Useless Conversation

[Cheddar]

.ahh yes, and that is why I have avoided flying United Airlines for the past decade or so.

I was supposed to arrive in Sacto at 11 pm

a) flight from BFE MI to Chicago delayed 1 hour, then bumped to 1.5 hours, I will have 15 min to make my connection
b) land in Chicago, spend ~50min + on tarmac waiting to get off plane (might have been able to make it if they had let use exit the plane)
c) get a new flight to Northern CA, supposed to leave Chicago at 10:24
d) this new flight is delayed
e) delayed some more
f) begin boarding at 11:24
g) arrive in Sacramento a bit after 2 am
h) arrive at home around 3:30 am
That was about 6 years of Southwest fuckups compressed into one night of United

and for the nitpickers.. I have no fucking interest whatsoever in being reasonable right now  

This is normal.  Delta 4tw.

The stories I could tell.

Edit. Southwest as well.

[Viin]

Just in case someone is thinking about flying on Frontier based on the previous comments: don't. It was fine a few years ago. Blows ass now.

[Maven]

Need to rant. Might not be coherent.

Is decentralized advocacy (promoting a cause through #hashtags and anonymous networks without formal political organization) that effective? I'm watching another #GamerGate video calling for a boycott. It's propoganda, albeit civil in language, but it's targeted at no one in particular except people who identify with the #Gamergate tag -- which itself seems to have trouble staying on message because anybody can co-opt the tag for their needs. Besides, it seems the hashtag doesn't want a boycott, they want to target and oust individuals they deem as corrupt.

Is this how consumer political action happens now? Digital version of Occupy, where someone refuses to take the reins and start an organization or website because that might entail *gasp* responsibility, financial investment, or some form of physical interaction?

Oh, and there's reams of Vivian James fan-art. An attractive female teenager who just wants to play games and doesn't want to have to deal with any of that real world bullshit -- you know, the Internet generation. The perfect fantasy girl for 4Chan who only exists in their minds, like those waifu game consoles from Japan.

I vehemently despise 4Chan elitism. They're just as capable of great harm as good, and you can't pin anything on anyone unless you're a tech wizard. One user can manipulate the uncritical masses for their personal ends. I have a friend whose entire job is sifting through internet archives to find the person behind the username after they commit a copyright violation.

Anonymity has become a tool of reprisal and intimidation, a mask to hide behind, and a disconnection from one's physical identity to create this digital SJW persona. Worst of all, 4Chan don't give a fuck.

See? Useless! Tad hypocritical too.

I don't even know what it is all about anymore, but I'm not following 30,000 fucking Twitter feeds.

Edit: The Boycott video is called "How to WIN #GamerGate", because this is all about fucking winning.

[Sky]

My favorite part of hacktivism/occupy stuff is the utter lack of an alternative plan.  #cuntgate #anarchyisjuvenileandnaive

[Nebu]

Seems lazy to me.

[Paelos]

Of course it's lazy. Young people are usually lazy and lack perspective. The horrifying part of this generation is the complete lack of understanding how social media is actually public, and not some little box for their random thoughts.

[Bunk]

Regarding Airlines:

I liked Alaska until the day they left me in the plane on the Tarmac for two hours after the end of a 30 minute flight home - because the front wheel on the plane wouldn't turn.  

US Airlines once booked me a flight home from New Orleans to Vancouver as follows: 3.5 Hours to Dallas > half hour layover without deboarding > 4 hours to Vancouver. Because both legs were 4 hours or less there was no inflight meal, no movie, and the only refreshments required cash (didn't bring any). A sympathetic stewardess eventually got me a glass of tap water and some peanuts.

[Phildo]

This just in, teenagers do stupid things that they will regret later in life.

Wouldn't say any of their behavior is unique to this or any other generation, though.  Kids are always worse than we were at their age.

[Paelos]

The behavior is in no way unique.

The issue is that they have a huge megaphone in front of them to blast out how stupid they are to the mass populace.

We've never had that before.

[Phildo]

You didn't have huge megaphones growing up?

[Paelos]

You didn't have huge megaphones growing up?

I had huge huevos. That's almost as dangerous.

[Maven]

Hypocritical raging aside, I have two main criticisms.

1. Woe to the person that makes any public criticism of the 4Chan, lest ye incur its wrath and get Doxed, encouraging further harassment or action.

2. The Anonymous horde intuitively knows the power of information. So they abuse their access to others' while protecting their own from similar action being utilized against them.

1. One person gets information (not hard).
2. One person publishes information.
3. Many people have information.
4. Someone gets the idea to engage in <X> action of harassment to achieve <Y> end.
5. Someone mobilizes the horde to engage in mob tactics for <Y> end.

So on and so on. If it's a bunch of teenagers, fine. I can accept that. But it's teenagers with *power* to do some serious harm, either materially or psychologically. It's like they want to protest, but they want to separate that activity from their main identity. Sure, anonymous discussion is a part of that....

[Ironwood]

Why do people think that stealing from where they work won't get found out ?

Why do they think the income they get from it will somehow make up for the loss of their current job and further the ability to get no job in the sector ever again ?

My mind's boggling right now.

[HaemishM]

#GamersGate can go fuck itself. From top to bottom, left to right, young to old, and every single facet on all sides of whatever fucking issue this idiotic shit is about... it can all go fuck itself. I have zero fucks to give about whatever got all those panties in twists.

Just make video games. Just play video games. And

SHUT

THE

FUCK

UP.

[Paelos]

Why do people think that stealing from where they work won't get found out ?

Why do they think the income they get from it will somehow make up for the loss of their current job and further the ability to get no job in the sector ever again ?

My mind's boggling right now.

Usually in the beginning it's to cover some sort of shortfall, like a medical issue or unexpected expense that would cripple their finances. Then, it suddenly becomes a regular activity when they need extra cash. After that, the rationalization starts that they've really earned this money. They are underpaid after all, and they deserve to be making more for what they do for the company. This is just evening things out and keeping those greedy owners from sticking more into their pockets. Then eventually they blame their own targets. If the company is too dumb to notice this, they don't deserve to get the money anyway.

Need
Opportunity
Rationalization
Blame

In most cases, there's no checks on a person committing the fraud. They have no segregation of duties, and they are allowed to handle cash and the books in some manner. Those two things should never been done by the same person. Most smaller companies and governments have terrible controls. They simply can't afford to hire the necessary people, so they have one or two people handling all the accounting. The worst I've seen is doctors. They hand over their entire practice to usually one person running the books completely. Most of the frauds I've seen have been perpetrated in doctor's offices because the accounting is confusing, the books are handled by one person, and doctors make so much money that a loss of a hundred thousand dollars can go unnoticed in the grand scheme of things.

[Maven]

Just make video games. Just play video games. And

SHUT

THE

FUCK

UP.

Oh my god! YOU'RE Vivian James!

[Ironwood]

It was kinda rhetorical, and also none of those apply to this case.  In this case, he was just a sexist, racist, greedy wee scrote.  I enjoyed firing him.

[Paelos]

It was kinda rhetorical, and also none of those apply to this case.  In this case, he was just a sexist, racist, greedy wee scrote.  I enjoyed firing him.

Well good then.

[HaemishM]

Just make video games. Just play video games. And

SHUT

THE

FUCK

UP.

Oh my god! YOU'RE Vivian James!

Goddamn you for making me look up who the fuck you were talking about.

[Selby]

Why do people think that stealing from where they work won't get found out ?

Why do they think the income they get from it will somehow make up for the loss of their current job and further the ability to get no job in the sector ever again ?

My mind's boggling right now.

We just had a scandal at work about this recently.  Like 10 people got busted in a sting for... get this... stealing gas and tires from the Vehicle Repair Shop on site.  Best I can tell is it is just something that people had been doing for a LONG time with no consequences and they were just lazy\stupid.  The guys who got canned had GREAT benefits and overtime too, so it's not like stealing 20 gallons of gas every other week for their car or reselling tires on the minimum wage\underappreciated gas station clerk...

[Paelos]

That's how fraud usually gets caught. People get lazy or stupid. Also people go on vacation and the person covering them notices something weird.

[Nevermore]

So be suspicious of that person who never goes on vacation!

[Paelos]

So be suspicious of that person who never goes on vacation!

That's the one of the first things they teach you to look for in fraud detection classes honestly.

[Nevermore]

Yeah, I was only half joking.  Be especially suspicious if the person who never, ever takes vacation works in payroll.

[Signe]

My healthcare insurance increased $108 for the same plan as last year.  Of course I can't afford that.      

[Yegolev]

I'd have liked to have that small of an increase over the past few years.

[Nebu]

I got my first raise in 3 years... it was accompanied by an increase in health insurance premiums greater than my raise.   The next person that says that 'college is too expensive due to high professor salaries' is going to get a punch in the throat. 

[Yegolev]

Heh, I've never heard anyone say that.  Maybe the administrators or owners or whatever the name is for what schools have that parallel corporate executives.

[Chimpy]

The right wing types around here (I live in a college town and work for the university) say that kind of shit all the time.

[Nebu]

Heh, I've never heard anyone say that.  Maybe the administrators or owners or whatever the name is for what schools have that parallel corporate executives.

The reason that tuition is going up at state schools is because state funding has remained flat or decreased.  That leaves students to pick up the difference in cost.  University education would remain inexpensive if taxpayers would continue to support it as they did in years past.  People want more shit while paying lower taxes.  It's as if economics never occurred to them.

[Maven]

I have three complete mint WoW TCG Sets (4-6) including Loot Cards I need to sell to help cover college costs. What would be a good place besides EBay or Craigslist?

[Yegolev]

Heh, I've never heard anyone say that.  Maybe the administrators or owners or whatever the name is for what schools have that parallel corporate executives.

The reason that tuition is going up at state schools is because state funding has remained flat or decreased.  That leaves students to pick up the difference in cost.  University education would remain inexpensive if taxpayers would continue to support it as they did in years past.  People want more shit while paying lower taxes.  It's as if economics never occurred to them.

Economics are for other people.  That's the only explanation I have for people avoiding taxes while also complaining about the state of public schools and public safety.  I suppose that average people would rather skip on the tax when they know that the lottery-funded scholarship will get the bill; this will vary by state, of course.  Also, who cares if "rich" people pay more, fuck those guys and those crooks on the county commission.

Anyway, college is definitely expensive but I don't know anyone who thinks that it is due to professor salaries.  Maybe I'm hanging out with the wrong people.  Then again, I do know one PhD that has a lot of money.

[Mandella]

I know a fair number of PhDs, and the only ones who have a load of money made it on the lecture circuit or by book sales or the like. I should point out that we're talking mostly liberal arts doctorates here too, and not in Ivy League Schools.

And oddly enough, most of them complain about their taxes too...

[Chimpy]

It is human nature to complain about taxes, I think.

[Teleku]

I have three complete mint WoW TCG Sets (4-6) including Loot Cards I need to sell to help cover college costs. What would be a good place besides EBay or Craigslist?

I would contact one Eric Schild about this.  His focus is on Magic, but I'm sure he knows the best and/or most profitable ways to unload TCG cards.

It is human nature to complain about taxes, I think.

I know a ton of Norwegians who complain about all the welfare moochers in their country and the taxes they have to pay to cover it all.  While they drink beer with me in their 10th year of free college, travel around the world free on all sorts of government programs, enjoy (mostly) free healthcare, and free god damned just about everything because its Norway.

All the other Americans and I make an IRL face when they do this.  Yes, it really is universal.