fire drill
Jun. 24th, 2004 05:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Is what we call a sudden flurry of activity, often with some decision at stake. Here, I had 25 minutes to come up with several information technology projects that would be harmed if our Arctic field season was cancelled. Thanks to a bunch of phone calls, contacts, a hallway conversation and x.500, I found two more (plus my own), wrote them up with substantiating information, principal investigators, and sent this all off just in time. One of the projects was one I'd never heard of before... I'm fast. And good at marshalling arguments and people in last-minute, high-stress efforts. (blows virtual smoke from fingertips ;)
We are now better than 50/50 to get funding, IMO. Tomorrow's the drop-dead date.
We are now better than 50/50 to get funding, IMO. Tomorrow's the drop-dead date.
no subject
Date: 2004-06-25 03:35 am (UTC)If I ever end up working on a project that's anywhere near you, I want to have you on my side, ok? :)
no subject
Date: 2004-06-25 10:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-06-25 07:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-06-25 10:23 pm (UTC)And personally, I *enjoy* being on the edge of things, having success or failure rest on one call or ten minutes' margin.
no subject
Date: 2004-06-26 08:04 am (UTC)It would all seem to be symptomatic of an overly macho management culture which will (and probably does) breed mistakes and bad decisions.
Yes, ESA has its own deficiencies, but I'm unaware of any last minute messing around like this. I've seen missions teetering on the brink, depending on final meetings and deadlines, but this was *years* before anything flew or any hardware got built.
With this level of adrenalin dependency at work, is it any wonder that your home life seems boring? Has NASA made you a thrill junky, I wonder?
And I stand by my original point - its a fuc*ing stupid way to run an organisation - NASA or Lockheed!