(no subject)

[feren]

In between the various situations that have demanded my time at work, I've been reading interdictor, letting his webcam run on my desktop and listening to the rebroadcast scanner of the National Guard/EOC trunked radio in the NOLA area. If you can, use PeerCast to listen to it via peercast://pls/007D48952E4E7D0992252C52EAE7C1CF?tip=192.153.154.157:7144. PeerCast helps spread the load by using P2P technology. Otherwise you can use the standard WinAmp-compatible Shoutcast stream at http://216.22.26.45:8002/ though I've seen it get overwhelmed at various times during the day.

After a full 8 hours of pseudo-immersion in the current situation, part of me very much wants to bail from work with nothing more than "back in a week or two." I want to head home, grab some clothes, throw them into the Expedition and head down there. After making a financial contribution I've been trying to think of how else I might aid the recovery efforts currently underway. My overwhelming desire is to put my technical skills to use in any way possible, most likely by helping the infrastructure folks get comms up and running again. Unfortunately, that's not going to happen -- the rational part of me realizes that despite my technical skills with the telecom gear I am completely unprepared for the environment I would be faced with upon arrival. Unlike interdictor I have no survival training and not enough of a military background, thus I would prove to be more of a hinderance than a help. It's very frustrating, to say the least.

Hang tight down there, people.

Comments

[varro.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, you're not likely to be called by the people of New Orleans. The best you can do is donate money and pressure politicians to do something, ANYTHING, to alleviate the FUBAR situation down there.

Oh, and I think the guy totally overplayed his military and survival experience - there weren't roving gangs trying to break into the office building where he was working. He just was a competent person in the right place in the right time who showed grace under pressure.

[feren.livejournal.com]

[you're not likely to be called by the people of New Orleans]

No kidding.

[The best you can do is donate money]

Already done. This is what spawned the internal dialog of "What more can I do?"

[and pressure politicians to do something, ANYTHING, to alleviate the FUBAR situation down there.]

Very good advice.

[there weren't roving gangs trying to break into the office building where he was working]

From everything I've read, he never said there were.

[He just was a competent person in the right place in the right time who showed grace under pressure.]

That's my definition of hero.

[stryck.livejournal.com]

You could try giving blood. I'm sure it would be useful.

[feren.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately (and I know from past experience) that due to my medical background, blood donation is not an option.

[posicat.livejournal.com]

A coworker and I were discussing something along those lines...

We talked about the use of a group of tech savy people, programmers and hardware people. People who sign up in a group, brains at the ready. If there's a need to throw together software, servers, even access points to assist the rescue workers they're a ready volunteer base of people to call. A group that makes itself know and respected to volunteer groups and is ready, willing and capable to write software on a moments notice to fill in some missing piece.

[nekosensei.livejournal.com]

I feel the same way, even though I'm not a techie at all. I feel really helpless watching all those people suffer on tv and I wish there was something I could do for them, whether it's handing out food or tending to the sick. Like you, though, I don't have survival skills and either end up A) getting in the way or B) getting myself killed.

*shrugs*

Oh, and by the way, doomsey and I did donate money to the Red Cross.