Year: 2024

What We Do

Chill Prediction, War

This is not the direct setup for the Taiwan invasion. That’ll occur in 2026-2027 while Trump is at his weakest. This is a test to see how the US and Europe respond to provocations. This is a common Chinese tactic that produces extremely valuable real-world data on likelihood of aggressive retaliation, determination of actual effects of communications being severed, and movement of forces in the area in which the sabotage was conducted and in other areas as well.

This is a dry run for a future, much larger operation and not the operation itself.

Grillax

Chill Tech

This is also true:

We end up with every problem. Developer code problems, putting together BBQ grills1, electrical issues, lighting, copiers, doors, staplers, and any complex business task no matter how little it has to do with actual systems — it all winds up in my department eventually. I’ve done a lawyer’s job, an accountant’s job, an engineer’s job, an insurance adjuster’s job, a graphic designer’s job, a developer’s job, a DBA’s job, a lecturer’s job and many many others. And no, I am not talking about making sure their computer works and that they have access to the tools they need. I mean actually doing the work they should be doing 2.

The peril of being the only team that can troubleshoot and reliably solve problems is that you end up as the dumping ground for all problems. And then are hounded ceaselessly about them even if they have nothing to do with you or your department.

It is not fun.

  1. No, I am not making this up.
  2. I absolutely refuse to do this anymore. I’d rather be fired.

IT Stings

Chill Tech

These are indeed the main problems with working in IT. It’s so oddball how everyone expects you know everything about anything that runs on electricity of any kind. I will never understand that. I don’t even assume a tax attorney knows anything about contract law. However, the hoi polloi believes that because I know how Linux works, I can troubleshoot an issue involving some obscure code they wrote in 1998 or fix a coffee machine.

It is completely mystifying.

Fears

Chill Regular-ass Post

Do men ever feel unsafe?

Of course. Men are just not allowed to talk about it as much, and men aren’t believed (or are belittled) when they say they are afraid or something bad actually happens to them.

When I got my ass kicked in middle school, that wasn’t the worst part. The worst part was being made fun of for it afterwards, even by teachers, etc. There’s nothing worse as a man than being perceived as weak and an easy target. I think women have a lot of trouble understanding this.

Then I learned how to fight. The hard way.

But men seem fearless to women for these reasons:

1) Showing fear makes it so much worse for you as a man. Makes you into an insta-target for other men and even women. So we don’t.

2) We feel fear and do it anyway.

Women are allowed to express fear. Men are not. Simple as that.

Chill Links

A chief characteristic of our contemporary dating discourse is that we take it—and by extension, ourselves—much, much too seriously. Agreed. One of the reasons I said “yes” to any and every date is to see what sort of crazy shit would transpire.

We must think about the resiliency of an economy before the crisis.

A Tiny Gladiator Uncovered in England Tells of the Reach of Roman Celebrity.

It was back then, in early 2014, that Russians started with contradictory ideas. To people with left-wing ideas, they spread the idea that Ukrainians were somehow Nazis. To people with right-wing ideas, they spread the idea that Ukraine was the forefront of a gay takeover of civilization.

Why Big Oil Doesn’t Mind Big Regulation.

How Democrats Blew It on Inflation.

World’s 1.5C climate target ‘deader than a doornail’, experts say.

It hit me how absurdly dystopian life in the UK has devolved to when my significant other had to have “the talk” with me.

Florida Faces Exodus as Residents Declare Insurance Crisis Final Straw.

Trump’s attack on the enemy within will delight America’s real foes.

Stealth firing or ethical dismissal? Why employers terminate staff for minor offences.

Compulsion

Chill Political Economy

Housing is a terrible investment, by the way. Real returns of around ~2% a year. And no, the recent run-up does not change that much at all. People only perceive it as a good investment as it’s forced savings.

But I don’t need that. I save without being compelled to do so.

We only bought a house when its expected investment “returns” could be in the sharp negative and we’d still financially be ok. That’s not the only time you should buy a house. That is up to you and depends on your risk tolerance and financial status. But you won’t even beat a money market fund with housing unless you get really, really lucky.

Housing as an investment is BS in all sorts of ways.