patrick.net

Dan8267 says

It's big pharma's equivalent of "there aren't enough STEM workers, so we have to import $30k/yr workers".

Yes, STEM is the only area where there's a constant shortage but yet, we have $40K/yr (which includes O/T) postdocs and adjunct profs working for free, all over the place.

Dan8267 says

Socialism is an economic tactic, not an economic system. It is not mutually exclusive with the mechanism of capitalism, even if the interests served by socialism conflict with the interests of owners. There is no mutually exclusivity between capitalism and socialism.

Think about it this way. It is utterly impossible to run any society without socialism. There would be no army, no public infrastructure, no police, no court systems, no funding of any government activity. It would be literally anarchy, an anarchy always succumbs to the first warlord that decides he wants to seize control. After all, there is no organized and funded resistance.

So you could not have a society without socialism, and thus you cannot have a capitalist country without socialism.

In a short time, when most white collar jobs disappear due to automation, there will be a huge cry to end capitalism, the way it is today, simply because there'll be nothing for the average person to do to earn a living.

Remember, most people are not Goethe, Newton, etc. They need some overlord, telling 'em what to do and the current system, where people work on Excel spreadsheets, is the best way to utilize the bozos we have in society. Soon, between Watson, Deep Mind, and whomever else there is down the road, these ppl will be on the street.

Ask yourself why someone like the so-called Tony Starks/IM feels the need to post here, nearly 7x24? It's because w/o some job/occupation to fill his hours, he goes crazy instead of writing a novel, building a sculpture, doing some research, etc.

Rin says

when most white collar jobs disappear due to automation

I honestly don't think this is going to happen any time soon. AI is not nearly good enough.

Rin says

why someone like the so-called Tony Starks/IM feels the need to post here, nearly 7x24?

Because it's fun! And I learn things I didn't know, and sort-of meet people.

rando says

Rin says

why someone like the so-called Tony Starks/IM feels the need to post here, nearly 7x24?

Because it's fun! And I learn things I didn't know, and sort-of meet people.

Last I'd checked, you weren't Ironman/CIC.

Plus, you have work outside of here.

rando says

Rin says

when most white collar jobs disappear due to automation

I honestly don't think this is going to happen any time soon. AI is not nearly good enough.

It doesn't have to be "good enough". It simply needs to do the tasks at hand.

Realize, I'd grown my firm, w/o adding any headcount for years, due to my automation tools. We'd saved everything to hire the best prop trader, instead of wasting money on support personnel.

rando says

Rin says

when most white collar jobs disappear due to automation

I honestly don't think this is going to happen any time soon. AI is not nearly good enough.

Rin says

why someone like the so-called Tony Starks/IM feels the need to post here, nearly 7x24?

Because it's fun! And I learn things I didn't know, and sort-of meet people.

Hmm did you finally slip up on your alias?

Someone had posited long ago that CiC couldn't possibly be a real person, but rather possibly a character created by Patrick to drive site traffic.

Coincidentally, he seems to have greatly lessened his presence ever since Patricks most recent attempt to better the site. And at the same time, Patrick has filled the void by ramping up his own posts

There are no coincidences

errc says

Someone had posited long ago that CiC couldn't possibly be a real person, but rather possibly a character created by Patrick to drive site traffic.

Coincidentally, he seems to have greatly lessened his presence ever since Patricks most recent attempt to better the site. And at the same time, Patrick has filled the void by ramping up his own posts

There are no coincidences

Nope, CIC is real, or at least is not me.

Just like Tovarich Peter. Not a robot. Actually met the guy, and so did Justme.

Peter tovarich is alright, he catches a lot of shit for a mismatched title for a thread, or posting one and never joining the comments, but he has been an asset to your site.

The other one, tvungus, not sure I've ever seen s/he post any comments

APOCALYPSEFUCK_is_ADORABLE says

MMR says

I would not call China a communist country. I would call it a capitalistic economy with some socialist tendencies governed by an elite one-party system that is protectionist in nature and not willing to share its monopoly on political power.

I call it a shithouse. Ended up working in Beijing and Zhengzhou and was appalled at what a scifi dystopian shithouse the place was. You have to get out and walk to see it. A mile out of Tiananmen Square, buildings crumbling, the streets a pockmarked moonscape littered with the elderly and disabled boiling little pots of tar to do shoe repairs, selling cigarettes, etc. The decay and disorder was and likely still is epic.

Very interesting. I'd like to hear more about China.

I travelled a lot during college, and had a similar reaction to Turkey and Egypt. It was like everything that could possibly have gone wrong did. Huge quantities of trash, everything broken or decaying, really spooky. I've heard Turkey has improved a lot since then. I doubt Egypt has.

Dan8267 says

Economics became a religion in the 19th century and has been so ever since. It's time economics stops being a religion and starts being a science and engineering discipline, subject to the scientific method of empirical verification and good engineering practices.

Economics is not a religion. Economics is "The study of scarce resources" It's a social science. It involves a lot of theory and math, but is not a true science.

Strategist says

Dan8267 says

Economics became a religion in the 19th century and has been so ever since. It's time economics stops being a religion and starts being a science and engineering discipline, subject to the scientific method of empirical verification and good engineering practices.

Economics is not a religion. Economics is "The study of scarce resources" It's a social science. It involves a lot of theory and math, but is not a true science.

Yes, it's a social science, however, unlike many social sciences, it's applied as if it's a physical science.

Understand, even psychology is an extension of let's say the medical field of neuro-biochemistry and physiology.

For economics, it's an add-on to let's say political science or sociology, neither of whom are physical sciences.

Ironman says

errc says

Coincidentally, he seems to have greatly lessened his presence ever since Patricks most recent attempt to better the site.

Why did you take me off of ignore?

Do you miss me?

No. Patrick neutered you with the ad hominem rule so no real need for ignore anymore

And I'm open to the possibility that even you might post something worth reading, at some point

Rin says

In a short time, when most white collar jobs disappear due to automation, there will be a huge cry to end capitalism, the way it is today, simply because there'll be nothing for the average person to do to earn a living.

The solution is a modern form of Georgism that includes public ownership of automation. This is, by definition, mutually exclusive with capitalism. The only alternative to this is systemic slaughtering of the masses that used to be middle class workers. That genocide could happen quickly or very slowly, but it is inevitable unless the refinement of Georgism I propose becomes a reality.

rando says

Rin says

why someone like the so-called Tony Starks/IM feels the need to post here, nearly 7x24?

Because it's fun! And I learn things I didn't know, and sort-of meet people.

Rin's referring to Call It Crazy because of his new avatar. Ironically, I am almost exactly like Tony Stark as portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. except more introverted, not as wealth -- of course, I didn't inherent a fortune and a company -- no alcoholism problem, and with slightly different political views, although Stark's political views shifted drastically towards mine in Iron Man 1 and Age of Ultron.

Basically, the character of Tony is an ENTJ whereas I'm an INTJ. Two very similar personality types, although I would have preferred to be an ENTJ as they have more fun and are more financially successful because all our institutions reward extroversion. So the irony is that CIC's avatar is homage to people like me who CIC hates because we are vastly superior to him in every way.

Strategist says

Economics is not a religion. Economics is "The study of scarce resources" It's a social science. It involves a lot of theory and math, but is not a true science.

My point is that economics should be a science but economists, politicians, and the public treat it like a religion. They cling to unquestionable and unjustifiable dogma and simply turn off thinking because they perceive challenging the effectiveness of an economic system as a challenge to their culture. You demonstrate this exact behavior every time the subject of economics comes up. You equate capitalism with Americanism, which is just plain stupid, as if America cannot be great unless capitalism is great. Economic systems should be judged dispassionately and without cultural influences, and they should be changed like underwear, i.e. whenever the need arises.

Ironman says

errc says

And I'm open to the possibility that even you might post something worth reading, at some point

Don't hold your breath.

The first truthful thing Call It Crazy ever posted.