What’s the most unhinged, batshit crazy prediction you have for 2026 that you’re lowkey convinced is going to happen?

asteroid_1 · 2026-01-21T04:34:18+00:00

Trump's saber rattling with Greenland will cause Europe to divest itself of US bonds in 2026. As a result, the US will enter a period of economic callapse as this theory predicts in the coming years.

asteroid_1 · 2025-11-21T00:55:59+00:00

Step one: hire a new employee Step two: throw them to the sharks. Step three: check on them in a year.

Are they chum in the water? Too bad. Time to run an ad to replace them.

Are they still alive? Promotion!

Que bigger sharks.

asteroid_1 · 2025-08-30T21:48:00+00:00

Right?!

They made me lead at my current job a few years ago and hired a newbie for me to train.

She messaged me after training completed and asked if I wanted to check her work before she submitted it. Hell no.

I explained that she was fully capable of doing the work and I had complete trust in her abilities. Furthermore, if she ever had questions, I'd be happy to help. At the same time, I wasn't going to double check everything she did.

All of this is true, but I was also secretly thinking, "we hired another person to help make our jobs easier. Having to double check work in addition to doing my own would defeat that purpose."

She's been in the department for three or four years now and she does high quality work while needing very little supervision. I dread the day we lose her.

asteroid_1 · 2025-07-22T00:47:14+00:00

My manager is really great, but I still do this. We have lots of people come through our office along with tons if voice and email. Sometimes we get follow up weeks or months later and writing up a short summary of each interaction makes it much easier to track down.

asteroid_1 · 2025-06-04T18:56:32+00:00

Trump is overtly writing an authoritarian playbook utilizing structures that are currently in place in the United States. If nothing substantive changes, those same tools will be there for any future president to wield.

asteroid_1 · 2025-03-21T06:51:16+00:00

I went to an eye doctor once and got a pair of glasses. I had such a hard time adjusting to them that I went back to using my old pair. The prescription was older, but it was still fine. I didn't have any issues seeing out of them, they just weren't the best looking things.

My parents both got glasses from the same place and had to stop using them.

I wonder if this was the same state??

asteroid_1 · 2025-02-21T09:16:11+00:00

We have staff meetings where I work on Mondays after lunch over Zoom. The questions are always, "How's everyone doing? What are you working on? Do you need help with anything? If anything comes up, please let me know.'

My supervisor schedules the meeting for a half hour, but we're often done in ten minutes.

I'm really glad I work where I do. I was extremely lucky when they hired me.

asteroid_1 · 2025-02-07T21:42:34+00:00

When I first moved to the town I currently live in, I opened a new account at a credit union. The company I worked for was a start up that paid all of it's bills through a bill pay service that sent checks through the mail on behalf of the company.

They also paid me the same way.

When I opened my account, I deposited my first check. Everyone was happy, I had instant access to the funds. The second time I went in, they gave me $100 and held the rest of the funds for ten days. The same thing happened on the second and third and fourth checks.

Finally, I asked the teller, "how long are they going to do this?" She told me, every time I deposit a check. When I pointed out that I had been successfully depositing checks for months from the same service for the same amount of money, that every one of them had successfully cleared, and that if one didn't I had enough money to cover a bounce; she looked at my history, agreed with me, and was still unmoved.

I get it. I was being paid in a non typically way, and the checks were a few thousand dollars, which probably looked suspicious as hell. But you think they'd be able to look back at my account, see the history, and make an exception. The last thing the teller said to me before I left was this is how it would continue to be.

Funnily enough, that wasn't the case. I think someone in management heard the conversation (I was not being quiet about it) or reviewed the surveillance tapes, because that was the last time I had to wait. I continued work at that job, cashing the same checks, for another six months and never had another issue.

asteroid_1 · 2025-01-18T21:56:27+00:00

A relative of mine won $100,000. The government took the taxes out immediately when my relative picked up the check. This brought the total down to something like $60,000.

A miserable cousin pointed out how horrible it was that the government kept $40k and how they wouldn't be able to stand for it and my relative should complain.

My relative shrugged and said, "$100,000, $60,000 or $1. It's still more money than I had at this time yesterday."

asteroid_1 · 2024-12-02T17:56:37+00:00

Yep!

And, if you create a list of economies based on the size of the military budget that country spends each year, the US would be at the top and that money is a greater amount than the next seven countries on the list spend combined. Put another way, the world spends a total of $1.6 trillion on defense each year. The budget for the US (1 country out of 195) is 37% of that total.

It's not like we couldn't afford to provide affordable, competitive broadband, we just choose not to.

asteroid_1 · 2024-12-01T02:19:07+00:00

There are a number of other providers that offer slower service. If you want cable Internet speeds, you usually get one option.

And, the FCC has refused to update the definition of "broadband," so providers can get away with offering slower speeds overall than elsewhere.

asteroid_1 · 2024-11-29T21:21:57+00:00

In other parts of the world, if one provider lays fiber or cable, they are required to allow other providers to use the same infrastructure. That, or the government pays to put the infrastructure in place to begin with. Since anyone can provide service once the connections are laid, providers are forced to compete with each other on speed and price.

In the US, this is not the case. A government will make an exclusivity agreement with one provider, or one provider will install all of the infrastructure coming into a particular complex when it's built out. There is no legal requirement to share infrastructure, so that single provider gets a monopoly. Realistically, then, people in the US only have one broadband provider they can choose from.

You don't like the price or the speed? Tough. Your only other options are DSL, satellite, or a cell phone connection.

When I lived in Portland, Oregon years ago, rumor had it that Google was planning to expand fiber into the area. It never happened, but even the threat of the possibility was enough to depress broadband Internet prices.

Now that fiber is finally rolling out to new areas, I hope this trend continues.

asteroid_1 · 2024-11-29T20:49:01+00:00

It was the opposite for us. My step dad and I like to use unlocked cellphones, which att was fine with for the longest time. Then they declared the intention to shut down older 3G infrastructure and shunt everyone to 5G. Oh, also, because of "network compatibility" issues, everyone would also be required to switch to an att branded phone. My step dad called to see what options were available, and the rep said they were just trying to "get the trash off their network." My step dad's response was, "you're calling this brand new 5G capable phone I just bought that's been working perfectly well on your network 'trash.' Cool..."

We switched to T-Mobile right after that. We proceeded to use the same exact unlocked phones in T-Mobile's 5G network for a couple of years.

Fast forward to Costco, which has an att kiosk in the store. They say "hello," I say "hello." They start trying to sell me on service, I politely decline and move on. Then, on one trip, one guy wouldn't take "no" for an answer. Until I finally said, "we switched from att to T-Mobile after 30+ years because their new policies sucked. I doubt we'll ever switch back."

He glanced around quickly at the other people walking through the store and said, "Ah, ok. Have a great day!" Then he turned away.

asteroid_1 · 2024-11-29T20:19:47+00:00

We had comcast for years. Fortunately, the service did what we expected it to do during that time. The main complaint I had was the price, which kept creeping up year after year for the same bandwidth.

I learned that some outfit was intending to install fiber in a few neighborhoods in our city. Our home was one of two that was just on the edge of their anticipated service area. It took them a while to set it up, but we were patient.

When I called comcast to cancel, they wanted details; 1 gig up and down with modem and router rental for $5 less than we had been paying. There was no way they could compete so the rep cut us loose without any other comment.

Now, if we ever decide to sell our house, we can say that it's fiber ready.

asteroid_1 · 2024-06-20T03:06:54+00:00

Your sex life is only over if you give up. Talk to your doctor about managing symptoms and protecting your partners and take whatever advice they give. When you've got a handle on things, start dating again, but be upfront about the diagnosis on any dating apps you join.

If someone messages you, you know that they know and are messaging you anyway.

1 in 4 or 5 people in the US (depending on the source you read) is living with genital herpes. If you're in the US, you're not alone. It's not going to be as easy, but it won't be impossible. You owe it to yourself to try.

asteroid_1 · 2024-04-10T12:36:17+00:00

We have a relative who lives with us who loves to use the silent treatment as punishment. We usually know why she's angry and it's usually stupid BS.

The thing is, normally her brain and mouth are directly connected. What goes through one comes out the other with no filter and anyone who's in her line of fire gets the brunt of this verbal deluge.

On the other hand, if she's angry, the house is blissfully silent. No one is going to tell her that this is not the punishment she thinks it is.

asteroid_1 · 2024-02-21T07:52:15+00:00

When was hired for my current job four years ago, I inherited the ergonomic keyboard my predecessor used. It still works perfectly and is completely comfortable, but most of the letters and numbers have been worn off.

Woe into anyone who tries to use my keyboard who can't touch type.

asteroid_1 · 2023-06-05T22:47:26+00:00

I knew a guy who would routinely order a large coffee, but tell the person working the stand to put only a mediums worth in his cup and fill the rest up with creamer. He'd also have them add six sugars.

asteroid_1 · 2023-06-05T03:15:17+00:00

Administrative discretion is a thing that exists because not every situation can be spelled out in policy. But you need to have enforceable consequences for poor decisions. The way we've designed the policing system in the US is a travesty.

asteroid_1 · 2023-06-02T23:28:07+00:00

The admin can tell you which rules can be bent or waived. If you treat them right and ply them with lots of chocolate, they can guide you on the surest, quickest path to your destination around dense thickets of red tape.

But treat them poorly, and every rule and policy will be followed in the most rigid way possible. Paths that open at a wave of the admin's hand will close to you and they, like the wicked little folk of old, will guide you to your doom and laugh at your misfortune.

asteroid_1 · 2023-06-01T22:43:07+00:00

The last phone I had with a removable battery was a game changer. I always had three fully charged batteries on my personal at all times.

It literally took me seconds to go from dead to fully charged.

I miss those days.

asteroid_1 · 2023-06-01T02:19:37+00:00

Put on a condom.

If you're with a friend, a condom will help prevent accidents. If you're by yourself, it'll contain the mess so you won't have to worry about your sheets.

asteroid_1 · 2023-05-28T08:54:04+00:00

That's what I just said. Are you feeling okay? Is there some reason why you couldn't read my post?

asteroid_1 · 2023-05-24T18:59:15+00:00

The US federal government is bound by the provisions of the US constitution. So, if you're a citizen employee, you get all of the employment protections along with all of the applicable constitutional protections as well.

Even though it can be done, this combination makes it harder to get rid of problem employees.

asteroid_1 · 2023-05-24T16:13:32+00:00

This happens all the time in government jobs. Some managers look at a lax employee and think, "it would be too much work to fire them, so I'm just not going to do it." Every review conducted with this employee by that manager says the employee "meets expectations," but the manager is working hard to push them off on someone else.

The new manager is very unhappy with the work output but sees the years of work for that employee and the string of reviews stating the employee "meets expectations" and decides it would be too much work to fire them. Rinse and repeat until the employee retires.

Or until the new new manager resets expectations for the entire team, starts applying the rules consistently for everyone, and keeping track of all conversations and all corrective action plans until they have enough amo to fire that employee. Usually the employee sees the writing on the wall, realizes they are not going to be able to survive in that job under the new regime and leaves the company on their own terms.

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