OT: 110th Obsequious Banter Thread: Giving 110% and more

[Rebels57]

Inflation.....not all it's "cracked" up to be. Eggsample of excuseflation...

Egg producer reports 718% increase in profit

You already know that egg prices are at crazy-high levels because of bird flu, which caused millions of hens to be put down. But that won’t leave you feeling over easy when I share that the c…

ktla.com

The current inflation is nothing more than a scheme by corporations to price gouge Americans while simultaneously making the Biden administration look bad because Democrats want to increase taxes on the rich. I knew as soon as Biden won that they would pull this shit well before it started. The profits by these corporations tell the real story. If there was real inflation causing the price increases, their profits would not be dramatically increasing.

 

[Beef Invictus]

I worked at a bank that shall not be named in the 1990s (which has since been bought out by a super bank) that was notorious for work-shaming people. When I'd leave at 6:30pm, others would ask me, "So, taking a half day, eh?"

The toll was definitely taken, even by middle management who were "enforcing" this culture. The irony was the company was constantly touting a work/home balance. One night, my car was hit by a semi on I-95. Pinballed my car all over the highway. Remarkably, my girlfriend and I escaped with minor injuries. Cell phones were not very common at that time, so when I finally got a chance, I called my boss from my hospital bed to tell him I wouldn't be in the office the next day. Called him before calling any family members. I knew then my life priorities needed a re-calibration.

Today, I work constantly - 40+ hours at my banking job and sometimes 60+ hours on my photography business every week. That's why I say I'll never want to stop working, because I love my work.

Wachovia. I have memories of that being their rep down in Richmond

 

[Embiid]

The current inflation is nothing more than a scheme by corporations to price gouge Americans while simultaneously making the Biden administration look bad because Democrats want to increase taxes on the rich. I knew as soon as Biden won that they would pull this shit well before it started. The profits by these corporations tell the real story. If there was real inflation causing the price increases, their profits would not be dramatically increasing.

Excuseflation is definitely part of it but it's a convergence of things...chief among them the monetary spigot the Fed put on full blast with their quantitative easing/ zero interest rate policy since the last financial crisis until the aggressive tightening began around March 2022 (quantitative tightening), war in Europe and zero covid policy in China that has impacted supply chains and the trade tarriffs by Trump that Biden has kept. It's just all bad timing for the current admin but they haven't helped it either. This has been a team effort...no one admin is responsible. I mean back in 2008 Bush hoped the financial crisis ticking time bomb he shortened the fuse on would explode on Obama but it happened before he was out. But Clinton was a big catalyst in his second term with all his deregulation of the banks. Current admin looks like it will experience the same explosion and take all the blame....then people will be scared and look to an autocrat to save them. Script is an old one...

 

[achdumeingute]

Excuseflation is definitely part of it but it's a convergence of things...chief among them the monetary spigot the Fed put on full blast with their quantitative easing/ zero interest rate policy since the last financial crisis until the aggressive tightening began around March 2022 (quantitative tightening), war in Europe and zero covid policy in China that has impacted supply chains and the trade tarriffs by Trump that Biden has kept. It's just all bad timing for the current admin but they haven't helped it either. This has been a team effort...no one admin is responsible. I mean back in 2008 Bush hoped the financial crisis ticking time bomb he shortened the fuse on would explode on Obama but it happened before he was out. But Clinton was a big catalyst in his second term with all his deregulation of the banks. Current admin looks like it will experience the same explosion and take all the blame....then people will be scared and look to an autocrat to save them. Script is an old one...

I don't think you can discount energy prices either. In the start of Covid, supply was up and demand was low, it's not like there is a robust supply chain here to weather more than 2 weeks of disruptions. The war in Ukraine blew up the natural gas market too. Same thing happened in the 70s with Iran.

This all pushes into everything underneath.

 

[Kermit the Prog]

Wachovia. I have memories of that being their rep down in Richmond

Not Wachovia. I worked for a bank headquartered in Delaware. Huge credit card bank. It was a workplace where Type A types were looked upon as slackers and Gordon Gecko's annual review would read "Meets Expectations."

 

[Embiid]

I don't think you can discount energy prices either. In the start of Covid, supply was up and demand was low, it's not like there is a robust supply chain here to weather more than 2 weeks of disruptions. The war in Ukraine blew up the natural gas market too.

This all pushes into everything underneath.

Yeah that and then also climate disruptions. I don't think people realize that despite the US trying to maintain the "international rules based order" that the West and we've had a monopoly on post WWII...all these converging "troubles" have their own inertia exerting massive downward pressure...

Who knows what the world will look like in the next 10-20 years...next 5 are going to be critical to that path...

 

[Beef Invictus]

Not Wachovia. I worked for a bank headquartered in Delaware. Huge credit card bank. It was a workplace where Type A types were looked upon as slackers and Gordon Gecko's annual review would read "Meets Expectations."

I should beat them up

 

[Kermit the Prog]

I should beat them up

There's already too much violence in this world. "Accidents," on the other hand...

 

[DancingPanther]

Who are my VPN people? @JojoTheWhale?

I get free mlbtv through t mobile but the Phils are blacked out. Was going to use Nordvpn but I have no idea what I'm doing. Or if there's any other better option

 

[JojoTheWhale]

Who are my VPN people? @JojoTheWhale?

I get free mlbtv through t mobile but the Phils are blacked out. Was going to use Nordvpn but I have no idea what I'm doing. Or if there's any other better option

I would not pay for a VPN for this. I would use other means.

 

[Hollywood Cannon]

I would not pay for a VPN for this. I would use other means.

 

[BackToTheBrierePatch]

I worked at a bank that shall not be named in the 1990s (which has since been bought out by a super bank) that was notorious for work-shaming people. When I'd leave at 6:30pm, others would ask me, "So, taking a half day, eh?"

The toll was definitely taken, even by middle management who were "enforcing" this culture. The irony was the company was constantly touting a work/home balance. One night, my car was hit by a semi on I-95. Pinballed my car all over the highway. Remarkably, my girlfriend and I escaped with minor injuries. Cell phones were not very common at that time, so when I finally got a chance, I called my boss from my hospital bed to tell him I wouldn't be in the office the next day. Called him before calling any family members. I knew then my life priorities needed a re-calibration.

Today, I work constantly - 40+ hours at my banking job and sometimes 60+ hours on my photography business every week. That's why I say I'll never want to stop working, because I love my work.

Just be sure to give yourself some me time. I would go insane if I didn’t

 

[DancingPanther]

I would not pay for a VPN for this. I would use other means.

Yeah but I'm sick of all the crashing. f

 

[Kermit the Prog]

Just be sure to give yourself some me time. I would go insane if I didn’t

Solid advice. I would pseudo-counter that with photography relaxes me. It's a challenge to take time away from something that relaxes me. I've done it a few times, but the creative drive is constant.

 

[gertbfrobe16]

Yeah but I'm sick of all the crashing. f

it's on the cw if you get that station.

 

[DancingPanther]

it's on the cw if you get that station.

I get no stations. It's not 2006 anymore

 

[gertbfrobe16]

I get no stations. It's not 2006 anymore

sorry for your loss

 

[Beef Invictus]

There's already too much violence in this world. "Accidents," on the other hand...

I'll accidentally beat them up

 

[Embiid]

Well I'll be definitely retired in 25yrs or dead...

My buddy found out through a source he is getting canned in June......a lot of layoffs are gonna pick up speed this summer. He said he has to rethink his job for his last 10-15 years of work. This AI stuff is for knowledge workers like what NAFTA and globalization was to blue collars....

AI will eventually free people up to 'work when they want to,' ChatGPT investor predicts

AI could "free humanity from the need to work," said Vinod Khosla, an early OpenAI investor, but getting to such a "utopia" will be messy.

www.businessinsider.com

• The future of AI could "free humanity" from work, according to OpenAI investor Vinod Khosla.
• The venture capitalist predicted that 80% of jobs could be completed by AI in 25 years.
• Khosla warned the technology is likely to create major disruption and global competition.

 

[Beef Invictus]

@JojoTheWhale

I know you don't gamble. It would be dishonorable, and a huge stain on your morality. I also do not gamble. Neither of us are debauched.

But let's say someone did want to gamble. Specifically on baseball. What exactly is the best strategy for this hypothetical degenerate to find success?

 

[Flybynite]

Well I'll be definitely retired in 25yrs or dead...

My buddy found out through a source he is getting canned in June......a lot of layoffs are gonna pick up speed this summer. He said he has to rethink his job for his last 10-15 years of work. This AI stuff is for knowledge workers like what NAFTA and globalization was to blue collars....

AI will eventually free people up to 'work when they want to,' ChatGPT investor predicts

AI could "free humanity from the need to work," said Vinod Khosla, an early OpenAI investor, but getting to such a "utopia" will be messy.

www.businessinsider.com

• The future of AI could "free humanity" from work, according to OpenAI investor Vinod Khosla.
• The venture capitalist predicted that 80% of jobs could be completed by AI in 25 years.
• Khosla warned the technology is likely to create major disruption and global competition.

companies aren't going to pay workers to stay home and have an 'ai' for their job on the behalf of the worker.

It's not like people will be able to have an AI 'work for them' when the company will be the ones using AI to replace the worker.

 

[Kermit the Prog]

@JojoTheWhale

I know you don't gamble. It would be dishonorable, and a huge stain on your morality. I also do not gamble. Neither of us are debauched.

But let's say someone did want to gamble. Specifically on baseball. What exactly is the best strategy for this hypothetical degenerate to find success?

I flip a coin. I'm right almost half the time.

 

[Embiid]

companies aren't going to pay workers to stay home and have an 'ai' for their job on the behalf of the worker.

It's not like people will be able to have an AI 'work for them' when the company will be the ones using AI to replace the worker.

I think some of the pilots with guaranteed universal income would have to go into effect otherwise you are going to have massive social upheaval. Look what happened to "idle" people during covid...they went nuts with conspiracies. protests etc.

I do think they need to slow roll AI to establish some governance and guard rails as that open letter recently recommended. Right now it's wild wild west with the rollout by big tech (competing at full throttle) and we'll see investors recreate the dot.com boom in tech until it went bust....

MSN

www.msn.com

 

[Beef Invictus]

I think some of the pilots with guaranteed universal income would have to go into effect otherwise you are going to have massive social upheaval. Looks what happened to "idle" people during covid...they went nuts with conspiracies. protests etc.

AI gonna take us back to a palace economy but on a humongous scale

 

[Hollywood Cannon]

@JojoTheWhale

I know you don't gamble. It would be dishonorable, and a huge stain on your morality. I also do not gamble. Neither of us are debauched.

But let's say someone did want to gamble. Specifically on baseball. What exactly is the best strategy for this hypothetical degenerate to find success?

Don’t.