Comments on: Technology the real Olympics winner

By: Simon Jones

Simon Jones — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 22:19:40 +0000

Unfortunately many people are coming to see broadband Internet access at work as “their right” and don’t realise that, while they, their husband and dog get a 6Mbps connection at home, at work 50+ people are all sharing the same 1 or 2 Mbps connection and not all of them take “lunch” at the same time.

While they chomp their sandwich at their desk, surfing the net for “fantasy football” or the latest “celebrity gossip”, their colleagues are still trying to do some work.

I’m sure you weren’t advocating skiving but your down time is someone else’s work time and you’re using company resources for your own relaxation and pleasure.

It is a Real World problem that sometimes leads IT managers to behave like “Network Nazis” and ban access to some Internet sites so real work can get done. Video streaming of the Olympics has been a problem for several of our customers and the culprits always trotted out the excuses “It was my lunch hour/break time” and “I didn’t know it was a problem”.

By: Tim Danton

Tim Danton — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:31:48 +0000

@Simon A fair point about the limited bandwidth, although I’d hope that people had enough social conscience not to do that to their fellow employees. But as I wrote that during my lunch hour, made it clear that Mr Bayon was eating his lunch, and practically spilled virtual tomato sauce over the blog post, it’s hopefully clear I wasn’t talking about people skiving off work…

By: Simon Jones

Simon Jones — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 22:26:25 +0000

Menawhile, in the real world, companies with 50-100 users all sharing the same 1 or 2Mbps link struggle to get any work done while colleague use their “lunch hour”, or worse, core working time, to surf the net and stream audio and video. Users who skive this way instead of working actually stop their colleagues from being able to work too.

By: Lise

Lise — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:58:49 +0000

I can see Bayon in a leotard. Pommel horse gold for 2012, Dave!

By: Tim Danton

Tim Danton — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:51:04 +0000

@mart What a slur on my character! I promise it was lunchtime. And if it wasn’t, I promise it was meaningful internet research.

By: David Bayon

David Bayon — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:36:59 +0000

I’ve just watched some boxing to compensate. Feeling more manly now.

By: Nicole

Nicole — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:25:59 +0000

It is fantastic. Thanks to the wonders of technology, we can watch the Olympics at work – rather than working – and rather than seeing crappy highlights tonight in our own time.

Which is cool, ’cause I just saw Canada take silver in team show jumping, which is much better than actually doing work. Well, it is for me, anyway. But at least I’m not watching gymnastics like Dave.

By: mart

mart — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:49:27 +0000

biggest difference i;d say is that it looks like this time you are watching it at work and last time in your own time

thats a bigger difference that the means by which you watched it.