There are times when my brain runs in the strangest ways

As I’ve chronicled, I’ve been looking for a job, in my field for a long time.

I read job postings daily. 

This morning, before dawn I was having coffee reading job postings as I do every morning. I apply to those positions for which I’m qualified and comfortable my skills would be well suited.

Recently, I’ve seen a trend where the job posting is clearly misleading.

The most obvious is;

Fully Remote” then further into the posting the requirement is that you live in the city the company is in. Further down the long list of requirements is that the company wants the employee to be in the office some number of days per week. 

That’s not a fully remote job, that’s what companies are calling a hybrid position.

It’s the old “bait and switch” and honestly probably creates an overwhelming response of resumes and applicants that the HR department has to filter.

A variation is where while filling out the preprogrammed application the prospective employee is asked if they’re willing to relocate, and what the relocation time frame is.

In other words they might consider you if you’re planning to move to their location on your own dime.

Again, this is a hybrid position at best, more likely, it’s a position in an office.

I’ve also been seeing a growing number of positions where the position title or description is completely different from the actual responsibilities delineated other down the page.

For example;

Manual Testing position

Then further down, “Must create automated testing using (Program de jour) from user stories.”

Then there are the endless typos or AI generated nonsense sentences  describing the work to be done, followed by a list of every possible buzzword that’s ever been used in technology.

This made me wonder if I’m the only person who finds HR departments nearly useless.

So I did a web search simply asking, “Is any employee happy with their HR department?”

The results were interesting in that, most of the articles returned were talking about working in an HR department, instead of if employees liked or were happy with HR.

It reminded me of the results you’d get during COVID if the question you asked was about alternative treatments.

Rephrasing the question didn’t significantly improve the returned results. There was a peppering of >10 year old articles about dissatisfaction with HR but nothing current.

One Forbes article (from 12 years ago) flatly stated, “Employees will ask for assistance from anyone but their HR department.”

I began wondering if the results were because the search algorithm was overwhelmed by negative articles and decided that it would “Improve” the world by masking reality.

There are people who seem to believe that sweeping the issues under the carpet is better than presenting the truth. The theory goes something like, “We shouldn’t reinforce the negative because that will compound the issue and cause more people to pile on to the beleaguered party.

You see similar results if you specifically look for images of black folks trashing or looting stores or fast food places. What you get is results of anyone but black folks engaging in these activities.

I know this because on the one hand “X” sometimes presents incident after incident, literally showing black folks fighting each other in Walmarts, Targets, or McDonalds.

But when I try to search for the actual incident to find out what the specifics were, why this happened, or who provoked who, there are few, if any results.

This leads me to wonder, is what I’m seeing on “X” some kind of AI hoax, or is the algorithm suppressing reports of the events?

I suspect the latter.

What this suggests to me is that truth may be entirely subjective. This is not because true is variable, but because either people can’t handle the truth, don’t want the truth, or the powers that be choose to obfuscate or shape the truth for their own ends.

3 days ago, entering “Senator Van Hollen” brought up article, after article, about his “Brave” fight to bring a ‘mistakenly deported’ man home from El Salvador.

Now that same search parameter displays Senator Van Hollen’s record in the senate and his biography. Adding “El Salvador” to the search and articles are presented about the Senator’s trip to El Salvador and that he’s defending “Due Process”.

It changed shortly after revelations that Kilmar Abrego Garcia had a standing deportation order, restraining orders against him, from his wife, and that El Salvador counts Garcia among the membership of MS13.

Senator Van Hollen has egg on his face, the public opinion polls regarding the Democrat party and its leadership dropped over the good Senator’s publicity stunt.

Taxpayers are not thrilled that the Senator used their money to demand that we waste more taxpayer money to bring Kilmar Abrego Garcia back to the United States, put him before a judge (spending more taxpayer money) only to have a hearing that will in all likelihood result in Garcia being deported again, (spending yet more taxpayer money).

We could have that hearing in absentia, or via zoom and then decide if Garcia should be returned to the US or remain in his home country.

The good Senator, with the help of the Media is trying to reframe the “Truth” in order to shore up both the Senator’s polling numbers and those of the Democrat party.

There are a few diehard media outlets like MSNBC that still maintain Kilmar Abrego Garcia was “mistakenly deported”. That’s just because their hatred for Trump is so strong that even in the face of a standing deportation order, they must paint the Trump administration as sitting at the right hand of Satan.

I find all of this amusing. It exemplifies the old quote; “This is how civilization dies, not with a bang… but with a whimper.”

When all data sources are tainted, facts are obfuscated, people are divided or polarized by falsehoods and misrepresentation, when truth is entirely subjective… Civilization as we’ve known it, is circling the drain.

The weakness of old age and infirmity means that a younger more aggressive and probably more authoritarian civilization will sweep in to fill the vacuum. 

We have historical examples. Rome, Greece, The Ottoman Empire, and Egypt, all stand as sign posts.

Issac Asimov’s Foundation touched on these themes. Even though it is science fiction, The opening chapters ring true.

Hari Seldon, through the mathematics of Psychohistory told an Empire that it was doomed. Seldon said there was nothing that could stop the fall, but there were actions that could be taken to shorten the darkness between the fall of the current civilization and the rise of the next. 

In the twilight of the Empire, truth was subjective, people believed what was most comfortable or that which gave them purpose or comfort.

I’m amused because no matter where I look, I see evidence suggesting that history, or the fantasy of Foundation is playing out real time.

The “Empire” known as western civilization is falling. As in Asimov’s tale, it’s rotting from within.

Life is imitating art.

So perhaps it’s time to start thinking about creating the First Foundation. Perhaps it’s time to start preserving all that we’ve learned, and locking it away to protect it from the fall so that when our species is ready to reach for the stars again, science, philosophy, medicine, and a dispassionate record of history can guide our descendants forward quickly, instead of spending 1 or 2 thousand years in barbarism.

This line of crazy thinking has led me to wondering if our ancestors addressed this particular problem and how they attempted to solve it. Is there really a library of knowledge under the left paw of the Sphinx?

How would I solve the problem? Stone monuments attract attention. Various religious groups today will destroy monuments they perceive as antithetical to their beliefs. Our own people remove statues they find heretical.

How would I preserve knowledge? Books and libraries are subject to burning. Stone is more durable, but limited from a spacial perspective. A technological solution could work, but is inherently delicate and prone to malfunctions, power issues, or damage. 

Maybe I’ve found a project to fill the rest of my days.

My coffee cup and pot are now empty. Time to get on with the day.

And this is how I get sidetracked all too often.

Have a great day.

I suppose he rallied for one last Easter

Pope Francis died.

I’m sorry to hear that. I disagreed with a whole lot of his opinions. I thought that he was too liberal and extended the olive branch too freely to people who would seen the church and western civilization in flames.

But he was a holy man.

Holy Men see the best in everyone and believe that goodness and decency will win out in the hearts of even their enemies.

Sometimes they’re right.

Since I’m not Catholic I have no place to express my opinion about Papal Edicts or the direction Pope Francis was taking the church.

A few weeks ago, I thought Pope Francis was on his way out. He spent a lot of time in the hospital. Then the Vatican said he was recovering. He was seeing people, and offered blessings at the Easter Mass. I truly thought he was going to hang around for another few years.

Even if I disagreed with him, even though I’m not Catholic, the Pope is a constant in my life and to some extent I look to the Pope, and others, for generalized moral standards.

I’m sorry Pope Francis is dead.

I think it speaks to his strength of will, or his faith, perhaps both, that he apparently pushed to make one more Easter Mass.

Sleep well Francis…

Yesterday was exhausting!

I was on the run from about 6:30 am, one way or another.

Road construction social 2219743733.The primary goal for the day was to get the furry one to the groomer. That is always a production. It’s not that he’s a problem getting into the car. He seems to like riding. 

The trouble is that he just won’t settle down. Although yesterday coming back from the groomer he fell asleep for just a minute, sitting up, with his head on my shoulder. This gives me hope that eventually he’ll settle in the car and then have fun at our destination instead of being excited from the moment he’s in the car to the moment we’re back home.

Honestly him falling asleep like that was really cute, sweet, and made it all worth it.

The morning went like this, up at 6, coffee, then 2.5 mile walk/drag up & down the mountain. Quick shower, then trying something new so that he can be comfortable and lay down. Didn’t work! Fight through a construction zone (that I wasn’t aware of). Get him to the groomer, another walk/drag around the grooming place so that he could smell all the other dogs that had been there before. Then inside the grooming place where everyone knew his name, Not sure if that’s a good thing or bad thing.

Then run to get myself a haircut. Fight through more stupid traffic to the Target. Pick up things that I can’t get elsewhere. Stand in insane line, watch “The Usual Suspects” acting up and being assholes in the self checkout line. Get out of the store, almost get run over twice in the parking lot, while walking to the car. Hesperia has, (at last report), the worst drivers of any city in California. Fight my way through traffic again. 

Get back to the shopping plaza where the groomer is. Have a burger, well, order a burger then leave because more of “The Usual Suspects” were acting up and began trashing the place, (Ate my burger and fries in the car listening to calming music). [Note: I didn’t wait to take pictures, this one is from the internet.]

Walked 1/2 mile to the Walmart to pick up some really cheap Chinese items, stood in insanely long line to check out. Observed more of “The Usual Suspects” squabbling, yelling, and cutting in line. Got out of Walmart, walked 1/2 mile back to car, dropped off items and sat in car listening to calming music again.

Went into groomers and shopped for items necessary for the furry one. Watched said furry one being remarkably good while standing on a grooming table getting trimmed for Summer. I was trying not to be seen by him. Paid the bill. Furry one was ready to leave and I was walked/dragged around the building again.

Back in the car, fight through traffic on the freeway this time, get home, unload the clean furry one, then unloaded purchased items, put stuff away, and put car in the garage. 

I got myself a glass of water wondering why I was tired.

The now fluffy, furry one came inside and promptly took a nap in his favorite spot. I cleaned a closet.

The furry one, woke from his nap, went outside, then came back in with his favorite toy, dropped it at my feet, and wanted to play. So out we went to chase the ball around the yard.

I wish I had his energy!

Today… I’m still tired!

At least Mr. Furry is clean!

The plus side, is that during the day I didn’t hear or see one news show. I did catch that some moronic American senator was in El Salvador trying to get a deported MS13 gang member out of prison.

I’d ask WTF, but it’s pointless. The world is a madhouse, it’s easier to accept that, than it is to think about it.

I am concerned about the preponderance of “The Usual Suspects”. That stresses me out every time I go to the store.

Has Greenland decided to join the United States? Just Askin…

I hope everyone has a great Friday and excellent Easter.

The Hum

Living where I do is generally quiet. Unless they’re doing work in the wash. Then it’s a constant beeping and grinding as heavy equipment rumbles up and down the wash moving dirt around.

We’ll not talk about the dust and debris that blows in on the wind.

But when I first moved into this house after I’d been here for about a month, suddenly there was “The Hum”. At first it was only something I could hear in the Master Bedroom. What was strange is that due to an acoustic oddity, I could only hear it in one relatively confined area in the bedroom. (Of course it happened to be on my side of the bed.) It drove me wild and disrupted my sleep. My loving partner switched sides of the bed with me, so that I could actually sleep because he couldn’t hear it.

Over time, “The Hum” grew such that I could hear it everywhere in the house and outside too.

Slowly, it stopped being a constant thing. It became intermittent and finally after years, it was gone.

I don’t actually hear “The Hum”…

That’s not entirely true, but I hear it more like the sounds you hear when you’re underwater. That soft area just behind your jaw near your earlobes. That’s where it feels like I’m hearing the sound.

For many years, I haven’t heard “The Hum”.

This morning, well before dawn, I woke with my jaw clenched, grinding my teeth. I laid there for a few moments trying to figure out what woke me up. Then I heard it. “The Hum” was back.

Only now, instead of being constant, it’s cycling up & down, then being entirely silent, then starts again. It’s like an annoying gnat buzzing around your ears that you can’t quite seem to kill. Just when you think it’s gone, buzzes into your ear canal to remind you it’s there and piss you off.

“The Hum,” is like that but worse for me. It’s right on the threshold of my hearing, just loud enough that it bothers me, but most other people can’t hear it at all. So I’m the crazy person!

I suspect that it’s originating from a water pump that’s at some distance from the house. I can hear “The Hum” very clearly inside the house, but outside it’s not as prominent.

I think it’s resonance in the ground, and somehow the house it picking it up an amplifying the sound.

The water company claims that it’s not them, I couldn’t possibly hear the pump, and drops all subsequent inquiries in the “Crazy Person” bin.

In an effort to determine if “The Hum” is originating in the house, I shut the power off. My thinking was that any and all electro-mechanical devices would power down so if “The Hum” remained, it was external, not something I was doing to myself.

“The Hum” never missed a beat.

The dog hears it too. He’s a lot better at ignoring it than I am. I suppose since it doesn’t represent an immediate threat, or treat he just figures it’s the price of living in the human world.

I know he hears it because if “The Hum” stops for a minute or so, then starts again he wakes up from his nap looks around, then goes back to sleep.

I’ll try wearing my AirPods with noise cancellation on. I don’t think they’ll help because where I feel the sound isn’t the ear canal. Maybe a full ear set of headphones would help.

I’d ignore “The Hum” if I could. Something about the sound disrupts my thought processes and keeps me right on the edge of being angry. The way it comes and goes makes my brain start looking for a pattern.

Sometimes, “The Hum” sounds like Morse code. With that kind of dot-dash-dot pattern, my brain thinks there’s something to decode and being on the threshold of hearing, drags my full attention to the sound even though I know it’s nothing.

I have the same problem with fluorescent lights. They all hum, and most of the time I hear them. If one is starting to go out I hear that too. One of the many reasons that school was so very difficult for me. I tried very hard to listen to the teacher, but the humming from the lights and their patterns always captured my attention more.

Incandescent light bulbs will start “ringing” about a day before they burn out. The first few years living my the other half, it drove him crazy that I’d walk in from work with light bulbs the very moment he’d turn on a light and it would flash and burn out. I think he thought I was doing something to the bulbs on purpose to freak him out.

Even LED bulbs “ring”, as do plug in transformers used to recharge devices. Braun trimmers and shavers are the loudest in this regard.

So now you know why I like to sit at the bottom of lakes, or pools, and why I like SCUBA even though that’s actually a bit noisy.

That was interesting

We just had an earthquake.

That in and of itself isn’t surprising. What was surprising is that I got an emergency alert on my phone and watch about it. A full 10 seconds before I felt it.

Pretty slick!

The dog didn’t like it at all!

He’s wandering around trying to figure out who was stomping around in his yard.

Clearly, peeing on every fence post will scare the evil stomping giant away.

It was a pretty strong roller. The ground kept moving for a few seconds after the initial rolling motion subsided.

Hmm. There’s been a whole string of quakes in the last 1/2 hour in Julian. Looks like the strongest was a 5.2.

That’s a heck of a distance from me. What’s weird about it, it that the rolling I felt seems to have come from the opposite direction.

It’s nice to see the alert system working.