4grams

My career has been in building infrastructure for internet services. I got into this line of work because I felt like it was democratizing knowledge and bringing people together. The way it’s instead gone, I regret being part of it, and I wish I would have gone into another line of work.

It sucks because it’s beginning to feel like a life wasted. I got in early, my career pre-dates the 1st .com crash. My first browser was Mosaic, then shortly became Netscape with the big pulsating “N” animation.

I LOVED the early internet. I loved the personal sites, webrings, IRC and newsgroups. I remember the first time I spoke with someone on the other side of the world (hello to my Canberra friend, it’s me, your midwestern buddy). I felt part of something that was new and exciting and fun.

Then ads came and it’s just gone to shit ever since. To the point where I now hate being online, all my shit is selfhosted and I barely interact with anything besides lemmy and mastodon (they still feel like the actual internet).

I used to be slightly disappointed my kids didn’t turn out as nerdy as me. Now I am just thrilled that I was able to be a cautionary tale for them.

That story is immediately what came to mind.

I fucking booked it from a job after about 2 months because in every fucking meeting the CTO would wax on about how great it would be once we were all replaced by robots and AI. This fucker who clawed his way into his C level position though merit, and hard work, and the same last name as the owner, and all he could do to inspire the team was tell us about how a 91 year old who lost his job to AI was saying how he would be fine. I mean, if he can find a way to be happy, we all can!

People saying they work in HR should generally be looked at as if they just admitted to being in a cult

I’ve never heard it described like this but you nailed it.

Yes, but in the end I spent all this time disabling notifications, when I bought the thing to show me them… I just realized I don’t need that alert immediately and in fact led to me ignoring them since they became just another annoyance (phone, computer and watch all told me the same thing). It became a negative productivity tool.

I was so excited about Apple Watch. Thought how great it would be to not have to take my phone out of my pocket anymore; less screen time, right?

No, it’s just this bullshit. More noise, more alerts, more digital cruft. I put the thing on the charger a couple years ago, been there since.

Been thinking I might replay Fallout 3, for some reason been thinking about Operation: Anchorage lately.

First, I love you for this joke. Second, I don’t want to risk pissing off Ron Swanson.

I know right. And the motherfucking cultists in my own family are telling me it’s my fault for trusting the stock market. But these same fucks have told me that’s my only option for retirement because Soc. Sec. Is a “Ponzi scheme”.

We’re setup to fail, we’re only here to produce value that can be stolen.

You know, I was going to think up a funny reply for this one but in truth, in 40something years, I’ve only seen the man cry twice. He is not someone who likes to display emotion (except for anger).

So no, only weak men cry?

It’s all wrapped up with a beautiful bow, the biggest, best bow ever, people are saying that, a bow like you’ve never seen before, everyone knows there is no better bow in terms of wrapping.

says you, but he’ll beat that cancer with the ivermectin, I’m sure of it…

I’ll DM you his number, you guys can rule the world together.

Not all of them. Just got off the phone with my dad where he was celebrating the successful effort to curb waste fraud and abuse. apparently this was all bidens fault and thank god we have trump to guide us through to prosperity. now, I just need to put my paycheck into crypto and I’ll be one of the new lords of this coming age…

thank god, was beginning to worry after checking on my 401k…

Feel like these days it’s “do unto others what you imagine others would to do unto you.”

It’s been like the most obvious thing that has ever been that they WILL fuck with elections. The ONLY way we have a chance is their incompetence at rigging the system.

America, by far, and that’s from someone living here. I’ve been to England, France, Germany, Switzerland, Poland, Czech Republic, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Iceland, Mexico, Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, Canada, and probably a couple others I can’t remember. I’ve been treated nothing but friendly, with genuine curiosity, even when I shouldn’t have been.

Every day in the US, someone swears at me.

been thinking and saying for years that we’re on the path to a soviet style balkanization. just wasn’t sure what would be the spark. this certainly smells like one.

Goddamn, been working since the late 90’s. Never figured my social security would pay out so I’ve been diligently following the path I have available. Seems like that is in the process of being stolen now too.

30 years planning for my future, looks gone now.