npo9 (u/npo9) - Readit News

npo9 commented on 500K bet on rock paper scissors ruled invalid by Quebec court cbc.ca/news/canada/montre... · Posted by u/danso

flyGuyOnTheSly · 6 years ago

>The court also upheld the lower court's conclusion that the $517,000 wager was excessive.

Quebec courts are not arguing that Rock Paper Scissors is not a game of skill.

They only ruled that the bet was "excessive" which is against the law.

IANAL, but betting half a million dollars on three hand gestures qualifies as excessive imho.

I am thoroughly impressed that the loser actually made good on their commitment though and took out the mortgage on his house!

My friends would try every angle to weasel their way out of a $100 light hearted bet!

npo9 · 6 years ago

> My friends would try every angle to weasel their way out of a $100 light hearted bet!

I mean, the guy went to court to weasel out of the bet.

npo9 commented on Don't Mess with Texas en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don... · Posted by u/kyleblarson

grawprog · 6 years ago

I'm not American and i've always thought it odd how many 'join the army' ads you guys have on your channels, watching cartoons as a kid on the american vs the Canadian channels we got, the american ones always had at least one join the army ad per day, while I think I could count the amount of canadian ones I remember seeing. But i'll agree I remember even then thinking the army of one ones were pretty dumb and made no sense...I also remember the be all you can be ones...that's really how great your guys state propaganda is honestly. I remember these things, still. That says something.

npo9 · 6 years ago

The US army spends about $700 million on recruitment [0]. While that number has been higher recently since becoming an all volunteer army recruitment has been an expensive challenge.

[0]https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2018/11/07/to-draw-...

npo9 commented on Ask HN: Why did you leave the tech industry? · Posted by u/PirxThePilot

throw1234651234 · 6 years ago

I think the warning here is that most people will drop out of the pilot program and/or aren't qualified for it in the first place (eyesight, blood pressure, age, fitness to a lesser degree since it's "fixable" within 6 months). There's always army rotary, I guess.

npo9 · 6 years ago

I suspect someone joining the military after being in college and private industry has a higher chance of completing the pilot program than someone 18-20 years old which make up the bulk of the military recruits. (Assuming they both meet all physical requirements.)

npo9 commented on The coronavirus crisis will end, but the distributed newsroom is here to stay niemanlab.org/2020/04/the... · Posted by u/rbanffy

baron_harkonnen · 6 years ago

Why do all of the discussions about WFH center around what employees want? I started my career with my own office (at two different jobs) and transitioned form cubicles to open office. Each step in this process has been notably worse than the previous and no one argues about that at all.

The reason WFH hasn't taken off has nothing to do with want works best for employers. WFH hasn't taken off because having a physical presence has been a huge part of how companies not only control employees but show off their status. Startups had to be in SF because VCs wanted to see an office.

Now that everyone is forced home more companies are seeing that having an office is a liability, and is not nearly as necessary since everyone has had to learn to do remote work so the cultural inertia has shifted immediately.

I suspect we'll see a change to WFH, not because workers like it, but because it is cheaper and production doesn't change (not to mention it quickly reveals whose "production" is really just physically presenting in an office)

npo9 · 6 years ago

> I suspect we'll see a change to WFH, not because workers like it, but because it is cheaper and production doesn't change (not to mention it quickly reveals whose "production" is really just physically presenting in an office)

I’m unconvinced and very skeptical that on the average across all people that transitioned to WFH due to COVID-19 there is “no change” in measurable productivity.

npo9 commented on Could the US Dollar Be Crypto's Killer App? buildblockchain.tech/news... · Posted by u/benmdi

shadowgovt · 6 years ago

The US government is generally hyper-conservative in the financial space of what the Fed directly controls for myriad reasons. The bank of computers that reconcile transactions between banks still shuts down on the weekends because the law around its operation is based on the old law where human clerks were doing the reconciliation.

The cost if it doesn't work out is damage to the trust in the system and the stability of the dollar in general, which is the thing the Fed pathologically seeks to avoid.

And as the country that can mint the currency the IMF designates other countries' international debts in, the US doesn't generally see itself in need of further strengthening the USD's position in the world.

(Interestingly, when I lay it all out like that and add it up, the US monetary policy looks like a big business's bureaucratic system, the kind that'd be ripe for disruption by a startup. Of course, it's not quite so simple when we're talking nation-states and not Silicon Valley ventures).

npo9 · 6 years ago

> Interestingly, when I lay it all out like that and add it up, the US monetary policy looks like a big business's bureaucratic system, the kind that'd be ripe for disruption by a startup. Of course, it's not quite so simple when we're talking nation-states and not Silicon Valley ventures

That’s because governments have the privilege of establishing itself as a monopoly. They control the rules of the marketplace via regulations.

npo9 commented on 5G Virus Conspiracy Theory Fueled by Coordinated Effort bloomberg.com/news/articl... · Posted by u/rbanffy

_red · 6 years ago

Preface 1: I think the evidence points to that 5G is probably safe

Preface 2: I do think we should tend to err on the side caution. I fear in 40 years we will look back at our blind rush into many forms of tech incredulously (ie. can you believe in 2020 everyone had wifi installed in their homes? next to their kids?!?)

Having said all that, who benefits from the "anti-5G" coordinated effort?

npo9 · 6 years ago

Imagine a world where one county underfunds infrastructure because of 5G health fears, but another country does not. Wouldn’t the county that implemented the infrastructure have a competitive advantage?

npo9 commented on Additional 6.6M File for Initial Unemployment Benefits [pdf] dol.gov/ui/data.pdf... · Posted by u/treyfitty

kevstev · 6 years ago

I don't understand- they are not providing the service but also not reimbursing fees? That makes zero sense to me- do you pay monthly, and ahead of time?

npo9 · 6 years ago

Imagine not paying and losing access to childcare when you need it again.

npo9 commented on Amazon warehouse workers are walking out and Whole Foods workers are striking techcrunch.com/2020/03/30... · Posted by u/pseudolus

npo9 · 6 years ago

What are the chances that these strikes can lead to a union? I imagine a grocery store workers union could do a lot for the health of its workers now.

npo9 commented on Facebook donates emergency reserve of 720k masks reuters.com/article/us-he... · Posted by u/donarb

zszugyi · 6 years ago

Source on "the government said they are gonna confiscate them"?

npo9 · 6 years ago

Look at Trump’s press release today.

npo9 commented on Shelter in place for Bay Area counties sfchronicle.com/local-pol... · Posted by u/jchallis

ourmandave · 6 years ago

From official post:

It is OK to go outside for walks if you are not in a group.

I don't think they'll be shooting or arresting anyone.

And the other linked article said they'll be lax enforcement the first few days to give people time to adjust.

npo9 · 6 years ago

How is this not an infringement on the right to assemble?