Administrator @mdm@mcnamarii.town

American businesses two years ago: "We just don't think remote work is feasible. Just wouldn't work. Reasons."

American businesses one year ago: "Wow, look at how quickly we converted into full remote-work! Aren't we amazing??"

American businesses one month ago: "Okay, everyone come back into the office. If we can't see butts in seats, how can we be sure you're even working?"

American businesses, this week: "...okay you can work at home a little longer"

Reason #672 why working at home should be allowed, if possible:

Gas shortages

Between this and everything going to a "streaming presenter" format, I am probably also five years ago from sitting down to watch a new show on Netflix, inexplicably seeing some unasked-for random person's face in the corner of the screen reacting and commenting to it, and then me picking up my TV and setting it outside next to the dumpster.

I am about five years away from being a grousing, cantankerous old man.

All I want to do is find a tutorial about how to fix [insert thing here]. And this is all I can find:

"Hey guys, like and subscribe

it's ya boy DJ Plumber here to show you how to fix this leaky faucet

but lemme talk real quick about the comments I received on the last video about toilets"

😓

It's 2021, and I see news reporting about an individuals new blog, and calling it a 'social media platform'. Where am I? Is this real life?

(Please don't suggest an ARM Chromebook. Already have one. :) )

ARM laptops that run Linux -- any suggestions?

Link to purchase, with a large paperback with (hopefully) full-cover facsimile images coming later this year -- https://books2read.com/elstob-graham

The famed "Saxon Nymph," Elizabeth Elstob was a major figure in 18th-century Anglo-Saxon antiquarianism at a time when education was often closed to women. Born in 1683, she was raised by an uncle who discouraged her education. Nevertheless, she eventually became proficient in eight languages and made major contributions to the field.

From a nearly 300-year-old book by a woman author I helped re-issue:

"For first, I know it will be said, What has Woman to do with Learning? This I have known urged by some Men, with an Envy unbecoming that greatness of Soul, which is said to dignify their Sex. [...] Where is the Fault in Womens seeking after Learning? why are they not to be valu'd for acquiring to themselves the noblest Ornaments? what hurt can this be to themselves? what Disadvantage to others?"

-- Elizabeth Elstob

We'll just have to somehow make the next crop of MBAs think it was _their_ idea to make it happen. I can see the meetings now...

"New for 2027 -- separate development and support teams! Benefits: timelines will no longer be missed, since your developers aren't also up all night handling issues. Increase innovation because people aren't burned out from basically working two jobs.

Aren't we brilliant?"

I eagerly await the implosion of the "DevOps/YBYO" model in about 5-7 years, after everybody is burned out and literally all the deadlines have been missed.

Then things can go back to the way things were. It'll be nice.

It was nowhere near as bad as I thought it was going to be, after I understood it for what it was, which was half play, half ballet.

Just watched all two hours of the 1990 Russian version of LotR. That was a trip.

Like, is it just parasocial relationships? Are video games not really part of it, and are just basically a McGuffin that gives people the excuse to tune in ("I like this game, that's why I watch"), when really, why they watch is the celebrity?

If I stop thinking about video games as having anything to do with it... okay, it makes sense. Parasocial relationships; I get why they're so popular, especially today, when people struggle to find any community at all to be a part of.

I've tried to watch streams. I've tried. I just read an entire, very long-form article about it. I feel more lost about the subject than when I started.

I don't get streaming.

Like, I get it, on a technical level. I just don't get why everyone cares so much, so suddenly. Either positive or negative.

It's like the world was suddenly obsessed with eating green beans, and it was like the coolest thing, and everyone was doing it, and I'm just sitting here going, "huh?"

Is it just celebrity culture, same as it's always been, just replace movies with broadcasting from your bedroom? If that's all it is, okay, I get it.