Nearly done

Well Gorse Fox has saved the biggest document for tomorrow. All of the others are now complete and filed away.

GF sent his valedictory message to his friends and colleagues this morning. In it he summarised a few important points.

GF has no doubt that he has lived through one of the most exciting periods of technological change seeing computing move from the esoteric, hallowed, machine rooms spoken of in hushed tones and awe, to laptops and smart-phones accessible to the masses...

I wish you all he best for the future and I urge you to remember:

• Time is one resource you can never get back - If you GIVE Starfleet (or anyone) your time, that's it - it's gone. Do not work for nothing. The days when that counted in Starfleet are long gone.

• Respect for the Individual may no longer be one of the basic tenets of Starfleet (and more is the shame) - but it should be. Mutual respect was what made us great - the loss of that respect is corrosive.

• Do not be afraid to say NO (see bullet 1, above).

• Someone else's bad planning or stupid, ill-conceived commitment does not have to become your late night or lost weekend. (Your own, however, that's on your head).

• Look after your family - they should be the most important thing in your life. They want to see you (strange as it may seem), your time, your love, and your attention are the most precious gifts you can give them.

• Make contacts in Research and in the Labs - you need them, and they need you.

• Take care of your careers - nobody will do it for you.

• For those of you in the Pretorian Guard remember if you work 44 hours a week that is 7 hours longer than your contract - so a bonus at the end of the year is only going part way towards paying for all the over-time you have given away for nothing

• Starfleet is the greatest technology company on the planet - build on that strength, the strength of its research, and the strength of its methods.

• Fight bad behaviour, shouting,  and bullying. Fight it tooth and nail. It is becoming endemic in some areas. It is unacceptable and must be stopped (see bullet 2, above). You would not accept it in your private lives, you should not have to accept it at work.

• Look after each other - colleagues should be more than just acquaintances - they should be friends; I have been lucky I consider you all to be friends.

• If you are ever in the Chichester area - give me a call - we can grab coffee/drink/meal/ice cream as appropriate

It appears that this had a certain resonance as GF has been inundated with responses from his friends and colleagues. The basic message being how GF had hit the nail squarely on the head.