manager there and I didn't get into line for Sloppy Seconds... so I became a problem. I was often the only one to question the idiotic changes and policies that they kept wanting to implement. Every month is was something new. Some new thing to lower moral and further wedge between employees and rational thought. There is a feeling of a great weight lifted from my shoulders in that I no longer have to SUCK UP to those two. Scott Rasmussen was a huge disappointment. He used to be very cool but somehow his spine dissolved and he became a Yes Puppet to those above him. Alesha was always just horrible. She came from an account that processed employees like widgets and never cared a bit about anyone other than making her boss happy. She was the worst thing ever to happen to that account and since she came, it's been sliding downhill fast. She refuses to treat her engineers as adults and as a result - she is the most disliked creature I had ever seen there at work. There is not one engineer on that floor that likes her. Not one. I tried to be a buffer between Operations Bullshit and the Engineers on my team. It was hard. And I got fired for it. It was expected. I figured it was coming soon. With the way the teams were getting rearranged and all the other team managers stabbing each other in the backs... Ops smiling at you and stabbing you in the back at the same time. That place is a good example of how not to run a business. I've got a few things on the burner for new business. One of them, www.OnsiteConsultants.com, is going to be run totally different - How? First off, the Engineers Come First. Always. I wont be in business to fatten up shareholders or multi-millionaires... It's a business for us, the people that are working there.

An Intel Pentium 4 2.2 chip clocking 3,675MHz! DAMN! I wonder if I could get my Duron 1200 up to that kinda speed.... Hmmm. Maybe not, but it's fun to think about. If you don't have a Pentium 4 2.2, you can still try some stuff with some older PCs. Check this out.