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[Marshal Davout]

Originally Posted by CleverCowboy

I spent a great deal of my career writing software for companies in various industries. I've joked with friends that only three people in a company know the true financial health of it - the CEO, CFO and the programmer. It's amazing the amount of information we can get unaudited.

I worked at a debt collection agency for several years and wrote their collection software. Once it went into production and was monitoring it, I saw the insane amount of money the agency brought in daily. The owner notoriously underpaid his people except for the select few at the top (I could see their salaries). I used it as leverage to demand a big raise or I would walk. He was unaware I could see this information. It worked. He doubled my salary and it allowed me to afford my first house.

I also wrote software to deliver airport staff a protocol to mitigate an emergency situation at one of the largest airports in the US, on the ground or in the air. Once real data was starting to be input into the system, I was shocked at the amount on incidents that occur with aircraft that we never hear about. Hydraulic problems, navigation system problems, smoke or at least the smell of smoke in the cockpit, etc. None ended with "disaster" but it sure did enforce my fear of flying.

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I sure hope so. The movies for the last 10 or 15 years are mostly awful EXCEPT for the occasional good one that was adapted from a novel, because the novelists can tell a good story. Hollywood is pretty much dead to me, so I rely on the independents to make good original movies, and they often do.

I have also discovered BritBox on my TV so I can watch British shows. I find their dramas to be very good and the plots well developed. Not all of them, but many.

Thank You for Your Kind Words; Clever Cowboy ! You've had an interesting career, Also !
Funny Story. I was working on a Military base for a civilian contractor. Because I had access to databases with home phone numbers and addresses they made us get "Re-Cleared" even though I had had a "Secret" Clearance from 1983 to about 2001 on various Navy contracts. They made us write up everything we had done since High School ! I was interviewed by 2 government agents, a guy and a girl who looked to be about 21, while I was about 50 ! I asked for their Govt Badges and they had them. So I asked the girl ( as in the movie "Untouchables" ) You carry a Badge, Do you carry a Gun ? She said Yes, so I asked can I see it ? Ha ! But she said I don't have it with me; but I'm sure she did ! I must have passed their questions, as next they asked somebody else in the section about me. Unfortunately; he was the company clown, so he told them "Marshal is a Fascist and a Socialist !" Ha ! Luckily they didn't believe him as they laughed and knew he was Joking ! But they still went around my neighborhood and asked about me; but since I only say Hi ! to the people occasionally, but I don't gossip that much so they knew nothing ! The astounding thing was that the government database was hacked within 6 months ; so all of our information was stolen. So I got 5 years free credit checking on the government !