Hacking about the fields of green

Hacking about the fields of green

         I’ve learned over the past few days just what hacking is. The cable company I subscribe to has been installing new service in the neighborhood and upgrading existing cable lines.          Using a machine called a Ditch Witch, which is really nothing more than a ditch digger, proceed to yank every cable connection in my area and cause a blackout. No TV, Internet or communications of any kind through them. Shut down.
         I don’t have a clue why this could have happened. Earlier I observed a man using spray paint, marking a future path for the new line after scanning the ground with a tool that detects underground wires. He was methodical, good at what he was doing and wrote down the results in a little note pad. He placed small red flags on the newly sprayed marks, another path indicator.
         A short time later they brought the ground-chewing trench making machine in and began digging. I watched with curiosity as the operator chose a slight detour from the chosen path. (Tree roots?) The machine became angry and could be heard growling as it bucked and found an unplanned target. My underground cable feed.
         The operator feverishly shut the munching machine down and looked around as if to see if anyone was watching. I could see the scratch on the head coming next, sure enough his ball cap came off and he dug his nails at his scalp, wondering.
         His supervisor came over and I could almost hear the conversation.
Supervisor: What’s wrong, why did you stop?
Operator: I think I hit something.

         They conversed for a while and the supervisor left for his white truck to call someone on the radio.
Supervisor: Control, we have a major problem.
Control: We know, the calls are pouring in. Hang tight; another team is on the way.
Supervisor: Ten-four out.

         Yes there was a major problem. The cable wasn’t just cut, but pulled from their respective connections at both ends. About five hours later, the second crew arrived. They talked to the supervisor, jotted down notes and looked about. The conclusion was a complete replacement of the buried torn apart cable and their connections.

Later that night

         Humming of a generators, chatting from the backyard supervisors, and bright lights were the attraction for the evening.
         Men skipped dinner to watch the ongoing repairs, discussing the proper way to lay cable and how they would have done the work.
Man one: They shouda cut that tree down and gone straight ahead.
Man two: Always hated that tree.

         Children played, laughing and joking around as their mothers called them in for the night.
Unknown woman: Johnny, get your butt in here now or it’s mine!

9:30 PM

         The small neighborhood crowd dissipated when the cable team left leaving all without cable media of any kind.

The next morning

9:30 AM

         There were no crowds this morning to mock the lowly cable workers as they plunged forward to correct the previous days destruction. Only a dozen high ranked cable company executives and a single laborer were on-site. With folded arms, the top brass watched the single worker inspect the previous evenings efforts and take notes as he sipped his custom coffee with respect.

Enter the “A” team

         Yes that’s right, a new breed of miracle workers arrived and began to function like worker bees on a hive. Things happened quickly in unison and the results were truly amazing. By afternoon, clean up was finished and I could see them visualizing the newly installed, shiny cable, in their little minds. So proud they were, shouts of joy echoing about, patting each other on their backs and raising their coffee cups up for toasting to a job well done.
Toasting worker one: Good job men!
Toasting worker two: Yay, we fixed our mess up!

Rain

         It rained later that day and as usual, the cable fell silent again. This    is a normal condition and accepted throughout our community as an act of God and not a problem with the cable company.
Long live the Ditch Witch!