Category: Musings

Posted on

What’s with all the hand wringing about Twitter? OH! Right…

I admit that I’m still on the fence about Twitter personally. I did enjoy it and participated in some great discussions with people, in its early days.

Dead Twitter Bird

That being said, I’m “Meh” about it going the way of MySpace. Nobody ran in tight circles or lit their hair on fire when MySpace wound down to whatever it is now. (Is MySpace even still around?)

Celebrities, Pundits, Wags, and all kinds of other people appear to be having a melt down over Twitter “Melting Down”.

Elon Musk probably went too far with his email asking for, (or demanding) fealty to the company long work hours and whatever else he asked for. Clearly he pushed too hard too fast resulting in a lot of his staff resigning.

This makes me wonder though if he’s “souring the milk” just to get rid of self important dead weight.

It’s long been a tactic of employers to make a place a tough work environment that forces employees out the door rather than have a mass layoff. Especially with the WARN Act and all of its constraints, having a mass voluntary exodus works for Elon and the company.

Now he can hire employees to replace those that have quit, and not have to pay unemployment either. This is financially better for the company rather than have to keep those employees around for 60 days and pay them to screw him.

I’d imagine that he’s looking very hard at the H1B1 workers who remain, and considering simply not renewing their H1B1 Status. I don’t know all the ins and out of the visa system but I do know that without sponsorship the H1B1 Visa expires. At that point, the individual is supposed to return to their country of origin unless they’ve become citizens of the US.

Elon may be trailblazing in showing how H1B1 and other visas can be cancelled while limiting liability. I don’t know.

I know that there are a lot of American software engineers that can certainly do the job, who’d be willing to take on the challenge of working at Twitter. I’d guess that American software engineers would be willing to ensure freedom of speech as long as they were from outside the Silicon Valley bubble.

That so many people not involved directly with the company are commenting and wailing about the changes at Twitter is interesting to me.

Journalists specifically seem to be making a lot of noise, and I couldn’t figure that out.

I began to wonder if these journalists are realizing that they’re actually going to have to research what they say instead of relying on “Tweets” to write a story. That could explain why they’re so up in arms.

Are these people saying, “My God, I’m going to have to actually do research!”

Once that realization sinks in, I’m guessing they’re going to be pretty pissed off that they’re going to have to pick up the phone and speak to someone, vet their sources, and at least partially verify their facts before running off to write a one sided hit piece on someone or some event.

Social media is hearsay not fact. It’s always been hearsay, rumor, innuendo, and in some cases complete bullshit.

When so called journalists began using platforms designed for social media and conversation as their journalistic sources we got Journalism that looked like social media, instead of fact.

Funny how that works isn’t it?

So journalists… Get to fucking work!

I’m going to be waiting for the want ads to come out to see if there’s a position for me at the new Twitter.

If I could work from home, or in an office outside California I’d work pretty damn cheap. If I have to move to San Francisco, well the job is going to have to be really “Cherry” and the pay will have to be significantly more.

That’s because I don’t see the need to live in a Studio Apartment for 5K a month, to be in a place where I have to step over shit in the streets to go to work.

I absolutely love the thought of all the rainbow colored hair social justice warrior types finding that their “playpen for pay” is being taken away. I’m half tempted to drive up to near San Francisco, take BART to Twitter headquarters and ask for a job application.

I’d fill out the application in the lobby and laugh my ass off watching the tearful goodbyes as the children left the building.

It would be very hard for me not to say to them, “Welcome to the real world, parasites!”

Posted on

Please Don’t

I wish I could speak directly to Donald Trump.

If I could, I’d tell him the following:

Please don’t run for President again. It’s nothing personal. The last two, maybe three, years of your presidency I did feel hopeful, I felt that the country was on the right track. I loved your “Mean Tweets” and almost always enjoyed hearing you smack down the media.

I felt that finally someone was at least half way concerned about the American People in Washington and waited with gleeful anticipation for Nancy Pelosi’s head to explode when you pissed her off. That woman literally hates your guts!

That being said, I don’t think you should be president in 2024. Had you won in 2020 I’d have a different opinion and be looking forward to maybe a DeSantis presidency in 2024.

You see, after watching what Congress did in the last year of your presidency and how laser focused they were on destroying you, instead of doing their job, followed by  four years of the shitty Biden administration. I think that, should you get elected in 2024 you’ll be a distraction and unable to force Congress to do the work they were elected to do.

America can’t handle another four years where nobody is at the helm. Or where there’s constant distraction for the business of the nation. I personally believe that you have the best of intentions  and that you’d be trying your level best to steer the country away from the shoals. The Biden administration has in my opinion set course directly for a large reef and lashed the wheel to that course.

Sadly, I think that if you won the election you’d be limited by the enemies you’ve made. There are far too many people throughout the government that would happily throw a monkey wrench into whatever plans you have, no matter how good or beneficial a plan might be. These people are so vile they’d happily destroy themselves just to make sure you don’t succeed. They’re also very willing to take the rest of the citizenry to whatever hell they end up in just to see you fail.

Our government is no longer for and by the people. I don’t know who, or what, our government serves, but it isn’t us. Apparently, there are an unbelievable number of frankly stupid Americans running around that want something much different than the America I grew up loving and believing in. 

Admittedly, I may have a somewhat nostalgic view.

I don’t think another Trump presidency can fix what’s wrong in America. I’m no longer believe that what’s wrong can be fixed. The fractures are too deep, the wounds too infected.

Honestly Sir, I think you’d be better off just walking away. There are times when you just have to let a dumpster fire burn. 

Spend time with your family, enjoy the grandchildren, play golf and enjoy your successes. Don’t expose yourself to the parasites and vermin. They’ll destroy themselves in due time. It’s not for either of us to try to stop the lemmings from running off a cliff into the sea.

You have the wealth and resources to go anywhere in the world. I wouldn’t blame you if you liquidated your financial holdings in America and took your family to another country entirely. Switzerland seems to be pretty free, albeit expensive.

For my part, I’m looking for a quiet corner of the country where I can live in peace, relative safety, have the ability to defend myself, and hopefully die, before the inevitable destruction of America comes.

Respectfully Mr. Trump, all the best.

Posted on

I knew I should have bought that PowerBall ticket!

Oh well, 2 Billion dollars would probably have been more of a pain in the ass than it was worth.

That’s how I console myself anyway.

Winner

Then I really started thinking about it. 2 billion would actually have been a pain. Okay so you know you’re going to lose at least half to taxes. If you’re in California you’re going to lose 2/3 because California has to fuck you as much as possible.

But then after that, you’re going to have to take the millions you’re left with and put it into some kind of savings. I don’t know about you, but my bank would probably tell me “no”. Even if they said, “yes” the full amount of deposit wouldn’t be insured against the bank failing. (Not likely, but in this economy something to think about.)

So that leaves you with investment accounts. Have you seen the stock market lately? Crypto-currency? Oh hell no!

Let’s not even consider all the scam artists trying to get their paws on your winnings with “Can’t Lose” business propositions.

You can’t really gift money to your relatives because then the gift gets taxed again.

I could see myself paying off the house, credit cards, and other debts then hiring reputable contractors to do some maintenance and improvements to the house. After that, I’d be wondering what next?

I suppose I’d spend some time traveling. A tour of National Parks would be fun. I could see getting a 4×4 pickup truck with room for the dog and setting off on an adventure. Part of that adventure might be to explore with an eye to finding a quiet out of the way place to just live quietly. I’m not talking completely off the grid, but someplace with space and open natural vistas.

Nothing fancy or anything, but I’d like to be able to have a mailbox, postal delivery, and look out a window while having my morning coffee, occasionally seeing a deer or elk wander by.  I’d like a place where I didn’t have to put clothes on for the sake of nosey neighbors, and I’d like a garage, or a barn for vehicles but that’s about it.

The funny thing is that I could do these things with far less than the post tax-rape leavings from a 2 billion dollar win. I’d probably have a lot less headaches too.

Maybe I’ll just buy a couple of California Lottery tickets…