Popular Post JerrySTL ★ Posted December 29, 2021 Popular Post Share #1 Posted December 29, 2021 But I really don't want it. It's a hopefully small consulting gig. I've worked with this guy Rick off and on since the late 90s but haven't heard from him in quite a while. He had an IT guy who screwed up the company database and then quit. He's offered me twice my normal going rate to get the database working again. The database is a piece of crap. Way back in the '90s I told Rick it was and would build him a database which would work for $7,000. He was somewhat insulted as he created the database and I called his work crap. Well I've made over $25,000 trying to keep the POS up and running. Rick is a smart guy but has a bad habit of thinking that he's smarter than everyone else. He's screwed up quite a bit over the years because of that. There are literally dozens of stories that I could tell but this is the best one. When I first started doing consulting work for him, he said that he'd spent time in prison for running drugs. I figured that he was a small time guy who got caught. Boy was I wrong! https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1985-09-26-8503050642-story.html 8 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post dinneR ★ Posted December 29, 2021 Popular Post Share #2 Posted December 29, 2021 Congratulations, but I think we need to explain retirement to you. 1 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirby Posted December 29, 2021 Share #3 Posted December 29, 2021 He abandoned his dog. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bikeman564™ Posted December 29, 2021 Share #4 Posted December 29, 2021 Nice. And far as the story...dang Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsharr ★ Posted December 29, 2021 Share #5 Posted December 29, 2021 Did you tell him you will try to weed out the problems that are busting his database? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bikeguy Posted December 29, 2021 Share #6 Posted December 29, 2021 55 minutes ago, JerrySTL said: Boy was I wrong! https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1985-09-26-8503050642-story.html So... either he is the oldest man alive, or he didn't get the possible 213 years in prison mentioned in the link. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shootingstar Posted December 30, 2021 Share #7 Posted December 30, 2021 You still want this gig? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilbur ★ Posted December 30, 2021 Share #8 Posted December 30, 2021 I thought a consultant would have advised against the drug bidness! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralphie ★ Posted December 30, 2021 Share #9 Posted December 30, 2021 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerrySTL ★ Posted December 30, 2021 Author Share #10 Posted December 30, 2021 3 hours ago, Bikeguy said: So... either he is the oldest man alive, or he didn't get the possible 213 years in prison mentioned in the link. He did about 7 years only by ratting out some others. I'm surprised that someone didn't bomb his business or do a drive by. Glad that didn't happen especially while I was working in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bikeguy Posted December 30, 2021 Share #11 Posted December 30, 2021 5 hours ago, JerrySTL said: The database is a piece of crap. Way back in the '90s I told Rick it was and would build him a database which would work for $7,000. He was somewhat insulted as he created the database and I called his work crap. Well I've made over $25,000 trying to keep the POS up and running. So... maybe it's time for the guy to 'upgrade' to a better design. If you old design still works... it's probably worth $30K now. Pick your reason for the price increase; inflation, the virus, labor shortages (you are retired), your a swindler (skip that one... you may get jail time if he rats you out) The only other thing... If you are taking Social Security, and you are younger than your official 'full retirement' age, there is an income limit before they start reducing your monthly benefit. (that's assuming you tell them about the pay) If you are older then your full retirement age, then you are good to go and make some money. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerrySTL ★ Posted December 30, 2021 Author Share #12 Posted December 30, 2021 10 hours ago, Bikeguy said: The only other thing... If you are taking Social Security, and you are younger than your official 'full retirement' age, there is an income limit before they start reducing your monthly benefit. (that's assuming you tell them about the pay) If you are older then your full retirement age, then you are good to go and make some money. Got that covered. I waited until I was of full retirement age before taking SS just in case I had to go back to work for some reason. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longjohn ★ Posted December 30, 2021 Share #13 Posted December 30, 2021 He could have made millions in the prescription drug business and not go to jail. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerrySTL ★ Posted January 19, 2022 Author Share #14 Posted January 19, 2022 Update: He finally sent me the database on a USB stick. He also sent me $500 in unmarked $20 bills. Should I be worried getting cash from a former felon? A check would have been OK as long as it didn't bounce. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilbur ★ Posted January 19, 2022 Share #15 Posted January 19, 2022 Just now, JerrySTL said: Update: He finally sent me the database on a USB stick. He also sent me $500 in unmarked $20 bills. Should I be worried getting cash from a former felon? A check would have been OK as long as it didn't bounce. Can you at least tell us his name just in case, ah... you know.. we have to change your name to JerrySwimminWithFishes. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longjohn ★ Posted January 19, 2022 Share #16 Posted January 19, 2022 4 minutes ago, Wilbur said: Can you at least tell us his name just in case, ah... you know.. we have to change your name to JerrySwimminWithFishes. The name is in the link he posted earlier. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shootingstar Posted January 19, 2022 Share #17 Posted January 19, 2022 38 minutes ago, JerrySTL said: Update: He finally sent me the database on a USB stick. He also sent me $500 in unmarked $20 bills. Should I be worried getting cash from a former felon? A check would have been OK as long as it didn't bounce. Tell us after you look at that file on stick, if the job is worth more than that clutch of bills. He just wants for sure to pay you without documented filled contractor invoice/receipt to you, without having to report earned amount on his income line. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bikeguy Posted January 19, 2022 Share #18 Posted January 19, 2022 2 hours ago, JerrySTL said: Update: He finally sent me the database on a USB stick. He also sent me $500 in unmarked $20 bills. Should I be worried getting cash from a former felon? A check would have been OK as long as it didn't bounce. I'd scan the USB stick for nasty stuff before I opened any files. A check is evidence... keep the money. 'Under the table' works just fine for retired people... 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerrySTL ★ Posted January 19, 2022 Author Share #19 Posted January 19, 2022 10 hours ago, Bikeguy said: I'd scan the USB stick for nasty stuff before I opened any files. A check is evidence... keep the money. 'Under the table' works just fine for retired people... I scanned the USB stick first on a seldom used computer just in case. I looked over the database and didn't see any illegal activities stored in it. Actually what I found was very little problems with the database. Rick said that some reports and forms take minutes to open or time out. On my computer they only take a couple of seconds. While there are a few minor problems with the database, the issue is obviously with his server and/or computers. Even before I took the job, I told him to look at the Task Manager for CPU and memory issues. I also suggested that he exclude the .mdb and .ldb database files from the virus checker. Speaking of virus checking, I suggested that he run a good one to see if malware could be the problem. However I just found out that he's still on Windows 7! 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donkpow Posted January 19, 2022 Share #20 Posted January 19, 2022 13 hours ago, JerrySTL said: He also sent me $500 in unmarked $20 bills. How do you know they are "unmarked"? 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerrySTL ★ Posted January 19, 2022 Author Share #21 Posted January 19, 2022 3 minutes ago, donkpow said: How do you know they are "unmarked"? Good question. I checked to make sure they didn't all have the same serial number and some looked older than the others. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bikeguy Posted January 19, 2022 Share #22 Posted January 19, 2022 6 hours ago, JerrySTL said: the issue is obviously with his server and/or computers. Even before I took the job, I told him to look at the Task Manager for CPU and memory issues. I also suggested that he exclude the .mdb and .ldb database files from the virus checker. Speaking of virus checking, I suggested that he run a good one to see if malware could be the problem. However I just found out that he's still on Windows 7! Windows 7 stopped getting security updates about 1 year ago. That may not be a good thing... A few years back, my BIL called me once about his computer not working very well. I got to his home, and he was correct. I had a copy of Norton Antivirus on a CD, and booted the computer from the CD. If I recall he had 9 or 10 viruses, etc... It took a while to clean things out. I asked him what he did... "I clicked on the email that told me I had a virus, and I needed to remove the virus." I suspect he did stuff like that more than once. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airehead Posted January 19, 2022 Share #23 Posted January 19, 2022 23 hours ago, JerrySTL said: Update: He finally sent me the database on a USB stick. He also sent me $500 in unmarked $20 bills. Should I be worried getting cash from a former felon? A check would have been OK as long as it didn't bounce. 10 hours ago, donkpow said: How do you know they are "unmarked"? My question exactLy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerrySTL ★ Posted January 19, 2022 Author Share #24 Posted January 19, 2022 3 minutes ago, Airehead said: My question exactLy. I ran a UV light over a few of them. The security strip glowed like it should but nothing else did. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donkpow Posted January 20, 2022 Share #25 Posted January 20, 2022 Do they record serial numbers at the bank? Asking as a talking point. TIA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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