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Replicator restrictions are in place for the good of whom?:

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Topic Summary

Posted by: sarge945
« on: Today at 07:09:56 »

Quote by Nameless Voice:
A bit weird to import people for minimum-wage programming and database work, though?  Cheaper to just hire people in cheaper countries like India directly, then you don't even have to pay them minimum wage / enough to afford to live in your country.

Yeah I'm not sure entirely WHY they did this, I think there was a tax incentive or something to hire "local workers", which was largely ill-defined.

I remember a few years ago I did some development work for a company that wanted to be able to claim "Local call centers, so you're not talking to a random person in India!" on their marketing material, so they set up an on-shore call center and filled it with the cheapest off-shore workers they could import.

Companies do all sorts of weird shenanigans for all sorts of stupid reasons.
Posted by: Pacmikey
« on: Today at 04:28:03 »

my generation always thinks we're the unluckiest, but we have the most knowledge. if you live 1st world that is. get a job that isnt minimum wage, put your savings into high interest index funds, and you can retire at even 35 if you're lucky. just dont fall into any money traps like gambling smoking or drinking.
Posted by: voodoo47
« on: Yesterday at 17:49:32 »

eeeh guess I'll pitch in for one more bit if it's just general advice - you are trying to fight greed (we can call it infinite desire to acquire more, if you want something that sounds nicer), the very thing that makes humans humans. you aren't going to win.

as for what can one do, hmmm. not much, but yes, knowing your history and voting against whoever wants to repeat it the most would be a good start. apart from that, well, maybe make sure most of your assets have high liquidity, and be ready to leave the country as soon as you see the people in power attempting to tighten the screws.
Posted by: Nameless Voice
« on: Yesterday at 13:45:30 »

A bit weird to import people for minimum-wage programming and database work, though?  Cheaper to just hire people in cheaper countries like India directly, then you don't even have to pay them minimum wage / enough to afford to live in your country.

But other than that, I still say the main problem is the greed of corporations and lack of laws.  It wouldn't be a problem if the minimum wage was an appropriate living wage and if anyone trying to pay under the minimum wage was properly penalised.


As for what you can do...  that's the tough one.  Our systems are generally so corrupt and so entrenched that we don't seem to have any chance to change them.  The only thing you can really do is organise in large enough numbers to become a meaningful factor which politicians have to take into account and try to appeal to.
Posted by: voodoo47
« on: Yesterday at 10:26:10 »

I think you wanted to hit edit, not quote.
Posted by: Pacmikey
« on: Yesterday at 05:15:20 »

wrong button whoops
Posted by: Pacmikey
« on: Yesterday at 05:12:37 »

from a pragmatic standpoint, what should the average joe do? (aka me) other than voting?
Posted by: sarge945
« on: Yesterday at 03:52:15 »

The problem isn't immigrants who move to a country and work there. The problem is working visas and temporary work permits, and outsourcing.

I've seen companies replace their entire staff with people on worker visas, who they know they can pay less, because they will soon move back to a country where the US dollar goes a lot further, so earning $20 a day doesn't matter so much if it'll be a months salary in their home country.

Before the Australian government outlawed 457 visas (due to abuse), every company was hiring indians or Malaysians by the hundreds, offering them minimum wage for programming and database work that usually pays well above minimum wage, and they would take it because by sending the money home they are giving themselves and their family a small fortune.

The global economy is a serious threat to the working class in the west, either because people from cheaper parts of the world can be shipped in to do the work, or because things can be manufactured more easily overseas.

It's easy to support immigration in the sense that people should be allowed to become citizens of whatever country they choose, and traveling should be nicely unrestricted. But it's another thing entirely to support working visas and corporate exploitation of both foreigners and locals. It's especially annoying because they control the narrative right now. If you don't support corporations having completely free reign to fuck you by not supporting working visas or outsourcing, you'll be branded a racist.

People who talk about "their Mexican neighbor", either in a positive or negative way, as a means of forming an opinion on immigration, are generally too uninformed to really be worth taking seriously. Unfortunately, the immigration debate normally revolves around these sorts of stupid talking points, like "if you're going to move here, learn the language!!" rather than "the global economy has allowed corporations to double dip by utilizing 2 differently valued economies, and it's to the detriment of us all"
Posted by: Nameless Voice
« on: 09. January 2025, 22:58:22 »

Pretty sure I've seen statistics that immigrants contribute significantly more on taxes than they cost, because they're more likely to declare their incomes and less likely (or able) to receive state subsidies.

Technically they do keep wages down, because they're willing to do work locals won't for pay they wouldn't accept, though I'd sooner blame the greedy capitalists who pay them so little, but that's really a legislation problem (minimum wage too low.)

Blaming immigrants for a country's problems is always misdirection away from the real culprits.

There's also the bigger issue that the main reason a lot of people want to come to our countries in the first place is because we in the West have enriched ourselves by stealing wealth from their countries and then building up walls to keep them out.
Posted by: Join2
« on: 08. January 2025, 01:29:03 »

A little extreme, but I understand. I have been a misanthropist for a long time too (since late teens), because it's the only rational thing you can be if you understand human nature. Still, it's a spectrum, and some (few) people are simply as good as any being is ever going to get. I consider myself more good than bad, but I'm still a self-serving piece of shit like the vast majority. Some rare gems take goodness to a level I can't even comprehend, and I admire those people.
Furthermore, considering our circumstances, that baseline reality = chaos + we were thrust into this world naked with hunger, disease etc to contend with, bad emotions, no answer as to our purpose, and zero starting knowledge or wisdom, people are generally-speaking more good than would be expected. Speaking for the everyday people here, not the hardcore criminals, greedy fucks, psychos etc.

Side note but another thing about mass immigration is it suppresses wages, job opportunity, and demands lot of tax spending allocation (in the billions in some nations).
Posted by: voodoo47
« on: 08. January 2025, 00:44:58 »

I don't think anything good will come out of trying to solve the unsolvable, so lets maybe not continue this way - acknowledging that you don't really have any friends out there, and everyone is an evil piece of garbage who deserves a middle finger is as far as I'm willing to go, so unless that dill sauce recipe is in play, I'm out for now.

also, as this is 2025 topic, I've just realized that I'm now further away from my childhood than my childhood is from the end of WW2. let that sink in.
Posted by: Join2
« on: 08. January 2025, 00:29:58 »

Quote by Nameless Voice:
I don't think narcissistic, greedy ultra-rich capitalists are going to magically solve our problems by being racist bigots and blaming all their countries' problems on foreigners and minorities to deflect from the billionaires who are actually causing all those problems.

Not that the ones who pretend to be civil aren't just as bad, if not often worse.

Not to distract from your point that the "elite" class are the core problem, but if you think letting anyone and everyone into your nation in droves without background checks and without the infrastructure to support them is fine, then you are sorely mistaken and not as smart as I thought.
It loops back anyhow; as it is the sellout elite class that unleashed immigration hell on the west in the first place.

Also to oppose this utter stupidity and insanity doesn't make one a racist or bigoted.
Posted by: voodoo47
« on: 07. January 2025, 09:43:32 »

eventually, yes. but not in our lifetimes.
Posted by: fox
« on: 07. January 2025, 05:33:59 »

So, what about ultra rich narcissists, who are also lunatics with a messiah complex, who love, money, power and attention and will sacrifice anything and everything trying to create an utopia that will only ever exist inside their heads?

To me that is exactly what the Trump/Musk-team represents. Narcissism and power is a hell of a mix and can be just as dangerous as any ideologically possessed fanatic with power. In the case of that power couple, I can't see it last very long though, ironically thanks to narcisstic traits on both parts.

But I get you, systemic ideology (as in communism or fascism) is much less dependent on individual persons and because of that much more resilient, cold blooded, more directly against individualism and more prone to being isolated (sanctioned / cut off from important ressources).

If it had to be a choice between the two only, I would probably agree with you because, unless the narcisissm lead to catastrophic self-destruction already, it's probably going to be shorter lived and less harmful for the complying majority of citizens. But I refuse to accept that there aren't any better alternatives.

We know that there are better (less harmful) alternatives. Obviously very flawed and hard (potentially impossible?) to maintain ones but still... Even if it's unmaintainable, going back to systems that are proven to be worse (and ultimately also impossible to maintain) mustn't be the correct answer. There has to be some learning effect for once.
Posted by: voodoo47
« on: 06. January 2025, 20:18:31 »

well, yes. but if your options are to either be ruled by greedy ultra rich narcissists who love money and attention, or corrupt lunatics with messiah complex who will sacrifice anything and everything trying to create an utopia that will only ever exist inside their heads, then the choice should be rather obvious.

the rich narcissist may actually do something you will benefit from as long as it means more money, but to a nutcase on a mission to reshape the world, all you'll ever be is fuel to feed the always hungry furnace of his ambition.


eeeh. good thing I have the luxury of not having to give half a damn about the real world. now who wants that recipe?
Posted by: fox
« on: 06. January 2025, 18:35:02 »

I am convinced that narcissistic, greedy ultra-rich capitalists are on a roll right now and are going to (continue to) fuck things up even further.

I am also convinced that power corrupts. Populism and "strong man"-systems are never desirable. 

Posted by: voodoo47
« on: 06. January 2025, 13:16:30 »

generally speaking, a greedy narcissist is less bad than an ideologically possessed fanatic. and now don't get me wrong, both are bad, but trust me on this, you sprinkle the commie dust on something, doesn't matter what it is, it will become much worse.

dill sauce and rice with bone scrapings, anyone? about half a dollar a pop, guaranteed to make you feel like a human being for a couple of hours, can share the recipe (you might need it if your government is thinking about the hammer and sickle real hard).
Posted by: Nameless Voice
« on: 06. January 2025, 11:47:18 »

I don't think narcissistic, greedy ultra-rich capitalists are going to magically solve our problems by being racist bigots and blaming all their countries' problems on foreigners and minorities to deflect from the billionaires who are actually causing all those problems.

Not that the ones who pretend to be civil aren't just as bad, if not often worse.
Posted by: voodoo47
« on: 06. January 2025, 09:15:09 »

whatever buffoonery your current dearest leader may be engaging in, it cannot be as bad as flying to the land of blyat to lick the boots of the poo-poo man, then just jumping straight into a vietnamese brothel, and recording a video about his own amazingness right in one of the rooms there (and thinking nobody is going to find out, dude just look at those drapes right behind your warty commie mafia ass).

that's where we currently are.
Posted by: Join2
« on: 06. January 2025, 08:36:52 »

Wouldn't be my first pick. Nigel Farage, Donald Trump. Pierre Poilievre are not the leaders I envision, but better than the alternatives for sure. And that's assuming they don't all answer to the same higher powers obviously present but hiding in the shadows.

Still, I have some small hope for USA lately, which I can't say the same for most of the west.
Posted by: tiphares4
« on: 06. January 2025, 08:15:44 »

Quote by Join2:
What we really need is REAL LEADERSHIP

Posted by: Join2
« on: 06. January 2025, 05:15:08 »

Doom and Gloom thread again. Yay!

Chaos is the default state of reality. The universe does not care what lives, dies, what planets collide or what stars go supernova. Humans brought about order, justice, stability and prosperity, highly imperfect (and that cannot be emphasized enough) but continually evolving. The west broadly-speaking by the year 199X stood as a fine example of the peak of this long grind. The future seemed bright. The past 25 years just feels like a coordinated reversal of this progress. The social contract is broken, lunacy and misinformation is all the town crier speaks, our culture is replaced by mediocrity, and you will own nothing and certainly not be happy.

What is the intent of those that steer these events?

1: Mass enslavement/general control of the populace?
2: The insane actions of an elite satanic cult that spans multiple nations that merely seek to sow chaos?
3: Coincidental convergence of the collective greedy actions of the ruling class and Yes Men beneath that clamor for the same power?
4. It was Aliens/Other

Stay tuned for more societal collapse in 2 o 2 5! Expect Diddler coverups, your purchasing power to continue to shrink as it has for the past 40 or so years, more death and taxes, simpletons and bad actors to continue to flood the public consciousness thereby diluting the waters and the Epstien Files to remain [REDACTED]. And last but not least, absolutely nothing to look forward to nor work towards except trying to maintain your semi-comfy but mundane life.
On the bright side, a drone may make its way to your living room and fetch you a cup of tea in a few years, because that's what you really need - trivial comfort and distraction while you sit on the couch and stream Fortnite dressed as a woman while simps donate in droves and tune in daily, hopeful to catch a glimpse of your lady stick.

What we really need is REAL LEADERSHIP moving forward. Men that can shoot for the stars, offers (un)common sense, unshakable ethics and principles, and a sensible vision to lead us into the future as technology continues to complicate things massively. Instead we have a bunch of incompetents, evil greedy assholes, and old out of touch zombies. Safe and prosperous voyage into the future has to start here.
Posted by: fox
« on: 05. January 2025, 14:48:30 »

Oh lord... somebody trained that AI with Scopolamine-trip reports. This needs to be wiped immediately. 😱
Posted by: not tiphares
« on: 05. January 2025, 11:34:28 »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34JKpYsvMO8
Posted by: Nameless Voice
« on: 05. January 2025, 01:53:09 »

I've definitely felt that the last year or two have been a lot darker and more depressing, on a world stage, than any other time in my lifetime.

We're reaching combined catastrophes of cataclysmic climate change that no one wants to take action on, late-stage capitalism eroding living standards by making housing unaffordable for younger people (amongst other things), and the complete collapse of any pretence at human rights or international law, as evidenced by the televised genocide in Gaza being fully supported by all of our governments, and actively promoted by all of our media outlets.

The promise of free access to information on the internet has been co-opted by algorithms designed to push consumerism and disinformation, while the last vestiges of journalism have been crushed and replaced with copy-pasted press releases and propaganda.

Meanwhile, no one actually bothers to check any facts or even think about anything they are told.

Dark times, though luckily most of those are vast global problems that don't really affect me personally, at least at the moment, so I guess that's something?
Posted by: fox
« on: 04. January 2025, 17:05:56 »

Putin rose to power in 1999, G.W. Bush in 2001, islamic global terrorism escalated. Geopolitically that set the stage for a lot of shit that still worsens and affects us today in "the west". Now we have Putin, Xi Jingping, terrorists, Trump (plus X) successfully tag-teaming what was left of the "old world order" and the balance of powers. And because the end does not justify the means, wokeness has to be mentioned too because of its radical attempts at rewriting societal norms and traditions.

But it's no use singling out isolated events. Everything happens in a context and what we feel about it, is totally subjective and completely dependent on circumstance, of course. I really think that the effect of the Internet on our personal outlook on life, humanity and the world is often underestimated. It's a very double-edged sword and I'm not a fan of "ignorance is bliss" but becoming desillusioned (and more easily manipulated at times), sure is making it harder and takes things to more extreme levels. I'm not sure if we're able to take this much input without harm. Well, actually we do know that empathic persons take harm from being confronted with traumatic images. How is consuming news of all the bad things that happen all over the globe (without any influence on it) any different?

I'm still waiting for India to join the geopolitical game. Still a bit of an unknown factor to me. Their current leadership and system does not instill a lot of hope though.
Posted by: sarge945
« on: 04. January 2025, 16:22:12 »

I don't think it was the new millenium, I think it was 9/11

The twin towers falling collectively demoralized the USA and brought in a cynical, suspicious and fearful attitude which has slowly destroyed everything.
Posted by: fox
« on: 04. January 2025, 16:08:26 »

Me and many of my peers also vaguely felt that the turn of the millenium was some kind of historical tipping point. It was a particularly weird year for sure. However, I'm not able to deduce how much of that feeling came from simply being at a certain age (just coming out of adolescence and still living a pretty wild and chaotic life of which the consequences started to surface), what came from the media pushing the millenium buzz-themes full-force. Some actually important changes were taking place during that time or at least put on the horizon (like the introduction of the Euro-currency, for example).

Looking back, all that was just a build-up to the much less debatable tipping point that came with 9/11 in 2001. This undeniably shifted gears a lot.

Btw: I'm not a believer in supernatural stuff (and never cared to look deeper into it), so I was never intrigued by the Mayan-calendar thing. However, I find it morbidly fun to read the Nostradamus-"prophecies" that keep coming up in the media in January of every new year.

Some of his (and some others) verses about recent years were actually eerily specific and accurate, although you never really know how much the translations were spun to fit by whoever publishes them as part of a lazy filler-piece.
 
Posted by: JDoran
« on: 04. January 2025, 13:53:32 »

The Mayan calendar ended in the year 2012, so maybe that was then the happiness level of the world dropped off a cliff.

Or maybe the when the Large Hadron Collider was switched on in 2008.

Like you, Join2, I'm not serious about the above, of course. But wow, the world really does seem monumentally more miserable, boring, dull and humourless than ever before in my fifty-four years of life. I would put my feelings down to just extreme depression and my own situation (back and leg pain, working long hours at work, not sleeping, etc) but everyone seems to be really down, too. It does sort of feel like the world is winding down to something.
Posted by: Join2
« on: 04. January 2025, 06:19:45 »

The rapture happened Y2K (as was prophesized) and we were left behind, or something. I've always "joked" that this was the case. Of course I don't really believe this, but they were better times for sure, and I never could have imagined it'd get this bad.

Still, it could always be worse. It's not WW3, just a big decline from the standards at the turn of the millennium. My life is going OK. I just don't like what everyone else is doing, broadly-speaking. Fucking everything up for us and future generations, that is.
Posted by: voodoo47
« on: 02. January 2025, 19:00:41 »

as far as I'm concerned, the last year that was not miserable were 1999, so I don't even notice anymore.

the only positive thing is that I've done some math recently, and I think if I keep things very frugal, I probably can afford to retire in 7 years. not going to be travelling the world once I do that's for sure, but hey, I've got everything I need right here.
Posted by: JDoran
« on: 02. January 2025, 18:34:21 »

Every year of the 2020's has been miserable, if you ask me. And quite a few other people, I'd bet.
Posted by: sarge945
« on: 02. January 2025, 03:12:01 »

I think it's a style thing.
Posted by: ZylonBane
« on: 02. January 2025, 03:08:34 »

Why is this thread titled "2 of 25"? What the hell does that mean?
Posted by: fox
« on: 01. January 2025, 23:39:04 »

ARD Mediathek is likely to be geoblocked.

Probably most non-DACH people have never heared of this sketch before, including the Brits, most ironically. Short explanation for those folks: since the early 70s, it became an inexplicable and odd tradition that this sketch (Dinner for One) gets aired on New Year's Eve on German television. For petty reasons (I assume) different versions of it were produced over the time.

Thanks for the hint about Deep Cover. First time I heared about it, actually. Not the worst pitch at all.
Posted by: unn_atropos
« on: 01. January 2025, 21:50:17 »

Quote by Join2:
It is in Gaza, Ukraine et al. Dark humour aside, what happened?
"Going out with a bang" because in the picture Goggles (disguises as awaiter) is about to take out Shodan and her crooks. It's concept art from the never completed game Deep Cover by Looking Glass Studios.

@fox: Urks,the swiss version 😒. Original is better!
https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/Y3JpZDovL2Rhc2Vyc3RlLm5kci5kZS80NDM3XzIwMjAtMTItMzEtMTUtNTA
Posted by: fox
« on: 01. January 2025, 20:49:29 »

The same procedure as every year, James!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ui9NfVs6FWY
Posted by: Join2
« on: 01. January 2025, 20:44:39 »

"2024 is going out with a bang."

It is in Gaza, Ukraine et al. Dark humour aside, what happened?
Posted by: icemann
« on: 01. January 2025, 07:47:16 »

Happy new year
Posted by: voodoo47
« on: 31. December 2024, 23:05:58 »

well there we go.
Posted by: fox
« on: 31. December 2024, 19:05:09 »

Some moving p(r)ep-talk for y'all. Low-key shittin' all emotional.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGUNPMPrxvA
Posted by: voodoo47
« on: 31. December 2024, 17:43:25 »

well pretty much the only thing that didn't happen so far was an alien invasion, so things can't get any worse in 2025, right? riiight?

eeh very sure the universe will find a way.
Posted by: Stingm
« on: 31. December 2024, 17:11:17 »

Happy New Year to all.
Posted by: fox
« on: 31. December 2024, 17:04:30 »

May you retain or regain your optimism in 2025!
Posted by: unn_atropos
« on: 31. December 2024, 16:42:00 »

2024 is going out with a bang.


 Happy new year to you! ☺
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