Re: How the cypherpunks nearly got me fired (long)

At 22:10 1/31/95, David Mandl wrote:

[really horrid story about true life at a corporate dinosaur deleted]

>I just thought
>you might enjoy this little story, and would want to keep it in mind if
>you're ever considering employment at Bear-Stearns.

Part of my job-interviewing procedure has become grilling a would-be
employer (or whoever is asking for a contractor) about their net
connections.  I've been very pleasantly surprized that most [techie] places
are okay on a perspecive employee being interested in the tech grunge of
net access, and considering it part of the working environment, a benefit,
like gourmet coffee.

On the other hand, HP (that god-awful backwards cesspool of bureacracy) had
full net connections to the outside world (when I was there, since turned
off) but in a pathetic attempt to show due diligence searched our
briefcases and backpacks (but not the contents of the laptops, floppies, or
tape cartridges therein).  Someone's going to have to explain to their
legal counsel that taking paper versions out isn't the most efficient
way... :-)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
Michael Sattler <msattler@jungle.com>       San Francisco, California  |
Digital Jungle Consulting Services     http://www.jungle.com/msattler/ |
                                                                       |
And so these men of Indostan/ disputed long and loud/ each in his own  |
opinion/ exceeding stiff and strong/ though each was partly right/ and |
all were in the wrong! - John Godfrey Saxe                             |

Michael Sattler says:
> At 22:10 1/31/95, David Mandl wrote:
> 
> [really horrid story about true life at a corporate dinosaur deleted]
> 
> >I just thought
> >you might enjoy this little story, and would want to keep it in mind if
> >you're ever considering employment at Bear-Stearns.
> 
> Part of my job-interviewing procedure has become grilling a would-be
> employer (or whoever is asking for a contractor) about their net
> connections.

I'm a consultant. However, I won't take on clients with sufficiently
distasteful business practices. This is something I consider to be
sufficiently distasteful.

Perry

> 
> 
> Michael Sattler says:
> > At 22:10 1/31/95, David Mandl wrote:
> > 
> > [really horrid story about true life at a corporate dinosaur deleted]
...
> 
> I'm a consultant. However, I won't take on clients with sufficiently
> distasteful business practices. This is something I consider to be
> sufficiently distasteful.
> 
> Perry

Absolutely!

Good net access and good business practices are becoming requirements for
employment for many techies now.

It might be worthwhile to start keeping a list, a la 'The Great Piss List'
(whatever happened to it?), on business practices and net availability
at various companies.  Not to mention use and attitude toward privacy,
encryption, etc.  A name...  How about "Cyber-Work-Space Report".

I'll volunteer to start the list if people want to email me anything.
I can put it on my (slow but permanent) web site also.  Even if I
don't have much time, which is probable, I can make the messages available.

I can come up with details on at least 4.  The only issue I can think
of is being careful of not violating non-disclosures, but for the most
part I don't think it'll be a problem.  It's not much different from
asking: "How's the cafeteria", or "is the phone system nice".  I'll
also strip identity if requested.  You could always write a
description and ask for an OK from your manager to tell friends
because it would help them decide whether to work there.  (Which is
actually true.)

Since this is only partially tied into to cypherpunks, feel free to cross-
post and add attributes.

Initial attribute list:

Company:

Type of job:
(ie.: techies probably have more likelyhood of net access, etc.)

Plans:
(ie.: things promised or talked about seriously)

Privacy of email:

Routine scanning:

Encourage/discourage encryption:

Key management:
(ie.: Any planning for the 'Mack truck' scenario)

Net Access:
(email/Netnews/telnet/ftp(in/out)/irc/aol/various/Web server(public/internal),
 Business only/Educational-curiosity/Full use (a true fringe))

Justification:
(What was the argument used to get and/or maintain net access)

Platforms and software typically used:

Strategies used, good or bad, to limit 'addiction':

sdw
-- 
Stephen D. Williams    25Feb1965 VW,OH      sdw@lig.net http://www.lig.net/sdw
Senior Consultant    513-865-9599 FAX/LIG   513.496.5223 OH Page BA Aug94-Feb95
OO R&D AI:NN/ES crypto     By Buggy: 2464 Rosina Dr., Miamisburg, OH 45342-6430
Firewall/WWW srvrs ICBM/GPS: 39 38 34N 84 17 12W home, 37 58 41N 122 01 48W wrk
Pres.: Concinnous Consulting,Inc.;SDW Systems;Local Internet Gateway Co.28Jan95

From: "Stephen D. Williams" <sdw@lig.net>
    Date: Sat, 4 Feb 1995 17:32:59 +0000 (GMT)
    
    'The Great Piss List' (whatever happened to it?)

As far as I know, Colin is still maintaining it although I haven't
corresponded with him recently.  You might try direct mail to 
Colin Owen Rafferty <colin@rafferty.com>

			Rick