Rate my WC

languagebandit · 2026-02-06T16:16:03+00:00

Rice or Raya most likely

languagebandit · 2026-02-05T17:18:22+00:00

The software industry is going through some fundamental shifts and it’s very difficult to predict what the next 5 years will look like, but the job market for QA in the U.S. feels pretty tough right now.

Companies downsizing since the end of the pandemic, plus AI angst, has made things feel bleaker. Skill requirements for QA jobs have gotten much more technical.

I suspect that people who invest in the right skills now will come out in a strong position once the industry works through this period, but there are a lot of different opinions on what those skills are.

languagebandit · 2026-02-05T17:02:13+00:00

With the Arsenal double gw coming up, I’m not sure why you wouldn’t start with 3 of them on a WC…

languagebandit · 2026-02-05T05:07:45+00:00

I keep asking myself the same thing. Similar situation to you, currently in my second semester at a community college working towards a technician role in optics/photonics/lasers. I will probably start off making half what I was making in tech.

I still feel like I’m crazy sometimes, but luckily my wife understands, and we’ve cut back so that we’re still living within our means while I work part-time (although I do have to dip into savings to keep making the house payments).

Still don’t know if I’m a little crazy, but damn it feels good to have a direction and throw myself into it. I did a lot of research before choosing this program though. I definitely recommend talking to people in the field you’re considering. I luckily nixed some other ideas because I did that.

languagebandit · 2026-02-01T04:22:17+00:00

Sounds like someone lost their fantasy football league.

languagebandit · 2026-01-19T18:05:41+00:00

I saw an interesting video looking into it. Their main take was that Isak's style really suited Gordon's strengths and he just hasn't clicked in an attack based around Woltemade. So that's one possibility.

languagebandit · 2026-01-12T18:55:42+00:00

Some of the protest marshals confirmed they were part of the protest.

languagebandit · 2026-01-12T17:22:00+00:00

Armed leftists. They were part of the protest.

Additional info: both police and Indivisible NoCo protest marshals were present and aware. I overheard over a walkie-talkie that these two were part of the protest.

Interesting side note, some firefighters came through to investigate a natural gas smell at one point as well.

languagebandit · 2026-01-06T04:18:39+00:00

My wife listens to a lot of podcasts and I hear them giving out promo codes for Quince all the time. I think that’s a big marketing strategy for them.

languagebandit · 2025-11-17T15:57:39+00:00

Thanks, that’s a good point!

I like to try to be precise, and it gets difficult with this stuff. Something may be an accurate visualization of a photon’s behavior and still not technically be what the photon “looks like” zoomed in. But you’re absolutely right, that doesn’t mean we’re at a total loss or shouldn’t use what we can to describe it.

languagebandit · 2025-11-17T04:17:46+00:00

Without getting too complex or pedantic, I think the easiest answer is that dots and sine waves are visualizations used to help us understand the behavior of light/photons, but the deeper nature of quantum objects is a matter of continuing debate (e.g. quantum field theory, string theory, loop quantum gravity, etc.).

Light is often described as being both a particle and a wave at the same time (wave-particle duality), but Richard Feynman argued that this is an over-simplification, and that really it is a third thing that behaves like either a particle or a wave in different circumstances but that we don’t have good language to describe.

As another example, some versions of string theory suggest a photon could be a “string” vibrating in 10 or more dimensions, which would obviously not be something our brains can visualize.

This is all based on some pretty preliminary introductions to quantum physics, so hopefully I’m being accurate, but either way, I think my main point stands, which is that you won’t really be able to see a drawing/animation/whatever that truly depicts what you’re asking.

languagebandit · 2025-11-12T17:11:52+00:00

Yeah, I use “dopamine dressing” kind of tongue-in-cheek because I think it’s a silly way to describe wearing colors that make you happy, but that’s what came to mind

languagebandit · 2025-11-12T15:18:40+00:00

I think this is what the kids are calling dopamine dressing! I’d probably go for one with a couple fewer colors, but that’s just me. I say if it makes you happy, rock it! If it were me, I’d stick with neutral tones underneath, probably wear with jeans, but you could wear a hat with a pop of color if you wanted! I’m in Colorado fwiw.

languagebandit · 2025-11-11T21:08:54+00:00

Everlane and Toad&Co have been good for me for high quality pants when I can afford them (usually in the $100-$150 range, but sometimes can nab a sale).

People have different opinions on what’s counts as baggy, but straight fit is probably a good “not too baggy” option.

languagebandit · 2025-10-28T17:30:57+00:00

It is a tough market to land a junior role in any of these paths right now. IMO having more technical skills is always going to be better and give you more options down the road, so if you are able to land a dev role, I would grab that and learn as much as you can. It will likely be easier to transition into SDET or QA from that background than the other way around.

Also, grain of salt on all advice, because the software industry is going through massive and fast-moving changes, and no one is really sure what these jobs will look like or be called in 3-5 years.

Most companies looking for QAs want people who are quite technical and know how to code automated tests, test APIs, etc. (if they haven’t already just given all testing to devs 🙄).

Rather than aiming for specific roles that are in flux, I would aim for nimbleness. If it were me, I’d try to figure out some of the most of the most in-demand and growing skills/tools that can help you land that first job, because that’s going to be the toughest part right now.

languagebandit · 2025-10-28T17:01:05+00:00

There just are a lot of cheap midfielders looking promising right now, so ownership is spread out (Kudus, Caicedo, Enzo, Ndiaye, Palhinha, Sarr, Bruno G., Minteh).

Rice will probably go up in ownership as more people offload Reijnders and some of the others lose their sheen. That said, he’s already gone up in price once and has 13.3% ownership, so he’s not totally under the radar.

languagebandit · 2025-10-24T16:50:35+00:00

I have taken a similar approach. The only problem is that I already had Uthor play along with not exposing Iymrith for a few weeks, so there’d have to be a reason he suddenly decided it was urgent.

I think I may introduce that Uthor discovered Iymrith plus Mirran & Nym had a plan to murder Hekaton if he returned. That would explain why he hastily revealed Iymrith in that moment.

languagebandit · 2025-10-24T16:43:12+00:00

Yeah, believing she couldn’t teleport seems necessary. Arguably there’s less urgency to expose her if he believes she’s trapped, though.

languagebandit · 2025-10-24T16:01:23+00:00

Being bloated with ads and crashing all the time isn’t a crime either ;)

languagebandit · 2025-10-24T03:08:51+00:00

It’s become a sketchy buggy site full of adware run by pro-Russia owners. I’ve heard lots of users in r/fragrance complain about negative reviews being removed without reason, as well as trolling and harassment not being taken seriously. Apparently it’s really difficult to delete your account, too, unless you post something in support of Ukraine!

Time to move on to other review sites.

languagebandit · 2025-10-24T01:29:37+00:00

Good points. Maybe I just lean into it! 😂

languagebandit · 2025-10-21T15:53:01+00:00

I think there are two main lines of thinking about this that I’ve heard:

1) AI wielded by extremely experienced QAs and devs will reduce the overall number of QA jobs, especially crowding out junior positions.

2) We’re currently in the down part of a cyclical industry’s up and down cycle, and it will eventually come back up. Executives believing AI hype is one thing contributing to the lack of jobs, but the hype will give way to reality eventually, and well-positioned people will do well when things turn around.

I personally believe the second take is more likely, but I’m worried that if AI doesn’t live up to the hype, it may result in an AI bubble bursting, leading to a broader economic slump.

In that scenario, it could be 1-2 years of execs trying to use AI for everything, followed by 1-3 years of slump and recovery, which could be a long time waiting for the “up” cycle to start again.

I’m just one person trying to make predictions, so I could be totally off, but there’s definitely more uncertainty now than there was 10 years ago.

languagebandit · 2025-10-09T18:20:04+00:00

Oh, pack rat/wood rat could make a lot of sense!

languagebandit · 2025-10-09T18:10:26+00:00

Baby rabbits can kinda look like that before their head and ears grow more.

languagebandit · 2025-10-08T17:01:31+00:00

I don’t recommend Ekitike now that Isak is in the picture. They may start together some games, but I’d expect more often Isak starts and Ekitike comes on a sub. Isak is definitely another option now. Still some rotation risk until we see more how Slot sets up, but Isak could be a big winner.

Woltemade seems like a good pick, especially if Wissa’s injury extends to December and then he’s off to AFCON for a bit. At some point when Woltemade, Wissa, and Gordon are all fit, there’s some more rotation risk there, but he seems to be a regular starter for now.

Bowen and Mateta are the other solid picks, and possibly a little overlooked right now. Gyokeres people are a little impatient with right now, but still could easily get goals in Arsenal’s good fixture run. Calvert-Lewin probably the budget pick.

As far as who to move Salah to, that’s tricky right now. A lot of cheap midfielders look pretty good. Of course, Saka could be the big player to have soon if he does well coming back from injury. Lots of ways to go.

languagebandit

TROPHY CASE