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Vanth

@ Vanth @reddthat.com

Posts
3
Comments
692
Joined
3 yr. ago

  • NSFW Deleted

    Why are so many people still fine with using "The C Word" despite it being officially a derogatory slur towards women?

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  • "Officially"

    Pray tell, where might one find this official handbook?

    Sincerely, An American who lived in Australia, and who dislikes both "cunt" and "dick" used for emphasis but who understands how different cultures views each.

  • Oura launches Ring 5, world’s smallest smart ring, as it heads towards IPO

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  • Yep, $5.99/month last time I looked maybe 6 months ago.

    I don't know anyone with a tracker ring that doesn't also have a watch. Feels like extra tech for the sake of having cool tech, to me. Very much a niche item that is even more luxurious than a smartwatch.

  • Can someone who works in an industry or for an employer with clear negative impacts on society/the world maintain a clear concience?

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  • "There is no ethical consumption under Capitalism" is a useful parallel concept. One can consume at least more ethically by buying in solidarity with, eg, Fairtrade sellers, local sellers, co-ops, or maybe living a vegan lifestyle.

    Not to be confused with finding an ethical form of capitalism. It doesn't exist. Any system designed to maximize profit will put any other goals (like human rights) secondary.

    I think working in this society is similar. I can choose the more ethical option from the limited options available to me and work to make my life and the lives of people around me better. But I can't find or create a system that is ethical. Even that co-op referenced above probably has suppliers who are less ethical, or they may have to rent from a profit-driven landlord.

    I try to focus on small improvements over my baseline rather than thinking anything short of immediate perfection is a failure.

  • When other countries say Americans are loud, what does this mean?

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  • The fact that you're asking/concerned tells me you'll probably be ok.

    I'm an American who moved to Australia for a while. I wasn't ever pegged as an American because of my voice volume. What caught me was my smile; easy-coming with white, straight teeth exposed. I was told I could be confused for a Canadian except that I spoke too fast. Apparently, the speed-quipping Letterkenny sorts hadn't made it to Australia yet.

    Also, think about what you want by "assimilation". You would probably enjoy getting to know an Aussie visiting the US, no? Getting to hear their perspective on the country they're visiting? Enjoying seeing them experience our cultural quirks? Assume the same good faith of Australians. Current politics aside, Americans and Australians have a very friendly history. Just don't be an asshole about it, continuously pointing out how everything is different/better in the US.

    My weirdest, most uncomfortable repeat experience had a gendered element that you probably won't experience but your wife might. Older (50+) dudes on several occasions took the liberty of telling me, an American woman, all about how American soldiers stationed in Australia during l WW2 "stole" all the womens' attention. They were just so hygienic and handsome in their uniforms, the Aussie men didn't have a chance. So yeah, some might have a weird grudge over their fathers or grandfathers going through a dry spell almost a century ago. I share this story to illustrate that people are people, same is Australia. You will neither be universally liked nor universally hated by all Australians. Most of them are decent sorts, and a few of them are massive assholes.

    Don't attempt shrimp on the barbie or baby-eating dingo jokes until you know a person very well.

  • Any Other Guys wish they were short/shorter

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  • Be ready for a different type of comment pushing back then.

    I'm a 5'9"ish woman and routinely have guys insist I'm taller than 6' because they're shorter than me and they're 6' so I must be like 6'2".

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  • Nah, I'm pretty skeptical. The authors website has like 150-200 book titles. Either someone using AI to pump them out, or several authors publishing under the same name.

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  • And people say AI generated books are awful slop. This is pure artistry!

  • TIL that eating dirt was common in the U.S. South until the 80s. People ate a handful a day, often seasoned with vinegar and salt.

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  • Several of my great aunts and uncles did this. And yeah, after they moved away they would have small boxes of dirt shipped to them from family that stayed behind.

    White, Volga German descended farmer people, moved from the Midwest to the West Coast US.

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  • On the edge of my seat hoping a "canal pusher" is an animal of similar species to the drop bear in Australia or the snipe in US.

    Edit: oh, drunk people. So yes, kinda related to drop bears and snipes.

  • Would you actually have to go back to high school?

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  • I don't see why. I'm employed. My employer cared that I had a college degree ten years ago, but now I have years of doing the job to point to.

    So my high school diploma would have to be pulled, then two colleges would somehow have to say that made my two diplomas invalid, then my employer would have to decide they gave a shit about that more than nearly a decade of demonstrated competency.

    At most, I would take a GED test for shits and giggles. I would guess math is the most difficult section for most people. I'm an engineer and use math more and more diverse applications for math frequently, so I expect it would be easy.

  • For those with lower-back issues, what's been the best work-chair for you?

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  • I gave up trying to sit for 15+ minute sessions. I have a standing desk and two barstool-height chairs of very different designs, cycling between the three options throughout my workday.

    Great that I can work from home. In the office I would look like a fidgety child.

  • Why are so many young people confusing 'utopian' and 'dystopian' suddenly?

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  • If it really is evolving usage, I'll pay attention once it seeps into more permanent media like music lyrics. Or when Fox News starts reporting on it as evidence of the downfall of our education system, (also kids are making toilet wine again and ingesting it through all the wrong body orifices, more at 11).

    I'm too old and not cool to worry about rapid lifecycle language trends. If I pay too much attention, I might become one of those adults repeating "6-7" to show they're hip with it.

  • Do you think every generation thinks their time growing up was the best?

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  • I'm a millennial but must be a couple years older. Cell phones were in high school and a small handful in middle school. '08 and '14 impacted my early career years.

    Larger picture than that, I am in the same field as my father. I have a "higher" level job with more responsibilities than he did at my age. I have more education. He and spouse owned a home and supported 7 kids on his salary alone. They had medical insurance that mostly covered the needs of the one kid with serious medical issues for the few years of life. I wouldn't even consider having one kid let alone seven without a partner working and bringing in around the same amount of money as me. Any major medical issue would destroy our plans. A house as large as my parents' would require moving to some small town where there are no jobs in my field.

  • How often do people typically get paid where you are? How is the overtime? (Specify location)

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  • US. Paid twice a month. My current employer payment system is fully automated, so my paycheck shows up at the same time down to the minute. I'm also paid a set salary and expected to work 40+ hours "until the work is done" so balancing my responsibilities is up to me. Lots of so-called "professional" or "white-collar" jobs are like this. Specifically, I'm an engineering manager.

    Every job I can think of has paid twice a month, even going back to minimum wage jobs I had in high school.

    I've seen signs for jobs that pay daily, they are all for entry-level jobs like for a fast food restaurant position.

  • Management has historically been interested in boiling down complex issues to so-called KPIs, so that employee performance can seemingly be presented in a simple dashboard. Are there such KPIs for AI?

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  • I have to agree. My boss technically looks at one KPI for me and my team, but it's a badly lagging indicator and I can only influence less than half of it.

    His real KPI for me is how many times he gets called by someone complaining about me or asking me to reassign my priorities to what they think is important. The lower the better.

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  • A company I used to work for that made some equipment primarily used in laboratory settings wanted some photos for marketing materials. Me, being the only lady engineer there, was asked to be in them. Hair, makeup, lab coat even though I was on the machine shop floor for my day-to-day job, the works. They couldn't find a male engineer they considered photogenic enough so they asked the cafeteria manager, aka the janitor with additional duties to keep the coffee pots brewing and napkins on order. They even gave him fake glasses to make him look more studious. He did make for a way sexier scientist than I did. Straight up grey fox science man. He watched enough House MD to spout good fake medical lingo, making me laugh too hard thru the entire shoot.

  • What song are you listening to RIGHT NOW, and would you recommend it?

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  • My phone's detection app says Close to You by Dayglow. I'm on a plane waiting to takeoff. The song is fine, I guess.

  • TIL there was such a thing as lumberjack sandals.

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  • Times you knew it was time to find a new job?

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  • Please don't tell your boss about your mental health problems. Nothing good will come of it.

    I'm a boss and try to minimize my shittiness. I want my team members to take PTO for mental issues or whatever else they need but I do not want to know the details. That is for their own protection. If they need medical accomodations they should go through the formal channels, getting it properly documented so they have full legal protections. Anything other than that, sharing their personal medical information with me or anyone else at this Mega CorpTM is a bad idea for them. (US-based, think about your own country's protections before considering this advice).

    Your boss sounds like an incompetent asshole. Even with a empathetic human boss though, don't tell them the details of your personal issues.