To order a stapler, or steal one...

Well the stapler disappeared from my desk at my new place last week. So it seemed like a good opportunity to learn the Ariba purchasing software. I spent a couple hours spinning my wheels and finally one of the girls showed me how. You have to click on the "brown supply" store rather than try to order from the catalog. Oh, and there was a hidden field with the account number that needed to be filled out before it would save.

Finally was able to press the "submit" button with no error.

The ordering of the $11 stapler generated 11 confirmation emails as it passed through the various stages of being submitted, approved, approved again, and then final approval. Then the vendor acknowledged the order, confirmed the ship date, confirmed it had been shipped. Being received, final receive. The final steps happen later, I have to remember to go back in and close the order. No email, gotta remember on my own...

And I said, I don’t care if they lay me off either, because I told, I told Bill that if they move my desk one more time, then, then I’m, I’m quitting, I’m going to quit. And, and I told Don too, because they’ve moved my desk four times already this year, and I used to be over by the window, and I could see the squirrels, and they were merry, but then, they switched from the Swingline to the Boston stapler, but I kept my Swingline stapler because it didn’t bind up as much, and I kept the staples for the Swingline stapler and it’s not okay because if they take my stapler then I’ll set the building on fire…

Well, you see now why someone stole your stapler: It is indeed a much more streamlined process....

reply to post by Ex_CT2


Yup.

Is it this way everywhere or did I find a pocket of insanity.

Ariba is not something I had heard of before but many companies seem to be using it. They told me if it is not in the Ariba system, it can not be ordered.

All the other databases are similarly disfunctional, Maximo, Lotus Notes, Ease...

Pretty bad stuff...

Just steal all of the staples and hide them in a secure location problem solved. And just for fun take off the t, r, s, a, buttons off every keyboard it'll be a fun day tomorrow.

reply to post by kawika

When you led into your rant about staplers I immediately thought of "Office Space". When you sourced Milton Waddams from the movie I about fell out of my chair. Anyone who hasn't seen that movie or lived thru the era in Silicon Valley (like I did) will cough blood and a funny bone or two when they watch it.


Sorry, I know it doesn't help your plight, just had to bring it.

reply to post by intrptr


What was the other quote from that movie, "last years work looks just like this years work".

I was ranting about the printer at my old place that was always "warming up", and also posted the pic of them beating the printer out in the field. Can I find that link? hmmmmm, don't see it. Could I have written something so bad they had to remove it?

Oh wait, that is at my blog...

Blog

snip Then, printee 2, a coworker prints something else, without noticing the extra document they pick up both documents and walk away. Printee 1 comes back looking for the document they printed. Finding nothing they head back to their desk to try again.

The copier is the same except a little worse. You walk up to it and press a button to wake it up. No response. So press another, and another, finally it stirs. Something is happening. Put the original in, press print, nothing happens.

Copier display cheerfully says, “please wait, warming up”.

reply to post by oasisjack


I am gunna try that keyboard thing the next time I get in the airport.

May be a while, banned there too...

reply to post by kawika

Ahh, the days of old. When a computer was a machine, and a printer had metal gears.

Insert earplugs...

that was so funny!

reply to post by intrptr


Thats no printer... it is a facsimile machine.

At NCS Stockton we had teletypes. They increased the speed to 75 baud, we thought they would shake apart!



I really miss the 80's...

reply to post by ufohunter16


They actually still send photos by radio by a similar method and if you listen at about 14.230 Mhz you will always here the sound of what sounds like a dial up computer connection but is radio fax or slow scan tv. They never stop. Even the space station sometimes sends sstv signals on VHF.

reply to post by kawika

OMG. I found one of those once and tried to scrap it. It was built like a tank. Facsimile -- the original Fax machine. Tele (telephone) typers (printers) are a printer of sorts. They print or copy over the phone.

75 Baud... screamin.

Imagine rooms filled with these things. The lights dim when they are powered on.

reply to post by intrptr


This guy recreated a Navy Communication Station in his basement.

NavComSta in Basement

reply to post by kawika

Thanks for that look at that awesome radio set up.

That equipment looks serviceable. I wonder what his roof looks like? He gets all the dirt before we do. A lot of that equipment can pick up and broadcast on civilian freqs too.

reply to post by intrptr


Oh yea, everybody loves those old boat anchors. The HF Rcvr was the R1051, and there was a matching 1kw transmitter. It was mechanical-digital. You set the dials to the frequency you want, inside the radio there were gears and works to bring all the right circuits into play. Looked like a turret. All socketed cards for easy trouble shooting ( and lots of bad connections).