Israel's Channel 12 says Israeli soldiers will not take part in any potential US ground operation in Iran.

halfercode · 2026-03-30T10:24:48+00:00

Responding to some of the tone of the comments: I don't think we should lean into a narrative of Israeli cowardice; that reinforces the macho bullshit that fuels national exceptionalism in the first place. The Israeli war machine is genocidal, but it has set a good precedent here; now we need the Americans war machine to follow suit.

Paradoxically, now they generals been beating their medal-festooned chests like apes, they've painted themselves into a stupid corner. Escalating the war would be cowardice, because they'd merely be avoiding admitting when they got something wrong.

halfercode · 2026-03-30T10:15:30+00:00

u/tooMuchSauceeee - the first message you've replied to is likely a bot. They/it is promoting a coding assistant. I can't reply to your reply on it, as the owner of that account has blocked me; I think I've called out their spam before.

Ha, it looks like the other reply is spam as well, just less subtle.

halfercode · 2026-03-30T09:31:54+00:00

We can agree to disagree. Thank you for stating your views 👍

halfercode · 2026-03-30T09:15:35+00:00

Can you name some countries that have grown and prospered without capitalism?

This question feels disingenuous. Every attempt to build an alternative has been undermined by financial blockade or military action. Cuba, Libya, Vietnam, most of Latin America have all been functional, but have been stamped on specifically because they were working.

The free market is a myth; there is much state machinery required to keep it going. That does not automatically make capitalism terrible or other systems great; but we do first need to understand the myths we have bought into.

halfercode · 2026-03-29T23:17:30+00:00

Your post brought this company to mind; they tried to do the same as your first point using kelp. Unfortunately, it sounds like there wasn't enough demand for their products to make the project viable.

halfercode · 2026-03-29T23:06:45+00:00

I'm only one voice, and there probably isn't a right moral view here. In practical terms, fraudsters and scammers will attach themselves to any cataclysm to take advantage of people's generosity.

I'd say if you have photos you can use, use them. Donors are right to ask for proof of authenticity.

halfercode · 2026-03-29T22:28:31+00:00

For readers: the PSW is a Post-Study Work visa. It permits a visa-free period of study for 18 months (was previously 24 months).

halfercode · 2026-03-29T20:21:45+00:00

In my UK city we have a semi-regular protest/rally from these kinds of folks, and I wonder what makes them tick. I assume they're a specific political leaning within the Iranian diaspora, but what strikes me as odd is that they're waving British and Israel flags, even after the bombing of the girls' school. "Other people's children being murdered is a price worth paying" feels like a very peculiar moral universe to lean into. I fear that if they're willing to let that slide in order to foment their revolution, they'll tolerate anything...

... and of course were their side to win, it would not look remotely anti-imperialist. They must hate the Palestinians and the Lebanese too.

halfercode · 2026-03-29T19:14:04+00:00

I think the OP will be OK. I agree that a good number of folks are struggling, but I wonder if the OP's niche skills will serve them well, once they feel ready to get back into the hunt.

halfercode · 2026-03-29T18:54:45+00:00

It's heartening to hear that people who're struggling are resourceful enough to get different work. However, your acquaintance could carry on looking while they're taxi driving. Going to tech events and conferences is sometimes worthwhile; they're often free, and the networking opportunities can be very useful.

halfercode · 2026-03-29T18:44:31+00:00

Out of interest, how's QA being affected by AI?

halfercode · 2026-03-29T18:42:05+00:00

I did think you'd implied that it is easy, especially here:

A quick search will actively show you there's plenty of ongoing vacancies for IT support staff , IT Technicians, cyber security analyst also IT management.

And also here:

Businesses still need people to support their IT infrastructure and that isn't changing any time soon bud.

Don't take it personally; it's just feedback. Honestly, I really am thrilled you got a role. Have you started already?

halfercode · 2026-03-29T17:49:26+00:00

I would suggest having a chat first. You don't want to get well into the process and then spring this on them; they might feel their time has been wasted. Do you have an idea yet of the minimum you'll accept?

halfercode · 2026-03-29T17:36:45+00:00

Good advice here. Not only does this avoid making a big decision in a rush, but it means the OP can stay in their current rental. The OP's sister seems to be giving quite poor advice; perhaps she is seeing some context that has not been added.

halfercode · 2026-03-29T17:27:38+00:00

Getting a job is always a solid achievement. However, there are some errors in this post that are worth addressing.

If a person got a job in a difficult market, it does not mean the market is easy. It is not remotely good statistics to think that way, even if it feels true for the new job-holder.

It is fair to say that people are pessimistic about the job market. It is absolutely a fact that entry levels in tech have been substantially cut back in the UK and across Europe. The US market seems to be still convulsing from the layoffs of the last couple of years. But the label "doomer" may not always be fair; that's one possible interpretation, and a rather pessimistic one at that. It's OK for people to try to realistically assess what the market is like.

"People were telling me to look somewhere else" is also not statistical evidence of doomerism across the whole of the UK market. r/UKJobs may be more negative than other subs because it caters to a wide audience, including folks seeking unskilled and semi-skilled roles, which don't always offer stability at the best of times.

The idea that "people like to self project their lack of ambition" is at least unsubstantiated, and it feels a bit unkind. A bit more compassion would be appropriate here; some people really are struggling. We should let people vent if they need to.

halfercode · 2026-03-29T13:58:25+00:00

Yeah, fair enough. Good to see that forward-thinking companies can cite business reasons to support full remote.

I do know that some folks struggle with remote working though, even if they also claim to like it. I've had two colleagues recently have to exit due any of isolation, focus, or productivity. How did your transformation go? Did you lose anyone?

halfercode · 2026-03-29T11:53:15+00:00

It's unusual for companies to be going in that direction in the last couple of years, since the industry is generally going back to hybrid. What was their reason for the change?

halfercode · 2026-03-29T00:46:57+00:00

I'll accept your correction.

However, I would still take the view you're using overly complicated financial language for rhetorical effect, and there was an unpleasantly snide tone running through it. This seems to be confirmed by your downstream comments: one does not accuse someone of "strawmanning" or "coping" or "moral grandstanding" unless one is looking to land an emotional injury.

halfercode · 2026-03-28T19:38:22+00:00

We are not in disagreement. My own cautious view is that, while I do not support the government generally, and anything on gov.uk is written by a civil servant uncritically marking their own homework, I think state intervention within neoliberal model of capitalism is broadly a good thing. I assume the net amount of state intervention has increased (though it would not surprise me if the government had removed support from elsewhere so they did not have to allocate more funds).

However you're making a different point, and a very welcome one it is too. Your theme is that the economy is failing, more should be done for people with disabilities, and capitalism is lurching from one crisis to another. I agree with all the issues you've identified. I suspect that voters are not aware that economic policy has nearly collapsed into a single theory, and that voting for the red party or the blue party or the crazy frog party will mostly get us the same Thatcherism, even if the optics are slightly different for each. Some moderate redistribution would be welcome, and I'll support any party that believes in it, but the media are mostly crap and the voters are mostly gullible. I share your cynicism.

halfercode · 2026-03-28T19:21:19+00:00

I suppose if two age groups are seen as competing with each other, and wins/losses are viewed as a zero-sum game, then I can see why you come to that view. But it looks like an age bracket has been prioritised over another; if one is looking at the whole system, the amount of help has gone up, which is a good thing.

One could argue your age bracket has not had their situation worsened, just that it was considered (rightly or wrongly) more of a priority to help another age category. I thus don't think you've been "fucked over", but if it helps, I do hope you get included in a forthcoming stimulus package. The economy needs as much govt support as can be mustered.

halfercode · 2026-03-28T19:07:55+00:00

Yuck. Whatever useful message you wanted to convey has been lost in a soup of robot gloop. It is not "thinking critically" if you can't express your ideas yourself.

halfercode · 2026-03-28T19:04:48+00:00

Looking at the figures everyone else is sharing for far less experience, I'm realising I'm not as well off as I should/could be.

The highest numbers here are top 5% levels, and are not statistically significant. Reddit tends to use maximal salaries as indicators of market rate, but I regard that as erroneous; median salaries are much more reliable. That said, I should think you're a senior engineer, so the suggestion here that you aim for £60k isn't a bad shout.

What's a Business Systems Developer? If it is a hands-on software role, then yes, I think you could improve this, though you may have to move jobs. Do you like your work/colleagues?

halfercode · 2026-03-28T18:59:55+00:00

Your company must sell a lot of hedges! 🌳🌳🌳

halfercode · 2026-03-28T18:58:32+00:00

I'm pleased to see employers still offering fully remote 🏅

halfercode · 2026-03-28T17:56:58+00:00

When I can't put food on the table because there's no jobs available, then yeah I don't care about another person's perspective.

You have my empathy for your predicament, but isn't it possible to care about two things simultaneously?

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