I’m just being realistic, maybe a little cynical too. And no, people aren't actually resigning. You want an example of high-level shady dealings in a developed nation? Look at Hunter Biden and his dad Joe Biden. Or Ursula von der Leyen and those cozy emails with the CEO of Pfizer. Look at German politicians who land cushy seats at Gazprom after they finish their political careers. Or highly paid speakers representing corporations on behalf of former US presidents and senators. Even Switzerland and Austria have their own versions of maneuvering when it comes to procurement for new fighter jets. Now, if you’re implying that officials in a Scandinavian country resign for moral reasons, fine. Maybe they do. It's because they aren't corrupt. In those places, it's standard practice to have corporate reps sit on various boards. It's institutionalized corporatism and lobbying. Like I said, it's sophisticated. Here, the problem is just straight-up greed and backroom deals. Anyway, we're getting off topic.
Both an engineer and a lawyer are technically qualified to be gardeners, gravediggers, or janitors. Jobs in retail or even much of service work don't require special degrees; you just need to be physically able to do the work and have some common sense. You pick things up quickly on the job. You don't need to show up with massive passion or go overboard with enthusiasm if you get the job. Just doing it responsibly, conscientiously, and getting your tasks done on time is enough.
In the US, even full tuition isn't exactly cheap, though compared to some places, it varies. I'm not sure what your point is exactly.
That's just rational thinking. You can't ever fully wipe out corruption or nepotism because at the end of the day, it's all driven by human greed. I guess the best you can hope for is that the people doing it are actually competent, so the net result ends up being positive for the company—or in this case, the city. The real difference is that in highly organized systems, they do it in much more sophisticated ways, so an average citizen gets good enough service that they don't really notice. Like, who actually cares if a $3 million contract for a new daycare center goes to a local contractor in a > through some backroom deal, provided the building meets all standards, finishes on time, and the city pays exactly what was agreed upon? Even if the owner shaved 10% off their margin and slipped a little cash under the table to secure the bid... is that corruption? Yeah. Is it illegal? Sure. Is it the job of certain agencies to prosecute it? Definitely. But as a citizen, I mostly care about whether I got what I paid for—in this case, the daycare. The real issue here is that everything in our system is overpriced, and even then, the overpriced stuff is usually junk. It's basically multi-level crime where you end up getting screwed anyway. Most people, myself included, probably just want quality service for our money. If you actually know a country where favoritism doesn't exist in one form or another, please enlighten me. I'm open to learning something new.
@Gingerina
If your job is eliminated and offered a different role instead, it's up to you as an individual to decide if you want to take it or go look for luck at another company. It doesn't matter if the new role pays less or has a lower title. It's an open position. Take it or leave it. Nothing new there. It's standard practice, even in private firms. And no, why wouldn't you hire someone with a Master's degree for a position that only requires an Associate's? If they're qualified and apply, they get the job. If they get it and then slack off, they get fired. There’s no such thing as overqualified; there’s only being underqualified for a specific role. Actually, every manager is probably thrilled if they can snag a better-educated worker for a lower-paying position.
The government didn't pay for anyone's education. Our parents paid for it through their taxes. You pay, I pay—everyone paying taxes in the US funds the education of US citizens.
@Sky Shark
People leave. But even within the system, you still have solid, excellent people who have the knowledge and the drive to do good work. If everyone were lazy, nothing would ever get built. You just need to implement a solid reorganization of the system. Some people might actually make great managers, but they never became them because they didn't have the right connections. Honestly, one of the biggest flaws in the current system is that you can't punish a bad worker or reward a good one. The collective protects the bad ones from punishment and blocks rewards for the good ones.
Alex Roberts4 said:Right. So Eric Adams got rid of the ringleader, but left the entire entourage of idiots behind. Under these new restructuring plans, they’ve just slotted themselves into various roles—giving themselves raises, promotions, director titles, whatever—essentially rewarding their own little clique because they haven't finished nesting them all yet, or maybe they needed to "save" them from being let go. Meanwhile, the actual talent gets left in the gutter, stuck working both for themselves and for their bosses' pockets.
Now we have these incompetent posers running around doing absolutely nothing or wasting time on nonsense while collecting massive paychecks. Huge salaries. And honestly? I don't even think this is against Eric Adams personally; it’s just that these people are fundamentally incompetent and overwhelmed. They won't let anyone actually capable near them because, you know, "threats." Eric Adams and his crew are amateurs. That’s not how you restructure an organization; you can't aim for the top if you leave a pile of rot right underneath it. So here we are: the same old crew still enjoying life and messing with the "little guys." All that work was for nothing.
Without competent management, he’s going to end up with zero results, or maybe a mediocre B-. Seriously, how dense do you have to be to not realize that when a new leader comes in, you have to shake up the entire management layer and rotate personnel if you actually want to achieve anything? You need to audit every single role using a "before vs. after" model—asking why things changed, how they changed... It’s a massive job, but it's mandatory. Absolutely mandatory.
Spot on. Honestly, his situation is just like any manager performing a hostile takeover of another company. Or really, any corporate merger or acquisition. All the old management layers below the operational level get the boot. Operational management is put on thin ice, and if they slip up, they go too, making room for competent people from those specific departments. Most regular employees don't even care. Even then, the rank-and-file aren't exactly throwing stones at him (at least not in any significant number; lazy people are everywhere).
If he manages to just fix the system within these four years, that would already be huge progress. I mean, thoroughly auditing every department, handing out layoffs where they're deserved, and maybe even revising some collective bargaining agreements. Even though it might be expensive in the short term, it'd probably be cheaper in the long run to terminate current contracts. In a system like this, those contracts just protect the slackers and act as a weight around the necks of the good workers.
Exactly. Everyone knew that whoever followed Mike was jumping straight into a trench war. It’s just that TT went in there armed with nothing but a water pistol and some colorful flags, charging headlong at the fortified barricades of the Bloomberg system.
Sam Wright21 is clearly a disappointed voter. There are plenty more like her. That's just what happens when you set your expectations sky-high only to find out someone isn't up to the task.
I’m a fan of the Superhero genre. I don't usually care for Spider-Man, though. This is just another Spider-Man origin Story. I went into this on a whim with zero expectations, but I have to admit, it pleasantly surprised me. The CG is excellent. There are a few scenes where it looks so good you almost forget it’s an animated film. They handled the origin story in a fresh way, and seeing those alternative Spider-Men was pretty interesting too. Plus, the soundtrack is solid. I actually loved it, even though I went in thinking it would be a dud.
Charles Grant3 said:Look, here's how it actually works: a rapid response guard gets dispatched when an alarm goes off unannounced. They roll up to the site, check the perimeter, make sure the locks aren't busted, and see if anyone forced their way in. If they find that someone messed with the place, their whole goal is just to hold the scene until the client’s rep, the local PD, the fire department, paramedics, or even utility crews (like if the water or power is out) show up. They're there to figure out if trespassers are inside and, yeah, maybe detain people caught red-handed until the actual cops arrive.
I guess you just expanded on what I already said. My point was that a guard doesn't have authority outside their protected area, and it isn't really their job to go chasing down thieves—that's what the police are for. Let's be clear, buildings with alarms that call out responders usually have theft insurance too. So, everything I wrote holds up. They're there to either prevent something if they happen to be on-site, or secure things until the police arrive if they respond to a call (and, obviously, if they catch someone in the act, they hold them until the police get there).
Nah. Chasing down thieves on the run, robbers, or any other lowlifes is strictly police business. A security guard's job is either to prevent the situation from happening in the first place or to secure the scene after the mess is made. I assume that's what tactical units handle anyway. Once you step off the property they’re guarding, their authority is basically zero. Those blue lights belong exclusively to the police, firefighters, and EMTs.
The late 90s and early 2000s were basically the golden era for IBM. Back then, if you actually knew what you were doing, there was money everywhere.
Why are young people leaving? I guess it's because they don't see a future here. They don't want to do the exact same job for 40 or 45 years. Vertical mobility at work is pretty much non-existent, and the ceilings are set really low. Maybe they're just tired of constantly having to hustle to get by. They want to actually live their lives, not just survive. And honestly, they want to live in a country that’s more organized than America.
As someone who moved away, I could probably go on and on about the reasons, but what I wrote above is enough. I might add more later, I suppose.
You could also look at something like this. It’s got a bit less RAM and a slightly weaker GPU. These UWVA screens use an IPS matrix, plus they have an anti-glare coating. Generally speaking, the ProBook series is pretty solidly built. I guess adding another stick of RAM would bump up the performance quite a bit, and it really seems worth it to just upgrade it right away if you buy it.
Like Jeffrey Chavez6 mentioned, most laptops in this price range are gaming models, which might turn some people off because of how they look, even though they're actually solid machines.
For example, this Dell doesn't scream "gaming" from the outside.
It also features an anti-glare screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, an aluminum chassis, and great hardware inside.
The others, like the HP Omen, ASUS ROG, or Dell Predator, have that specific look that probably wouldn't suit you much as a business user.
http://www.architecturaldigest.com/shop/index.php...ducts_id=14533 - This one’s at a decent price point. It has discrete graphics, too, though unfortunately, it only comes in the Asus Zenbook model. I'd say give it some thought. You can probably find it at a local Best Buy or something, so maybe go check it out in person. A bad keyboard could really drive you crazy.
Everything else I've looked at, a lot of it even in the $1,200 range $5000, doesn't have discrete graphics—just integrated. Even with discrete graphics, some newer games might only run on the lowest settings. Honestly, the only ultrabooks with truly powerful hardware are certain Dell XPS models, the Razer Stealth Blade, or the Blade Pro and the MacBook Pro. But those? The prices are just sky-high.
Alright. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but most 15" laptops weigh in around 4.8 lbs, which is pretty much what yours does. The smaller ones are lighter, sure, but they usually pack much weaker hardware. They just aren't built for gaming, so even if you spend $1,500, you're often stuck with mediocre graphics or just integrated chips. It’s always been this trade-off between portability, performance, and price. You really have to pick two. You'll either have to sacrifice how easy it is to carry or how much power it has, because ultra-lightweight gaming laptops are way out of this budget range.
Windows 7 is on extended support now and you can't buy it anymore. It basically went extinct back in 2020. Even 8.1 isn't being sold—well, at least not to manufacturers. If anyone still has it, they're probably just working through old stock.
It depends on what you consider small, I guess. Would a 12-14" screen work, or maybe even a 15"?
Sophia Ross7 said:http://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/laptops...09DELL/product/ Looking at this long-term, would this be a smarter play if I plan to upgrade the SSD and RAM later, compared to that other model featuring the GTX 1050? Portability is my priority—I need to move easily between home, the office, and around the apartment—and I want a laptop that actually offers graphics performance comparable to a desktop setup. That first link caught my eye because it comes with 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD right out of the box. As far as operating systems go, I have the option of getting Windows 7 Pro 64-bit and then paying a little extra to upgrade to Windows 10 later. Just how much weaker is the 1050ti compared to the 1060? It might actually be worth just waiting a couple of months.
The only question is whether you can actually install an SSD in that one. Since there isn't an optical drive, you can't swap it out for one. It only works if the laptop itself has extra space for an SSD inside.
Portability is great if you have a car. If you don't, your back is going to feel it. Definitely use a backpack instead of a shoulder bag. That beast weighs about 10 pounds with the charger. Honestly, I've carried this class of laptop through airports, job sites, and offices, and eventually, I just ended up "nailing" it to my desk because it was so heavy and awkward.
The 1060 is roughly 40% to 70% more powerful than the 1050ti, depending on what you're doing. The 1060 has higher clock speeds, more memory, faster memory speeds, and a wider bus.
If you aren't planning on waiting and you're ready to drop the cash, just buy that first Predator with the 1060. And go ahead and upgrade from 7 to 10, because 7 is pretty much a relic at this point.
I guess we should just wait on that. This is the first Kaby Lake model I've actually seen being offered; everything else seems to be Skylake. Maybe once the processor generations shift, we'll start seeing new laptops hitting the market featuring 10xx series GPUs in this specific gaming tier.
I know this might be a bit off-topic, but honestly, for that kind of money, you could build an incredible desktop. The real issue with these gaming laptops is that they’re bulky, heavy, and not really portable at all. Once you factor in the power brick and a decent bag, you're lugging over 10 pounds around on your back. And if you try to run it without the charger, the battery just drains instantly under a heavy load. If it's just going to sit on your desk at home anyway, it only makes sense if you truly have zero space. Dragging a laptop like that around isn't exactly fun.
It’s not that complicated. Just ditch Linux, install Windows, and you're good to go. Since you're already dropping nearly $1,700, I guess it might be worth stretching the budget by another $120 or so to $300 grab a Windows 10 64-bit OEM license. And if you can, maybe look into extending the warranty too. An HP Omen with similar specs and Windows pre-installed would be $667 more expensive. If you strip out the Windows license, it ends up being $333 pricier.
Price and hardware don't always line up perfectly. Sometimes it's just about brand power. That Predator is a beast compared to this piece of junk I'm typing on right now—though this junk is an Apple and costs twice as much as that Acer. So, it's really up to you.
Brenda Roberts17 said:What are your thoughts on the Zenbook Pro?
It feels like it’s a bit light on internal storage, though I wonder if there's any way to swap out a drive or upgrade it later?
Not really. There isn't anything you can swap out to make room. It doesn't have an optical drive or anything. So, that 256 GB SSD is pretty much all you're stuck with. I guess the whole point of that laptop is just being thin and light.
I took religion classes all through elementary and middle school. It was rarely ever our first or last period, either. We only had two kids in my class who didn't take it back in elementary school, and they mostly just spent those periods wandering the halls. The reason they signed me up was pretty straightforward—it counted toward my sacraments, so there wasn't any need to attend extra church-run classes. But then they changed the rules, saying you had to go to additional parish classes twice a week after school at the church for confirmation. High school handled it way better, though. They organized classes based on whether students chose religion or ethics. Basically, the whole class would go to one or the other together. I think that’s the best way to do it, assuming there are enough kids choosing the non-religious track. That way, nobody gets stuck with an awkward schedule, except maybe the teacher who loses some teaching hours.
Thanks. I’m thinking about selling it to a buddy, but I don't want him feeling like I ripped him off. It’s an older model, I guess, but it still handles new games pretty well.
So, I've done some modeling myself. Quite a bit, actually—both at my old office job and on freelance gigs. I definitely agree that an HDD is a must; just having an SSD won't be enough. But there’s another thing to consider here. What kind of modeling are we talking about? Like, what's the niche—architecture, civil engineering, or mechanical? Are we looking at animated sequences or just static 3D models? Also, looking at the budget, I'm guessing the user might be a student at a technical university, maybe studying architecture or mechanical engineering. If that's the case, they probably won't be tackling super complex 3D animations just yet. It would really help if the OP could clarify what the future owner actually does. Once we know the specific field, we can figure out which software will be used, and then we can build the configuration around that.