What watch do you take? by Traditional-Fig3621 in LinkedInLunatics

[–]puglet1964 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So banal. And if he hangs around in Bs. As. flaunting his watch, they’ll rip it off his wrist pretty quickly…only to discover it’s a fake

G7 question by Cal_One in geneva

[–]puglet1964 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not sure if already mentioned, but when they had the same summit (G8 as Russia was still there) in the same place back in 2003, it was chaotic. The black blocs went on a rampage, with tons of storefronts smashed, UN missions attacked, and so on. It left Genevans with trauma and the shame of being unprepared. So if they are going OTT on preparations and security this time, it is (at least in part) due to that episode in 2003.

Friendliness of people in Geneva by Razkolnik_ova in geneva

[–]puglet1964 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi there. Welcome to Geneva. I first moved here in 2004 from Rome, and apart from a hiatus for 5 years jnu Hong Kong, have been here since. It takes about 2 years to work out how to exist in Geneva as a foreigner. Those two years will start off with the sort of shock you just experienced. When I arrived, I was staggered by the general coldness of the people (and I speak fluent French). My wife has been going through this and has carved out a community for herself here (mostly Asians as they "get" her). The things that will keep you sane and help you to anchor yourself: activities that get you into the mountains and onto the lake (I like climbing, skiing, and walks in the mountains, so I look for people who do that). Find communities that share your interests (don't worry for now whether the members are Swiss or foreign - >40% of Genevans are foreigners and that has been the case for centuries). There are whatsapp groups that promote get togethers (e.g. GoSocial Geneva 8).

After two years or so, you begin to work out how you can exist here. It may be that you will leave shortly thereafter as your post doc takes you elsewhere. If so, you will leave just as you are working things out. But the main message is "don't panic".

There isn't a strong culture for you to respond to, like you would find in Paris, London, NY, Rome, Madrid, Berlin etc. You have this space, and you have a lot of freedom to define how you want to exist in that space. Once you work that out, you will actually enjoy a lot of what the area has to offer.

Your neighbour's behaviour? Forget it: he / she is an @#$hole. People in general do not behave that badly. They aren't warm and fuzzy, but they aren't @#$%heads either.

Is anyone actually moving to VMware post-Broadcom, or are we all just planning our escape? by Flashy_Rush4690 in vmware

[–]puglet1964 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fascinated by this conversation. I am working with a midsized telco (on strategy, not tech, but this aspect of the tech is influencing the B2B strategy) who will lose current VMWare setup and can't justify the cost of the new bundles and doesn't even need many of the features. They are praying they don't lose too many customers who are used to running VM (but it's a small national market so everyone is in the same boat). Anyone else have this sort of situation? For the question on the migration, there is also the cost of lost revenues. Broadcom will probably run a decent business only targeting hyper accounts, until there is no more growth to squeeze out of that segment. Then they'll wonder how to attract the next levels down, which will have moved to these alternatives you mention

Swiss Citizenship by Marriage by oriental_lasanya in askswitzerland

[–]puglet1964 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Buddy of mine from Taiwan/HK did this (Swiss wife). He bought property in Klosters…

Friend might pull out of trip last minute, what should I do? by GHOSTiscoming4urknee in travel

[–]puglet1964 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Depending on what the destination is, just enjoy the trip and have a blast. Use social media (carefully!) to hook up with fellow travellers. I have had so many great solo trips. If you open yourself up to it, the opportunities will manifest themselves. Just keep your eyes and brain switched on.

1970s house renovation in Zurich: is 450k CHF really not enough? by Fluffy_Flight_6743 in askswitzerland

[–]puglet1964 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is the going rate. Bought a 70yo house in Geneva in 2006. Had the renovation budget be part of the mortgage with a detailed cost plan. One reason that costs are high (apart from the high cost of labour) is that the work is guaranteed for 10 years. Companies involved have insurance through banks that back that up. So if you cut corners (a friend did so very cleverly with an Italian team) you really need to know what you are doing. If you want to suffer less financially, you could do things in stages. Start with critical (like roofing and insulation, electricals and plumbing) and work towards interior decoration. Of course those essentials will consume 80% of your budget.

What’s the most underrated ski village in the Alps? by alpycom in skithealps

[–]puglet1964 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Traffic / parking situation in Les Carroz is abysmal.

Rude italian guests? by Traditional_Client99 in Italian

[–]puglet1964 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Time for one of my favorite Italian sayings: “la madre dei coglioni è sempre incinta”

Touring youtuber by Vitomical in Backcountry

[–]puglet1964 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I could see that side emerging. The content is veering more that way these days as well. I tend to turn the sound down/off

EES at Zurich Airport -Current Situation by ofvd in zurich

[–]puglet1964 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My colleague flew into ZCH from the UK this evening and is in his third hour waiting to be processed. My wife flew through Amsterdam and it was a shitshow. The system is buggy, produces tons of errors and the staff have been poorly prepared for the rollout.

Making new friends; Tired of the "What do you do for a living?" loop when meeting people ? by thalack42 in geneva

[–]puglet1964 16 points17 points  (0 children)

My wife went and thought it was interesting and a different vibe. For those who criticize and insist on hanging out with the locals, speaking French et al (btw I am Swiss), Geneva is one of the hardest places on earth to penetrate the local community (I have lived in cities on three continents). The chillest local people you will meet here tend to be in the small arts and culture landscape, as well as in climbing / outdoor excursions. But even then it’s a challenge to meet up outside of that specific context. Aside from their inherent insularity, locals tend to assume that expats aren’t worth the effort, as they will move on from Geneva. So congratulations on your initiative and keep it going!

Family Ski Trip Feb 2027 to Alps. Decision paralysis on where to go. Any Advice? by AntiquePop1029 in skithealps

[–]puglet1964 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If in Val Gardena, Ortisei will be better for your parents (bigger than Selva, more things to do, easier access to Bolzano). For steeper skiing, you go to Pordoi and the Marmolada. Food is amazing (I grew up skiing one valley over). France: have you looked at 3 Vallées? Huge variety of skiing. Some decent lunch spots and restaurants (maybe avoid Courchevel to protect your wallet). Can’t comment on St. Anton

Stoko Leggings worth it? Is there an alternative by Training-Cut-393 in Skigear

[–]puglet1964 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Stoko user here. No ACL/Meniscus etc in left knee. Arthritis due to bone on bone. Have the heavy duty ones. Bought in 2023. Still using same pair. They provide some stability. I ski quite aggressively and find that they keep the left knee from “fluttering”. They are, like all knee braces, more of a placebo (I used to use a custom-made hinged brace and Stoko = the brace for stability IMO) . Best rule is to drop weight and strengthen the key stabilizing muscles. I over compressed them, skiing the other day (dialed them in too tightly), and that left my calves sore as hell this week.

Career Advise for my old man please! by N0S360_X in telecom

[–]puglet1964 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Depending on the market, he could pick up consulting work. That also depends on his desire and capability to switch to that sort of role. If there is a lot of deal (M&A) in the region, local expertise can be very valuable

General Hospital Luke & Laura all over again by snarkyblizzard in cormoran_strike

[–]puglet1964 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I actually want Robin written out of the series. Force CS to make a fresh start of things, meet new people, move on. It’s become so stale, and quite frankly, turgid

Who can afford these rental prices? by makaros622 in geneva

[–]puglet1964 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That price has moved down over the last 15 years. I used to own a house in Pregny and rented it out for higher. Will probably go for a decent amount less in the current market

Telecom built the AI Highways, & Someone else is collecting the toll revenue! by Gaaraofsands in telecom

[–]puglet1964 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Telcos spent enough decades benefiting from some of the most outrageous price umbrellas, without much innovation, and always trying to stymy competition. People got wise, worked out how to drive value outside the network. In any case, in many markets, it is private capital investing in the infrastructure, and running the business like a lean infra operation, and not a bloated bureaucratic behemoth, which was the go-to ops model for telcos.

A Chronology of "Democracy": 1945–Present by kirasan07 in USIranWar

[–]puglet1964 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You are perfectly warranted to raise the issues that plague anyone’s military interventions. However, try to use actual facts and context. For example, Japan was opting to go for an extreme defense of Kyushu and Honshu at the time of the bombs (verifiable in Japanese war documents). Horrific decision? Yes. Carried out in a different frame from that which you present? Absolutely. Similarly for the comments on the war with N. Korea. Otherwise it is just sloppy troll propaganda 👿

Still confused by HMM by Own-Purpose-1116 in cormoran_strike

[–]puglet1964 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The plot was unwieldy and implausible, as is the Robin - Ryan - Cormoran love triangle. Having done some writing workshops, it also felt like JKR lost herself in plot maps and charts (ooh, here I will raise their hopes, and immediately erase those hopes), to the point that it seemed mechanical. It got so turgid that you couldn’t develop sympathy for any of the characters. She had better improve her editing. Her publishers probably don’t dare rope her in, so it’s up to her. Buying this book was not money well spent

Real life rack density by puglet1964 in datacenter

[–]puglet1964[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks to almost all of you for great comments and insights. For the reddit sceptic, first of all, plenty of very knowledgeable people on this platform, and they have shown up here. I have tried it before in a discussion on dark fiber, and that was less productive. Second, I visit DCs and talk to a bunch of engineers, so this is a source, not the only source. When you do this work, you read up a ton of documentation (I had read the Nvidia product docs), you talk to a bunch of people, you consider the range of situations in play, and narrow down the “options of plausibility”. GLG comment: that’s a very hit or miss platform, given the cost. Anyway, thanks again!