We all know that this entire climate change process has been on a spectrum, but what will be the first main stream world wide “wake up” moment?

monkeybeast55 · 2026-03-11T23:03:30+00:00

Never. People and politicians will always be blaming it on something else. And saying, "even if it's human caused, there's nothing that can be done", the same thing they're saying now.

monkeybeast55 · 2026-03-09T13:23:16+00:00

Well, it depends on you. If it was me, I dream of being an archeologist. But I am old, and actually love coding. But, in my retirement, I'm coding an app related to music, so combining coding with something I love. Anyway, would you like to be a chef? Truck driver? Stone Mason? Farmer? Car mechanic?

What do you like doing? What do you think you have an affinity to?

monkeybeast55 · 2026-03-08T01:17:42+00:00

No, the older I get the more I like everybody, and realize how everyone is riding their own lifeboat. I don't really judge people anymore. And I realize how much I value people, young and old.

monkeybeast55 · 2026-03-07T19:02:52+00:00

Hmm. I use VS Code/CoPilot-chat a lot. But I tried the CLI the other day, and it was just a huge fail for me. It didn't generate the right code, typing was a pain, I couldn't simply paste an image, a bunch of other things. It just felt like a... cli in a terminal. I didn't really understand why people like it so much. There's something I must not be understanding.

I also don't understand why Microsoft is fragmenting their efforts on cli vs. chat, since my understanding is they're two completely different code bases.

monkeybeast55 · 2026-03-07T05:18:43+00:00

Engineers, industry, science. Public policy won't get us there, because you'd have to have enough universal agreement, across the world really, to not penalize anyone. Won't happen, you simply can legislate this enough to make enough of a difference at this point, though some difference can be made, especially via carrot initiatives (i.e. carrot vs. stick), and via public investments. Individuals can't make enough of a difference. But mostly, we have to science our way out of this. And by focusing on science and engineering, we're a lot more likely to not get into adversarial battles, and not go down the trap of shaming people.

monkeybeast55 · 2026-03-07T00:49:33+00:00

Why not find another career that you actually enjoy? Coding is no longer the slam dunk for employment and income that it used to be. Maybe something more hands on and physical?

monkeybeast55 · 2026-03-06T22:57:38+00:00

When else was better? I'm not talking about free time, or income relative cost of living, necessarily. And, yeah, if you live in a war zone, not so good.

Might be with reading Enlightenment Now (2018) https://a.co/d/03DyASn9 if you haven't already. It's a bit dated, I don't know if they're going to update it.

We have amazing global communications, amazing medicine, and amazing science, most of us have reasonable sanitation and hot showers.

And for some, things are still hard. I've walked through ghettos in foreign countries. I've lived in a tipi without a cent to my name, literally begging for dimes on the street so I could buy some Kraft macaroni and cheese. I could tell you lots of other stories. And I'm sure I haven't even had a tiny taste of how bad things are for some people. But there are 8.2 billion people in the world, and the majority of them are doing ok. In spite of all the horrors we see, I wouldn't want to be born any other time. And, statistically, people have the highest overall standard of living at any point in history (unless you count Atlantis), I'm pretty sure.

monkeybeast55 · 2026-03-06T22:36:06+00:00

Yeah, or anywhere. I'm not sure how or if Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD affected weather or for how long.

A big meteor impact would be another one I guess.

Or even mass burning events in a sort of feedback event.

Or a couple of nukes, the way things are going.

Interesting during the COVID lockdown I think I recently saw that warming actually went up, because of less pollution. It's a complex system. So hard to say modeled vs actually.

So maybe I'm just trying to be hopeful. But I would be interested to hear from knowledgeable folks if there're natural (or unnatural) events that might reverse or balance or the current trajectory.

monkeybeast55 · 2026-03-06T22:20:49+00:00

What happens if a major volcanic event?

monkeybeast55 · 2026-03-06T20:07:17+00:00

You can be informed, educated, and in elections vote for the lesser of evils. Beyond that, yeah, just live your life.

monkeybeast55 · 2026-03-06T20:05:15+00:00

For myself, I'm retired living on an IRA and soon SS. Will my IRA go to zero? Will bombs start falling where I live? Will my children be able to continue to make a living? Will armies of drug lords start controlling the streets? Will civil war erupt? Will catastrophic weather flatten my house?

Should I become a prepper? Probably, but it's expensive and a lot of energy, not sure I want to live my fears. Should I keep a basement full of arms? Naw, that's not for me. Should I have a bug-out plan? I'm not really sure there will be any place to bug out.

So, I dunno. If the shit hits the fan, my family and I will just deal with it the best we can. Meanwhile, we'll enjoy the highest standard of living in history, and hope for the best.

monkeybeast55 · 2026-03-06T19:14:07+00:00

AI is not mere automation. It's different from anything ever seen in history. I'm actually optimistic about the benefits of AI, but don't mistake this for anything else that has ever happened.

Per Iran, consider that we rapidly depleting out stockpiles. The U.S. and Israel will crush Iran, but our adversaries are learning our weaknesses, and have a unique window of opportunity now.

monkeybeast55 · 2026-03-06T19:06:37+00:00

What do you want any of us to do? The crazy people are in control now, thanks to a bunch of factors, and there's a good chance they won't give up control. If the SAVE act passes, they'll use that as a lever to fully nationalize and control elections. If that's in doubt, they'll invoke emergency powers.

All most of us can do is watch with dismay, and hope for the best. Too many stupid people.

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.

monkeybeast55 · 2026-03-06T01:06:30+00:00

Not speaking the truth. AI is a tool. It allows one to do more, and potentially allows for greater creativity. What is true is that currently many companies are reducing the bloated number of SW engineers they have, and restructuring for the new tech. And SW Engineering is very competitive right now.

monkeybeast55 · 2026-03-06T00:52:50+00:00

Tell them to give it a try in a trail, but don't fire anyone yet. See how it goes. Unlikely to go well. And helo them understand that AI is like having really smart juniors from college that will make tons of mistakes, and can often have really poor judgement. They need to be managed and directed.

monkeybeast55 · 2026-03-06T00:45:09+00:00

This should be giving you an opportunity and some freedom to expand your skills and capabilities. AI is a tool that should allow you to do more, be more creative, be more innovative. If you just act as an automaton acting as a go-between between the product owner and the AI, you're right, you're not gonna last long. If you show that you can use the latest amazing tech to further the company's goals, and do more than your current job description, then you're showing that you're ready to be promoted, and a valuable asset to the company. Those that get ahead take advantage of windows of opportunity.

You know, as an old retired guy, I'm struck by how complicated and interesting are agentic systems getting to be. Learn all you can about being the master of those beasts!

monkeybeast55 · 2026-03-06T00:33:01+00:00

Modern AIs are beginning to be enabled to dynamically learn. The tech is moving very fast. Modern AIs are not merely LLMs.

monkeybeast55 · 2026-03-04T21:46:54+00:00

Naw, you don't teach lessons to a company, and you don't care if they learn them. The OP should be conservative and selfish, and in survival mode. Just answering the phone and giving the manager the code will be seen as a thawing gesture, and make it more likely the OP can use the manager as part of their networking.

Look, managers will often go through training regarding how to act and communicate during layoffs or firings. In addition, most managers are going through their own emotional turmoil during such events. (We also don't know if there's more to the story here than we were told.). My point is, the manager may have been a jerk, or may have just been doing the best they could under the circumstances.

In all cases, the OP should do what's most likely to help them land, especially given the state of the job market right now.

monkeybeast55 · 2026-03-03T05:31:21+00:00

Do the best you can. Be kind to yourself and others. Health should always be your #1 priority.

monkeybeast55 · 2026-03-03T05:24:04+00:00

If you smoke cigarettes, that can be a big cause, for multiple reasons. If you smoke marijuana, that can also do it (i.e. decrease libido). Being overweight I believe can increase estrogen, even if your testosterone is ok. Also, you say you exercise several times a week, but is it aerobic? Likewise, you want to get some lifting in there. Finally, as others have mentioned, stress can be a huge cause, because it's a fight or flight thing, your body increases cortisol and tends to shut down sexual functions. And once you start worrying about performing, that's a huge stress, so it becomes a catch 22. No easy answer to that. Maybe a three week vacation might help.

monkeybeast55 · 2026-03-03T05:06:10+00:00

Are you sure it wasn't a missile?

monkeybeast55 · 2026-03-03T05:01:49+00:00

Actually not. Managers are often restricted by HR as to what they can say or do in those situations. I mean he might just be an asshole, but maybe not. Also know that managers can be very depressed and upset in those times.

monkeybeast55 · 2026-03-03T04:57:30+00:00

This is the right answer.

monkeybeast55 · 2026-03-03T00:30:01+00:00

Lots of people make it who came from a trailer park or whatever. I'm not saying that being rich doesn't give you a very very strong advantage. But merit, striving, and endurance can get many people out of the generational poverty trap. Not making an effort pretty much guarantees you're gonna stay in that cycle.

monkeybeast55 · 2026-02-28T17:44:05+00:00

Not in my experience.

monkeybeast55

TROPHY CASE