Rant Thread

When people are poor at running a film production.

Person: Saap, you have this task.
Saap: okay, let’s do it this way.
Person: no, the other way is better.
*I try to do it the other way and it doesn’t work*
Saap: that didn’t work.
Person: okay, do it your way. And do it fast, we’re in a hurry! The fate of all humanity lies on your shoulders!
 
80% of the job types, or 80% of the work force?

Because I'm quite certain far more than 20% of the work force will still be doing things in 14 years that we do today.
  • Automation of many of today's jobs is already underway, but in most of the world it will take more time before the majority can afford those solutions. I can't imagine agricultural workers all over the world being replaced by machines as long as the machines are expensive and the workforce is cheap.
  • Some job types simply can't be replaced by machines. Teaching? Good luck creating a robot that both has actual teaching skills and the people skills needed in order to handle a group of 30 children with different personalities.
  • Construction workers: A lot of potential for automation has already been exploited as the manufacturing of materials is highly automated already, and construction workers have a lot of powerful tools. Again, I believe developing - and purchasing - machines that can replace the remaining workers, will be more expensive than keeping the workers. At least when we're talking about a time frame as short as less than 15 years.
Plus: it's also nice to not automate as much as possible, because we can and because things may go faster.
Take someone working in a supermarket, e.g. a cashier. If we remove all such jobs by having the customers doing their scanning and paying themselves (automatically), we lose a social aspect. Next to the loss of jobs, I can also imagine (e.g. older) people would like to see other people every now and then as well. When help is needed or a chat is wanted.
 
Automation is already underway for some decades for some jobs.

Example of a supermarket is a good one. We're now in the times when cashiers are going out and machines are taking over. But that's only on the surface, what's been happening for decades is that point of sale human force is being downscaled as technology moves on. First came the mechanical cash machines, then computerized ones, followed by bar codes and stuff like that. With each iteration, less and less people are needed for the volume of customers in shop as human is not doing the brunt of work any more, they're merely aiding and supervising the machine process. The cashier today takes customers items, moves them onto the scanner and keeps track what the computer system is doing by following the screen. He's not there only to provide human contact, he's there also as an admin of the said process if it gets stuck, by a dirty barcode, or any kind of error. Full-on auto shops are out of the question because of "unknown item in the bagging area", the machine process will never be perfect and you'll always need hands on.
 
Automation is already underway for some decades for some jobs.

Example of a supermarket is a good one. We're now in the times when cashiers are going out and machines are taking over. But that's only on the surface, what's been happening for decades is that point of sale human force is being downscaled as technology moves on. First came the mechanical cash machines, then computerized ones, followed by bar codes and stuff like that. With each iteration, less and less people are needed for the volume of customers in shop as human is not doing the brunt of work any more, they're merely aiding and supervising the machine process. The cashier today takes customers items, moves them onto the scanner and keeps track what the computer system is doing by following the screen. He's not there only to provide human contact, he's there also as an admin of the said process if it gets stuck, by a dirty barcode, or any kind of error. Full-on auto shops are out of the question because of "unknown item in the bagging area", the machine process will never be perfect and you'll always need hands on.
Yup, before I moived from the U.S, Wal-Mart and other supermarket stores had self-check out stations. They had scaled down from 25 cashiers to 20 cashiers and 5 self-check-outs. I'm sure they're more at this point. Mexico finally caught up this year. Again, Wal-Mart leads the charge. HALF the cash registers are self-check out and they are supervised by ONE human being.

As you stated, that is only on the surface. A better example is Amazon. In they're warehouses, it used to be the case a person got an order and they had to run to go get it. Now, they get an order, they punch some numbers and an automated shelf comes to them with the item. Automation is becoming increasingly pervasive. I think I saw an article that Spain (I think) rolled out the first electric, driverless, public bus.
 
You ever feel pissed off at someone you don’t really have business with, but they just seem kind of douchey and that pisses you off?
Yes. I am constantly fighting this inner bias. I look at some one and think, "They look like an asshole.... I don't like them." Then I have to think, just because the LOOK like one doesn't mean they ARE one. Then I just think to myself, "fucking asshole, sorry last one," and walk away lol
 
Today I had the most stressful day at work that wasn't to do with furloughs. There is a reason why even people who love Xero accounts hate Xero payroll ... :mad:
 
Don't you just love it when you make plans to hang out with someone and that someone not only doesn't show up but doesn't even call you until like 3 hours later and the reason for bailing is "lost track of time" and you waited like an idiot thinking there was a valid reason and now it's too late to make any other plans and either way now you don't feel like making any other plans because everyone is just gonna fucking bail or have better things to do and you just wanted to hang out with this one person anyway and now your entire weekend is ruined and you don't have appetite to make dinner, will to drink or play games or watch TV or go outside for a walk but you're also not tired enough to go to bed?
 
Don't you just love it when you make plans to hang out with someone and that someone not only doesn't show up but doesn't even call you until like 3 hours later and the reason for bailing is "lost track of time" and you waited like an idiot thinking there was a valid reason and now it's too late to make any other plans and either way now you don't feel like making any other plans because everyone is just gonna fucking bail or have better things to do and you just wanted to hang out with this one person anyway and now your entire weekend is ruined and you don't have appetite to make dinner, will to drink or play games or watch TV or go outside for a walk but you're also not tired enough to go to bed?
I seriously hate it when people do that. Even more so when their explanation is clearly a lie or a the kind of platitude that gets said in business meetings
 
Every bailing like this breaks my heart more and more and makes me wanna call anyone to hang out even less because I can't process getting my hopes up only for nothing to come out of it anymore.

But I know that I will say to yes to every possibility of a hang out knowing I got bailed on previously, simply because I'm cripplingly lonely.
 
There's always Oracle payment systems....
Is that very bad too?

Thing about Xero is, the help section is pretty good as a rule and in Xero Accounts (which is a really good package) there's an link at top-right to "get help on this page" which takes you straight to what you want to know. Great. But for the payroll, although guidance is provided it is at a basements-and-kitchen-sinks level and sometimes it's not really clear specifically what information it actually wants: and the only apparent means of finding out is a series of error messages when you guess incorrectly. In use it's not too bad (although it's pretty basic) but setting up a simple payroll with four employees took me five hours. I suppose it was a useful learning experience and it won't take as long next time but it was the process of learning it that I found so stressful and frustrating.
 
Don't you just love it when you make plans to hang out with someone and that someone not only doesn't show up but doesn't even call you until like 3 hours later and the reason for bailing is "lost track of time" and you waited like an idiot thinking there was a valid reason and now it's too late to make any other plans and either way now you don't feel like making any other plans because everyone is just gonna fucking bail or have better things to do and you just wanted to hang out with this one person anyway and now your entire weekend is ruined and you don't have appetite to make dinner, will to drink or play games or watch TV or go outside for a walk but you're also not tired enough to go to bed?
It's frustrating but if they come up with a pathetic excuse at least there's the possiblilty that they might be embarassed, realising they screwed up. I think bailing five minutes beforehand would be potentially worse, because it suggests planning (unless there is a genuine reason of course) and they've still left it too late for you to make any other plans and they must know that.

What I used to get more was that I would try to arrange to meet up with someone and whoever it was would say "no" immediately, on the basis that it was not a good time for them: they would get back to me with a better time. Only they never did. All contact was coming from me but there was never a good time for them to see me, although they always seemed to have plenty of time to see other people. I ended up thinking maybe these people don't actually want to see me, and I should just stop pestering them? And I was the one who kept getting told to "come out of my shell" and start being more sociable ... Happened to me a lot in the '90s, and to a certain extent at University :(
 
The first thing that comes to mind is look for different circles of people. If at all possible. It's not worth wasting time and being treated poorly by people who can't be bothered or will always prioritise something else over a friendship. It's also possible they're having problems they're not talking about, but it's no good if it's all at your expense.
 
It sucks to rely on other people like that. Being lonely and only having people around who will likely bail on you is all too familiar. I would suggest trying to get on good enough terms with yourself that you wouldn’t even need those people. Find activities that keep you occupied, so that time flies by without so many worrying thoughts. That is hard to achieve, and a little encouragement from others always helps, but it’s true that wasting time on people who treat you like rubbish is no good. People who do that probably feel they are in a position of power in relation to you and therefore can do anything without consequences. Some days I’m still pissed about things that my douchebag friends did many years ago, but I know I’m better off without them, or at least not actively seeking contact with them. Ultimately things will get better, even if it sounds like something that people just say.

Also, no matter how special people consider themselves to be, they’re no more special than you and I. The important thing is not to let someone’s delusional egoism tarnish you.
 
This reminded me of a very specific ocassion when I was stood up by not one, not two, but FOUR people in the same night. My coworkers and I, decided to go out to some dive bar and as usual I was 20 minutes early. about 10 minutes AFTER the agreed upon time the text messages and calls start coming in, "Won't be able to make it." One had texted, the other had called, then I get another call, "Who's there?" "Well, seems like just me since (so and so and what's her face) canceled." "Oh... well... then I guess I won't go either." Awkward silence... "Um... I'M here... " More awkward silence... "Yeah, well, thought we were ALL going to hang out, some other time I guess." Oh man I was furious. It wasn't like we hadn't hung out before, we had, several times, so what gives? I got up and left and as I was going home the fourth coworker finally calls, "So sorry I'm calling this late, you guys there?" "Um, NO, so and so and what's her face cancelled and fancy pants decided not to come when I told her the other two bailed. Fuck this!" "Oh wow, yeah, don't blame you for being so angry, well... hope your night gets better."

Things like this used to bother me so much and I used to be the kind of person that liked doing certain activities socially, like going to the movies or to a restaurant. It just felt weird going by myself. Then I realized, I'm not going to stop my fun just because no one wants to go, so I started going to traditionally social places by myself and enjoyed it anyway. No point feeling lonely. Sure it sucks right now because of the pandemic, but if I want to do someting and there's no one to do it with, so what? I'll do it anyway.
 
A group of friends I don't see anymore and I would go to the bar every so often, usually it would be planned like be there for 8, with some people coming later due to obligations. I once showed up a 7:45, and sat alone till 8:30 when people started to trickle in. This happened a few times so I started telling them a start time that I would just be getting off work at which would make me 15 minutes late. So of course this was the time when they all showed up on time and I was given a hard time the entire evening for being late...
 
A group of friends I don't see anymore and I would go to the bar every so often, usually it would be planned like be there for 8, with some people coming later due to obligations. I once showed up a 7:45, and sat alone till 8:30 when people started to trickle in. This happened a few times so I started telling them a start time that I would just be getting off work at which would make me 15 minutes late. So of course this was the time when they all showed up on time and I was given a hard time the entire evening for being late...
Yup, me in a nutshell hahaha. I started bringing a a book to read while I waited and a friend of mine tried giving me a hard time, "You brought a BOOK to a bar?" "Well, if you guys showed up on time I wouldn't need it, now would I?"
 
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