OMG!

She said it was _FINE_!

We're all doomed, DOOMED I tell you.

Is that it, El Moderatrix?

If so...

I feel vaguely cheated.

I'll just ask about the woodchuck next time.

FAO Sarah and A&LiAR

"Perhaps the tall, handsome, fragrant, long-trousered men of IT who are surely lurking out there could step up. Chaps? This is an emergency. Come on. Sort it out. I'm waiting. And so is S&LiAR."

I am tall, aware of personal hygene, and correct trouser length. I can't comment on the handsome side obviously, that would be awefully presumptious of me, and it's subjective anyway.

I am, however, a borderline sociopath with nihilistic leanings. Whats a major personality disorder between fiends, sorry, friends, though?

Anyway, on the point of tech support males being useless, what about 99% of women in tech support - I've *never* met a woman in proper tech support [especially desktop support - network support lasses seem calmer] who don't have some kind of personality/psychological disorder - they all seem to be alcoholics, cokefiends, show signs of bipolarity[swinging between mania and depression] or are just generally appearing to be trying to make up for the fact that they are working in a 'mans world'.

Can't we all just learn to get along?

Steven "What do you mean, no, we can't?" Raith

[Paris, because she's potty enough to work in tech support too]

My trousers fit...

...I have a range of deodorants, my ties are all co-ordinated and I try to avoid telling people geeky stories full-stop. Alas, I'm not on the market, on account of having my own boyfriend.

@Chris Harden

"If you can find us, there are some out for a drink this evening around Covent Garden/Kingsway"

Dude, I think S&LiAR was only talking about work... when out of work having a few drinks why would anyone want to hang around with geeks?

The Moderatrix and Motorcycles

I humbly disagree with the advice you gave to buy a Suzuki SV650.

As anyone knows, the correct answer to 'What motorbike should I buy' is one of:

Gixxer thou

CG 125

My old one.

Mine's the black leather one.

Jacket you perverts.

Bipolar

Technically that's a multiple-personality disorder with the multiple personalities and whathaveyou.

Anyways all girls are bipolar, that's just being a girl. Blokes are too, but you don't notice it so much if you are one.

I like the sound of laying waste to the gaff with a golf club though. Would you use the holes as part of your engine of destruction or just the club buildings?

FORE !!!

I heartily suggest a 5 iron... VERY satisfying.

FAO Sarah and A&LiAR

"Perhaps the tall, handsome, fragrant, long-trousered men of IT who are surely lurking out there" They won't come out to greet you, they already have boyfriends of their own.

Absinthe

Makes the heart grow fonder. Keep drinking...

Re: FAO Sarah and A&LiAR

Would you take a driver or a putter?

Re: Re: boyfriends

I personally find the gender-equality in science/engineering fascinating. Not just because you get to hear people stumble around a metaphorical minefield, but also because you can weed out people you never want to get to know personally.

Reminds me of a story on of the women on my degree course told me:

The scene: She wanted to get onto a Mech Eng course at university. She is invited to an interview at a London-based uni.

Interviewer: "I notice you went to an all-girls school. Are you just applying because you want to be on a course full of boys?"

Friend: "..."

@S&LiAR

"a man whose only involvement with technology is to turn on his HD Plasma, sit in front of it with his hands down his pants, belching along to MTV videos? "

way-hey! sounds like we're made for each other then - i can't stand Plasmas either, which is why i've got an LCD - and hands are definately not down pants, they're too busy playing GTA IV

we should hook up - what you doing tomorrow night? bring pizza - extra large pepperoni - and red bull because it's so annoying having to stop playing in order to sleep

Its Friday

YARHHHH.

That is all.

Golf clubs? Hockey sticks?

... I can render an office block sub-terrainian with a cocktail stick, two if I'm in a generous mood!

My trousers fit and so am I, I shower twice a day and still have a BO problem, what's a guy to do. I have no tales to tell, I simply listen... to the atmosphere.

Re:Re: Loath and Loathe

>>And don't get me started on the crotch/crutch issue. Jeeesh.

And a thousand keyboards all fell simultaneously silent in anticipation...

@Marc

The perfect women you say?

Yes - they would be wouldn't they.

@ S&LiAR

well, you are looking in the wrong direction. not engineers! you need designers :) any designer worth their salt knows what looks good and not - and generally has quite a decent style eye. engineers often still live at home and play warhammer all hours god sends :)

speaking as someone who was given a 10 on hot or not (albeit by a receptionist who had a crush on me) and averaged a solid 8+ we are out there :) the problem for you is that we are usually already taken... and to be honest the last women i want is someone who wants to talk DHCP and routing till the early hours :) ive managed to bag a horny 23 year old (im 33) who is bi-sexual - cant ask for more than that can i! :) oh and she also likes the 'killer weed' too :)

i have designer clothing and wear nice clean calvin kleins to work... although in this job i dont have to wear a suit - its casual :)

If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire... oops sorry couldnt resist :) (ok, still some geek in there i guess!)

ict manager / designer in lincoln :) (taken) [unless any better offers turn up :)]

mines the one with the keys for a black/grey/red GMC van in the pocket :)

Unhappy in Auld Reekie...

Look, sad and lonely, some of us wash, wear trousers long enough that you need never see any sign of sock, and hate slobbing out in front of TVs. This is what we call "character", and it's what we make of ourselves.

Unfortunately, some of us do need to stand on a chair to change a lightbulb. A short man cannot make himself tall.

Restrict your choices all you want, but you'll find you overlook good blokes (don't snigger -- that wasn't a joke. SHUT UP ABOUT MY HEIGHT!) and end up alone. And it's your fault. You giants and your bl**dy glass floors....

FAO Sarah

"It is an overwhelmingly male-dominated area, though. Do you not agree? Of course women go mad under the circumstances. I myself am this far from laying waste to the whole gaff with a golf club."

Well, yes, and I concur entirely - but then maybe that's just my incredibly short fuse when dealing with idiots. I prefer molotov cocktails and a lump hammer to finish off anyone that the cocktails don't.*

I think I should get out of tech support, and move into, say, scrounging off the dole. Better quality of life socially, and probably financially as well overall.

Steven R

Flames - well, molotovs, innit?

*not strictly true - I actually go home and have a G+T to unwind, but it doesn't sound as good, does it?

Re: Is that it, El Moderatrix?

"El" (as in El Reg) is the Spanish masculine definite article.

"Moderatrix" is an artificially etymologised feminine form of "moderator".

So El Moderatrix doesn't make any more sense than talking about "famous male actress Christopher Eccleston".

SV650?

Na, go for an R6!!!

@AC 1730GMT

""It is an overwhelmingly male-dominated area, though. Do you not agree? Of course women go mad under the circumstances"

Women go mad under the circumstances? What about us poor guys, surrounded by each other all day?"

We go ghey.

Handsome.

Steven R

Revenge

"It is an overwhelmingly male-dominated area, though. Do you not agree? Of course women go mad under the circumstances."

Consider it revenge on your entire gender for the constant attacks on male techie sanity* with such gems as "I didn't save it and it crashed, can you get it back?" and "So why did it do that then?".

*"military intelligence" style oximoron

@ Sarah and A&LiAR

Umm... I know (counts on fingers) either four or five men (Rodney is only about 5'8" and so might be disqualified due to insufficient height...) who fill the bill as described. I'm not counting myself, for no good reason.

We are all divorced. At least once. We are all "big company" men. When we date, we date outside of our cow orker pool, and rarely for more than eight to ten weeks per companion.

None of us, to the best of my knowledge, want to remain single. It's just that the debutant understudies we regularly encounter have the inner personality of a hungry shark.

I've taken to trolling the local goth bars, myself. Some of the women-in-black with white skin and too many visible piercings seem extremely intelligent and are often quite willing to chat for hours in exchange for a few glasses of liquor.

Cow orker? Yes. Someone was talking about cows having a bit of a lay down during inclement weather. How does one "ork" a cow, anyhow? Does it have anything to do with hats?

Lame...

...expected more, tsc tsc...

@Marc Savage

"I found myself the perfect women a few months ago"

Women? WomEn!? You bastard...

have a crutch under my crotch

Well, it's full-break, belted, pressed trousers for me. Met my other half in a computer center on a prior job and been married to her the past 30 years and working with computers the last 40. Have 3 daughters and eldest just finished her masters and is now working IT job. I like to have a shower (or two) every day and my deoderant gets a regular workout. Sorry, Moderatrix; I'm across the pond and you're way too sweet and young for me. Maybe in another lifetime....

Trousers?

>>Why does there have to be a 2 in gap between top of shoe and bottom of trouser leg of your average male engineer?<<

Why not tell the nerd to put jam on his shoes, and invite his trousers down for tea?

Sodding hell....

This doesn't feel right...

....Sarah...i mean miss moderatrix bosslady, this whole dominatrix thing just doesn't feel right, i mean are you wearing any leather?

Tell you what, go get some on and i'll wait right here....just not the one with a ball one, thats for Serberius..mwahahahhaha

PS What is wrong with MMORPG players? is it like being Ginger?....Is it genetic?..Is it a result of inbreeding or is it a subliminal message for me to go on a killing spree? much like my televised twin on Showtime

Who moderates the Moderatrix?

> I myself used to quite literally feel your pain

Is this an example of colony collapse disorder? Surely the REAL Ms Bee would not split an infinitive so egregiously, and so soon after chiding a correspondent for a misplaced apostrophe?

SV650?

Nah.

Death's bike in Souls Music, as built by the Librarian - with real ape-Hangers.

The coat with "BORN TO RUNE" in rivets on the back

I have a theory...

that many of the men in the IT industry start out normal (granted there are exceptions) and then the male dominated world they work in slowly erodes their sense of decent conversation and hygiene. Some however, manage to maintain these characteristics. I myself am a tall, correct trouser length wearing, IT person (I won’t call myself handsome lest I never leave the room again due to my head getting stuck in the doorframe). Granted I have a girlfriend who I’ve been with for 4 years so it doesn’t help Sarah, but we’re out there!

However, at the other end of the scale we have the not so socially dextrous people. My firm recently hired its first female to a technical post, she’s a fun loving and absolutely stunning girl. One of my colleagues has been unable to cope with this and has taken to behaving like a dog on heat, it’s really quite worrying. Is there anything we can do to retrain these people?

Anonymous in case the guy in question reads this!

Paris, because the new girl is just as hot.

mines the one with the ball and chain attached...