2001: A Space Odyssey – A Sys Admin saga of trial and tribulation

Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey is without a doubt a favorite on everyone’s Scifi list. Not to mention, HAL 9000 is the ultimate super computer adversary that must be de-programmed and defeated to save the mission. I think we’ve all had some “Dave and Hal” moments of man vs. machine in IT, and recently watching this, I found some parallels from the film that totally apply to the “SysAdmin life.” Hopefully you’ll be entertained and perhaps slightly inspired as I attempt to draw these out below.

The Dawn of Man
At the film’s start, a group of humanoids are given intelligence from the gigantic black monolith and learn to use tools to survive and fight – aka evolution.

We have black monoliths all around us in our daily feeds and we need to constantly be on that “hungry hunt” to compete and survive against competitors in business and IT. If you continually try to plant “black monolith forces” in your life (mentors, blogs, feeds, etc.), I guarantee you’ll be able to provide some great tools and know-hows that can kill off competition and make your company thrive…making your bosses and coworkers go ape-s@@t. Start by checking out @mikesmithsbrain 😉

TMA-1
When Dr. Floyd discovers another mysterious monolith on the moon, he’s completely stumped by its existence (are we alone?). Nonetheless, he proceeds to find answers in a professional manner by initiating a top secret epidemic cover story, organizing an international counsel, and journeying to the dig site.

When you run into a problem that virtually brings you to your knees, just handle it professionally with the mindset that this is normal practice for any Sys Admin. Quickly and confidently assess the fire and put up a holding pattern with your superiors while you work out the solution. Remember, you are in charge of fixing this not them; assert your IT command.

Jupiter Mission
Remember when the HAL 9000 computer murders the other astronauts and kills Pool leaving Dave no choice but to remove his memory and power boards on the Jupiter Mission?

As our tech improves, it will get the better of us more often than not. It won’t always do what it was supposed to do, and the key is to remain in control and handle it like a (hu)man. If this means completely unplugging the system and starting over, then so be it, it’s essential to be in complete control of your infrastructure at all times for logistical purposes and just from a pure sanity standpoint.

Jupiter and Beyond
At the end of the movie, things get really trippy and Dave travels through space time, seeing himself at different stages of life, eventually being reborn into a star child!

As Sys Admins, it’s our job to constantly be looking at systems over a period of time… past, past, present, and future. Look back at past procedures, projects, and installations looking at the good and the bad. In addition, you need to constantly be envisioning the needs and the problems you’ll be facing in the next 5 or even 10 years. And just as Dave died and was reborn a star child, you can be “reborn” as well…always challenge your way of doing things and expose yourself to other IT pro’s who have new insight.

Go home this week and pull out your 2001 DVD and see if you can find any more stuff that can apply to your particular Sys Admin role. It’s pretty amazing that this was made in ’68 and has an eerily realistic approach to the relationship between tech and humans.

-AeroCom Intern