Picture coordinate worksheet
No Man's Sky Coordinate Exchange
2017.06.08 22:01 x_Muzzler_x No Man's Sky Coordinate Exchange
A place for travelers in No Man's Sky to share and discuss in-game discoveries and creations.
2018.09.29 13:14 SterlingPeach show us your nodes
A community based on sharing unreal engine shaders in a practical and concise way.
2012.12.04 01:52 Sinopiagg Guardians of Middle-earth MOBA
Guardians of Middle-Earth newest MOBA to hit the scenes for PS3 and Xbox 360 only!
2024.05.29 04:50 No-Peak-5182 Trust fund baby? (update)
Hey everyone!
So, I read through the replies from the last thread and am so thankful for the advice. It was really eyeopening how insightful everyone was. Because truly I wasn't sure what this guy's deal was. So the goal of this date was to get more info like others suggested.
Anyway, we went on our third date and it was kind of interesting. He took me to an upscale restaurant, the kind where the waitstaff put the napkin in your lap for you haha. I think he could tell I was still a bit...cautious? So anyway he asked me if something was up, guess he could sense it. I did tell him I was a little skeptical about his situation so he did open up to me, which was kind of eye opening.
He told me he's always been passionate about art, studied it in school, and then after school went to go work for his family's company in the marketing department (he helped with their ads). He spent a few years doing that, but said it wasn't what he wanted to do, didn't like the office culture and felt out of place since the relationships were so fake since people knew who he was. So he quit and pursued art. He showed me his little art website (it was kind of cute haha), and told me he doesn't make any money from it and was a struggling artist, we shared a laughed which was nice.
But then he said he isn't totally inactive with the business, he attends the shareholder meeting every year, and he's on the board of their foundation and helps with coordinating donations(showed me the website with his name/picture listed). He shared a couple of the cool donations he helped with from around the world and he seemed really passionate about it. He didn't tell me before because "that's not really work" and he spends more time traveling and painting/art.
Anyway it was a nice dinner, he paid and then asked if I wanted to go on another date to paint some little ceramics at a small place in the city. He promised it's not to show off because in his words "I suck at painting". It sounds like a cute date so I think I'm up for it.
submitted by No-Peak-5182 to MarryWealthy [link] [comments]
So, I read through the replies from the last thread and am so thankful for the advice. It was really eyeopening how insightful everyone was. Because truly I wasn't sure what this guy's deal was. So the goal of this date was to get more info like others suggested.
Anyway, we went on our third date and it was kind of interesting. He took me to an upscale restaurant, the kind where the waitstaff put the napkin in your lap for you haha. I think he could tell I was still a bit...cautious? So anyway he asked me if something was up, guess he could sense it. I did tell him I was a little skeptical about his situation so he did open up to me, which was kind of eye opening.
He told me he's always been passionate about art, studied it in school, and then after school went to go work for his family's company in the marketing department (he helped with their ads). He spent a few years doing that, but said it wasn't what he wanted to do, didn't like the office culture and felt out of place since the relationships were so fake since people knew who he was. So he quit and pursued art. He showed me his little art website (it was kind of cute haha), and told me he doesn't make any money from it and was a struggling artist, we shared a laughed which was nice.
But then he said he isn't totally inactive with the business, he attends the shareholder meeting every year, and he's on the board of their foundation and helps with coordinating donations(showed me the website with his name/picture listed). He shared a couple of the cool donations he helped with from around the world and he seemed really passionate about it. He didn't tell me before because "that's not really work" and he spends more time traveling and painting/art.
Anyway it was a nice dinner, he paid and then asked if I wanted to go on another date to paint some little ceramics at a small place in the city. He promised it's not to show off because in his words "I suck at painting". It sounds like a cute date so I think I'm up for it.
2024.05.29 04:23 GrownUpGirlScout June 13th, I Can See You, Mean, and Taylor Starting a Fire in Liverpool? PART TWO-ICSY Video and Taylor's Selves Escaping and Setting Fire to her Past
 | In part one, I discussed my theory that the music video for Mean featured characters who were representations of either Taylor herself or explorations of her personal experiences with being bullied by mean people. submitted by GrownUpGirlScout to GaylorSwift [link] [comments] With that in mind, I think the video for I Can See You is a continuation on that idea and theme, as well as a easter egg for a resolution to the story Taylor is telling. In the I Can See You video, the first character we are able to fully see is Presley Cash. She has 3 stars drawn on her cheek, a direct connection to her character in the Mean music video, who was working as a "star" at a diner. https://preview.redd.it/yjsytt34883d1.png?width=1469&format=png&auto=webp&s=d5601419d3926dac8433f552d975946b0f6db26c When Presley Cash came out on stage after the premier of the video, she was wearing an outfit featuring sequin stars. https://preview.redd.it/9gcdb8wi883d1.png?width=1201&format=png&auto=webp&s=887c26701351cb1bdc0b786fe60bc9c167f48e67 Also of note? Presley Cash's birthday is June 13!!! This past December she posted on instagram a behind the scenes "photo" (its one still image, but it has a video transition sort of filter over it, and the song playing during it is ME!) from the video shoot on Taylor's birthday saying "it’s a “blondies born on the 13th kind of thing”. The hashtags on the photo include #mastermind, #gemini, #sagittarius, #June 13, #December 13, and #twinning. Sagittarius (the archer, Taylor's sign) is a fire sign while Gemini (the twins, Presley's sign) is an air sign. Fire needs air to burn... https://preview.redd.it/5p9ppgy5b83d1.png?width=1370&format=png&auto=webp&s=d40ef2616553e6260d17f9bfecfdc07518cde90e Next, we are finally able to see a clear shot of Joey King as she is working on breaking into the vault. https://preview.redd.it/f0h1xfswb83d1.png?width=1533&format=png&auto=webp&s=85e12e58dcf4a6f3c5cfab8ecb6e66a18a0b5627 She gets through the security lasers, makes it to the "Speak Now Museum" outside of the vault and is joined by Taylor Lautner, who jumps down from the ceiling. https://preview.redd.it/3ro0j6kec83d1.png?width=1493&format=png&auto=webp&s=fc61fb6e2e59dfedcbec86c013d5f0b01bda261a They walk through the "museum" while Taylor paces back and forth inside her vault. There are A LOT of pieces, all from the Speak Now era, but all from different contexts. There are set pieces from her Speak Now tour, there are clothes from tour, clothes from award shows, musical instruments, outfits from press and media and music videos. King and Lautner are walking together through these artifacts and they come to the dress Joey King wears in the Mean music video. Inside the case with the dress, there is a photo of King with Swift as a child, and there's a moment where Lautner and King are acknowledging one another and acknowledging a connection to this moment from the past. In this shot, you can see that the 4 outfits prominently featured are all from the Mean music video-train track Taylor's dress, the dress she wore with her hair braided and her band, then the dress she wore when she finally performs for King at the end of the video. Buuuut, King's dress is pretty much the only outfit in the entire "museum" Taylor did not wear herself during this time period. She could have included it just as a nod to King being in the video, but then it's a little odd to me she didn't include any other costumes worn by other people in her music videos? I think it's a way of pointing out how the girl from the Mean video is a notable part of Taylor's personal history from this time. https://preview.redd.it/hbmdv7d7e83d1.png?width=1502&format=png&auto=webp&s=73b5faf69fef103d9950b4b378a5cd99ba8e5087 There seems to be only one other outfit in the museum which was probably not worn by Taylor herself and the clearest view of it is off to the side of King's dress when we see the picture of her inside the dress display. https://preview.redd.it/mxpz1ar1g83d1.png?width=2651&format=png&auto=webp&s=cedb448965fba077b9ee62ac7f3fb2189b31b335 I've seen some different ideas of what the outfit might be-some theories it may be the outfit the boy in the Back to December video is wearing and other theories about it being an outfit Taylor was photographed wearing during that era. But I wonder if it might actually be this outfit, the suit worn by the "bullied young boy" from the Mean music video. https://preview.redd.it/pcltbyw2h83d1.png?width=2268&format=png&auto=webp&s=ca6707c1bd456e0860de903e6ea3483d7bcbefa1 It's VERY difficult to see clearly what that outfit is but to me it would make a lot of sense for it to be the suit the "bullied young boy" wears. One-because it would be a nod to an important character in that music video, who otherwise goes somewhat oddly unacknowledged in I Can See You. Two-It would, I think, establish more strongly the link between the "characters" from Mean being being versions of Taylor because they are the only pieces in the museum we see which Taylor did not wear (or use) herself. I think they're meant to be a stronger visual clue than just outfits which happened to be in her music video-because why would those be the ONLY other non-Taylor worn outfits featured? And why did she SPECIFICALLY want to draw us back to Mean at all in I Can See You? I did not see any outfits worn by Presley Cash in the museum, which I was surprised by because I kind of expected it. But, then I began to wonder if--the version of Taylor who is a "star" isn't stuck in this past, isn't stuck in the vault? That version of Taylor she portrayed in the Mean video-the girl whose peers try to come after her and dull her shine, who gets smarter, who goes to the city and works hard, she is already free-and that's why she is the one coordinating the escape? I dunno. But I think it was certainly an intentional choice. So I mentioned in the last part that I find it notable and interesting that Taylor chose to cast Taylor Lautner in this video. While yes, the video is general-Speak Now-era heavy, she is still FOR SURE drawing our attention to Mean. Instead of speculating on why the original actor who played "bullied young boy" wasn't cast, I'm going to speculate on why Taylor Lautner WAS. 1-I think she wanted the roles of the original Mean "characters" and those versions of herself/that story to be featured and called back upon, and so she wanted the 4th character to be included and she wanted the 4th character to be male. I don't think that Lautner is supposed to be the "adult" version of the boy from the Mean video necessarily, but I think he's supposed to be a stand in for someone who represents a part of Taylor which was bullied and ridiculed for her relationships choices (both public and private) during that time, specifically. I also think it's a bit of a Theylor thing, making the intentional choice to cast a "part" of herself as a man-as a way of expressing herself while throwing people off the idea that she may be identifying with that particular part of the story is a very Taylor thing to do. 2-His name is Taylor and she REALLY likes to point out the "Taylor? Taylor? Taylor? Which one's the real Taylor!?" of it all, as illustrated in the meme she posted on Instagram when announcing the video. Swift, Lautner, and his wife (also named Taylor) recreated the classic Spider-Man meme where a bunch of spider men are pointing at one another, trying to figure out who is the real Spider Man. In the caption of the instagram post she writes "Tale of 3 Taylors". Hmmmmm. Which 3 Taylors is she telling the tale of? She cast someone who would specifically make the narrative of the video "Taylor rescues Taylor from vault where she is being held hostage." https://preview.redd.it/hwxysw2pr83d1.png?width=1235&format=png&auto=webp&s=7a2b8eb544fe37ed321498c333ef864701641bcf 3-I think Taylor Lautner is a big honking arrow pointing at the PR-meta aspects of Taylor's past. I personally don't think Taylor Lautner was a beard, but I absolutely believe he was a PR relationship. I think casting him points people back towards this and maybe gets them thinking about WHY he of everyone she's "dated" is someone with whom there's never really been any hint of animosity. And if she got along with him so well and still seems to get along with him well, why does no one ever speculate she's still singing about him being the one who got away? Casting him in this and inviting him to the stage during tour and inviting his wife to tour and being friendly with them all seems to cement him VERY firmly in the Speak Now era, as well as pre-empting possible speculation, knowing her next release is going to invite a TON of speculation. As the music video continues King and Lautner break into the Vault where Taylor is being held. Vault Taylor's behavior throughout the video is interesting as well. She is waiting, she is anticipating, she is preparing. She isn't trying to get out. She sits on a bench lounging and looking at the walls where there are hash marks either counting up or counting down the days. She carefully uncovers her music on the wall. She listens for her rescuers. When they finally arrive, she looks relieved and happy to see them, but she doesn't seem surprised necessarily. But also, she also very obviously KNOWS them and TRUSTS them immediately. Knows and trusts them enough to rescue her. Knows and trusts them enough to follow them into gunfire. https://preview.redd.it/qzsetls9z93d1.png?width=1979&format=png&auto=webp&s=b25dcb13b60bbc4c3044bca3b0b7d5093a5b0e7a I don't think it's completely outside the realm of possibility that it's meant to be seen as her knowing and trusting Taylor Lautner (her ex boyfriend-he is as far as it seems supposed to be playing "himself" in this video?) and Joey King. But then, who is King supposed to be? The actress who played a character in one of her music videos over ten years ago? Or that "character" now grown? Maybe she was and still is supposed to be a representation of Taylor's fans but...I dunno. It makes a lot more sense to me for it to be a moment of Taylor recognizing parts of her self or even metaphorical parts of her past, and that being the reason she trusts them. Taylor has made it VERY clear that she sees herself as always ending up alone in a battle and feeling as if she's the only one she can trust. https://preview.redd.it/dxho8m9le93d1.png?width=2457&format=png&auto=webp&s=6ec5a821c19d264f54f48ef59f54826c20d29f3a With Speak Now (TV) already in hand (again, as if she was ready to go, anticipating a rescue) the three run from the building while ducking bullets as the glass surrounding the artifacts of Speak Now shatter. https://preview.redd.it/oltfwwc2g93d1.png?width=2712&format=png&auto=webp&s=5856aef1ee58c785dae66f79962326f74d8d3808 Presley Cash flips a switch that begins an explosion just as the three exit the building. I again think this is a subtle indication of Taylor's trust of the people involved in this heist, that she seems to know and accept that in order to escape she HAS to blow up some of the most deeply personal parts of her history. An indication that they are people she trusts COMPLETELY to get her and her music (the most important part of her past) out safely. Again, I think the only person Taylor truly trusts to pull this off is herself. https://preview.redd.it/fc4w54l5j93d1.png?width=2415&format=png&auto=webp&s=61aefbd4e6c0af666562fe59c72ae8c2fc6d12c9 Taylor gives the building where she has been held captive one last look, and her companions yell for her to get into the van. https://preview.redd.it/ncaymbk8j93d1.png?width=2835&format=png&auto=webp&s=4c67a819740179f55cca448f5af6d4503b4dab98 They drive away https://preview.redd.it/gkjit9k0k93d1.png?width=2776&format=png&auto=webp&s=b607f90f58bd6de7118f3e6730edbe37bf1ea3b7 I believe ALL of this is connected to the upcoming 100th show on June 13 in Liverpool. I think I Can See You set up an entire premise that something is going to happen in Liverpool that is going to destroy the public image of her past. She and her music are going to escape, but all of these memories that WE recognize of HER also have to be lost in order for that to happen. She just KEEPS using all of this burning, exploding, destructive imagery-but what has she burned down? As far as the public narrative goes, Taylor's plans to re-claim her music has not had to include a total and compete destruction of anything. It started off as a very risky move, but by the time this video was filmed I think it was clear Taylor's entire re-record project was going to be a huge success-she even uses the final shots to tease the next one, further indicating that she had a Plan with this video. The Liverpool Film Office has a post talking about Taylor filming the video. It includes a list of locations which gives even more evidence that Taylor was very thoughtful about where she chose to film this video in particular.
ANYWAY. Thanks all for clowning around with me a bit on this. =) Truly Taylor's burning, exploding, escaping, destroying imagery takes up a TON of space in my brain and it just keeps getting more and more intense and the countdown is getting closer and closer and yeah. I can't stop making connections!!!! And I'm very excited to see what the rest of this year brings!!!!!! |
2024.05.29 03:32 spurius_tadius Drip near water meter !
 | I was just in the basement and happened to notice a drip coming from the pipe that goes into my water meter. It's a slow drip, so I might have missed it for a few days but it's relatively new. submitted by spurius_tadius to askaplumber [link] [comments] Pic is at bottom. In the picture, the part that's dripping is the adapter nut (?) labeled "F". Decided I might as well try to tighten nut "F" a little to see if that stops the drip. Before doing that I figured it would be a good idea to temporarily close the valves before and after the meter. This area is right next to my electrical box and the last thing I need is a water-works show. The valve labeled "A" tightened up OK (it's the one on the city side). However, as soon as I started to close valve "B" on the other side of the meter, it started dripping too, FML ! These are the old-timey style round valves. Now I have 2 drips: one at the adapter going into the water meter, "F", and one at the valve after the water meter, "B". This is utterly outside of my ability to do anything myself. Before I hand over a small suitcase of money to my friendly neighborhood plumber, a couple of questions....
|
2024.05.29 00:56 Salt-Adhesiveness498 My sister used a coordinator in Orlando who was awful.
My sister got married 4/1 at Disney World. She hired an outside company to come in and be her planneday of coordinator. When it came to the day of the wedding the coordinator disappeared for about 3-4 hours before the ceremony. She arrived after I did at the pavillion and did a quick introduction. She then said make sure you come back after walking grandma down the aisle, which I was already aware of since I was also walking my mom down the aisle.
The wedding begins and I walk my grandma down. I return to walk my mom down and as my mom and I are entering the aisle she repeats dont forget you have to come back here when your done. Both my mom and I were confused and asked why but we were already moving and not trying to stop my sisters wedding. So I return after walking my mom down the aisle. I ask why i was supposed to be her when id been told per my sister the bride and my mom I was just supposed to walk 2 people down the aisle. This is when I was informed that the coordinator had made a fhange without alerting my sister or mom. i was now suppowed to help bring the rings down the aisle...which meant i had to sit behind closed doors and miss my own sisters wedding.
I missed out on everything except the I do's and was furious. However I am containing my rage because it is my sisters wedding day. So I head over to the reception hall with my parents and girlfriend. When we get there over half the decor had not been touched or set up. Even tho lugh my sister had paid extra for someone to specifically get it all set up. So my family my girlfriend and I all jump in to help finish setting up. The coordinator yells at us saying we cannot be in the room and doing all this. Stating Disney does not allow this, even though none of the disney staffed has said a thing.
So my dad, girlfriend, and I all leave the room but my mom stays behind to help. Shes working on stuffing gift bags when she is yelled at again by the coordinator that she cannot be in the room. My girlfriend and I are down the hall from the room and can here all this clearly. My mother comes out flustered and ranting about how nothing is going to be finished in time. By the time the doors opened for the reception all that was up was a photo op station, a table for messages for the bride and groom, some gift bags and a few centerpieces. My sister had about $300 dollars worth of decor unused.
We all sit down and enjoy dinner. After dinner my parents are asking the coordinator why none of her people are working the photo area which they were hired to work. Apparently none of them knew how to work a poloroid and assumed it was broken when nothing but white pictures were printed. Instead of doing that or planning the rest of the evening the coordinator and her team were taking photos of themselves or dancing the night away on the dance floor. Then about half an hour before we all were supposed to go to a show at epcot, she walks up to me and says you know you have another job tonight. You have to bring the cake and the decorations to your sisters room. I just reply how am I supposed to do that with no car, no room key and I wasnt the one hired for that task. She did not seem to like that answer and stormed off. I mentioned that interaction with my parents who were also annoyed with her because that was specifically in the contract as an extra cost item.
So the night ends. She brings the cake to my sisters room, but forgets to leave all the used and unused decor. So my parents the day after are calling and trying to find out what happened to the rest of their stuff. Apparently she had left it in someone elses car and never took it out. So my parents arranged to have it dropped off. When it was dropped off all of my sisters decor was there, but so was another events decor.
It has been a few weeks of emails and calls back and forth. Not only has this company yet to even apologize for any of this, but the have instead called all of these issues "trivial and not real issues". The only offer of a solution was $150 dollars and a $50 discount of a trip planned with her through her other business.
If anyone is looking to hire a coordinator i highly recommend avoiding any company in florida with fairy tales in the name. Especially if Michelle is the coordinator.
submitted by Salt-Adhesiveness498 to weddingplanning [link] [comments]
The wedding begins and I walk my grandma down. I return to walk my mom down and as my mom and I are entering the aisle she repeats dont forget you have to come back here when your done. Both my mom and I were confused and asked why but we were already moving and not trying to stop my sisters wedding. So I return after walking my mom down the aisle. I ask why i was supposed to be her when id been told per my sister the bride and my mom I was just supposed to walk 2 people down the aisle. This is when I was informed that the coordinator had made a fhange without alerting my sister or mom. i was now suppowed to help bring the rings down the aisle...which meant i had to sit behind closed doors and miss my own sisters wedding.
I missed out on everything except the I do's and was furious. However I am containing my rage because it is my sisters wedding day. So I head over to the reception hall with my parents and girlfriend. When we get there over half the decor had not been touched or set up. Even tho lugh my sister had paid extra for someone to specifically get it all set up. So my family my girlfriend and I all jump in to help finish setting up. The coordinator yells at us saying we cannot be in the room and doing all this. Stating Disney does not allow this, even though none of the disney staffed has said a thing.
So my dad, girlfriend, and I all leave the room but my mom stays behind to help. Shes working on stuffing gift bags when she is yelled at again by the coordinator that she cannot be in the room. My girlfriend and I are down the hall from the room and can here all this clearly. My mother comes out flustered and ranting about how nothing is going to be finished in time. By the time the doors opened for the reception all that was up was a photo op station, a table for messages for the bride and groom, some gift bags and a few centerpieces. My sister had about $300 dollars worth of decor unused.
We all sit down and enjoy dinner. After dinner my parents are asking the coordinator why none of her people are working the photo area which they were hired to work. Apparently none of them knew how to work a poloroid and assumed it was broken when nothing but white pictures were printed. Instead of doing that or planning the rest of the evening the coordinator and her team were taking photos of themselves or dancing the night away on the dance floor. Then about half an hour before we all were supposed to go to a show at epcot, she walks up to me and says you know you have another job tonight. You have to bring the cake and the decorations to your sisters room. I just reply how am I supposed to do that with no car, no room key and I wasnt the one hired for that task. She did not seem to like that answer and stormed off. I mentioned that interaction with my parents who were also annoyed with her because that was specifically in the contract as an extra cost item.
So the night ends. She brings the cake to my sisters room, but forgets to leave all the used and unused decor. So my parents the day after are calling and trying to find out what happened to the rest of their stuff. Apparently she had left it in someone elses car and never took it out. So my parents arranged to have it dropped off. When it was dropped off all of my sisters decor was there, but so was another events decor.
It has been a few weeks of emails and calls back and forth. Not only has this company yet to even apologize for any of this, but the have instead called all of these issues "trivial and not real issues". The only offer of a solution was $150 dollars and a $50 discount of a trip planned with her through her other business.
If anyone is looking to hire a coordinator i highly recommend avoiding any company in florida with fairy tales in the name. Especially if Michelle is the coordinator.
2024.05.28 22:36 Individual_Dark_5777 What is the right transformation?
 | Hi everyone, I have a question about affine transformation. I have a tilted camera that takes pictures of an object. Of this object I have to detect a pin in order to calculate how much the object is rotated around its symmetry axis. The angle calculation is quite easy but I’m having troubles understanding if, to adjust the perspective of the camera I have to use a rotational transformation or a shear transformation (and in the last case how can I calculate the shear factor knowing the tilted angle of the camera?) I will add a picture for clarity. Theta is the camera angle and is fixed Gamma is what I need. I can calculate gamma if the image were perpendicular to the camera that’s why I want to apply an affine transformation to the coordinates to adjust the coordinate reference system. The camera software is giving me the x,y position of the pin in the camera reference system. I want to affinate transform this coordinates to x_dash, y_dash so that I can compute correctly gamma. Can you help me? submitted by Individual_Dark_5777 to computervision [link] [comments] |
2024.05.28 22:34 shtef Where to put checklists/processes?
We are a small shop using Syncro and IT Glue, and in the process of sorting our SOPs and documentation out.
I'm getting stuck on where to put processes. Been searching on here and on Tech Tribe for recommendations but haven't come to any conclusions yet.
Alternatively I'd be keen to hear how others are doing processes - especially with processes where variations or extra steps are needed. Do you just attach another process to the ticket when a user needs a variation like the 'Application setup' process added to their onboarding? I did see someone in a thread about Hudu mention something like this.
submitted by shtef to msp [link] [comments]
I'm getting stuck on where to put processes. Been searching on here and on Tech Tribe for recommendations but haven't come to any conclusions yet.
- Syncro uses worksheets which are very simple checklists. You have basic functionality, but can't do things like insert explanations for each step, add hyperlinks etc. The nice thing is the worksheets integrate directly into our tickets, but I'm struggling with how basic they are.
- IT Glue uses Checklist Templates which are dogsh*t to put it bluntly and haven't meaningfully changed or been upgraded in years. I tried to integrate these into our workflow but they just don't work well, lack a good place to attach them, lack features, and aren't particularly visually friendly when in progress and being checked off.
- I signed up for a trial of Hudu, and their process checklists are marginally better, however they seem to be intent on copying IT Glue for the most part and aren't that much different. They do look better when in progress though.
- I also trialled Monday.com, which may be able to work but it's not quite the workflow i'm looking for and while powerful its probably a bit overkill and more visually complicated.
- Easily accessible in the office and on site
- Options to add pictures, hyperlinks and other form items to the checklist
- Conditional logic would be great - "Does the new user need access to this application?" If yes - automatically attaches 'Application setup' process.
- Easy to modify.
- Easy to setup templates.
- Not $XXX per month. We're a small shop and can't justify dropping hundreds or thousands of dollars per month on this.
- Ideally integrates into our other tools but this is not essential at this stage.
Alternatively I'd be keen to hear how others are doing processes - especially with processes where variations or extra steps are needed. Do you just attach another process to the ticket when a user needs a variation like the 'Application setup' process added to their onboarding? I did see someone in a thread about Hudu mention something like this.
2024.05.28 21:25 boots-n-bows Our Elopement/Micro wedding Experience
 | While memories are still somewhat fresh, here is the full write-up of our early May elopement. submitted by boots-n-bows to Eloping [link] [comments] First, I know some can get persnickety about wording, so technically, this was a micro-wedding and not an elopement. We flew to Ireland and met 2 friends there for our wedding, but we told our friends and family back home about it all along. Only one family member took issue with it, everyone else was very supportive (at least to our knowledge). A big reason for wanting to do this write-up is I’m seeing more posts of people debating eloping, so wanted to share our experience. I’m extroverted and love attention, but my husband does not like it at all. I am also super close to my family, and admit once I agreed to eloping, I was so worried day-of I’d feel sad or like I was missing something or someone(s). TL;DR: No regrets, we loved every second! Background My ‘condition’ for eloping’ was I wanted to have just one familiar face there. My dear friend had moved to Australia several years ago after meeting her now-husband in Ireland. It was easier and cheaper for them to come to Ireland than all the way to Seattle, and my husband liked them both so they were a perfect choice. She actually used to be a wedding photography assistant/second shooter, so I figured there was an added bonus of her helping with my bustle. We landed on Ireland for a location, which was very ‘us.’ We love beer, and saw in many pics of the elopement company we worked with had couples hitting pubs afterwards. We are having a party back home in about a month with all our friends/family. GENERAL STUFF We worked with Elope to Ireland. If you’re more Type A, working with a company like this might not be your jam. I am a big planner and over-preparer, and there were times I got a little stressed about not knowing things or being worried things were being missed. Day-of, our coordinator had everything handled and then some! If you can relax and trust the process, I’d super recommend having a company handle the logistics. Ireland has some tricky stuff legally, so we had to arrive a few days before our ceremony and meet with a registrar. The legal ceremony was technically done in our hotel, then we did our symbolic one at our chosen outdoor venue immediately after. We’re still waiting on our marriage certificate via mail. It would have been vastly easier to courthouse marry stateside first, but we wanted to have one true anniversary day. We opted to ship my dress (amongst other things) home in a suitcase to have one less thing to worry about. We used SendMyBag.com, which didn’t work quite as well as I’d have hoped, can detail our experience more if anyone asks in the comments. THE GREAT Not for one second was I missing anything or anyone. We were able to focus on just us and not any family drama or anything else took away our attention. The day was just purely us celebrating us. Walking into the pubs and pub-crawling in our wedding clothes. Oh man. This could partially be just choosing the coolest city with the best pubs and nicest people, but the first one we walked in had everyone stop and burst into cheers. All night long we had people walking up to us congratulating us and telling us they thought it was so cool we eloped that day. We got “hip hip hooray”ed TWICE. Don’t think we paid for more than one beer that whole night! Everyone was so nice, which I would NOT expect to happen in the US. The last pub with live music we went to even did a ‘first dance’ for us, and I ended up tossing my bouquet at the end of the night to the pub goers. It totally scratched my ‘attention’ itch of not getting a big ‘walk down the aisle’ moment, but wasn’t so much attention that my husband was uncomfortable. One of my biggest fears was having hair and makeup done ‘blind,’ with the elopement company selecting them and me talking to them the first time during the service. I admit I had some fear as well that in a more rural area, the pickins might be slim. I was blown away by how amazing my hair and makeup were! Remember how I mentioned our two friends were there? They need to start their own elopement company, because she was fluffing and bustling and helping with boob tape, he was running our buying champagne and umbrellas and they both took hundreds of pictures and video but also helped our professional photographer (he held an umbrella over her!) and they were just the best people ever. THE CONS Toting that dress around was a massive, giant pain in the ass. I used a nice garment bag (that I actually bought second-hand on Poshmark), but I opted for the cutesy Etsy hanger with the “Mrs. ____” in the wire. The dress straps would NOT stay on the hanger, and as we flew in and moved around Ireland (because of the rules for legally marrying there, we had a gap between meeting with the registrar and our ceremony, so we played tourist and city-hopped a lot before our ceremony), I had to keep pausing, unzipping the bag, re-hanging it, and cursing the hanger’s existence. The dress was unscathed though, no wrinkles and I didn’t even need to steam it. It rained. It tends to do that in Ireland, but man, it really rained during our whole outdoor ceremony. My hair and makeup stayed perfect, and my husband and friends did wonderfully at keeping my spirits up, but dragging around a wet dress clinging to my skin was NOT fun. But, there was nothing to be done about it. I hadn’t practiced with the Good Lines boob tape, and getting it on took AWHILE. There was some trial and error and wasted product, but the end result was lovely. I didn’t spend the time to use fashion tape to get my dress to stay on my body though, so whenever I was sitting it was moving around. Despite my badgering, husband forgot to pack his ceremony socks, and I forgot to put on my bracelet. Cost: While our party back home is in a significantly cheaper venue not having to worry about a ceremony, we are still likely not ‘saving’ any money compared to a traditional ‘one and done’ event. . |
2024.05.28 19:32 bathroom_fire DACA Cover Letter Example
 | I copied this cover letter from my cousin's application as he did it through a lawyer. My sister and I have used this to self-file our applications and I feel like it looks pretty professional. All three of us have no travel outside the US which is why it states that. Just make sure if relfects your application. submitted by bathroom_fire to DACA [link] [comments] I attached an imagine so you can see what the file will look like. I put it up on file bin so if anyone wants a copy the can downlaod. If anyone has another way of sharing longer, I would be open to suggestions. Let me know if you have any questions. EDIT The picture didn't post & neither did the link. https://filebin.net/fc9cqyr2w3sh72md Edit 2 Made some changes, hopefully this is better. We are all in this mess, I hope this helps. https://preview.redd.it/cktvv5p2k73d1.png?width=529&format=png&auto=webp&s=29934aec6529fb98a96f85f4adbb59fef8e76fba |
2024.05.28 19:15 JeffJacksonNC Mexican cartels and the culture war that didn't happen - Rep. Jeff Jackson
 | I’m on the Armed Services Committee and last week we passed the annual defense bill. submitted by JeffJacksonNC to ncpolitics [link] [comments] Our committee met for twelve hours. We voted on several hundred amendments. In the back room, staff created a mountain of snacks for us. We ransacked it. The number of older guys drinking 5-Hour Energy bottles was alarming. I had some cardiovascular concerns for them. One of the big questions was whether the defense bill was going to become another culture war debate - as it had last year. The way that happens is through amendments. As presented, the bill itself is relatively free from super hot-button issues. But members often like to use the media focus that comes with the defense bill - there were a lot of cameras in the room - to pick fights they think will play well to a select audience. But after a few hours, there hadn’t been much of that. A few disagreements and debates, but they were generally relevant to the bill - which surprised me. At one point, I found myself in the back room (the one with the snacks) with a member of the right-flank. This person is a big-time culture warrior who is often loud and abrasive on television, but who has always been exceptionally cordial when we’ve spoken in private. I was curious why this year was so much less culture war-y than last year, so I asked. Here was our conversation: “Hey, where are all your wild amendments? I thought it was gonna be showtime for you.” “Yeah, well, leadership says we need votes from the minority party to pass the bill.” “But didn’t you need their votes last year?” “Yeah, but we didn’t think we would. We lost more of our party on this bill last year than we expected. Now our margin is even smaller, so we know we’re gonna need their votes.” In other words: We can’t afford to load this up with poison pills because when it comes to the full House for a vote, it has to have bipartisan support or it won’t pass. Which made sense, but the interesting part was the sadness in the voice. I could tell it really hurt to miss such a golden opportunity to try to infuriate roughly half the country. A very reluctant pragmatist. Coordinate vs. consult I got a handful of amendments passed, but one of them became a close call. Quick context: We have a major fentanyl epidemic, as you know. Two cartels in Mexico make almost all the fentanyl coming into our country, and a lot of the supplies they use to manufacture the fentanyl come from China. That means there’s a huge crossover in our response between the State and Defense Departments, as well as other countries’ governments. So I filed an amendment to address the fentanyl epidemic, and part of that amendment called for “coordination” between those two departments. Turns out, that was a major problem. I was told that “coordination” was going too far. The most they would accept was “consultation.” I talked it over with my staff. Practically speaking, the difference was almost negligible. So I said, “Let’s stick with coordination. I’m sure it’ll be fine.” It was not fine. Two hours later my amendment still hadn’t come to a vote. No biggie. It’s a long day, plenty of time on the clock. Then three hours. Then four. Then five. Then I got word: “Coordination” was an absolute dealbreaker. It had to be “consultation,” or my amendment was toast. It’s moments like this where you really feel what it means to be a freshman member of Congress. This wasn’t a fight I was going to win. I told my staff, “You know, on second thought, consultation sounds great to me.” We changed the word - and it passed unanimously. Best, Jeff Jackson P.S. - I’m not allowed to show you a picture of the pile of snacks from inside the back room of the Armed Services Committee - but I asked A.I. to give me it's best version and... it pretty much nailed it: https://preview.redd.it/jaa3hfwba73d1.png?width=1008&format=png&auto=webp&s=96b784e9f54d9921e013e6cefc34e5aceacb6cd0 |
2024.05.28 19:13 JeffJacksonNC Mexican cartels and the culture war that didn't happen - Rep. Jeff Jackson
 | I’m on the Armed Services Committee and last week we passed the annual defense bill. submitted by JeffJacksonNC to Charlotte [link] [comments] Our committee met for twelve hours. We voted on several hundred amendments. In the back room, staff created a mountain of snacks for us. We ransacked it. The number of older guys drinking 5-Hour Energy bottles was alarming. I had some cardiovascular concerns for them. One of the big questions was whether the defense bill was going to become another culture war debate - as it had last year. The way that happens is through amendments. As presented, the bill itself is relatively free from super hot-button issues. But members often like to use the media focus that comes with the defense bill - there were a lot of cameras in the room - to pick fights they think will play well to a select audience. But after a few hours, there hadn’t been much of that. A few disagreements and debates, but they were generally relevant to the bill - which surprised me. At one point, I found myself in the back room (the one with the snacks) with a member of the right-flank. This person is a big-time culture warrior who is often loud and abrasive on television, but who has always been exceptionally cordial when we’ve spoken in private. I was curious why this year was so much less culture war-y than last year, so I asked. Here was our conversation: “Hey, where are all your wild amendments? I thought it was gonna be showtime for you.” “Yeah, well, leadership says we need votes from the minority party to pass the bill.” “But didn’t you need their votes last year?” “Yeah, but we didn’t think we would. We lost more of our party on this bill last year than we expected. Now our margin is even smaller, so we know we’re gonna need their votes.” In other words: We can’t afford to load this up with poison pills because when it comes to the full House for a vote, it has to have bipartisan support or it won’t pass. Which made sense, but the interesting part was the sadness in the voice. I could tell it really hurt to miss such a golden opportunity to try to infuriate roughly half the country. A very reluctant pragmatist. Coordinate vs. consult I got a handful of amendments passed, but one of them became a close call. Quick context: We have a major fentanyl epidemic, as you know. Two cartels in Mexico make almost all the fentanyl coming into our country, and a lot of the supplies they use to manufacture the fentanyl come from China. That means there’s a huge crossover in our response between the State and Defense Departments, as well as other countries’ governments. So I filed an amendment to address the fentanyl epidemic, and part of that amendment called for “coordination” between those two departments. Turns out, that was a major problem. I was told that “coordination” was going too far. The most they would accept was “consultation.” I talked it over with my staff. Practically speaking, the difference was almost negligible. So I said, “Let’s stick with coordination. I’m sure it’ll be fine.” It was not fine. Two hours later my amendment still hadn’t come to a vote. No biggie. It’s a long day, plenty of time on the clock. Then three hours. Then four. Then five. Then I got word: “Coordination” was an absolute dealbreaker. It had to be “consultation,” or my amendment was toast. It’s moments like this where you really feel what it means to be a freshman member of Congress. This wasn’t a fight I was going to win. I told my staff, “You know, on second thought, consultation sounds great to me.” We changed the word - and it passed unanimously. Best, Jeff Jackson P.S. - I’m not allowed to show you a picture of the pile of snacks from inside the back room of the Armed Services Committee - but I asked A.I. to give me it's best version and... it pretty much nailed it: https://preview.redd.it/dn9my0do973d1.png?width=1008&format=png&auto=webp&s=234fd27e7214664f29b34afbd6f3a15909d588f5 |
2024.05.28 19:04 JeffJacksonNC Mexican cartels and the culture war that didn't happen
 | This is from my semi-weekly Substack newsletter. I usually don't post those here, but thought I'd make an exception for this one. If you'd like to sign up to get these updates a few times per month, you can do that here. submitted by JeffJacksonNC to jeffjackson [link] [comments] \*\** I’m on the Armed Services Committee and last week we passed the annual defense bill. Our committee met for twelve hours. We voted on several hundred amendments. In the back room, staff created a mountain of snacks for us. We ransacked it. The number of older guys drinking 5-Hour Energy bottles was alarming. I had some cardiovascular concerns for them. One of the big questions was whether the defense bill was going to become another culture war debate - as it had last year. The way that happens is through amendments. As presented, the bill itself is relatively free from super hot-button issues. But members often like to use the media focus that comes with the defense bill - there were a lot of cameras in the room - to pick fights they think will play well to a select audience. But after a few hours, there hadn’t been much of that. A few disagreements and debates, but they were generally relevant to the bill - which surprised me. At one point, I found myself in the back room (the one with the snacks) with a member of the right-flank. This person is a big-time culture warrior who is often loud and abrasive on television, but who has always been exceptionally cordial when we’ve spoken in private. I was curious why this year was so much less culture war-y than last year, so I asked. Here was our conversation: “Hey, where are all your wild amendments? I thought it was gonna be showtime for you.” “Yeah, well, leadership says we need votes from the minority party to pass the bill.” “But didn’t you need their votes last year?” “Yeah, but we didn’t think we would. We lost more of our party on this bill last year than we expected. Now our margin is even smaller, so we know we’re gonna need their votes.” In other words: We can’t afford to load this up with poison pills because when it comes to the full House for a vote, it has to have bipartisan support or it won’t pass. Which made sense, but the interesting part was the sadness in the voice. I could tell it really hurt to miss such a golden opportunity to try to infuriate roughly half the country. A very reluctant pragmatist. Coordinate vs. consult I got a handful of amendments passed, but one of them became a close call. Quick context: We have a major fentanyl epidemic, as you know. Two cartels in Mexico make almost all the fentanyl coming into our country, and a lot of the supplies they use to manufacture the fentanyl come from China. That means there’s a huge crossover in our response between the State and Defense Departments, as well as other countries’ governments. So I filed an amendment to address the fentanyl epidemic, and part of that amendment called for “coordination” between those two departments. Turns out, that was a major problem. I was told that “coordination” was going too far. The most they would accept was “consultation.” I talked it over with my staff. Practically speaking, the difference was almost negligible. So I said, “Let’s stick with coordination. I’m sure it’ll be fine.” It was not fine. Two hours later my amendment still hadn’t come to a vote. No biggie. It’s a long day, plenty of time on the clock. Then three hours. Then four. Then five. Then I got word: “Coordination” was an absolute dealbreaker. It had to be “consultation,” or my amendment was toast. It’s moments like this where you really feel what it means to be a freshman member of Congress. This wasn’t a fight I was going to win. I told my staff, “You know, on second thought, consultation sounds great to me.” We changed the word - and it passed unanimously. Best, Jeff Jackson P.S. - I’m not allowed to show you a picture of the pile of snacks from inside the back room of the Armed Services Committee - but not to fear, as A.I. once again gets the job done: https://preview.redd.it/zqcv2qcd873d1.png?width=1008&format=png&auto=webp&s=c802c975c6e9f989dc3ad4bf6be821473fe77bd6 |
2024.05.28 19:02 JeffJacksonNC Mexican cartels and the culture war that didn't happen.
 | This is from my semi-weekly Substack newsletter. I usually don't post those here, but thought I'd make an exception for this one. If you'd like to sign up to get these updates a few times per month, you can do that here. submitted by JeffJacksonNC to u/JeffJacksonNC [link] [comments] \*\** I’m on the Armed Services Committee and last week we passed the annual defense bill. Our committee met for twelve hours. We voted on several hundred amendments. In the back room, staff created a mountain of snacks for us. We ransacked it. The number of older guys drinking 5-Hour Energy bottles was alarming. I had some cardiovascular concerns for them. One of the big questions was whether the defense bill was going to become another culture war debate - as it had last year. The way that happens is through amendments. As presented, the bill itself is relatively free from super hot-button issues. But members often like to use the media focus that comes with the defense bill - there were a lot of cameras in the room - to pick fights they think will play well to a select audience. But after a few hours, there hadn’t been much of that. A few disagreements and debates, but they were generally relevant to the bill - which surprised me. At one point, I found myself in the back room (the one with the snacks) with a member of the right-flank. This person is a big-time culture warrior who is often loud and abrasive on television, but who has always been exceptionally cordial when we’ve spoken in private. I was curious why this year was so much less culture war-y than last year, so I asked. Here was our conversation: “Hey, where are all your wild amendments? I thought it was gonna be showtime for you.” “Yeah, well, leadership says we need votes from the minority party to pass the bill.” “But didn’t you need their votes last year?” “Yeah, but we didn’t think we would. We lost more of our party on this bill last year than we expected. Now our margin is even smaller, so we know we’re gonna need their votes.” In other words: We can’t afford to load this up with poison pills because when it comes to the full House for a vote, it has to have bipartisan support or it won’t pass. Which made sense, but the interesting part was the sadness in the voice. I could tell it really hurt to miss such a golden opportunity to try to infuriate roughly half the country. A very reluctant pragmatist. Coordinate vs. consult I got a handful of amendments passed, but one of them became a close call. Quick context: We have a major fentanyl epidemic, as you know. Two cartels in Mexico make almost all the fentanyl coming into our country, and a lot of the supplies they use to manufacture the fentanyl come from China. That means there’s a huge crossover in our response between the State and Defense Departments, as well as other countries’ governments. So I filed an amendment to address the fentanyl epidemic, and part of that amendment called for “coordination” between those two departments. Turns out, that was a major problem. I was told that “coordination” was going too far. The most they would accept was “consultation.” I talked it over with my staff. Practically speaking, the difference was almost negligible. So I said, “Let’s stick with coordination. I’m sure it’ll be fine.” It was not fine. Two hours later my amendment still hadn’t come to a vote. No biggie. It’s a long day, plenty of time on the clock. Then three hours. Then four. Then five. Then I got word: “Coordination” was an absolute dealbreaker. It had to be “consultation,” or my amendment was toast. It’s moments like this where you really feel what it means to be a freshman member of Congress. This wasn’t a fight I was going to win. I told my staff, “You know, on second thought, consultation sounds great to me.” We changed the word - and it passed unanimously. Best, Jeff Jackson P.S. - I’m not allowed to show you a picture of the pile of snacks from inside the back room of the Armed Services Committee - but not to fear, as A.I. once again gets the job done: https://preview.redd.it/5zdj6bzh773d1.png?width=1008&format=png&auto=webp&s=47293dc21f33af425945880717c2c3e9d86cf94d |
2024.05.28 18:24 lanamattel Tablescapes for our $6k wedding
 | When our day of coordinator did the Big Reveal of our flipped room I almost cried! I was truly moved by how everything came together, and once everyone was seated with their wine glasses and plates/cutlery the look wasn't at all bare like I'd feared. With our playlists going and everyone talking and laughing and hugging and toasting, it was such a warm and joyful space. We did our ceremony in front of the fireplace and used my bouquet (pictured) and my MOH's bouquet for the sweetheart table. No one used our personalized playing cards, they were too busy vibing; immediate family took them home as favors along with their personal gifts, all of the potted plants, half of the flameless candles, AND leftovers, which they were very excited about lol. The food and drinks and cake were all 10/10. submitted by lanamattel to Weddingsunder10k [link] [comments] We're still using everything we took home, including the leftover palm leaf plates and bamboo napkins. Our living room tablescape is all wedding stuff including our cutting set, plus our bureau and my desk are upgraded with wedding touches. I originally wanted lots of lush compote centerpieces and ceremony florals but that plan was far too expensive. I was hella stressed about our tiny budget for multiple reasons but I ended up loving our modest plans and looking at our photos now I'm quite happy, no regrets. Trust your budget and create joy with what you have! |
2024.05.28 17:10 Any_Accountant4051 Location of a possible Mission
In the new Trailer at minute 0:36 you can see coordinates (picture 1), i was curious about it and typed those coordinates in, and found a result. (Picture 2)
The place thats given is Saddam Husseins Palace, next to the Airport. (Picture 3)
So are we getting a mission at saddams palace?
https://preview.redd.it/xp8fuyw5o63d1.png?width=1594&format=png&auto=webp&s=a12daa6285387c37e1dfcc9eec7011674776eba9
https://preview.redd.it/iejdhdb6o63d1.png?width=1153&format=png&auto=webp&s=ffdf2a91ada2b17cb3877f58101bd2dee79e02c2
https://preview.redd.it/om1zspq6o63d1.png?width=1226&format=png&auto=webp&s=bc7d86b546fc39eedf2465ecceabb8811989b420
submitted by Any_Accountant4051 to blackops6 [link] [comments]
The place thats given is Saddam Husseins Palace, next to the Airport. (Picture 3)
So are we getting a mission at saddams palace?
https://preview.redd.it/xp8fuyw5o63d1.png?width=1594&format=png&auto=webp&s=a12daa6285387c37e1dfcc9eec7011674776eba9
https://preview.redd.it/iejdhdb6o63d1.png?width=1153&format=png&auto=webp&s=ffdf2a91ada2b17cb3877f58101bd2dee79e02c2
https://preview.redd.it/om1zspq6o63d1.png?width=1226&format=png&auto=webp&s=bc7d86b546fc39eedf2465ecceabb8811989b420
2024.05.28 16:21 jayde-all-day not sure what to do
head is a mess so right now so this may not be written well or as articulated as i want but here goes.
im 19 and live w severe hoarder parents who don’t give a shit. i’ve tried everything to fix the house but get yelled at every time i do and i’m so fucking sick of it. i am scared shitless about what’s gonna happen to the house as they get older. i’ve spent so much time and money trying to clean this hell hole but it just goes back to the way it was.
the average apartment cost where i live is 2000$ a month. i quit my job last october because my manager was a racist pos who made my life hell. i’ve since applied to well over 100 jobs and only getting 2 interviews. i have another interview today so i’m crossing my fingers.
I did go to in person highschool for one semester but left to join my mom who was living in Montreal for six months for work. I couldn’t do in person school in Montreal (weird rules there) so I began doing self directed distance education. for those who don’t know what that is, picture all the worksheets, lessons, and other work that you do in school but without a teacher or other students (there are obviously other students who do this but you are not in direct contact with them). you are your own teacher and only have someone who will grade your assignments.
about a half a year later i was admitted to a psychiatric hospital after attempting. i was barely able to go one day without attempting so school flew off my radar. i spent three years in and out of hospital and really fell back on school. flash forward to now. i’m now 19 and still in highschool. everyone i started highschool with is in heading into their 2nd year of college. so trust me i feel beyond embarrassed. i have found an academic upgrading program in my city so i can at least get the courses to finish highschool.
i’ve been running numbers in my head and if i get this job and get approved for disability i could afford to lease an apartment or a car. i’m not sure which one i should look into more.
apartment: pros: -get out of the shit fuck of a house i live in -live closer to the upgrading program cons: -apartments i like and can afford are quite far from any job opportunities
car: pros: -easier and quicker to travel from a job to upgrading program -bit more freedom in terms of where i can go -can get extra money from doordash, or uber cons: -still need to live at home
i should also note i get 11k in a few years (from a family members will) so that would also help in paying for one of those options down the road
which one should i do? any suggestions/ideas/ support would be so helpful as i feel like i’m genuinely losing my mind
and if you’ve read this far thank you so much. 🥰❤️
submitted by jayde-all-day to ChildofHoarder [link] [comments]
im 19 and live w severe hoarder parents who don’t give a shit. i’ve tried everything to fix the house but get yelled at every time i do and i’m so fucking sick of it. i am scared shitless about what’s gonna happen to the house as they get older. i’ve spent so much time and money trying to clean this hell hole but it just goes back to the way it was.
the average apartment cost where i live is 2000$ a month. i quit my job last october because my manager was a racist pos who made my life hell. i’ve since applied to well over 100 jobs and only getting 2 interviews. i have another interview today so i’m crossing my fingers.
I did go to in person highschool for one semester but left to join my mom who was living in Montreal for six months for work. I couldn’t do in person school in Montreal (weird rules there) so I began doing self directed distance education. for those who don’t know what that is, picture all the worksheets, lessons, and other work that you do in school but without a teacher or other students (there are obviously other students who do this but you are not in direct contact with them). you are your own teacher and only have someone who will grade your assignments.
about a half a year later i was admitted to a psychiatric hospital after attempting. i was barely able to go one day without attempting so school flew off my radar. i spent three years in and out of hospital and really fell back on school. flash forward to now. i’m now 19 and still in highschool. everyone i started highschool with is in heading into their 2nd year of college. so trust me i feel beyond embarrassed. i have found an academic upgrading program in my city so i can at least get the courses to finish highschool.
i’ve been running numbers in my head and if i get this job and get approved for disability i could afford to lease an apartment or a car. i’m not sure which one i should look into more.
apartment: pros: -get out of the shit fuck of a house i live in -live closer to the upgrading program cons: -apartments i like and can afford are quite far from any job opportunities
car: pros: -easier and quicker to travel from a job to upgrading program -bit more freedom in terms of where i can go -can get extra money from doordash, or uber cons: -still need to live at home
i should also note i get 11k in a few years (from a family members will) so that would also help in paying for one of those options down the road
which one should i do? any suggestions/ideas/ support would be so helpful as i feel like i’m genuinely losing my mind
and if you’ve read this far thank you so much. 🥰❤️
2024.05.28 12:10 Gznork26 [SP] "After the Meltdown" (Part 1 of a series of stories)
"After the Meltdown" (Part 1 of a series of short stories)
by P. Orin Zack
“As Is” (Story 1 of 7)
[12/16/2007]
Ryan Svorlin stood in front of the big house, gaping. The keys hung loosely in his shaking hand, clattering against one another in rhythmic reflection of the waves of shock coursing through his troubled mind. “It… it’s… mine,” he stammered, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
“Well, sure,” the real estate lady told him. “You did sign the papers, didn’t you?”
He slowly turned to look at her. Paper-thin skin stretched across unnaturally prominent cheekbones. Overdone make-up. Probably over seventy, he guessed. “Of course. But I never expected to ---.”
“To be selected? Well, someone had to be. They couldn’t afford to let these places go vacant, after all.”
Less than a year had passed since the first cannonade in the financial meltdown destroyed the façade of normalcy masquerading as prosperity in the United States. Some faceless blogger had instigated a mortgage strike, an incautious response to the revelation that the reason the government was so determined to protect the masses from being dispossessed in their forced insolvency was the dirtiest little secret at the heart of the country’s high-flying economy – that nobody really owned all those high-risk loans, and therefore the houses could not be foreclosed. No one could have predicted what happened next.
“But what happened to the people who used to live here?” he said, taking in the carefully manicured grounds surrounding what must have been a million-dollar mansion not more than a year ago.
“Didn’t you follow that slow-motion train wreck in the news? How all the high-risk loans had been bundled into anonymous investment vehicles and oversold to the tune of about a hundred to one?”
He shrugged. “Well, sure. But what I didn’t get was why that meant the people in places like this ended up on the street. I thought they were rich. I mean, wouldn’t they have to be, in order to afford a place like this?”
“Come on, Mr. Svorlin, you can’t be that naïve, can you? They were only rich on paper. People like Gregory Davis, who used to live here, were only riding high because of the same financial leverage that made the risky mortgage scam work. Once the investment banks realized they couldn’t liquidate the loans they’d turned into sludge, they had no choice but to pull the so-called safe ones, like this gem. Davis might have thought he was rich, but once his house of cards came down, he wasn’t worth enough to get his own dog back from the pound.”
“So where did he end up?”
“To tell you the truth, I don’t really care. The world might be in chaos right now, but it’s a far sight better, as far as I’m concerned, than it was before the meltdown. At least now there’s some relationship between a person’s ability to do things and her budget. With all those clowns out of the picture, ordinary folks, people who can offer some useful product or service to others, are finally getting their due. For my money – and I earned it by knowing a thing or two about aircraft back in the day – I think it was worth the cost.”
He studied her briefly, wondering after her back-story, but then let it go. Things were changing so quickly any more that the most important thing about a person was what he could do right now. “Well, thanks for all the help,” he said, nodding courteously.
“Sure.” She turned smartly, perhaps recalling a younger day, and strode back towards the bus stop.
Ryan waited until she had rounded the bend before heading towards the big house’s ornate front door. Like all the other people who had posted bids for these mansions, he had no idea what he might find inside. They were all offered as-is, and it was up to the lucky winner to deal with whatever it is they might find.
His pace slackened as he drew towards the broad brick stairway up to the deck, which looked like it encircled the building. He slowly scanned the façade. The windows were intact, and he didn’t see any obvious signs of forced entry or vandalism. At least Davis’ public anonymity was good for something. A lot of these homes had been ransacked within days after the bottom fell out. Those were the ones with owners whose faces were plastered all over the news in the inevitable hunt for the guilty. Happily, even the newspapers didn’t fall for that dodge. They ran the stories, of course, but only as a way to hook the shadowy types who had thrown their business associates in front of the train to save their own skins. But Davis wasn’t one of them. Nobody really knew what he did, or where his wealth came from. Only that it had all evaporated one afternoon. And that he never made a move to protect it.
As he reached the top step, he raised the bundle of keys the real estate lady had handed him, and located the one she’d said was for the front door. He could see inside, through the gauzy layer of curtain beyond the big windows flanking him on both sides. The lights were still on.
The moment he opened the door, Ryan knew something was wrong. He hadn’t smelled death before, but couldn’t think of anything else to attribute the stench to. He grabbed a small table from just inside and used it to prop the door open. He’d crack some windows as soon as he’d determined what the source was.
Whatever else Davis might have been, he was a man who didn’t like clutter. The big room had a few carefully placed chairs and tables, Danish Modern from the look of them, and little else. He glanced down the long corridor that led towards the back of the house, but didn’t see any lights. So he followed the dogleg around to the right, and towards the arched entry to the dining room. He was getting closer, judging by the smell.
Steeling himself, Ryan stepped past the long dining room table, only tangentially aware of the intricate inlay work along its edge. Finding a body slumped over a table in the kitchen had been so overused in film and fiction, he was already flashing to several vintage mysteries, in a half-hearted attempt to lighten the mood. So, when he crossed the threshold and scanned the room, he was relieved to find the man he assumed to be the former owner, collapsed over the island sink, with a bloody pile of towels strategically placed to minimize the mess.
“How thoughtful, Mr. Davis” he said to the corpse. “Low profile to the end. I guess now I know why your house was so attractively priced.”
After opening the kitchen door and windows to clear the air a bit, Ryan returned to Davis’ impromptu sacrificial altar for another look. He’d cleanly slit his wrist with one of seven knives he’d laid out for the chore. The lucky one was submerged in the half-filled sink.
“Indecisive?” he asked. Then, spotting an open bottle of prescription narcotic near the microwave, he added, “And conscientious, too. So who were you, and how did you come to this?”
Not too long ago, a discovery like this would have been reason to call 911. But that was before the meltdown, before the city government admitted that it had been engaging in foolhardy investment schemes, too. It was just as broke as Davis here. The only city services still functioning were the ones charging users directly, like the bus system. The fire department had taken to using a pay-as-you-burn system. They’d put out your fire as soon as you showed them enough real money to cover the call, which meant that for most people, there was no fire department.
Davis was Ryan’s problem.
He’d have to dispose of the body himself, unless he had some way to pay for someone else to do it. Fortunately, there was plenty of lawn. All he needed was to find a shovel. Who knows, maybe the guy left one of them around, too.
But that could wait. At the moment, he was more interested in finding out more about his late benefactor. So he set off into the house in search of clues. Not surprisingly, it was a brief search. Davis had left some papers open on his office desk, and Ryan sat down to look through them.
The one on top was a copy of Davis’ will. Before the meltdown, he’d decided to leave everything to charity, a foundation that helped people rebuild their credit after going through bankruptcy. “Feeling guilty, were you, Greg?” he said as he paged through the man’s financial records. Just about every bit of his estate had been tied up in one kind of risky derivative or another… bundled mortgages, several kinds of GDP futures. It was a veritable grab bag of monetary moronity. And they were all worthless.
The only saving grace in the whole stack was a frayed news clipping, part of an old investigative piece that, if it were true, nearly landed the man in a Senate hearing room. Ryan flattened it out and began to read. About two-thirds of the way through, the author asserted that Gregory Davis had been instrumental in getting the government’s oversight board to look the other way when they had the chance to stop the worst of the schemes from being launched.
Davis had personally cocked the trigger. He was responsible for having set up the meta-derivatives that were offered to the governments of the world as a way to actually profit from their own debt. The meltdown, as inevitable as it might have been, must have been triggered by something. He was just unlucky enough to have been the fool who placed that last straw on the camel’s back. And nobody knew. It was his secret, and he couldn’t live with it. No wonder he killed himself.
Ryan dropped the clipping and went back to the kitchen… back to the site of what he now guessed was Davis’ idea of ultimate penance: personal blood sacrifice. He stared at the man’s body for a long moment, with not so much as a thought coursing through his head.
It wouldn’t do to clean up the mess, he decided, not after Davis went through so much trouble to make such a dramatic, albeit private, exit. No. Not when it could be put to such a good use.
He rummaged around the house for a while, until he finally found something suitable for a sign, and some heavy markers. When he was finished, he took it out on the patio and hung it from the banister so anyone passing by could see.
‘Thank the Trigger Man,’ it read, ‘$1.00 a spit.”
Davis, he decided, would be worth more, left as is.
THE END
"Full Value" (Story 2 of 7)
[12/26/2007]
Ryan Svorlin, bleary-eyed from a lack of sleep, had nearly stopped noticing the stench from the corpse in the kitchen. Nearly. The distraction of reading might have been more effective if he’d become engrossed in a good spy thriller instead of the stack of financial records left by the suicide down the hall.
At the sound of footsteps from the front room, he stopped reading a ‘white paper’ laying out the political strategy of a powerful industrial lobby and cocked his head to listen. Might be a paying customer, he thought. “Come on in!” he shouted over his shoulder.
Knowing that the former owner had been personally responsible for the chaos unleashed when the Ponzi scheme the international banking cartel called a monetary system collapsed was enough reason to try to make sense of it all. Finding both the man and his legacy in the mansion he’d just lucked into made it imperative. At a buck a shot, though, it didn’t look like he’d make enough money from people coming in to spit on the bloody hulk to cover the cost of getting rid of him. Ever since the global monetary meltdown, there were no municipal services any more, no police department to investigate the death, or morgue to pick up the body. Well, not that you’d notice, anyway. And there was just so long Ryan was willing to share his kitchen with the guy.
“Gregory Davis, you slimy son-of-a-bitch!” The voice echoed hollowly, sounding dry, raspy.
Svorlin smiled, and spun around on the expensive office chair. He’d left a donation jar amongst the knives that Davis had laid out beside the kitchen island sink where he’d slit his own wrist. He dropped the paper and rose to meet his guest.
“But why’d you have to go and kill yourself?” the voice lamented. “I’d have gladly saved you the trouble.”
By the time Ryan reached the kitchen, his visitor, a middle-aged man in a dirty business suit, was stuffing what looked like a hundred dollar bill into the jar. “Hi,” he said. “Sounds like you got here a bit late. Did you have a personal beef with him?”
The man nodded, turning. “You could say that. I’m Horace Lembridge, a member of the last class of Representatives voted into office before the roof fell. And to think I actually believed there was anything I could do to avert the crisis. More fool me.”
Ryan introduced himself, explained how he’d won the house in the foreclosure lottery, and then gestured at the jar. “Was that a Ben Franklin you just dropped on me?”
“Yeah. It’s blood money as far as I’m concerned, though. You’re welcome to it if it’ll help put his ass where the sun don’t shine.” Lembridge looked around for a moment. “Listen, can you spare a bite to eat? It was a long bus trip, and I didn’t stop for anything but nature.”
“Sure. I didn’t want to keep any food in here until I’d had a chance to disinfect. Fortunately, my benefactor had another fridge in the den. Come on back.” They walked past the office where Ryan had found Davis’ paper trail, and down two steps into a big room at the rear of the mansion. Ryan had set up a make-do kitchen beside the wet-bar, and used the ornate pool table by the picture window for a pantry. There was a wealth of packaged goods stacked by a corner pocket, and some plates and tableware nearby. They cracked some cans and boxes, opened some drinks, and sat in two of the ugliest chairs Ryan had ever seen.
Once they got settled, Lembridge picked up the conversation. “I was prepared to find that the true face of governance was ravaged with sores before I was sworn in, but I never expected to discover that the people elected to congress were embedded in a 360-degree theater of propaganda so compelling that they didn’t doubt it for a minute.”
Ryan chuckled humorlessly. “Naïve, were you?”
“It’s worse than that. You think you’re doing some good for the people who elected you. And you make excuses for the compromises you’re forced into, thinking that on balance you’re improving things. But the problem was that no matter which way you looked, the world you saw was contrived. Every source of information at your disposal, every choice you’re faced with, has been rigged. It’s like the whole government exists inside some perverted version of that movie, ‘The Truman Show’. And it’s not just our government, either. They’re all like that, or most of them, anyway. I don’t know what to believe any more.”
“Yeah,” Ryan said somberly as he picked up a can of tuna. “I was reading through Davis’ papers when you came in. And as usual, it all comes down to money. I used to scoff at all the conspiracy theorists… especially the ones who claimed the terrorist attacks on 9/11 were an inside job. But there it is. They were right. And it all came down to money.”
Congressman Lembridge lowered the stalk of canned asparagus he was munching and narrowed his eyes. “What?”
“The whole so-called ‘War on Terror’ was a put-up job. You knew that, right?”
“But that was the basis of my whole campaign. We’ve been struggling for years to prevent another attack like that. And it’s worked, too. Okay, I’ll grant you that there’s been some games played with the intelligence, but only to focus our efforts, to make it clear what we’re really up against.” The man’s voice had slowly taken on an edge of angry desperation, one that was now beginning to reflect in his face as well.
Ryan sat back, nervously fingering his fork. “Let me ask you a question, then. Do you believe that anything a business does to increase its profits is fair game… that an industry can legitimately induce national governments to act in its best interest?”
“Well, of course. They’ve just been taking it a bit too far, that’s all.”
“Even,” Ryan said, and paused uncertainly, “even if that means some people get hurt… or killed?”
His visitor’s face darkened. “Sometimes that can’t be helped.”
“If it’s intentional,” Ryan pressed.
“What are you suggesting?”
“I’m not ‘suggesting’ anything. According to Gregory Davis’ records, the Senate hearing that was conveniently cancelled so he wouldn’t be called to testify at was investigating the GDP derivatives being floated by the three biggest banks in the country. Those were the goodies that were sold short by an unidentified cartel of investors just before the mortgage strike hit the wind. The greedy bastards who placed those sell orders were betting that the US economy was about to tank. They positioned themselves to make the biggest killing in history on the backs of every single person and business that went into the crapper that day. Do you, in your wildest imagination, believe that anyone with the gall to pull that stunt would balk at killing a few thousand people for the sake of drumming up trillions in war profits?”
Lembridge stared at him, ashen-faced. “You’re serious?”
“Like the corpse in my kitchen. I’m sitting on proof of how the house of cards the banking cartel built up over the years was pulled. It’s all in Davis’ office. But what people have to be shown is how that house of cards was built, who was involved, and how long it took to build it. This isn’t something engineered by a bunch of billionaire cowboys. They might have gotten some of the booty, but anything with a time horizon that long has to be organized by something that has an even longer lifetime.”
The congressman rose and faced the window. He stood there for some minutes, nearly long enough for Ryan to finish the tuna in his can. Then he walked over to the pool table and leaned heavily against it, arms crossed tightly. “Like who?”
“I thought it was the old banking families at first. You know, Morgan and the rest. But then I wondered how there could have been a recurring effort to put them down, to reclaim the money system from the people who create it in the form of debt, rather than as payment for work done, the way the gang at Independence Hall laid it out when they founded this country. And I had to wonder if there wasn’t another player out there, and that maybe this struggle has been going on for longer than that, even.”
Lembridge relaxed a bit, dropping his arms and draping his fingers over the edge of the table’s felt inner ledge. “Like the perpetual struggle between good and evil?”
“Something like that, yeah. Maybe. Or perhaps a competition between two secret societies that have been manipulating humanity for millennia. But the point is that we have to start looking at the evidence, at all of the evidence, and in a way that doesn’t discard out of hand the possibility that what we see isn’t really what’s going on. Because sometimes, the truth is only obvious in hindsight. Sometimes, the only way to get there is by seeing the world in ways that others don’t.”
“So what do you intend to do?”
“Bury Mr. Davis, for one thing. But not too deeply, and not too far away. There’s plenty of lawn out there, and I’ve found a few shovels. If you want to help, I’d be thankful for it.”
Lembridge stepped away from the pool table, and faced Ryan squarely. “I think I would.”
“Great.” Ryan started towards the door, then stopped and turned back. “I do have one question for you before we start.”
“Oh?”
“You said you had a personal bone to pick with Davis. What was it?”
He smiled. “My sister. She worked on K Street, for one of the more specialized lobbying outfits. They focused on environmental issues, mostly. She thought she was one of the good guys, helping show Congress and the various agencies how their decisions affected the planet.”
Ryan shrugged. “I don’t understand. From what you just said, I’d say she was one of the good guys. That’s the upside of lobbying.”
“You’re right. And she was proud of her work there. But then she discovered that some of their work was being directed by outside interests. They were being used as cover, to make people like me vote for things that had other effects as well. Far worse ones.”
“So why didn’t she come here herself?”
“That’s kind of hard when you’re dead. She was killed in an explosion. What’s left of the media parroted the usual drivel about some lone terrorist who blamed environmentalists for destroying the economy. But after talking with you, I’m pretty sure it was much simpler. They just weren’t useful any more.”
“Grisly. But what does that have to do with our stiff?”
Lembridge didn’t answer right away. Instead, he continued on into the kitchen and stopped in front of Davis’ smelly corpse, still hanging there face down over the sink. “Our boy ran a clearing house for coordinating lobby activities, watching out for conflicts that could get them in each others’ way, right?”
“Sure. That’s how he put the bug in so many institutional ears about the new GDP derivative he was asked to testified about.”
The congressman glared angrily at Davis. “One of those institutions was my sister’s agency. He bankrupted the good guys along with everyone else. Oh, right,” he said, “I almost forgot,” and cast the spit he’d paid for. “Come on. Let’s go dig a hole.”
THE END
"LA Scrip" (Story 3 of 7)
[1/5/2008]
Cristall Bellows, dressed more formally that she liked, and cradling a backpack in her lap, signaled the driver, and waited nervously for the bus to stop. She’d never been to this part of Los Angeles before, and the sight of all these unkempt McMansions was making her queasy. She shouldered the pack, and started towards the front.
The driver, who had been watching in his mirror, turned as she approached. “Is that LA Scrip you’re carrying?”
She clutched it defensively, pale blue textured paper in a dark brown hand. “Yeah. I just got paid down at City Hall. Don’t you take it? I thought all city services --.”
“We do, we do,” he laughed. “Thanks for helping out. It’s not everyone gets paid with Scrip just yet, only the folks working directly for the city. So what do you do for us?”
“Teaching, after a fashion,” she said as she stuffed her fare into the slot. “I’ve been going around explaining this new money to people. I get some of the strangest looks when I tell them the city just prints it up.”
“Well, that did used to be illegal, after all. Counterfeiters were offered special treatment by the criminal justice system back when the Federal Reserve had a monopoly on creating money.” He opened the door. “Who knew they’d end up getting hired by the city after the economy crapped out? Well, thanks for riding my bus, and good luck.”
As the bus pulled away, she glanced up at the street sign to get her bearings, and then wriggled into her backpack. She was headed for one of the houses that were handed out in last month’s foreclosure lottery. This particular one interested her because the previous owner had been deeply involved in the financial sleight-of-hand that yanked down the economy around everyone’s ears. And like a lot of the people who affect the world in outsize ways, he was a cipher, one of the shadowy villains who thought they were so smart they could run the world from behind a curtain of secrecy and deniability. What she didn’t know was whether the man that won the property, a Mr. Ryan Svorlin, had the first clue about what sort of a ghost roamed his halls.
“Gregory Davis?” Svorlin said with an amused grin when she asked. “Sure. He was still hanging around in the kitchen when I got the keys. Buried him by that tree over there.”
She turned to look at the mound of dirt and recoiled. “You didn’t kill him, did you?”
“Hardly. The creep politely offed himself. Tried not to make too much of a mess at it, too. I gotta say, though, he did leave quite a treasure trove back in the office.”
“Money?”
Svorlin shook his head. “Paper trail a mile wide. The guy was flat out apoplectic about trying to atone for what he’d done. He even tried leaving his fortune to help the people whose lives he helped ruin. Not that those securities are worth anything any more. Even his back-up plan – a safe in the basement – was a disaster. US currency. All of it. Listen, I get the feeling this chat’s going to take a while. Come on in. I’ll show you around Davis’ old digs. What’s your interest in him, if you don’t mind a nosy question?”
She stopped to study an incomprehensible collage hanging in the foyer. “He had odd taste in art, didn’t he?”
“If you ask me, the man’s taste was all in his wallet. While he was still flying high, he prowled the auction circuit, snatching up what he thought of as investment properties. Of course, things like that are only worth what someone’s willing to pay for them. All those bucks he poured into his collection is just a pile of washable paper now. So if there’s something you like, let me know. Maybe we can work out a trade.”
Cristall smiled privately, and then turned to follow him down the hallway to the back of the house. She glanced into a cluttered room in passing, probably the office Svorlin had mentioned, judging from the furnishings. “You asked about my interest in Gregory Davis,” she said, descending the two steps into the sunny den.
“Actually,” he said after holding eye contact for a moment, “I was surprised you even knew about him. Is it personal? The congressman who helped me bury the guy took some satisfaction in digging his grave. Said it gave him a sense of closure.” He pointed at an ugly conversation set by the big window. “Is wine okay? He left me a ton of it.”
She set her pack down beside the chair, and watched while he uncorked a bottle of something neither of them would have been able to afford, and filled two glasses. “I discovered who he was while preparing the economics seminar I teach for the city. The subject is hard for most people to grasp, so I’ve gone out of my way to make it real for them, to put some flesh behind all those antiseptic terms we’ve been bludgeoned with over the years.”
“Yeah,” he said, handing her a goblet. “I know what you mean. It’s been murder… I mean, it’s been difficult figuring out what all those papers he left behind are all about. Fortunately, he also had some reference books, so I can look stuff up easily enough. Still, it’s not exactly my field.”
“Oh? What did you do before the meltdown?”
Svorlin shrugged. “Software. Tech stuff. There isn’t a lot of call for that sort of work right now, though. Anyone with working computers is going to be stuck with whatever programs they’ve got, at least for a while. There isn’t any new development going on except for the open source projects, and even those are hobbled by problems with the Internet. If it weren’t for the Ham Radio guys’ do-it-yourself packet network, we wouldn’t have gotten what backbones we have hooked up again after the telcos went all twitchy.”
She stared at him like he was signing in Swahili.
“Um,” he said sheepishly, “that didn’t mean a lot to you, did it.”
“No, but it did give me a good feel for what my own students are up against. Thanks.”
“What’s your seminar about?”
Cristall fished around in her pack for a moment, and handed him a crisp light blue ten-angel note. “LA Scrip. Have you gotten any yet?”
He examined it and handed it back. “The city’s printing money now? What’s it worth in dollars?”
“It’s not convertible. Scrip’s a whole different kind of money. I guess you could say it’s the modern-day equivalent of the old Greenbacks. They’re issued by the city in exchange for work performed for the common good. So I get paid in these for teaching people what they are. Which is poetic, really, because unless I do that, they really aren’t worth anything. People have to be willing to use them as money for them to be money.”
“I don’t get it. If that bill represents ten angels worth of labor, what kind of labor was it, and how to I convert that to the kind of work that I do? I mean, some labor’s more valuable than others, isn’t it?”
“Not if it’s performed for the common good. Scrip’s egalitarian.”
Ryan took a thoughtful sip of wine. “Okay. I’m lost. I get that you traded an hour of your time for some number of those angels, but how do you buy bread with it? What’s an hour of your time worth in terms of apples?”
“That’s the point of the seminar. We’re just now working it all out. That’s only one of the questions we needed to answer.”
“So what’s the conversion? How much bread is that new bread worth?”
“At this point, we’re just working with the local bakeries, because they make it themselves. And our solution is still a bit clunky, but it’s a start. A loaf of bread takes a certain amount of time and materials to make. We can assign a value to the labor portion in terms of LA Scrip, but anything the baker still needs to pay in dollars for, like materials and the shop itself, are valued in dollars. We’re hoping to eventually get everything moved over to Scrip. Then we can dispense with the dollars entirely.”
He sat back and gazed out the window for a while. After another sip of wine, he said, “So if I offer my tech services to the city, I’d get paid in LA Scrip?”
“Uh huh. And then you could use it for bus fare, like I did on the way over. The driver gets paid based on the number of riders, so friendliness is a virtue. Your fare is what you think the trip is worth. We modeled that after how some musicians have started selling their recordings. And the extra goes to keeping the busses running.”
“What about rent? How would that work?”
Cristall thought for a moment. “Don’t know. We haven’t tried cracking that one yet. Got any suggestions?”
“Not suggestions, but I do have a problem to solve.”
“Oh?”
“Well, yeah. You’re sitting in it. This place has seven bedrooms. What does a single guy need with seven bedrooms? I figured maybe I could turn it into a boarding house or something.”
She chuckled. “In that case, I think you may have just answered your own question.”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s a difference between running a boarding house and just renting out rooms. You’d be providing a service to the people living here, wouldn’t you? Meals, for example.”
“I hadn’t really thought it through that far, but okay, what if I do?”
“Then you can take angels for your time, at least. Are you serious about this?”
“Sure. Why?”
“Because I’d like to help you work out the bugs. I wouldn’t mind living here, if there were a chance to turn all these big lottery prizes into something of value. Once we’ve got the kinks worked out here, we can spread the word. So what do you think? Can we move in?”
He cocked his head slightly. “We?”
“Well, sure. I can’t keep leaving my daughter with my folks forever, you know. Daycare is a service, after all. It’ll be good for the new economy.”
THE END
Copyright 2007-2008 by P. Orin Zack
[To be continued with Story 4 "Face Value"]
submitted by Gznork26 to shortstories [link] [comments]
by P. Orin Zack
“As Is” (Story 1 of 7)
[12/16/2007]
Ryan Svorlin stood in front of the big house, gaping. The keys hung loosely in his shaking hand, clattering against one another in rhythmic reflection of the waves of shock coursing through his troubled mind. “It… it’s… mine,” he stammered, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
“Well, sure,” the real estate lady told him. “You did sign the papers, didn’t you?”
He slowly turned to look at her. Paper-thin skin stretched across unnaturally prominent cheekbones. Overdone make-up. Probably over seventy, he guessed. “Of course. But I never expected to ---.”
“To be selected? Well, someone had to be. They couldn’t afford to let these places go vacant, after all.”
Less than a year had passed since the first cannonade in the financial meltdown destroyed the façade of normalcy masquerading as prosperity in the United States. Some faceless blogger had instigated a mortgage strike, an incautious response to the revelation that the reason the government was so determined to protect the masses from being dispossessed in their forced insolvency was the dirtiest little secret at the heart of the country’s high-flying economy – that nobody really owned all those high-risk loans, and therefore the houses could not be foreclosed. No one could have predicted what happened next.
“But what happened to the people who used to live here?” he said, taking in the carefully manicured grounds surrounding what must have been a million-dollar mansion not more than a year ago.
“Didn’t you follow that slow-motion train wreck in the news? How all the high-risk loans had been bundled into anonymous investment vehicles and oversold to the tune of about a hundred to one?”
He shrugged. “Well, sure. But what I didn’t get was why that meant the people in places like this ended up on the street. I thought they were rich. I mean, wouldn’t they have to be, in order to afford a place like this?”
“Come on, Mr. Svorlin, you can’t be that naïve, can you? They were only rich on paper. People like Gregory Davis, who used to live here, were only riding high because of the same financial leverage that made the risky mortgage scam work. Once the investment banks realized they couldn’t liquidate the loans they’d turned into sludge, they had no choice but to pull the so-called safe ones, like this gem. Davis might have thought he was rich, but once his house of cards came down, he wasn’t worth enough to get his own dog back from the pound.”
“So where did he end up?”
“To tell you the truth, I don’t really care. The world might be in chaos right now, but it’s a far sight better, as far as I’m concerned, than it was before the meltdown. At least now there’s some relationship between a person’s ability to do things and her budget. With all those clowns out of the picture, ordinary folks, people who can offer some useful product or service to others, are finally getting their due. For my money – and I earned it by knowing a thing or two about aircraft back in the day – I think it was worth the cost.”
He studied her briefly, wondering after her back-story, but then let it go. Things were changing so quickly any more that the most important thing about a person was what he could do right now. “Well, thanks for all the help,” he said, nodding courteously.
“Sure.” She turned smartly, perhaps recalling a younger day, and strode back towards the bus stop.
Ryan waited until she had rounded the bend before heading towards the big house’s ornate front door. Like all the other people who had posted bids for these mansions, he had no idea what he might find inside. They were all offered as-is, and it was up to the lucky winner to deal with whatever it is they might find.
His pace slackened as he drew towards the broad brick stairway up to the deck, which looked like it encircled the building. He slowly scanned the façade. The windows were intact, and he didn’t see any obvious signs of forced entry or vandalism. At least Davis’ public anonymity was good for something. A lot of these homes had been ransacked within days after the bottom fell out. Those were the ones with owners whose faces were plastered all over the news in the inevitable hunt for the guilty. Happily, even the newspapers didn’t fall for that dodge. They ran the stories, of course, but only as a way to hook the shadowy types who had thrown their business associates in front of the train to save their own skins. But Davis wasn’t one of them. Nobody really knew what he did, or where his wealth came from. Only that it had all evaporated one afternoon. And that he never made a move to protect it.
As he reached the top step, he raised the bundle of keys the real estate lady had handed him, and located the one she’d said was for the front door. He could see inside, through the gauzy layer of curtain beyond the big windows flanking him on both sides. The lights were still on.
The moment he opened the door, Ryan knew something was wrong. He hadn’t smelled death before, but couldn’t think of anything else to attribute the stench to. He grabbed a small table from just inside and used it to prop the door open. He’d crack some windows as soon as he’d determined what the source was.
Whatever else Davis might have been, he was a man who didn’t like clutter. The big room had a few carefully placed chairs and tables, Danish Modern from the look of them, and little else. He glanced down the long corridor that led towards the back of the house, but didn’t see any lights. So he followed the dogleg around to the right, and towards the arched entry to the dining room. He was getting closer, judging by the smell.
Steeling himself, Ryan stepped past the long dining room table, only tangentially aware of the intricate inlay work along its edge. Finding a body slumped over a table in the kitchen had been so overused in film and fiction, he was already flashing to several vintage mysteries, in a half-hearted attempt to lighten the mood. So, when he crossed the threshold and scanned the room, he was relieved to find the man he assumed to be the former owner, collapsed over the island sink, with a bloody pile of towels strategically placed to minimize the mess.
“How thoughtful, Mr. Davis” he said to the corpse. “Low profile to the end. I guess now I know why your house was so attractively priced.”
After opening the kitchen door and windows to clear the air a bit, Ryan returned to Davis’ impromptu sacrificial altar for another look. He’d cleanly slit his wrist with one of seven knives he’d laid out for the chore. The lucky one was submerged in the half-filled sink.
“Indecisive?” he asked. Then, spotting an open bottle of prescription narcotic near the microwave, he added, “And conscientious, too. So who were you, and how did you come to this?”
Not too long ago, a discovery like this would have been reason to call 911. But that was before the meltdown, before the city government admitted that it had been engaging in foolhardy investment schemes, too. It was just as broke as Davis here. The only city services still functioning were the ones charging users directly, like the bus system. The fire department had taken to using a pay-as-you-burn system. They’d put out your fire as soon as you showed them enough real money to cover the call, which meant that for most people, there was no fire department.
Davis was Ryan’s problem.
He’d have to dispose of the body himself, unless he had some way to pay for someone else to do it. Fortunately, there was plenty of lawn. All he needed was to find a shovel. Who knows, maybe the guy left one of them around, too.
But that could wait. At the moment, he was more interested in finding out more about his late benefactor. So he set off into the house in search of clues. Not surprisingly, it was a brief search. Davis had left some papers open on his office desk, and Ryan sat down to look through them.
The one on top was a copy of Davis’ will. Before the meltdown, he’d decided to leave everything to charity, a foundation that helped people rebuild their credit after going through bankruptcy. “Feeling guilty, were you, Greg?” he said as he paged through the man’s financial records. Just about every bit of his estate had been tied up in one kind of risky derivative or another… bundled mortgages, several kinds of GDP futures. It was a veritable grab bag of monetary moronity. And they were all worthless.
The only saving grace in the whole stack was a frayed news clipping, part of an old investigative piece that, if it were true, nearly landed the man in a Senate hearing room. Ryan flattened it out and began to read. About two-thirds of the way through, the author asserted that Gregory Davis had been instrumental in getting the government’s oversight board to look the other way when they had the chance to stop the worst of the schemes from being launched.
Davis had personally cocked the trigger. He was responsible for having set up the meta-derivatives that were offered to the governments of the world as a way to actually profit from their own debt. The meltdown, as inevitable as it might have been, must have been triggered by something. He was just unlucky enough to have been the fool who placed that last straw on the camel’s back. And nobody knew. It was his secret, and he couldn’t live with it. No wonder he killed himself.
Ryan dropped the clipping and went back to the kitchen… back to the site of what he now guessed was Davis’ idea of ultimate penance: personal blood sacrifice. He stared at the man’s body for a long moment, with not so much as a thought coursing through his head.
It wouldn’t do to clean up the mess, he decided, not after Davis went through so much trouble to make such a dramatic, albeit private, exit. No. Not when it could be put to such a good use.
He rummaged around the house for a while, until he finally found something suitable for a sign, and some heavy markers. When he was finished, he took it out on the patio and hung it from the banister so anyone passing by could see.
‘Thank the Trigger Man,’ it read, ‘$1.00 a spit.”
Davis, he decided, would be worth more, left as is.
THE END
[12/26/2007]
Ryan Svorlin, bleary-eyed from a lack of sleep, had nearly stopped noticing the stench from the corpse in the kitchen. Nearly. The distraction of reading might have been more effective if he’d become engrossed in a good spy thriller instead of the stack of financial records left by the suicide down the hall.
At the sound of footsteps from the front room, he stopped reading a ‘white paper’ laying out the political strategy of a powerful industrial lobby and cocked his head to listen. Might be a paying customer, he thought. “Come on in!” he shouted over his shoulder.
Knowing that the former owner had been personally responsible for the chaos unleashed when the Ponzi scheme the international banking cartel called a monetary system collapsed was enough reason to try to make sense of it all. Finding both the man and his legacy in the mansion he’d just lucked into made it imperative. At a buck a shot, though, it didn’t look like he’d make enough money from people coming in to spit on the bloody hulk to cover the cost of getting rid of him. Ever since the global monetary meltdown, there were no municipal services any more, no police department to investigate the death, or morgue to pick up the body. Well, not that you’d notice, anyway. And there was just so long Ryan was willing to share his kitchen with the guy.
“Gregory Davis, you slimy son-of-a-bitch!” The voice echoed hollowly, sounding dry, raspy.
Svorlin smiled, and spun around on the expensive office chair. He’d left a donation jar amongst the knives that Davis had laid out beside the kitchen island sink where he’d slit his own wrist. He dropped the paper and rose to meet his guest.
“But why’d you have to go and kill yourself?” the voice lamented. “I’d have gladly saved you the trouble.”
By the time Ryan reached the kitchen, his visitor, a middle-aged man in a dirty business suit, was stuffing what looked like a hundred dollar bill into the jar. “Hi,” he said. “Sounds like you got here a bit late. Did you have a personal beef with him?”
The man nodded, turning. “You could say that. I’m Horace Lembridge, a member of the last class of Representatives voted into office before the roof fell. And to think I actually believed there was anything I could do to avert the crisis. More fool me.”
Ryan introduced himself, explained how he’d won the house in the foreclosure lottery, and then gestured at the jar. “Was that a Ben Franklin you just dropped on me?”
“Yeah. It’s blood money as far as I’m concerned, though. You’re welcome to it if it’ll help put his ass where the sun don’t shine.” Lembridge looked around for a moment. “Listen, can you spare a bite to eat? It was a long bus trip, and I didn’t stop for anything but nature.”
“Sure. I didn’t want to keep any food in here until I’d had a chance to disinfect. Fortunately, my benefactor had another fridge in the den. Come on back.” They walked past the office where Ryan had found Davis’ paper trail, and down two steps into a big room at the rear of the mansion. Ryan had set up a make-do kitchen beside the wet-bar, and used the ornate pool table by the picture window for a pantry. There was a wealth of packaged goods stacked by a corner pocket, and some plates and tableware nearby. They cracked some cans and boxes, opened some drinks, and sat in two of the ugliest chairs Ryan had ever seen.
Once they got settled, Lembridge picked up the conversation. “I was prepared to find that the true face of governance was ravaged with sores before I was sworn in, but I never expected to discover that the people elected to congress were embedded in a 360-degree theater of propaganda so compelling that they didn’t doubt it for a minute.”
Ryan chuckled humorlessly. “Naïve, were you?”
“It’s worse than that. You think you’re doing some good for the people who elected you. And you make excuses for the compromises you’re forced into, thinking that on balance you’re improving things. But the problem was that no matter which way you looked, the world you saw was contrived. Every source of information at your disposal, every choice you’re faced with, has been rigged. It’s like the whole government exists inside some perverted version of that movie, ‘The Truman Show’. And it’s not just our government, either. They’re all like that, or most of them, anyway. I don’t know what to believe any more.”
“Yeah,” Ryan said somberly as he picked up a can of tuna. “I was reading through Davis’ papers when you came in. And as usual, it all comes down to money. I used to scoff at all the conspiracy theorists… especially the ones who claimed the terrorist attacks on 9/11 were an inside job. But there it is. They were right. And it all came down to money.”
Congressman Lembridge lowered the stalk of canned asparagus he was munching and narrowed his eyes. “What?”
“The whole so-called ‘War on Terror’ was a put-up job. You knew that, right?”
“But that was the basis of my whole campaign. We’ve been struggling for years to prevent another attack like that. And it’s worked, too. Okay, I’ll grant you that there’s been some games played with the intelligence, but only to focus our efforts, to make it clear what we’re really up against.” The man’s voice had slowly taken on an edge of angry desperation, one that was now beginning to reflect in his face as well.
Ryan sat back, nervously fingering his fork. “Let me ask you a question, then. Do you believe that anything a business does to increase its profits is fair game… that an industry can legitimately induce national governments to act in its best interest?”
“Well, of course. They’ve just been taking it a bit too far, that’s all.”
“Even,” Ryan said, and paused uncertainly, “even if that means some people get hurt… or killed?”
His visitor’s face darkened. “Sometimes that can’t be helped.”
“If it’s intentional,” Ryan pressed.
“What are you suggesting?”
“I’m not ‘suggesting’ anything. According to Gregory Davis’ records, the Senate hearing that was conveniently cancelled so he wouldn’t be called to testify at was investigating the GDP derivatives being floated by the three biggest banks in the country. Those were the goodies that were sold short by an unidentified cartel of investors just before the mortgage strike hit the wind. The greedy bastards who placed those sell orders were betting that the US economy was about to tank. They positioned themselves to make the biggest killing in history on the backs of every single person and business that went into the crapper that day. Do you, in your wildest imagination, believe that anyone with the gall to pull that stunt would balk at killing a few thousand people for the sake of drumming up trillions in war profits?”
Lembridge stared at him, ashen-faced. “You’re serious?”
“Like the corpse in my kitchen. I’m sitting on proof of how the house of cards the banking cartel built up over the years was pulled. It’s all in Davis’ office. But what people have to be shown is how that house of cards was built, who was involved, and how long it took to build it. This isn’t something engineered by a bunch of billionaire cowboys. They might have gotten some of the booty, but anything with a time horizon that long has to be organized by something that has an even longer lifetime.”
The congressman rose and faced the window. He stood there for some minutes, nearly long enough for Ryan to finish the tuna in his can. Then he walked over to the pool table and leaned heavily against it, arms crossed tightly. “Like who?”
“I thought it was the old banking families at first. You know, Morgan and the rest. But then I wondered how there could have been a recurring effort to put them down, to reclaim the money system from the people who create it in the form of debt, rather than as payment for work done, the way the gang at Independence Hall laid it out when they founded this country. And I had to wonder if there wasn’t another player out there, and that maybe this struggle has been going on for longer than that, even.”
Lembridge relaxed a bit, dropping his arms and draping his fingers over the edge of the table’s felt inner ledge. “Like the perpetual struggle between good and evil?”
“Something like that, yeah. Maybe. Or perhaps a competition between two secret societies that have been manipulating humanity for millennia. But the point is that we have to start looking at the evidence, at all of the evidence, and in a way that doesn’t discard out of hand the possibility that what we see isn’t really what’s going on. Because sometimes, the truth is only obvious in hindsight. Sometimes, the only way to get there is by seeing the world in ways that others don’t.”
“So what do you intend to do?”
“Bury Mr. Davis, for one thing. But not too deeply, and not too far away. There’s plenty of lawn out there, and I’ve found a few shovels. If you want to help, I’d be thankful for it.”
Lembridge stepped away from the pool table, and faced Ryan squarely. “I think I would.”
“Great.” Ryan started towards the door, then stopped and turned back. “I do have one question for you before we start.”
“Oh?”
“You said you had a personal bone to pick with Davis. What was it?”
He smiled. “My sister. She worked on K Street, for one of the more specialized lobbying outfits. They focused on environmental issues, mostly. She thought she was one of the good guys, helping show Congress and the various agencies how their decisions affected the planet.”
Ryan shrugged. “I don’t understand. From what you just said, I’d say she was one of the good guys. That’s the upside of lobbying.”
“You’re right. And she was proud of her work there. But then she discovered that some of their work was being directed by outside interests. They were being used as cover, to make people like me vote for things that had other effects as well. Far worse ones.”
“So why didn’t she come here herself?”
“That’s kind of hard when you’re dead. She was killed in an explosion. What’s left of the media parroted the usual drivel about some lone terrorist who blamed environmentalists for destroying the economy. But after talking with you, I’m pretty sure it was much simpler. They just weren’t useful any more.”
“Grisly. But what does that have to do with our stiff?”
Lembridge didn’t answer right away. Instead, he continued on into the kitchen and stopped in front of Davis’ smelly corpse, still hanging there face down over the sink. “Our boy ran a clearing house for coordinating lobby activities, watching out for conflicts that could get them in each others’ way, right?”
“Sure. That’s how he put the bug in so many institutional ears about the new GDP derivative he was asked to testified about.”
The congressman glared angrily at Davis. “One of those institutions was my sister’s agency. He bankrupted the good guys along with everyone else. Oh, right,” he said, “I almost forgot,” and cast the spit he’d paid for. “Come on. Let’s go dig a hole.”
THE END
"LA Scrip" (Story 3 of 7)
[1/5/2008]
Cristall Bellows, dressed more formally that she liked, and cradling a backpack in her lap, signaled the driver, and waited nervously for the bus to stop. She’d never been to this part of Los Angeles before, and the sight of all these unkempt McMansions was making her queasy. She shouldered the pack, and started towards the front.
The driver, who had been watching in his mirror, turned as she approached. “Is that LA Scrip you’re carrying?”
She clutched it defensively, pale blue textured paper in a dark brown hand. “Yeah. I just got paid down at City Hall. Don’t you take it? I thought all city services --.”
“We do, we do,” he laughed. “Thanks for helping out. It’s not everyone gets paid with Scrip just yet, only the folks working directly for the city. So what do you do for us?”
“Teaching, after a fashion,” she said as she stuffed her fare into the slot. “I’ve been going around explaining this new money to people. I get some of the strangest looks when I tell them the city just prints it up.”
“Well, that did used to be illegal, after all. Counterfeiters were offered special treatment by the criminal justice system back when the Federal Reserve had a monopoly on creating money.” He opened the door. “Who knew they’d end up getting hired by the city after the economy crapped out? Well, thanks for riding my bus, and good luck.”
As the bus pulled away, she glanced up at the street sign to get her bearings, and then wriggled into her backpack. She was headed for one of the houses that were handed out in last month’s foreclosure lottery. This particular one interested her because the previous owner had been deeply involved in the financial sleight-of-hand that yanked down the economy around everyone’s ears. And like a lot of the people who affect the world in outsize ways, he was a cipher, one of the shadowy villains who thought they were so smart they could run the world from behind a curtain of secrecy and deniability. What she didn’t know was whether the man that won the property, a Mr. Ryan Svorlin, had the first clue about what sort of a ghost roamed his halls.
“Gregory Davis?” Svorlin said with an amused grin when she asked. “Sure. He was still hanging around in the kitchen when I got the keys. Buried him by that tree over there.”
She turned to look at the mound of dirt and recoiled. “You didn’t kill him, did you?”
“Hardly. The creep politely offed himself. Tried not to make too much of a mess at it, too. I gotta say, though, he did leave quite a treasure trove back in the office.”
“Money?”
Svorlin shook his head. “Paper trail a mile wide. The guy was flat out apoplectic about trying to atone for what he’d done. He even tried leaving his fortune to help the people whose lives he helped ruin. Not that those securities are worth anything any more. Even his back-up plan – a safe in the basement – was a disaster. US currency. All of it. Listen, I get the feeling this chat’s going to take a while. Come on in. I’ll show you around Davis’ old digs. What’s your interest in him, if you don’t mind a nosy question?”
She stopped to study an incomprehensible collage hanging in the foyer. “He had odd taste in art, didn’t he?”
“If you ask me, the man’s taste was all in his wallet. While he was still flying high, he prowled the auction circuit, snatching up what he thought of as investment properties. Of course, things like that are only worth what someone’s willing to pay for them. All those bucks he poured into his collection is just a pile of washable paper now. So if there’s something you like, let me know. Maybe we can work out a trade.”
Cristall smiled privately, and then turned to follow him down the hallway to the back of the house. She glanced into a cluttered room in passing, probably the office Svorlin had mentioned, judging from the furnishings. “You asked about my interest in Gregory Davis,” she said, descending the two steps into the sunny den.
“Actually,” he said after holding eye contact for a moment, “I was surprised you even knew about him. Is it personal? The congressman who helped me bury the guy took some satisfaction in digging his grave. Said it gave him a sense of closure.” He pointed at an ugly conversation set by the big window. “Is wine okay? He left me a ton of it.”
She set her pack down beside the chair, and watched while he uncorked a bottle of something neither of them would have been able to afford, and filled two glasses. “I discovered who he was while preparing the economics seminar I teach for the city. The subject is hard for most people to grasp, so I’ve gone out of my way to make it real for them, to put some flesh behind all those antiseptic terms we’ve been bludgeoned with over the years.”
“Yeah,” he said, handing her a goblet. “I know what you mean. It’s been murder… I mean, it’s been difficult figuring out what all those papers he left behind are all about. Fortunately, he also had some reference books, so I can look stuff up easily enough. Still, it’s not exactly my field.”
“Oh? What did you do before the meltdown?”
Svorlin shrugged. “Software. Tech stuff. There isn’t a lot of call for that sort of work right now, though. Anyone with working computers is going to be stuck with whatever programs they’ve got, at least for a while. There isn’t any new development going on except for the open source projects, and even those are hobbled by problems with the Internet. If it weren’t for the Ham Radio guys’ do-it-yourself packet network, we wouldn’t have gotten what backbones we have hooked up again after the telcos went all twitchy.”
She stared at him like he was signing in Swahili.
“Um,” he said sheepishly, “that didn’t mean a lot to you, did it.”
“No, but it did give me a good feel for what my own students are up against. Thanks.”
“What’s your seminar about?”
Cristall fished around in her pack for a moment, and handed him a crisp light blue ten-angel note. “LA Scrip. Have you gotten any yet?”
He examined it and handed it back. “The city’s printing money now? What’s it worth in dollars?”
“It’s not convertible. Scrip’s a whole different kind of money. I guess you could say it’s the modern-day equivalent of the old Greenbacks. They’re issued by the city in exchange for work performed for the common good. So I get paid in these for teaching people what they are. Which is poetic, really, because unless I do that, they really aren’t worth anything. People have to be willing to use them as money for them to be money.”
“I don’t get it. If that bill represents ten angels worth of labor, what kind of labor was it, and how to I convert that to the kind of work that I do? I mean, some labor’s more valuable than others, isn’t it?”
“Not if it’s performed for the common good. Scrip’s egalitarian.”
Ryan took a thoughtful sip of wine. “Okay. I’m lost. I get that you traded an hour of your time for some number of those angels, but how do you buy bread with it? What’s an hour of your time worth in terms of apples?”
“That’s the point of the seminar. We’re just now working it all out. That’s only one of the questions we needed to answer.”
“So what’s the conversion? How much bread is that new bread worth?”
“At this point, we’re just working with the local bakeries, because they make it themselves. And our solution is still a bit clunky, but it’s a start. A loaf of bread takes a certain amount of time and materials to make. We can assign a value to the labor portion in terms of LA Scrip, but anything the baker still needs to pay in dollars for, like materials and the shop itself, are valued in dollars. We’re hoping to eventually get everything moved over to Scrip. Then we can dispense with the dollars entirely.”
He sat back and gazed out the window for a while. After another sip of wine, he said, “So if I offer my tech services to the city, I’d get paid in LA Scrip?”
“Uh huh. And then you could use it for bus fare, like I did on the way over. The driver gets paid based on the number of riders, so friendliness is a virtue. Your fare is what you think the trip is worth. We modeled that after how some musicians have started selling their recordings. And the extra goes to keeping the busses running.”
“What about rent? How would that work?”
Cristall thought for a moment. “Don’t know. We haven’t tried cracking that one yet. Got any suggestions?”
“Not suggestions, but I do have a problem to solve.”
“Oh?”
“Well, yeah. You’re sitting in it. This place has seven bedrooms. What does a single guy need with seven bedrooms? I figured maybe I could turn it into a boarding house or something.”
She chuckled. “In that case, I think you may have just answered your own question.”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s a difference between running a boarding house and just renting out rooms. You’d be providing a service to the people living here, wouldn’t you? Meals, for example.”
“I hadn’t really thought it through that far, but okay, what if I do?”
“Then you can take angels for your time, at least. Are you serious about this?”
“Sure. Why?”
“Because I’d like to help you work out the bugs. I wouldn’t mind living here, if there were a chance to turn all these big lottery prizes into something of value. Once we’ve got the kinks worked out here, we can spread the word. So what do you think? Can we move in?”
He cocked his head slightly. “We?”
“Well, sure. I can’t keep leaving my daughter with my folks forever, you know. Daycare is a service, after all. It’ll be good for the new economy.”
THE END
Copyright 2007-2008 by P. Orin Zack
[To be continued with Story 4 "Face Value"]
2024.05.28 11:27 Semi-Crazed First Ever Report Leaving - Emotional Day
My first ever report is leaving the business we've worked at together for the past 5 years. She handed in her letter of resignation, and will finish her employment at the end of June. I started here 8 years ago in an low level coordinator position advancing through IC roles. We worked together as IC colleagues for 2 years, and when I was promoted to a managerial role she became my first employee. She has risen with me, first as I became a Director and she took on some management responsibilities and then last year when I was promoted to a VP role she operated as my chief-second, nearly a Chief-of-Staff.
She is the first person who ever worked for me, and she is an absolute rock star, both on my team and throughout the company.
She got headhunted by a bigger firm offering a lot more money, money I just don't have in the budget. I even referenced for her, I knew she was going as soon as she told me they had had contacted her (about 3 weeks ago). It's a huge opportunity and knowing her she is going to make it into a fantastic success.
And we'll survive too. We worked hard to build resilience into our organization. No one person leaving can topple the whole thing. But she was always moving, making things better, thinking about the bigger picture and how to implement the details that would get us there. Our capacity to innovate will be, at least temporarily, diminished. We are losing her skill, talent, intelligence and drive.
She is also my friend, one of the few I have in the business. The higher I've risen, the lonelier it has become. The politics becomes more fraught, my own leadership team doesn't have time to mentor or usually even bounce ideas. That's okay, I'm pretty self-motivated. But it was good to have her here as a sounding board, and also to help me see the way when I became lost in the weeds.
So I'm feeling a little emotional today. I'm so proud of her, and I know she has huge things ahead. I'm sad for me, since a job that has already felt lonely is going to become lonelier. I'm anxious, because it's a big shakeup and some of her responsibilities will need to be distributed, others shelved until we have the focus and possibly additional resources to cover them.
Being a manager is hard sometimes, I knew it was coming, I want to cry, but I'm in a glass box in the office and I need to stay focused and on task for the team. Once this is out I'll go back to reports and meetings, but right now I just needed to get it off my chest.
Not a request for advice. I guess you could call this a rant.
submitted by Semi-Crazed to managers [link] [comments]
She is the first person who ever worked for me, and she is an absolute rock star, both on my team and throughout the company.
She got headhunted by a bigger firm offering a lot more money, money I just don't have in the budget. I even referenced for her, I knew she was going as soon as she told me they had had contacted her (about 3 weeks ago). It's a huge opportunity and knowing her she is going to make it into a fantastic success.
And we'll survive too. We worked hard to build resilience into our organization. No one person leaving can topple the whole thing. But she was always moving, making things better, thinking about the bigger picture and how to implement the details that would get us there. Our capacity to innovate will be, at least temporarily, diminished. We are losing her skill, talent, intelligence and drive.
She is also my friend, one of the few I have in the business. The higher I've risen, the lonelier it has become. The politics becomes more fraught, my own leadership team doesn't have time to mentor or usually even bounce ideas. That's okay, I'm pretty self-motivated. But it was good to have her here as a sounding board, and also to help me see the way when I became lost in the weeds.
So I'm feeling a little emotional today. I'm so proud of her, and I know she has huge things ahead. I'm sad for me, since a job that has already felt lonely is going to become lonelier. I'm anxious, because it's a big shakeup and some of her responsibilities will need to be distributed, others shelved until we have the focus and possibly additional resources to cover them.
Being a manager is hard sometimes, I knew it was coming, I want to cry, but I'm in a glass box in the office and I need to stay focused and on task for the team. Once this is out I'll go back to reports and meetings, but right now I just needed to get it off my chest.
Not a request for advice. I guess you could call this a rant.
2024.05.28 10:47 Illustrious_Dare127 What is best ERP software for textile industry?
If your apparel business is growing rapidly and you’re looking for ways to improve efficiency, you may want to consider using garment ERP software. An enterprise resource planner (ERP) is a software solution that helps companies manage their processes more effectively. It’s often used in manufacturing settings to streamline production, but it can also help retailers manage inventory and improve customer service.
Check WFX apparel ERP which is a Modern Enterprise Apparel Software that digitizes all functions of your factory and helps you to stay ahead of your competition.
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1. Boosts coordination and collaboration between departments
Many apparel companies still rely on spreadsheets or emails for the exchange of data between the different groups responsible for designing and producing garments. This can result in delays and errors, which slows down the manufacturing process and increases costs.
When you’re working with different departments, it’s essential to have a clear and consistent system for communication. A garment ERP solution can help you streamline your processes so that the right information gets to the right people at the right time. It allows different teams to share information in real-time, which means fewer communication errors and misunderstandings.
The system also improves transparency and accountability throughout your organization, which results in faster turnaround times and higher employee satisfaction. No more missing deadlines because no one knows what anyone else is doing!
2. Streamlines and simplifies operations
As you’re probably aware, garment production is a labor-intensive process. Manual efforts like tracking orders, managing inventory and communicating with suppliers are required to ensure that your business runs smoothly.
But garment ERP software can help streamline this process by reducing manual tasks and improving efficiency. This includes standardizing manufacturing processes so that they align with best practices in the apparel industry—such as maintaining a continuous workflow at each step of the process—to simplify operations and save time.
It also allows you to automate certain tasks, such as sending RFQs or receiving purchase orders via email. By integrating all aspects related to product development into one unified system, you will save time on data collection and entry which translates into reduced employee effort and cost savings for your business.
With proper planning and implementation, integrating an apparel ERP solution into your business will simplify processes while saving time — which means more profit for you!
3. Centralizes data and improves decision making
One of the most powerful benefits of a garment ERP solution is its ability to centralize information. This means that you have access to all relevant data at all times, enabling you to make better decisions and tweak them as required.
A centralized garment ERP system is helpful because:
You have access to more information—across multiple channels and business units—in one place, allowing you to see the big picture and take advantage of opportunities that present themselves.
With more sources of data, it’s easier for your team members to collaborate on how best to serve your clients in real-time.
A centralized system makes it easier for managers at all levels (not just top leaders) to see the big picture.
It gives you instant insights into how effectively your business is performing at any given time so you can make adjustments based on real-time information rather than relying on outdated figures or estimates.
In the age of big and predictive analytics, access to consolidated real-time data is essential for any modern fashion business.
4. Reduces supply chain risks by keeping all partners informed
Supply chain risks are mitigated by reducing inefficiencies in the supply chain. This is done by sharing the right information with partners so that everyone is on the same page about when shipments will arrive and who is delivering what and where.
By communicating with one another through a single ERP interface, you can avoid any surprises that could put your business at risk. Sharing information allows each partner in your supply chain to see how their actions affect other parts of it, which makes their work easier and more effective because they know what they need to do.
As you streamline processes across multiple departments or teams within your company (or multiple companies), you allow them to work more efficiently together from an end-to-end perspective.
5. Allows you to manage inventory from anywhere in real-time
One of the biggest challenges in apparel manufacturing is managing inventory. Inventory is your most valuable asset, and a company’s success depends on how effectively it manages its stock.
You need to keep track of inventory all the time, from raw materials and finished products to supplies, work-in-progress (WIP) items, and even samples. But managing inventory can be a complex task—you have to ensure that enough stock is available at each stage of production while minimizing excess inventories or out-of-stock situations.
With garment ERP software you can manage inventory in real-time and automate reorders. A good ERP solution will help you manage inventory by integrating both internal and external budgets and targets so you can view all critical information from a single source.
It will also allow you to manage inventory from anywhere with mobile access to the system through tablets or smartphones that are connected to the Internet. This allows you to complete tasks even when you’re not at work or away from home.
This is especially important if you have customers in different markets—you may have different compliance requirements depending on where a product is being sold. For example, some countries require that all products be tested for lead content before they can be sold. Other countries may have restrictions on the types of chemicals used during production.
The garment ERP software will help you track all incoming materials (including suppliers) so that your team can easily see if they meet international compliance standards. This allows them to immediately adjust processes if something isn’t meeting those requirements.
This is why you need a modern, easy-to-use garment ERP software that allows your company to be more responsive when it comes to the time for production or delivery. Your ERP should allow you to respond quickly to market changes, as well as react to unexpected customer demands and promotions.
This often means being able to make changes wherever necessary throughout the supply chain process. It should also enable you to inform key stakeholders about any changes with ease and keep a log of any changes made.
submitted by Illustrious_Dare127 to u/Illustrious_Dare127 [link] [comments]
Check WFX apparel ERP which is a Modern Enterprise Apparel Software that digitizes all functions of your factory and helps you to stay ahead of your competition.
7 benefits of using a cloud-based garment ERP software for your business:
1. Boosts coordination and collaboration between departments
Many apparel companies still rely on spreadsheets or emails for the exchange of data between the different groups responsible for designing and producing garments. This can result in delays and errors, which slows down the manufacturing process and increases costs.
When you’re working with different departments, it’s essential to have a clear and consistent system for communication. A garment ERP solution can help you streamline your processes so that the right information gets to the right people at the right time. It allows different teams to share information in real-time, which means fewer communication errors and misunderstandings.
The system also improves transparency and accountability throughout your organization, which results in faster turnaround times and higher employee satisfaction. No more missing deadlines because no one knows what anyone else is doing!
2. Streamlines and simplifies operations
As you’re probably aware, garment production is a labor-intensive process. Manual efforts like tracking orders, managing inventory and communicating with suppliers are required to ensure that your business runs smoothly.
But garment ERP software can help streamline this process by reducing manual tasks and improving efficiency. This includes standardizing manufacturing processes so that they align with best practices in the apparel industry—such as maintaining a continuous workflow at each step of the process—to simplify operations and save time.
It also allows you to automate certain tasks, such as sending RFQs or receiving purchase orders via email. By integrating all aspects related to product development into one unified system, you will save time on data collection and entry which translates into reduced employee effort and cost savings for your business.
With proper planning and implementation, integrating an apparel ERP solution into your business will simplify processes while saving time — which means more profit for you!
3. Centralizes data and improves decision making
One of the most powerful benefits of a garment ERP solution is its ability to centralize information. This means that you have access to all relevant data at all times, enabling you to make better decisions and tweak them as required.
A centralized garment ERP system is helpful because:
You have access to more information—across multiple channels and business units—in one place, allowing you to see the big picture and take advantage of opportunities that present themselves.
With more sources of data, it’s easier for your team members to collaborate on how best to serve your clients in real-time.
A centralized system makes it easier for managers at all levels (not just top leaders) to see the big picture.
It gives you instant insights into how effectively your business is performing at any given time so you can make adjustments based on real-time information rather than relying on outdated figures or estimates.
In the age of big and predictive analytics, access to consolidated real-time data is essential for any modern fashion business.
4. Reduces supply chain risks by keeping all partners informed
Supply chain risks are mitigated by reducing inefficiencies in the supply chain. This is done by sharing the right information with partners so that everyone is on the same page about when shipments will arrive and who is delivering what and where.
By communicating with one another through a single ERP interface, you can avoid any surprises that could put your business at risk. Sharing information allows each partner in your supply chain to see how their actions affect other parts of it, which makes their work easier and more effective because they know what they need to do.
As you streamline processes across multiple departments or teams within your company (or multiple companies), you allow them to work more efficiently together from an end-to-end perspective.
5. Allows you to manage inventory from anywhere in real-time
One of the biggest challenges in apparel manufacturing is managing inventory. Inventory is your most valuable asset, and a company’s success depends on how effectively it manages its stock.
You need to keep track of inventory all the time, from raw materials and finished products to supplies, work-in-progress (WIP) items, and even samples. But managing inventory can be a complex task—you have to ensure that enough stock is available at each stage of production while minimizing excess inventories or out-of-stock situations.
With garment ERP software you can manage inventory in real-time and automate reorders. A good ERP solution will help you manage inventory by integrating both internal and external budgets and targets so you can view all critical information from a single source.
It will also allow you to manage inventory from anywhere with mobile access to the system through tablets or smartphones that are connected to the Internet. This allows you to complete tasks even when you’re not at work or away from home.
- Helps you comply with international compliance standards
This is especially important if you have customers in different markets—you may have different compliance requirements depending on where a product is being sold. For example, some countries require that all products be tested for lead content before they can be sold. Other countries may have restrictions on the types of chemicals used during production.
The garment ERP software will help you track all incoming materials (including suppliers) so that your team can easily see if they meet international compliance standards. This allows them to immediately adjust processes if something isn’t meeting those requirements.
- Empowers your business to be more agile and flexible
This is why you need a modern, easy-to-use garment ERP software that allows your company to be more responsive when it comes to the time for production or delivery. Your ERP should allow you to respond quickly to market changes, as well as react to unexpected customer demands and promotions.
This often means being able to make changes wherever necessary throughout the supply chain process. It should also enable you to inform key stakeholders about any changes with ease and keep a log of any changes made.
2024.05.28 08:41 GuiltlessMaple Best 20 Ft Ladders
 | submitted by GuiltlessMaple to u/GuiltlessMaple [link] [comments] https://preview.redd.it/a3pb4k4z443d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=948bfcd1bfeae75d0771de5e69579df09e51a41d Get ready to climb to new heights with our roundup of the best 20 Ft ladders on the market! Whether you're a DIY enthusiast or a professional contractor, we've got you covered with our top picks. Discover the perfect ladder for your next project, and make your life easier with our comprehensive guide. The Top 19 Best 20 Ft Ladders
Reviews🔗Durable 20 ft Straight Aluminum Ladder with Twist-Proof Performancehttps://preview.redd.it/5p8ra2iz443d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=73b35b1b6e63a20b8a326bce50a55d1107830eee Using this trusty Werner 20-footer in my everyday tasks has become a breeze. The extra heavy duty I-beam rails provide me with that extra level of sturdiness I need to stay safe while I'm up high. The Traction-Tred deeply serrated aluminum round rungs were a game-changer, giving me plenty of grip even when I'm wearing my work boots. However, I noticed that the Mar-resistant end caps left a little to be desired, as they got chipped during transport and storage. Nonetheless, the Twist-Proof performance of the Alflo rung joint made up for it, offering me some peace of mind while I'm working up high. Overall, this aluminum ladder has become an essential part of my daily life and work routine. 🔗Aluminum Multi-Position Ladder with Built-In Tool Storage and Customizable Heightshttps://preview.redd.it/7ubx1hrz443d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=37e89f10b182765017e42e9dca95b6cf90f0b3df The 18ft Gorilla Ladders reach MPXA Aluminum Multi-Position ladder is like a trusty companion in your toolbag. Its lightweight aluminum design is as easy to carry around as a book. The first thing you notice about this ladder is its durability - it can hold up to a whopping 300lbs! The oversized hinges help keep you steady while climbing by reducing flex and sway, which is something I really appreciated. The Gorilla Grip locks are a standout feature, they lock and unlock quickly and easily, and they're tougher than a superhero. The tool storage solutions built into the ladder are perfect for keeping your workspace organized and clutter-free. But here's the kicker - this ladder isn't just for climbing. It's like a chameleon, transforming into multiple positions such as an extension ladder, a double-sided twin stepladder, a 90-degree wall ladder, a stairway stepladder, and even two scaffold bases (if you buy the rail brackets accessory). The Gorilla Ladders ladder is made to be smart and tough, and it shows in every feature. It's the perfect companion for your DIY projects, making the task at hand more manageable and safer. 🔗Foldable 20.3FT Telescopic Ladder with Detachable Hook - Premium Quality and EN131 Certifiedhttps://preview.redd.it/wn02ns20543d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=47e88f8df5f2c11c05267d537a5a89bc089cc8b4 After using the Autofather 6.2m aluminum telescopic ladder for a few weeks, I must say I'm quite impressed with how convenient it is to use. The foldable design makes it easy to carry around and store, which is a major plus for those with limited space. The anodized aluminum finish gives it a sleek look and it's lightweight enough to carry with just one hand. One of the things that stood out for me was the detachable hook. It's a game-changer when it comes to setting up the ladder near a pipe with a diameter of less than 7cm. However, I did notice that the hook cannot be hung on larger pipes, which may be a minor inconvenience for some users. When it comes to safety, the anti-slip rubber feet and the ladder's maximum load capacity of 330lb are great features. I also appreciate the grip handle, which makes carrying the ladder much easier. Overall, this telescopic ladder is a versatile tool that's perfect for both indoor and outdoor tasks. Whether you're cleaning windows or reaching high shelves, it's a reliable ladder to have on hand. 🔗Gorilla 19 ft. Aluminum Multi-Position Ladder with Project Bucket and Wheelshttps://preview.redd.it/tfnaojk0543d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a2a16ca55dd4cd52cca34f23738fafc5c6f863b7 Forget your typical ladders - the Gorilla Ladders 19 ft. Reach MPXT Aluminum Multi-Position Ladder is a game-changer. In my experience, what stood out the most was the convenience it provided. The built-in project bucket was a lifesaver, allowing me to keep all my tools and hardware within reach while I climbed. The lightweight aluminum design also made a huge difference. It's easy to carry around and transport from one job to another. I was particularly impressed with the durability of this ladder, thanks to its Type 1AA ANSI Duty Rating. It held up to 375 lbs without any issues. The oversized hinges and armored feet, coupled with built-in tool holders, added an extra layer of convenience and security. The integrated wheels also made moving the ladder from place to place a breeze. However, I did notice that the ladder could be a bit unsteady at times, especially when I was standing at a higher height. Additionally, it took me a bit of time to figure out all the different modes and how to switch between them. Overall, the Gorilla Ladders 19 ft. Reach MPXT Aluminum Multi-Position Ladder is a solid choice for anyone looking for a versatile and convenient ladder. It's definitely worth the investment. 🔗Little Giant Ladders Multi M17 Aluminum 18-ft Reach Type 1A- 300-lb Capacity Telescoping Multi-Position Ladderhttps://preview.redd.it/4dx8lnq0543d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=99ef55eb13de797e66a5af28915e618bbd7a5c9a For those of us who need to tackle various home projects, the Little Giant Multi M17 Aluminum Ladder is a game-changer. As a homeowner who often relies on a sturdy ladder for maintenance and repairs, I've been fortunate to give this product a test run. The Multi M17's maximum reach of 18-ft in extension ladder position has proven invaluable, and the lightweight aluminum ensures its easy transportation. The wide-flared stabilizing legs indeed provide a more stable feel atop the ladder. However, these legs also made it a bit challenging to maneuver around corners and tight spaces in my house. One of the standout features for me was Little Giant's new spring-assisted Rapid Lock adjustments, which were notably easier to adjust than traditional U-locks. This versatile ladder's capacity to hold up to 300 lbs. in each position, and its certification to OSHA and ANSI standards, gave me the confidence I needed to tackle high-up tasks. In conclusion, I would highly recommend the Little Giant Multi M17 Aluminum Ladder for those seeking a versatile, reliable, and stable ladder for their various home improvement projects. Its weight and maneuverability do have their drawbacks, but these are outweighed by its benefits in performance and stability. 🔗High-Viz Green, Lightweight Non-Conductive Fiberglass Extension Ladder (20 ft)https://preview.redd.it/jgqqh461543d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6fe547a63221cc1d666920d3038441dd10cdf045 As a reviewer who's used the Little Giant Safety Hyperlite SUMOSTANCE 20 ft Type IAA Fiberglass Extension Ladder, I can say it's an impressive ladder that stands out in several ways. The most notable feature for me is the SumoStance leveling outrigger system that significantly improves the ladder's stability, making it much safer to use even on irregular terrain. The high-visibility green rail is another great addition. It not only helps ensure visibility on the job site but also offers a non-conductive surface, ideal for electricians or anyone working close to power sources. The wide rungs reduce foot fatigue, while the Sure-Set foot allows you to set the ladder securely on different surfaces. However, there's one thing I found a bit annoying. The side-mounted, dual-pulley system does reduce the effort needed to lift the fly section, but it tends to get tangled up sometimes, requiring extra care while assembling the ladder. Overall, I'd say the benefits of this ladder outweigh the minor drawbacks, especially considering the safety it offers. 🔗Maximum Stability 20 ft Aluminum Extension Ladder with QuickLatch RungLockhttps://preview.redd.it/8b40gvg1543d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=69c0a309f857a8dc9659324c9fd8d502d7ebf29b I've been using the Louisville AE3220 aluminum extension ladder in my daily life, and I must say it has been a game-changer. The modified I-beam design adds strength while keeping it lightweight. The swivel safety shoes are a fantastic touch, allowing for versatility when setting up the ladder. However, the one-finger operation of the QuickLatch rung lock could use some improvement for a smoother experience. Overall, this ladder provides excellent value and meets the safety standards set by ANSI and OSHA. 🔗20 ft Fiberglass Ladders with Traction-Tred Steps and Reinforced Back-Up Plateshttps://preview.redd.it/84puh5w1543d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f57a9e9aafee18dcbda23ef45913516222d67e0d When I first got my hands on the Werner T7420 20 ft. Fiberglass 300 lb. Twin Stepladder, I was surprised by its sheer size and weight. It's not something you can easily move around by yourself, so it's best to have some help when setting it up or taking it down. One thing that stood out to me is the EDGE bracing system and aluminum external rail shields. These features provide great protection against damage to the rails, making the ladder more durable and reliable. The heavy gauge aluminum extruded top feels sturdy and well-built, while the slip-resistant Traction-Tred steps ensure a firm grip even when climbing up and down. However, the weight of this ladder is a significant drawback. It requires some muscle to handle, and even setting it up requires careful coordination. The size makes it a bit cumbersome as well, so it's crucial to have enough space to store and maneuver it safely. Overall, the Werner T7420 Fiberglass Stepladder is a well-built, sturdy, and reliable product that can handle a considerable load. While the weight and size make it challenging to handle for one person, its excellent performance and safety features make it a valuable addition to any workshop or home. 🔗Professional-Grade, Adjustable Fiberglass Extension Ladderhttps://preview.redd.it/hqqav662543d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b7bc6415a81693095f0bdaafa1c781f56e5d47f6 As a reviewer, I've recently had the chance to try out the Werner D8220-2EQ Fiberglass Extension Ladder. Imagine trying to reach the top shelf of your tall cabinet, only to find that the ladder you're using is wobbly and unstable. That's where this ladder shines. Its built-in adjustable EverLevel leveling system is a game-changer for those working in uneven terrain. One of the most impressive features of this ladder is the exclusive Alflo rung joint, which provides a Twist-Proof climb without compromising on safety. I particularly found this useful when I had to climb up and down the ladder multiple times for a project. The ladder's 300 lb. load capacity not only makes it durable but also ensures it can handle heavy-duty tasks. However, one downside I noticed was its weight. While it adds to the ladder's stability, it can become quite challenging to maneuver it alone, especially for taller users or those with limited strength. Another minor issue I faced was the absence of a level indicator on the ladder, which could have been a handy addition for those working with precision in uneven terrain. Overall, the Werner D8220-2EQ Fiberglass Extension Ladder is a solid choice for anyone who needs a reliable, safe, and stable ladder for indoor or outdoor projects. Just be prepared for its considerable weight and consider these pros and cons before making your purchase. 🔗Gorilla Ladders 22 ft Multi-Position Aluminum Ladder for Extra Heighthttps://preview.redd.it/zz5pa4k2543d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9340bfc6222f3b3ab1b30a3b2c8f3d86915cf644 Recently, I got my hands on the 22 ft Gorilla Ladders. This multi-position ladder has been a game-changer in my daily life. With its 28 adjustable heights, it's perfect for reaching those high corners or changing light bulbs without strain. One feature that truly stood out was its security during use. The heavy-duty hinges combined with the lightweight construction made me feel safe and confident while climbing, and I appreciated the ease of use for all its different positions. Although the instructions could use some work, once I figured things out, the ladder was a breeze to adjust and stow away. 🔗22 ft. Multi-Position Aluminum Ladder with Project Bucket and Tool Hangershttps://preview.redd.it/joaoy5w2543d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cb2fd59dee09f77b82d6025511fcf0a8a2b72d07 I've had the pleasure of using the Gorilla Ladders 22 ft. Reach MPXA Aluminum Multi-Position Ladder, and let me tell you, it's a game-changer for any DIY project enthusiast. The lightweight aluminum design is a dream to carry around, and with its wide range of adjustable heights, this ladder feels like it can conquer any obstacle. What stood out the most for me are the innovative storage features. The removable Project Bucket on top of the ladder is perfect for holding all your tools, creating a clutter-free environment when you're up on the ladder. Plus, the built-in tool hangers on the armored feet and hinge knobs provide an additional level of convenience. Now, onto the negatives, there aren't many to speak of. If I had to nitpick, I'd say that the directions for ladder heights and reach heights could be clearer. But overall, this ladder is Built Smart and Always Tough, and I can't imagine doing any project without it by my side. 🔗Heavy-Duty 20-Foot Fiberglass Extension Ladderhttps://preview.redd.it/cedoucf3543d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4b4d0979026e6618bcf6f5fa0c74f8cab1c0c590 I recently had the opportunity to try out this Werner D6020-2 20 ft. Fiberglass Extension Ladder in my daily life, and let me tell you, it was quite the experience. Picture this: I was trying to reach the roof for a small home repair task, and I stumbled upon this ladder in the store. Being the adventurous type, I decided to give it a go. First, I loved their non-conductive fiberglass side rails, which meant I could worry less about electric shocks while climbing up. This gave me a sense of security as I approached the task. Plus, the heavy-duty pulley and rope system made it smooth to use and ensured a secure climb. However, one thing that caught me off guard was the weight of the ladder itself. When I had to take it back down, I realized it was not as light as I had expected, which made it quite a challenge to carry around. Another peculiar issue I faced was with the fiberglass material, which started shedding. It began to irritate my skin and was quite a hassle to clean up every time I used the ladder. It's a shame because fiberglass is usually a great material for non-marring and slip-resistance, and I was expecting that from this ladder as well. On the positive side, the Shu-lok bracket and slip-resistant pads, combined with the Twist-Proof Alflo rungs, made sure that the ladder remained stable and secure at all times. Add to that the easy-to-use extruded gravity spring locks, and you have a ladder that's a delight to use in most situations. In conclusion, while the Werner D6020-2 20 ft. Fiberglass Extension Ladder has some solid features to it, the issue with shedding fiberglass and the weight of the ladder make it a bit tricky to handle, especially for those who are safety-conscious or need to climb up and down multiple times a day. 🔗Heavy-Duty 20-ft Steel Ladder for Easy Ascenthttps://preview.redd.it/b67zosn3543d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4a80db16f16b2eab127570ffafe3fba8939b371e As a reviewer, I've had the pleasure of using the API Outdoors Ultra-Steel 20-ft. Stackin' Stik Ladder for quite some time now. In my experience, the most noticeable feature was its stability and ease of use. The ladder's super-strong construction provided a steady climb and descent, making it a perfect addition to my tree stand setup. However, the weight of the ladder was somewhat concerning, tipping the scales at 38 pounds. Despite this, the 300-pound weight capacity was reassuring, allowing me to climb with confidence. While the ladder sections were easy to set up and took minimal time to assemble, the instructions could have been more detailed and user-friendly. The most significant downside I encountered was the ladder straps. They struggled to maintain the ladder's position and added an extra hassle during the installation process. After some trial and error, I resolved to use ratchet straps instead, which significantly improved the ladder's stability and ease of use. In conclusion, the API Outdoors Ultra-Steel 20-ft. Stackin' Stik Ladder offers a sturdy and dependable alternative to traditional climbing sticks, but the included straps leave something to be desired. With a few adjustments and the addition of ratchet straps, this ladder can make an excellent addition to any tree stand setup. 🔗Lightweight, Non-Conductive 20 FT Fiberglass Extension Ladder with Patent-Pending Hi-Viz Green Designhttps://preview.redd.it/yzkiqb54543d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0933d018b6bc82c770a429beb30c8903a88c106c As a seasoned DIYer, I've tried my fair share of extension ladders. The Little Giant Safety Hyperlite 20 ft Type IA Fiberglass Extension Ladder - 18720 has been a game-changer in my toolkit. This lightweight, non-conductive fiberglass ladder is a breath of fresh air when compared to its heavier counterparts. The double pulley system makes adjusting the ladder length a breeze, allowing me to focus on my task without hassle. The wide, slip-resistant rungs have been a comforting addition, reducing foot fatigue during long projects. The Hi-Viz green color not only looks great but also increases the ladder's visibility to avoid any accidents. However, the weight reduction doesn't come without a trade-off. Although it's easier to maneuver, it feels less sturdy at times, especially when working on uneven surfaces. The side-mounted, dual-pulley system is a pro, but it's not without its cons. While it makes raising the ladder a less strenuous task, I've found that it takes longer to set up compared to traditional ladders. Overall, the Little Giant Safety Hyperlite 20 ft Type IA Fiberglass Extension Ladder - 18720 has certainly earned its spot in my toolbox, offering a balance of convenience and functionality. Buyer's GuideWhen searching for a 20 ft ladder, it's crucial to consider various factors to ensure you're getting the right product for your needs. This buyer's guide will walk you through the essential features to look for and the considerations to make when purchasing a 20 ft ladder. https://preview.redd.it/ohz3tcf5543d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=424d454fee50f7a76ed7ea127819923b4f073e5c Key Features
https://preview.redd.it/c8flxks5543d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=32538dee800a16803579520e93ab8be66b6b757c Considerations
https://preview.redd.it/vpitlh66543d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=82a33f76e40baba5d0c86c2cde9704b0395497bb General Advice
https://preview.redd.it/9448z5l6543d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=68cc4ec6c3b6ff905b7b73bdc04601e1a5869543 FAQ
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2024.05.28 07:31 Accomplished_Sell644 Download CBSE Class 11th Topic Wise Revision Notes
Effective study tools are essential for students negotiating the challenging Class 11 year under the CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) curriculum. Having well-organized and succinct revision notes can be extremely beneficial, especially considering the extensive syllabus and the pressure to do well. These notes not only make studying easier, but they also guarantee that you thoroughly cover all the important material. We will discuss the value of topic-specific revision notes for Class 11 in this blog post, along with instructions on how to get them.
During the busy pre-exam period, making effective use of your time is essential.
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Topic-wise revision notes provide a structured approach to learning. They break down the vast syllabus into manageable sections, making it easier to understand and retain information. Each topic is covered in detail, highlighting key concepts and essential points, which is particularly beneficial during exam preparation.
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With the extensive syllabus in Class 11, time management becomes a critical factor. Revision notes help in quick reviewing, allowing you to revise more topics in less time. This efficient use of time is crucial during the hectic pre-exam period.
3. Focus on Key Concepts
Revision notes are designed to focus on the most important aspects of each topic. They emphasize key concepts, formulas, and definitions, which are frequently tested in exams. This targeted approach ensures that you do not miss out on crucial information.
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Condensed and well-organized notes enhance retention and recall. The human brain finds it easier to remember structured information as opposed to unorganized and scattered data. Topic-wise notes often use bullet points, diagrams, and charts, which further aid memory.
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Pre-made revision notes can help you feel less stressed. These pre-made tools can save students the hours it would take to create notes from textbooks. This reduces the stress of forgetting crucial details while also saving time.
Topics Included in the Class 11 Revision Notes for CBSE
1. Science
One needs to have a solid conceptual understanding of physics. All of the important subjects, including mechanics, thermodynamics, waves, and optics, are covered in the Physics revision notes. To help with understanding, they include crucial formulas, derivations, and solved instances.
2. The Chemistry
The combination of theory and practical knowledge in chemistry might be intimidating. Chapters such as Atomic Structure, Chemical Bonding, Thermodynamics, and Organic Chemistry are broken down into manageable chunks by topic-wise annotations, which facilitate the understanding of difficult ideas.
3. Mathematics
Precision and practice are necessary when studying mathematics. Coordinate geometry, algebra, calculus, and trigonometry are all covered in the mathematics revision notes. They contain important equations, theorems, and solutions to problems so you can practice effectively.
4. Natural Sciences
Biology is a subject with a lot of information, therefore learning new terms and procedures is necessary. Biology notes include thorough pictures and explanations for Cell Structure, Genetics, Plant Physiology, and Human Physiology.
5. English
English Grammar, writing, and literature comprehension are all aided by English notes. To help with better preparation, they offer character descriptions, essential ideas, and summaries of poetry and prose.
In summary
Access to topic-specific revision notes for CBSE Class 11 can greatly improve your readiness and give you more self-assurance. They offer an organized, effective, and stress-free method of studying, guaranteeing that you thoroughly cover all necessary subjects. Obtain these notes right now to make a big progress in academic achievement.
submitted by Accomplished_Sell644 to R435 [link] [comments]
During the busy pre-exam period, making effective use of your time is essential.
1. Structured Learning
Topic-wise revision notes provide a structured approach to learning. They break down the vast syllabus into manageable sections, making it easier to understand and retain information. Each topic is covered in detail, highlighting key concepts and essential points, which is particularly beneficial during exam preparation.
2. Time Management
With the extensive syllabus in Class 11, time management becomes a critical factor. Revision notes help in quick reviewing, allowing you to revise more topics in less time. This efficient use of time is crucial during the hectic pre-exam period.
3. Focus on Key Concepts
Revision notes are designed to focus on the most important aspects of each topic. They emphasize key concepts, formulas, and definitions, which are frequently tested in exams. This targeted approach ensures that you do not miss out on crucial information.
4. Enhanced Retention
Condensed and well-organized notes enhance retention and recall. The human brain finds it easier to remember structured information as opposed to unorganized and scattered data. Topic-wise notes often use bullet points, diagrams, and charts, which further aid memory.
5. Reduction of Stress
Pre-made revision notes can help you feel less stressed. These pre-made tools can save students the hours it would take to create notes from textbooks. This reduces the stress of forgetting crucial details while also saving time.
Topics Included in the Class 11 Revision Notes for CBSE
1. Science
One needs to have a solid conceptual understanding of physics. All of the important subjects, including mechanics, thermodynamics, waves, and optics, are covered in the Physics revision notes. To help with understanding, they include crucial formulas, derivations, and solved instances.
2. The Chemistry
The combination of theory and practical knowledge in chemistry might be intimidating. Chapters such as Atomic Structure, Chemical Bonding, Thermodynamics, and Organic Chemistry are broken down into manageable chunks by topic-wise annotations, which facilitate the understanding of difficult ideas.
3. Mathematics
Precision and practice are necessary when studying mathematics. Coordinate geometry, algebra, calculus, and trigonometry are all covered in the mathematics revision notes. They contain important equations, theorems, and solutions to problems so you can practice effectively.
4. Natural Sciences
Biology is a subject with a lot of information, therefore learning new terms and procedures is necessary. Biology notes include thorough pictures and explanations for Cell Structure, Genetics, Plant Physiology, and Human Physiology.
5. English
English Grammar, writing, and literature comprehension are all aided by English notes. To help with better preparation, they offer character descriptions, essential ideas, and summaries of poetry and prose.
In summary
Access to topic-specific revision notes for CBSE Class 11 can greatly improve your readiness and give you more self-assurance. They offer an organized, effective, and stress-free method of studying, guaranteeing that you thoroughly cover all necessary subjects. Obtain these notes right now to make a big progress in academic achievement.
2024.05.28 03:22 it_hardway Neptune4 Z probe sensor, some observations
 | As many other people I've faced the problem with the first layer. I've tried a lot of methods, suggested in Internet, but the result was not stable. Sometimes it was possible to get a good adhesion and smooth 1st layer, but in most cases the filament was just trashed. At a certain point I've realized, that it is something wrong with the z probe sensor and/or I just don't understand fully, how it works. For the further analysis I've done a couple of experiments, where the probe sensor was controlled by a dial indicator and would like to share results with you. submitted by it_hardway to ElegooNeptune4 [link] [comments] I. The printer head and the dial indicator are in a static position, the bed is heated For this experiment I've prepared such a setup: Experiment I: Thermal expansion at a single point The bed was heated till 80°C and the temperature was fixed for 40 min. Each minute the command PROBE was sent to the printer, followed by G0 Z5. After moving the head to the 5 mm the mobile took a picture of the dial indicator. The z probe results among the dial indicator values was captured in a spreadsheet and represented as a chart: Experiment I: Result The result was such unexpected for me, that I've done the same test another time 1 day later and then executed a similar experiment, where the position of the dial indicator and the printer head was swapped. All these variations just confirmed the result:
This experiment was performed in a similar setup, but the scenario was changed. The bed was cold (room temperature around 22°C) and the heating was turned off. The bed was moved along the Y axis to the start position (Y = 20) and then follow steps was performed in a loop: 1) Do the PROBE 2) Go to the Z=5 3) Take a photo of the dial indicator 4) Go to the Z=10 (so indicator doesn't touch the surface) and move 1 cm further along the Y axis After the bed end was reached, I've swapped positions of the head and the dial indicator and performed the same steps again. Thus I've got measurements of the sensor and the dial indicator from the same positions along the Y axis. The results are represented at these charts: Experiment 2: Measurements along the Y axis, Y=163 Experiment 2: Measurements along Y axis, Y=277 These charts look better, but the Z sensor still shows something other in compare to the dial indicator. Specially at the 2nd chart around the end of the bed the difference is quite big, even though the form of the lines is similar. Conclusion
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2024.05.28 02:01 throwawaycpabig4 Please Roast my Resume! <3 love you all
 | submitted by throwawaycpabig4 to Accounting [link] [comments] |