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DonkeyCigars

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Posts posted by DonkeyCigars

  1. 6 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

    For years I've been saying that the main driver behind conservative bigotry isn't racism, but race.  Many are racist, but all of them are secretly terrified that white America will soon no longer represent the majority.

    Assuming your hypothesis is correct (I'm not saying it's not), then I would think the next logical question is "why is that? why are they afraid that white people will no longer be the majority?"

    Is it because if they aren't the majority, then that means they will likely at some point lose the ability to influence and set agendas and strategy? Does that mean that then they will lose privilege? Is it a view that something intangible is being taken from them and their happy path just got more difficult, even if by degrees at first?

    Or do you think it's because they know that they've been shoveling crap on non-whites and that they fear they're going to be retaliated against?

    Reminds me of the CK Louis skit where he says "Being white is clearly better, but you best believe we are going to pay for it one day!"

  2. Used Chegg in grad school a bit, but I would say 90% of the time it was worthless. The material and classes are too focused/refined and you'd spend more time cutting through all the noise and junk/wrong answers on Chegg than if you'd just open the book and learn the material except for the most basic and general of topics. Which leads me to my next point:

    I can see how undergrad it would be valuable; lots of "general" material and standardized ways of disseminating it to large groups of people mean that they probably don't have the time or energy to change tests so much and that the same generic questions for ECON301 at UT show up every semester.

    And I know we are making fun of Aggy here because of their code and this article, but we are naive to believe this isn't also happening at UT at the same scale.

  3. 28 minutes ago, Dahobbs said:

    Yeah, this. Trump is definitely an outlier, at least in American politics. The rest may all be assholes of some sort or another, but at least they were assholes trying to do something else besides enriching and worshiping themselves.

     

    31 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

    Seriously?  I just typed out a whole paragraph about how the strong majority of politicians are in public service for at least SOME purpose of public service.  That includes every past president of my lifetime.  A lifetime that includes Nixon, by the way.

    All of those past presidents were egomaniacs and narcissists to some degree or another (damn near seems like a requirement of the position).  But they ALSO had some component of motivation to serve the country as a whole and act in its interests.  Some of them were manipulated by people with other goals.  Some of them let their narcissism and hubris overload their ass.  But all had as a material goal and purpose service to the interest of the nation.

    Trump does not.  Not in even the smallest measurable quantity.  He is in it for him, only him, and literally everyone else be damned.  He is a pure, uncut narcissist and egomaniac.  In that respect, he represents a huge, and devastating, deviation from the norm.

    Trump may be an outlier as you two suggest.

    But he could also just be the harbinger. The natural, necessary and inevitable outcome of the fundamental shattering of our central ideals. The only output that could arise from a calculation which involves unfiltered and unadulterated individualism and low-effort data and information gathering (e.g. in a past life, called learning) via the Facebook and Twitter (and TikTok) aesthetic. 

    Only time will really tell if Trump was an outlier or the new normal of pendulum swinging to an extreme. Biden being a pretty strong character and centrist could have been the one to break that dynamic though, and that's what I want to believe (and hope for).

  4. If they announced they were retiring, and only gave a 2 week heads up, that would be weird and I'd press-in on what's really going on.

    I guess just depends on industry, how well they are liked internally or viewed as instrumental in the business, and I'm not saying do a Derek Jeter year-long demonstration for the guy, but come on a barely 2 week notice to retire doesn't pass the smell test.

    Are they being pushed out? Did something happen with personal finances or health? Also (assuming it's a VP or higher) a 2 week heads up of retiring is strange and red flag, heck our VP retired recently and he had a 6 month farewell tour and it was a whole meal. 

     

  5. 13 minutes ago, wildcat09 said:

    It wasn't really problematic or offensive, just really dumb in an otherwise thoughtful post. What is "public schools built on things like critical race theory" even supposed to mean?

    I'm using that as an example of how education is not a monolith and the aims and desires for what you get out of school are different.

    Critical Race Theory I thought was a good example to use because it's more or less polarizing, in that some really love it and it serves them and society and some think it's wrong-minded and foolish. Because the major demographics served by public education skew a certain direction (someone above mentioned "most kindergartners don't look like you [are white]") it makes sense why critical race theory or "culturally responsive teaching" is a framework that public education uses. Unlike higher ed, you can't really choose your track with a free, public education and so some folks then choose a private education. I was saying in both instances, depending on what they are trying to get from schooling, both sets of parents can be viewed as discerning.

    I don't have a Doctorate in Education from U of Delaware though (just a timely joke!), so I'd be over my skis getting into the details, but I was just trying to give an example to bring to life my point...and I stayed at a Holiday Inn last night.

     

  6. 2 minutes ago, Dahobbs said:

    Right, because you don't want to lay any responsibility at the feet of those you worship. 

    You have misjudged me and/or my disagreement. I laid out (and have laid out in the past with more detail) my opinion on technology and the lightspeed of the innovation along with the changing demographics and population explosion, has fundamentally changed the nature of America. America will never be a centralized model because the internet has enabled every person to have a sphere of influence and federated fiefdom because of the explosion and ease of sharing data (e.g. ideas, beliefs, thoughts and fears and hopes, etc.). There aren't just 3 flavors to choose from, or even 31 flavors, there is a near infinite number of ways to think and feel about things now.

    It's a truly horrifying problem if you think about it.

    And I'm not blaming technology-- technology is just a tool as you say. But it strikes me as the pro-gun folks saying "guns are just the tool, it's the people who use the tool!" in that not acknowledging the deep infection was because of the destructive effects of technology is short-sighted, or dare I say, one-sided.

  7. 54 minutes ago, Dahobbs said:

    The internet is just a tool. You're blaming the hammer for shattering the mirror instead of the people that wielded it. And it didn't even start with the internet. It started with talk radio and slowly transitioned into other mediums. I also disagree with your conclusion. I don't think the idea of America is lost. We still share a lot more in common than the amplified rhetoric suggests. You just need those in power to stop trying to break things in order to empower themselves and instead start trying to fix things. 

    Completely disagree with your opinion here.

  8. 36 minutes ago, Neonmoon said:

    Yes we are fucked. Education is sorely lacking in this country, and not just that but the culture against higher learning. Throw in the propaganda networks and social media, and this will be a long long battle. 

    Agreed with first sentence. I think Education is another symptom of the overall disease which I outlined above, being the fragmentation-beyond-repair-yet-trying-to-be-a-singular-unified-platform. Everything depends on the end goals.

    For example, education is not a monolith. What is education, the value therein, and how to obtain, retain, and apply it is not a monolith. Yet we talk about it like it is. What it means to me and my children likely means something different to you. It also likely means something different than Mr. Farmer in East Texas or Mrs. Oilman in West Texas and Mrs. Finance in NY or Mr. Python in SF. Mr. Poetry and Mrs. ClassicLit in Austin also has ideas of what education means.

    The "Culture against higher learning" is more the culture against being a member of a populated contingent being forced to engage in things either actively in conflict with their agendas/values or indirectly. This is why I think it's good to have a Texas A&M and a Baylor and a UT-Austin-- you can basically pick your "track" on how you want to be educated with a bend to your underlying values and needs, be it "conservative" or "faith-inspired" or "liberal".

    Also, having public schools built on things like Critical race theory (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_race_theory#:~:text=Critical%20race%20theory%20(CRT)%20is,race%2C%20law%2C%20and%20power) makes sense if you look at the population and constituents of public schools. For me, and a lot of you, it makes sense to invest in the kids education at an early age via private school. For others, the public school's framework either is acceptable or desired.

    Both sets of parents are discerning, it just depends on the end goals.

  9. I’ve beat this drum before, but the genie is out of the bottle, the toothpaste is out of the tube, or whatever analogy you want to use to express the idea that there has been an inflection point and an unrecoverable shift, in that short of a) WWIII or b) Censorship of Internet a la China, American’s are never going to have a shared understanding and culture and ethic again.

    The internet has shattered that mirror that is America and there are too many individual shards with their own world views and agendas and beliefs and desires for themselves and their pod of humans (family/friends), to ever be a singular pane of glass again.

  10. 3 hours ago, henrygandorf said:

    hulu is good for those who cut the cord, as it has all broadcast network shows the following day (except for cbs).  there's really no reason to have both live tv and hulu, except sports i guess.  but i hear hulu has live sports.

    Interesting about sports. Honestly the only reason I have SlingTV is for the sports and I have Hulu for SpongeBob and a few other kid cartoons that aren't on Disney+.

  11. I pay for Hulu still, but we never watch it. Same for SlingTV base (orange?) package.

    Netflix and Disney+ have been the one-two punch and we basically think Netflix original content sucks (never got into Stranger Things, Bird Box was so dumb, etc.). Or maybe we just don't have the attention span anymore; kids spend more time on the YouTube widget than any paid streaming channel.

  12. 7 minutes ago, next2naus said:

    Really? '71. did a year at Dell to get my feet wet and immediately went to Software and never looked back. Selling hardware (any kind) IMHO opinion is just speeds/feeds and the latest TV/Stereo crap. And I turned down a serious Cisco Security job that was offered to me, seemed to have worked out. 

    I was being hyperbolic of course, sorry, thought we were cutting up a bit here.

  13. 4 minutes ago, next2naus said:

    Do you work there? depends on the type of Dell rep or EMC Rep. I list them that way as they are still culturally different. most of the Dell reps are not really software sales, they are licensing on iron that's been sold reps. 

    Like most people in Austin, yes I have worked there and done the Dell/EMC dance. YMMV, but my experiences and anecdotes are the reputation is weak and the culture of a grindhouse and management by spreadsheet that leads to a "bring your laptop and badge" to every basement QBR, because if they don't like what you have to say you could be leaving those assets when you leave, is pretty well-known (and mocked) from what I've seen. Rivaled by maybe only Oracle in teh sucks.

  14. 2 hours ago, BearSchlong said:
    3 hours ago, DonkeyCigars said:
    IMHO, EMC/Dell sales folks have poor reputations and don’t get a lot of looks from premiere software roles fwiw.

    Also, is it me or am I the only guy that never worked at Cisco?

    Ha! I think if you were born in 1988 or later, you are fine, but if you are older than that then you’d have to be a hardware and mainframe sales guy at Cisco or BMC or IBM before you could do anything else. Most people I know from those worlds had to take a paycut to get into software because it really is a different animal than selling  bits and bytes and speeds and feeds of commodity hardware.

  15. On 12/12/2020 at 11:31 AM, next2naus said:

    in Tech (and some other industries) Sales Comp is two part. Base and Commission. when starting a new role you may be given a "draw" against future earnings. its typically a percentage of your OTE. what they do is take your OTE (Commission part) and work the math to monthly increments of your OTE.. paying you a 12th (@100%) each month. Sometimes this is recoverable, where it gets paid back to the company via your commissions and sometimes its non-recoverable. a 3 month ramp of unrecoverable is typical and sometimes there are additional months of recoverables. a lot factors into the plan, seniority, sales cycle, market conditions, company stage/growth, etc. The idea is to make the rep whole while they get their business up and running.

    Nailed it; the unrecoverable draws are easy to get in enterprise or strategic roles where sales cycles for big bets are 12-18 months. I negotiated 6 months at 80% of my OTE which helps to ease the pain of transition when you are used to making big quarterly checks to pay off all your largesse and foolishness in one fell swoop.

  16. 1 hour ago, blacklab said:

    He did more enterprise software companies, not startups. Left where we were and went to EMC/Dell. Lives in Dallas

    IMHO, EMC/Dell sales folks have poor reputations and don’t get a lot of looks from premiere software roles fwiw.

  17. 23 minutes ago, BradInATX said:

    The good news is all of the Oracle software folks will love Austin's transportation system, since they're used to slow, bloated and painful to use.

    Or they can just afford to buy a cool car and drive it instead of having to rely on public transit and/or try to make bicycle culture catch on and seem cool.

  18. HPE from California to Houston last week. Oracle and Elon to Austin this week. Silicon Valley is gonna look like Detroit soon, as distributed working is the new normal and people realize you don’t have to live in a specific geography and pay Caesar so much to live among feces and $6000 mortgages.

    But it’s not just California who are hurting corporations with unfavorable tax policies as Florida is the other beneficiary and last week there were rumors of Goldman Sachs moving from NY to Florida, which would kind of be insane. I mean what is NYC without high finance? Fashion only?

     

  19. On 12/9/2020 at 3:31 PM, next2naus said:

    How we doing players? about 15 selling days left. I'm done except for an ELA Amendment I'm chasing. Probably end the year with 32 transactions for the year ( non Covid years it's about 60-80) and maybe 113% of my number. no complaints. On the other hand I have a new VP  and he seems like a complete PITA. kinda guy that lives in SFDC and believes in Social Selling. thinks he's going to make seismic changes, he's going to be a busy work bitch, already has everyone doing an account whitespace exercise, wants the hours of the day accounted for. he went to a Military School but not one of the Academy's and he's all gung ho, guys in his late 40's and still has a jarhead cut. WW2 and Tank junkie, can't tell is he served. He has some seriously questionable "Likes on FAcebook.

    Ex 1: 

    Altplayground Dating Service: AltPlayGround, or APG as our friends call us, is a quirky, slightly irreverent website for people in the swinging lifestyle. Join us today to see what sets us apart from the rest...

     

     

    Would the second time my VP was a Swinger. 

    well, you made a milly this year, so you can laugh at your VP all the way to the bank with his busy work.

    I switched jobs and have a hall pass for Q4, but as I'm ramping I'd like to close at least something and get a nice double pay on my unrecoverable draw I negotiated.

  20. 11 hours ago, bluto said:


    Disposable income can’t change weather to year round 75-80* sunshine, build mountains, or spring oceans/beaches. Speaking of Tx specifically, outside of Austin the natural beauty is an Effin drag among the major metros and there’s no doubt in my mind has an undercurrent impact on gen pop’s happiness/quality of life.

    I guess it's just a personal preference then, eh?

    I just am struck with anecdotes that make it seem like a self-defeating proposition to exchange varying levels of financial freedom, on whatever part of the sliding scale that means to you, for some weather and natural beauty that you get to see on your one day off on the weekend or from the one window in your studio apartment you working in or from the windshield of your car as you Uber because you need the money for an unexpected expense.

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