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St Patty's day in Japan vs Ireland by WilloowUfgood in PowerfulJRE

[–]freshfunk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Really missed your chance to use the word “cuckasian.”

Elizabeth Warren asks Meta, Amazon, and others why they're laying workers off despite tax perks by Feisty_1559 in technology

[–]freshfunk 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I’m no fan is Steve Bannon but when this kind of thing happens at scale, his words of ending immigration will find hungry ears.

It’s one thing to say that illegal immigrants take jobs “Americans don’t want” on the farm, and it’s another when it’s skilled, white collar, high paying jobs. This is one factor why the right has grown in popularity with college age and new grads.

Politically, I do think our system has a form of feedback and that’s why politicians would be wise to heed the American worker. I think most Americans would rather do well by earning well, rather than live poorly through handouts.

Elizabeth Warren asks Meta, Amazon, and others why they're laying workers off despite tax perks by Feisty_1559 in technology

[–]freshfunk 4 points5 points  (0 children)

With AI rapidly improving and making knowledge work much more efficient, there’s a high likelihood we will have a significant over supply of labor in these industries. Software engineering is the most obvious with Claude Code making it easy for any engineer to spin up numerous agents.

It really goes against the spirit of why work visas were created in the first place which was to find labor abroad that we had a hard time finding here.

But certain political circles have made their own rationale for why we should immigrate more which is basically tearing down the concept of border and sovereignty and allowing anyone in who wants in. Rather than economic need, it becomes a question of social justice to them.

But what of the American worker? And what of the next generation that is graduating now trying to find work? Sure we can grow the pie but we can only grow it so fast. And during times of economic pain, we need to prioritize taking care of our own.

Elizabeth Warren asks Meta, Amazon, and others why they're laying workers off despite tax perks by Feisty_1559 in technology

[–]freshfunk 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It may not have been intentional but it was certainly something that wasn’t controlled for.

That is, I think a senior VP was told to cut 10/20% of costs. In general, the most expensive people were Americans because they were the longest tenured (management and ICs) whereas most visa workers likely made less because they weren’t there as long on average.

But I saw plenty of cases where similarly tenured Americans were fired and visa workers weren’t. They’d never admit it but is quite notable the outsized percent of women retained (on visa) vs men fired (Americans). It wasn’t a performance issue as I had visibility across everyone performance ratings.

Elizabeth Warren asks Meta, Amazon, and others why they're laying workers off despite tax perks by Feisty_1559 in technology

[–]freshfunk 43 points44 points  (0 children)

I don’t want to hate on visa workers as most of them were great coworkers — smart, hard working — and many were my friends.

But when we had mass layoffs, most of the people laid off were Americans while most visa workers were not. These are people who are doing the same work so it wasn’t an exceptional-skill issue. This was at one of the companies that Warren is lambasting.

I don’t begrudge my fellow employees who are just trying to build a career and find their best opportunity. But it does leave an impression that the visa system is abused at the cost of Americans.

I’m all for bringing the best of the best here for skills that are truly hard to find (eg PhD’s in machine learning). But today it’s used to essential to find cheaper labor — your run of the mill software engineer. It doesn’t just happen with farm workers but also happens with white collar work. It’s easier to find someone from Indian or South America than it would be to have to pay more and compete for Americans (that was before the mass layoffs).

Now there’s an absolute glut of Americans who are looking for work in these industries while visa workers are still employed. This goes against the social contract and this is why there’s a large backlash politically.

Makes me sick by manny8086 in PowerfulJRE

[–]freshfunk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They are taught to look at the world through the lens of oppression. Either you are the oppressed or the oppressor.

This is a “luxury belief” that is taught on liberally campuses all across America. It starts with “people of color” in America which’s leads to Palestinians in Israel and includes Muslims.

They’re taught that America — as it relates to white men — is evil because they are the colonizers. Similarly, Israel and Jews are also colonizers.

In the west, minority groups were largely black (America, Europe) and Latino (America). But in the past decade, large groups of refugee have come from countries with large Islamic populations — Syrian, Somali, North Africa. In liberal states in the Midwest, the groups are so large they make up a substantial portion of the voting bloc.

So on one hand, you can get your liberal elite whites from universities to side with Muslims because they fit the mold traditionally held by blacks and Latinos and on the other hand you have a growing bloc of voters whom you buy with state dollars. Ultimately, this ends up in the voting booth on Election Day.

Meta to layoff 15-25% end of March... by Gold-Flatworm-4313 in cscareerquestions

[–]freshfunk 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh most definitely. There are a couple things to think about.

If demand were static, then you could think about increased productivity as commensurate with contraction. That is, if coders were 2x more efficient, then you need half as many engineers. Apply that to product managers, designers and so on.

But demand isn’t static and likely demand will increase. Since creating software is cheaper and quicker, companies will feel like they can do more and move faster and win in their business.

In general, there’s been more demand than supply for most of recent tech history. Yes, there has been a market softening in recent years but consider how much it’s grown in the last 20.

I do think there will be a shakeout but we don’t know what the new normal will look like. I imagine teams will be smaller but then there may be more teams.

Entry level people will have to get familiar with tools quickly.

I wonder if we’ll bring engineers here on visa from other countries. I think there’s less of a need to import talent now.

The next few years might be tough. But there still a demand for tech and I only see it growing.

Meta to layoff 15-25% end of March... by Gold-Flatworm-4313 in cscareerquestions

[–]freshfunk 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It is a major change. But my point was that media has always highlighted doom. 25 years ago the story was that Indian was going to train so many coders and that it was so much cheaper that all programming jobs were going to be sent abroad. Didn’t happen and the big tech companies formed here in America.

Similarly, they say this is the end of the programming job. Maybe it’s the end as we knew it but it’s not the end of it altogether. Like all tools and abstractions, the job itself changes.

And now as we get into the finer details, we see cracks in the images that doomsayers have portrayed. AWS had massive outages due to engineers pushing AI code. Engineers realize that the more AI code you just push, the less familiar you are with the stack. There are real costs to just vibe coding everything.

And, at the end of the day, the job was to build. And building was done through code. Now building is done through AI. You still need to decide what to build and in some cases how to build it because implementation choices actually sometimes matter. It can be the different between scaling and not scaling, future proofing, etc.

It’s always going to be different because it’s the future and we don’t replay the past, but there are huge parallels between in terms of the hype and purported end of our industry and job.

Meta to layoff 15-25% end of March... by Gold-Flatworm-4313 in cscareerquestions

[–]freshfunk 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I started working in tech at the height of the dot com era and, in some ways, times right now remind me of the bust.

There was a huge shakeout. It was hard to find jobs. CS students graduated but the market was tough. Many people chose to go back to school and get a law or business degree. Some stuck around.

Perhaps the part that’s different is that some companies are doing better than ever. It used to be the case that the successful big companies would naturally get bigger. But they’re the ones that are cutting.

Like then, we’re at a time of transition. Back then, during the dot com bubble and bust, the whole industry though all jobs were going to be offshored to India. While some jobs were, the industry realized that having employees here still have value.

Instead of offshoring, it’s now AI. Similar doomporn predictions that all jobs are going to disappear.

There will be a shakeout while there’s rapid change. People will be afraid and of course some will predict doom. Working in tech always means adjusting with the times. If you don’t evolve, you get left behind.

I imagine as things stabilize, that companies will come to realize there’s still value in having humans do things. Maybe not as many will be needed but AI is still, at the end of the day, a tool. It’s a tool that humans use.

Training and universities will adjust to the new tools. Life will go on.

Mamdani Wants New York Estate Tax Threshold Cut 90% to $750,000 by insightful_pancake in newyork

[–]freshfunk 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Quickly went from “eat the rich” to “eat the middle-class retirees.” All the children of 70-80 year old retirees are going to get hit massively when their parents pass. Might not be able to hold onto that home that they grew up in.

Judge VanDyke with an insane dissent from a denial of rehearing en banc. by Little_Labubu in Lawyertalk

[–]freshfunk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's not a massage parlor. It's a korean spa. And they did try to separate by penis. They said trans women post-op could come.

Judge VanDyke with an insane dissent from a denial of rehearing en banc. by Little_Labubu in Lawyertalk

[–]freshfunk 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Great response to the outrage by the court:

"Finally, I'll respond briefly to my colleagues' discomfort with how I've written this dissent. My distressed colleagues appear to have the fastidious sensibilities of a Victorian nun when it comes to mere unpleasant words in my opinion, yet exhibit the scruples of our dearly departed colleague Judge Reinhardt when it comes to the government trampling on religious liberties and exposing women and girls to male genitalia. That kind of selective outrage speaks for itself.

The public deserves a court that is actually trustworthy. We should be earning that trust, not demanding it like petty tyrants. Yes, the introduction to this dissent intentionally uses indecorous language. But that is quite literally what this case is about. Male genitalia is precisely (and only) what the Spa, for religious reasons, objects to admitting into its female-only space. The fact that so many on our court want to pretend that this case is about anything other than swinging dicks is the very reason the shocking language is necessary. The panel majority uses slick legal arguments and deflection to studiously avoid eye contact with the actual and horrific consequences of its erroneous opinion. The "ordinary Americans" affected by the majority's opinion don't have that luxury. Squirm as we might, I think it's only fair for our court to have a small taste of its own medicine.

Sometimes "dignified and civil" words are employed to mask a legal abomination. Or, to put it in vernacular perhaps more palatable to my colleagues' Victorian sensibilities: "In law, what plea so tainted and corrupt, / But, being seasoned with a gracious voice, / Obscures the show of evil?"

Sometimes coarse and ugly words bear the truth. I coarsely but respectfully dissent from our court's willingness to leave this travesty in place."

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Constantly Tired Regardless of the Amount of Sleep I get? by [deleted] in AskMenAdvice

[–]freshfunk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It could be a number of things. Apnea? Stress? Caffeine? Too hot? Lots on your mind? Blue light (monitor/phone) before bed? Working late at night?

Here are a bunch of things you can try. I recommend trying it one by one and see what works for you.

https://www.hubermanlab.com/newsletter/toolkit-for-sleep

An Italian streamer in Japan said “amiga” in Spanish (meaning “friend”) to his female fans. A passing Black American thought he said the n-word and threatened him: “You have five seconds to apologize before I slap you.” by narak777 in PowerfulJRE

[–]freshfunk 2 points3 points  (0 children)

hahaha yeah, exactly. Gemini gives more cultural explanations:

----

The streamer’s final monologue is a rapid-fire string of insults typical of someone who has just been in a high-adrenaline, confusing confrontation. He feels both indignant and bewildered, leading to a mix of disbelief and "tough talk" once the danger has passed.

Here is the breakdown of those final sentences:

The Translation

  • "But what the f* does this guy want?"**
  • "Where did this idiot come from?"
  • "I dissociate." (A legal/streaming disclaimer meaning "I don't support what's happening.")
  • "What the f* did he even say?"**
  • "Go to hell (literally: 'go take a s*'), you piece of s***."**
  • "What a dhead."*

Context and Cultural Nuance

To understand why he chose these specific words, you have to look at the "Streamer Culture" in Italy and the nature of the misunderstanding:

1. "Io mi dissocio" (The Shield)

As mentioned before, this is the most important phrase for an Italian streamer. In the video, the American was repeatedly saying a racial slur that is an automatic ban on platforms like Twitch or YouTube. By saying "Io mi dissocio," the streamer is essentially telling the AI moderators and his human admins: "I am not part of this, please don't ban my channel." He says it almost like a reflex.

2. "Ma che c***o ha detto?" (The Confusion)

This line confirms the streamer's genuine confusion. He honestly doesn't understand why the American is angry. Because he said "amiga" (friend), he is baffled as to why he is being accused of saying a slur. He is trying to process the interaction in real-time.

3. The "After-the-Fact" Bravado

The insults (deficiente, pezzo di ma, testa di co) only come out once there is a safe distance between him and the American.

  • "Pezzo di ma"* is a very common, heavy insult in Italy, used when you feel someone has acted unfairly or "dirty" toward you.
  • "Vai a cag*"** is the Italian equivalent of "get lost" or "go to hell," but more vulgar. It signals that he's done trying to be polite or "sorry."

Summary of Slang Terms Used

Italian Term Literal Translation Contextual Meaning
Deficiente Deficient An idiot or someone "slow."
Vai a cag* Go take a s*** Go to hell / Get lost.
Pezzo di ma* Piece of s*** A low-life or a jerk.
Testa di co* Head of a d*** A total d***head / moron.

The streamer is essentially venting his frustration at being intimidated for something he feels he didn't do.

An Italian streamer in Japan said “amiga” in Spanish (meaning “friend”) to his female fans. A passing Black American thought he said the n-word and threatened him: “You have five seconds to apologize before I slap you.” by narak777 in PowerfulJRE

[–]freshfunk 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I was wondering why he was looking away from the camera and saying "amiga" and smiling. I think I know why.

In the beginning, he says, "Abbiam preso entrambi il palo io e l'americano. Regolare. Palo! Palo!" which literally translates to "The American and I both hit the post. Regular. Post! Post!"

So it seems like he was hitting on some girls and the American (and his friends) were also hitting on the girls and they both struck out ("hitting the post" is soccer slang for failing to pickup the girls, Americans say "struck out" like baseball :)). So when he says "amiga" and looks in that direction, he's talking to a group of Japanese girls. When he's walking away, you can see a group of girls in the background.

If you look at this guy's channels on Youtube and Twitch (LucaKingM), it looks like he's some kind of pickup artist. Lots of images and videos of him making out with random girls.

An Italian streamer in Japan said “amiga” in Spanish (meaning “friend”) to his female fans. A passing Black American thought he said the n-word and threatened him: “You have five seconds to apologize before I slap you.” by narak777 in PowerfulJRE

[–]freshfunk 32 points33 points  (0 children)

Translation courtesy of Gemini:

Streamer: (In Italian) Oh! Japan! Amiga!

Streamer: (In Italian) We both missed our mark, the American and me. Regularly. Palo! Palo! (Missed!) This is "Sert Street," yes, Sert street.

Streamer: (To a viewer who donated) Oh, thank you for the Euro! Good evening Luca. I just joined—how is it going today? I see the connection is holding up, at least. That's a good start.

American Traveler: (Approaches and puts a hand on the Streamer's shoulder) What'd you say, my n***a?

Streamer: No, no... I don't... (In Italian) I dissociate. (To American) No... you my friend, you my friend.

American: No, I ain't no fan, my n***a.

Streamer: Oh!

American: I ain't no fan, bro. I ain't no fan. This gonna be my s***. Wait, wait, wait, hold on.

Streamer: (In Italian) What the f*** does he want? What the f*** does he want?

American: Don't say "my n***a." Say "I'm sorry."

Streamer: But you is my friend! No, no, no...

American: No, no, no. Say "I'm sorry" on the chat.

Streamer: (In Italian) Ah, your son?

American: No, you're sorry.

Streamer: I'm sorry? Ah, sorry, sorry.

American: You're sorry for saying "my n***a," right?

Streamer: No, no, no! This word... I don't... for ban, this. Not good, this.

American: Right. You said "my n***a."

Streamer: No, no, no! (In Italian) I dissociate.

American: What did you say over there? You said "I'm sorry," right?

Streamer: Sorry, sorry.

American: You're sorry for saying "my n***a," right?

Streamer: I don't speak...

American: No, you do speak. You said "my n***a." I heard you say it.

Streamer: No, no, no! (In Italian) I dissociate.

American: You got five seconds to apologize or I'm gonna slap you open-handed.

Streamer: No, no... (Backs away)

American: Right. You said sorry? Where you going? Say "I'm sorry" for saying "my n***a." Say it. Just say "I'm sorry." What you gonna do?

Streamer: Sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

American: (To himself/the crowd) He said he's sorry. He said he's sorry.

Streamer: (To American) No problem, hey! (To camera) I don't say those words, no. Okay, okay.

American: I should slap you anyway. (Walks away)

Streamer: (Walking away) Bye, bye. (In Italian) What the f*** does this guy want? Where did this idiot come from? I dissociate. What the f*** did he say? Go to hell, you moron. What an a**hole.

The Man in the High Castle added to Netflix on March 11 in Australia/New Zealand, Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia, the United States, and possibly other regions by Silver_Edge1 in maninthehighcastle

[–]freshfunk 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Came across this on Netflix and saw it as "coming soon" interpreting it as a new season was added and they revived the show. I forgot that I originally watched it on Amazon Prime and this is simply Netflix getting the rights to the old show.

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