OT: General OT Thread [NO POLITICS, RACE OR RELIGION]

[ReginaldDwight]

My beloved has for some time maintained a position that pandas are not real, and simply humans in absurd panda suits. I'm watching a little segment on a gardening program (life in the fast lane, over here!) that is about how a zoo produces sufficient bambo to feed a couple of resident pandas (grows quick, but those humans in panda suits eat quicker!), I can't get that idea out of my head and it is absolutely clearly true.

Anyway- I'm not normally one for spreading conspiracy theories, but happy to with this one. Next time you watch some footage of pandas/are lucky enough to see one just imagine it as a human in a panda suit and watch the mannerisms. Is that how a panda casually sits and chomps on some bamboo, or is that how a human THINKS a panda would casually sit and chomp on some bamboo. Crazy stuff, my friends. Crazy stuff.

Put down the bong.

Thats what they are trying to do in the zoos in china when dudes go in the cage just trying to take the mask off.

[trwi7]

My beloved has for some time maintained a position that pandas are not real, and simply humans in absurd panda suits. I'm watching a little segment on a gardening program (life in the fast lane, over here!) that is about how a zoo produces sufficient bambo to feed a couple of resident pandas (grows quick, but those humans in panda suits eat quicker!), I can't get that idea out of my head and it is absolutely clearly true.

Anyway- I'm not normally one for spreading conspiracy theories, but happy to with this one. Next time you watch some footage of pandas/are lucky enough to see one just imagine it as a human in a panda suit and watch the mannerisms. Is that how a panda casually sits and chomps on some bamboo, or is that how a human THINKS a panda would casually sit and chomp on some bamboo. Crazy stuff, my friends. Crazy stuff.

There really is a Simpsons gif for everything.

hand-peened

lawl

[Beorn]

1st (And hopefully the only) day working from the office since I got hired 14 months ago. I will manage to slither away from the office and wFH tomorrow and on Wednesday, but I will have to be really imaginative to avoid office on Thursday/Friday and next week. And all that because upper management decided to come from overseas and visit the company's Greek office. Meh

[jschligs]

1st (And hopefully the only) day working from the office since I got hired 14 months ago. I will manage to slither away from the office and wFH tomorrow and on Wednesday, but I will have to be really imaginative to avoid office on Thursday/Friday and next week. And all that because upper management decided to come from overseas and visit the company's Greek office. Meh

Been working back at the office since June of LAST YEAR. Worst part, I really like my job and the people and we own a daycare that they pay a large portion of so I can't leave. But man do I want to be working from home.

[MickeyDavis]

Working at the office became optional for me in June (you have to be vaccinated). Although I'm vaccinated I'm staying home. I like the work environment, it's a 10 minute drive and my coworkers are cool but I'm enjoying WFH the last 18 months. I'd say about 25% of my team are at the office. With winter approaching I'm fine having a 10 foot commute.

[Jez2983]

Working at the office became optional for me in June (you have to be vaccinated). Although I'm vaccinated I'm staying home. I like the work environment, it's a 10 minute drive and my coworkers are cool but I'm enjoying WFH the last 18 months. I'd say about 25% of my team are at the office. With winter approaching I'm fine having a 10 foot commute.

I was talking about this with a patient today. Decentralized work spaces would reduce traffic and stress. Commercial 'hubs' that could be hired by any company for a few hours a week to bring teams into an office space for a small period. Redevelop CBDs for residential, arts, entertainment.

But there's clearly a lot of white collar rent money at stake here, so it may change a little, but not that much.

Best think is companies have lost a reason to descriminate against potential disabled employees.

[MikeIsGood]

Working at the office became optional for me in June (you have to be vaccinated). Although I'm vaccinated I'm staying home. I like the work environment, it's a 10 minute drive and my coworkers are cool but I'm enjoying WFH the last 18 months. I'd say about 25% of my team are at the office. With winter approaching I'm fine having a 10 foot commute.

It took some adjustment (pre-pandemic for me - been remote for 5 years now), but I love working from home. It's wonderful.

All things equal for me, if I did live in the same city as one of my company's offices, I'd probably go into the office once a week. It'd be nice to have a little break-up of things.

[MickeyDavis]

Working at the office became optional for me in June (you have to be vaccinated). Although I'm vaccinated I'm staying home. I like the work environment, it's a 10 minute drive and my coworkers are cool but I'm enjoying WFH the last 18 months. I'd say about 25% of my team are at the office. With winter approaching I'm fine having a 10 foot commute.

I was talking about this with a patient today. Decentralized work spaces would reduce traffic and stress. Commercial 'hubs' that could be hired by any company for a few hours a week to bring teams into an office space for a small period. Redevelop CBDs for residential, arts, entertainment.

But there's clearly a lot of white collar rent money at stake here, so it may change a little, but not that much.

Best think is companies have lost a reason to descriminate against potential disabled employees.

Definitely. Companies that rent office space are planning to down size when leases expire.

Companies that will require everyone to work in the office will be at a competitive disadvantage over companies who allow WFH. Pre pandemic I could work from home when I wanted. Obviously WFH doesn't work for many professions.

[jschligs]

Working at the office became optional for me in June (you have to be vaccinated). Although I'm vaccinated I'm staying home. I like the work environment, it's a 10 minute drive and my coworkers are cool but I'm enjoying WFH the last 18 months. I'd say about 25% of my team are at the office. With winter approaching I'm fine having a 10 foot commute.

I was talking about this with a patient today. Decentralized work spaces would reduce traffic and stress. Commercial 'hubs' that could be hired by any company for a few hours a week to bring teams into an office space for a small period. Redevelop CBDs for residential, arts, entertainment.

But there's clearly a lot of white collar rent money at stake here, so it may change a little, but not that much.

Best think is companies have lost a reason to descriminate against potential disabled employees.

Definitely. Companies that rent office space are planning to down size when leases expire.

Companies that will require everyone to work in the office will be at a competitive disadvantage over companies who allow WFH. Pre pandemic I could work from home when I wanted. Obviously WFH doesn't work for many professions.

We’re currently struggling to hire top talent because of our no work from home policy. Developers, designers, even engineers can all work remote anywhere else. Why drive 30 minutes outside of town to work?

[MickeyDavis]

California has a high cost of living but also high wages for the most part. With so many CA companies now offering full time WFT a lot of Californians are moving to Utah and Nevada. Close to CA with a lot lower COL. I was in St. George Utah a couple months ago and some locals there were telling me about skyrocketing home prices because of this. There's a townhome complex in Summerlin NV that is breaking ground soon and won't be done until 2023 and it already sold out. $450,000-$500,000. 95% of them were bought by CA residents.

[MikeIsGood]

California has a high cost of living but also high wages for the most part. With so many CA companies now offering full time WFT a lot of Californians are moving to Utah and Nevada. Close to CA with a lot lower COL. I was in St. George Utah a couple months ago and some locals there were telling me about skyrocketing home prices because of this. There's a townhome complex in Summerlin NV that is breaking ground soon and won't be done until 2023 and it already sold out. $450,000-$500,000. 95% of them were bought by CA residents.

I've wondered for years how this would shake out. I have a friend who works for FB - previously worked and lived comfortably in NYC - that moved to Denver. Living like a goddess currently I'm sure, but wonder how the WFH boom will affect these smaller markets that become popular.

And that's not even to suggest Denver is a smaller market. But it's definitely smaller than NYC, and it's obviously a popular spot and has been for about 2 decades now.

[jute2003]

I'm self employed so I could do whatever I want but I need that separation. I enjoy having somewhere to go and seeing other people even though I don't want to actually talk to them.

[chonestown]

California has a high cost of living but also high wages for the most part. With so many CA companies now offering full time WFT a lot of Californians are moving to Utah and Nevada. Close to CA with a lot lower COL. I was in St. George Utah a couple months ago and some locals there were telling me about skyrocketing home prices because of this. There's a townhome complex in Summerlin NV that is breaking ground soon and won't be done until 2023 and it already sold out. $450,000-$500,000. 95% of them were bought by CA residents.

I have a good friend who moved to Madison from the Bay Area last July. He's doing WFH as a hardware engineer and continues to get his Bay Area salary. At the neighborhood block party last month, there was more than a handful of recent arrivals from California and other higher-priced areas who relocated. Madison has already been a tough place for home prices and this is just adding to it. I live in a small house on the near east that almost certainly was built for the influx of Oscar Mayer workers [house was built in 1951] and I love it, but I also feel handcuffed to it in that there is no way I'd be able to leave and afford a different house in the neighborhood. I think the next 20 years in Madison will see the redevelopment of the shuttered Oscar Mayer site, continued investment in Park Street and surrounding environs up to and extending past the old Thorstad lot and the nudging of poorer and lower middle class residents to Fitchburg. Weird to be both excited and repulsed by what's going on in real time. I live blocks from the East Wash corridor and it was exciting to see the high rises go up and the restaurants, brewpubs and parks accompany them, but I see what the rents are for apartments and flats and I don't see how I could swing it if my timing was different.

[ReasonablySober]

California has a high cost of living but also high wages for the most part. With so many CA companies now offering full time WFT a lot of Californians are moving to Utah and Nevada. Close to CA with a lot lower COL. I was in St. George Utah a couple months ago and some locals there were telling me about skyrocketing home prices because of this. There's a townhome complex in Summerlin NV that is breaking ground soon and won't be done until 2023 and it already sold out. $450,000-$500,000. 95% of them were bought by CA residents.

I've wondered for years how this would shake out. I have a friend who works for FB - previously worked and lived comfortably in NYC - that moved to Denver. Living like a goddess currently I'm sure, but wonder how the WFH boom will affect these smaller markets that become popular.

And that's not even to suggest Denver is a smaller market. But it's definitely smaller than NYC, and it's obviously a popular spot and has been for about 2 decades now.

Who can afford to live in the American west when locals can’t?.

Recommend reading this from last month. The tl;dr version is the tech/finance industry has been rapidly taking over the towns and cities out west, driving up housing costs, and driving the locals out. People in the service industry forced to live their cars. With people in those high tech, high salary industries able to work from anywhere, the problem is only going to get worse.

[Finn]

Retiring on 9/1 eliminated the office/WFH decision for me. And I'm not complaining.

[crkone]

Some parts of science will always need hands on work in the lab. Data analyzation though allows for pajama time.

[MartyConlonOnTheRun]

I think there is a difference between work from home and have ability to come in the office and working remotely. I'll be WFH but not gonna lie, there are a lot qualified candidates that could do a better job than me for a 1/3rd of the cost living overseas. Yeah, now I have the connections and tribal knowledge but that will only erode over the years as everything will be virtual and no office chatter or happy hours. Not sure if it's sustainable for those techies demanding a ton of money while living in Boise.

[MartyConlonOnTheRun]

Everyone should spend 10 min tonight watching the 1998 ESPY monologue in honor of norm. The Chuck joke is just amazing.

[MickeyDavis]

I think there is a difference between work from home and have ability to come in the office and working remotely. I'll be WFH but not gonna lie, there are a lot qualified candidates that could do a better job than me for a 1/3rd of the cost living overseas. Yeah, now I have the connections and tribal knowledge but that will only erode over the years as everything will be virtual and no office chatter or happy hours. Not sure if it's sustainable for those techies demanding a ton of money while living in Boise.

I lost my job once to India. And it bit my former company in the ass. Many companies are (finally) realizing you get what you pay for. Most Indian programmers are ****.

[AussieBuck]

I **** hate work from home. **** hate it.