Welcome to the Sippican Cottage Trash Day Rodeo. Yippee. Yeehaw. Etc.

I’m really not qualified to host a rodeo. Or participate in one, even. I’m not even capable of rodeo clowning. If I was, I would have gone into politics. So take all this hooey with a grain of salt:

You Are NOT Dumb, You Just Lack the Prerequisites

The gap in comprehension wasn’t due to a lack of ability but rather a gap in prerequisite knowledge. So here’s a gentle reminder: You’re not dumb—you just might not have all the prerequisites yet.

Public school administrators have taken a turn-out on teaching any fundamental information that must be learned by rote to allow you perform any higher level intellectual work. So you go up against the bull on day one, and get freight trained. It’s starting to dawn on the younger generation that there was a reason why students used to memorize multiplication tables.

Dual-screen laptops make more sense with this spiral notebook-like hinge

I often use sleek, small-screened ultralight laptops, so I find dual-screen laptops intriguing. The dual-screen laptops I’ve used up until this point have come with a huge caveat, though: no integrated keyboard. That’s what makes AceMagic’s X1 stand out to me. Not only does its secondary screen swing out from the system horizontally (instead of vertically), but the laptop manages to include two 13-inch screens and a traditional keyboard and touchpad.

A Millenial will go to any lengths to avoid admitting that a desktop computer with huge screens is the only sensible way to get any real work done on a computer. Laptop coding is mutton busting.

Australian employees now have the right to ignore work emails, calls after hours

Is your boss texting you on the weekend? Work email pinging long after you’ve left for home? Australian employees can now ignore those and other intrusions into home life thanks to a new “right to disconnect” law designed to curb the creep of work emails and calls into personal lives.

Erm, Australian employees always had the right to ignore work emails. What they didn’t have was the gumption. Acting ring sour is now the law of the land, so they’re off the hook.

Nuclear reactors a mile underground promise safe, cheap power

The clever bit is to vastly simplify the design and do without all that ultra-expensive civil engineering by lowering the reactor down a drill shaft a mile deep. A pair of pipes would be attached. One to send down water and another to bring back steam from the reactor’s steam generator.

The word “promise” in the headline is doing a lot of heavy lifting, n’est ce pas? I can think of a few things that might go wrong, right out of the gate. But honestly, why not just keep drilling? It gets pretty hot down there with or without the nuclear reactor. 

What Lasts and (Mostly) Doesn’t Last

What was more surprising than the fact we couldn’t match names to (once) famous books was that many of the authors themselves were completely obscure, especially to the younger people present. We were writers and professors. If we didn’t remember these authors, who did? The conversation moved on but I think everyone came away with a reminder: literary fame is fickle and fleeting.

Most books rank a no-score in their own time, never mind the long run. And tastes change. But I went to a good used book store yesterday, and asked for some Dostoevsky and Tom Wolfe. They didn’t have either. They had a whole wall of Stephen King, the literary rodeo clown, however. This proves one of two things. No one will part with good books, and if they do, they’re re-purchased right away. Either that, or they really, really like Stephen King. But if the latter, wouldn’t the King shelves be empty?

The Vital Necessity of Very Old Books

Hanania argues that most books are a waste of time. “One would like to think that if someone has written a 300-page book, it means that they have 300 pages worth of things to say,” says Hanania. “My experience is that is rarely the case.”

Sorry, I already argued that. The author also attempts to bulldog the idea that Boomers were the truly self-absorbed generation. Apparently he’s never seen a tween girl between the shafts of her iPhone.

Employees as Risks

In recent years, organizations have begun using software that analyzes large amounts of activity log records and communications data for purposes that go well beyond cybersecurity. A variety of software systems promise to help them prevent employee misconduct, whether it be criminal, negligent, inappropriate or otherwise undesirable.

Don’t forget to put a cover sheet on your TPS reports, and don’t leave a copy of The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism on your hard drive at work, people. You’ll be branded a hat bender.

The Real Problem With the Job Market
My big, depressing, and optimistic theory for why it’s so hard to find and keep a job that makes you happy

The entire concept of work that we have had for thousands of years was a temporary model that was required to solve a temporary problem. Namely, people who are trying to build or sell something that required work they were unable to do by themselves.

Please notice the category error in the subtitle, right out of the chute. A job that makes you happy? There’s a reason they call it work, you know. If this guy isn’t careful, his employer will think he’s nothing but a risk. The author points out some interesting things, however. But he doesn’t even understand that the majority of the world does real things out in the landscape to make their bread, not just shuffle some javascript around on a virtual desktop. AI isn’t going to pick any lettuce, or pop any rivets.

Calif. tech companies see laid-off workers as ‘table scraps,’ recruiters say

Creely remembers one conversation with a senior director at an automotive tech company with locations in California, for instance, who didn’t want to hire any laid-off workers because he saw them as “damaged goods.” No matter how hard he tried, Creely couldn’t change his client’s mind, he said.

I’m trying to keep up on my HR bingo card. When do “damaged goods” become “table scraps,” and what does it take to get them hired so that they can burst their chrysalis and morph into plain old “risks”? And how long do they need to be unemployed until they’re sent to the glue factory?

Enhance customer experiences and unlock new revenue with our eco-friendly, ad-display faucets.

In today’s competitive market, every square inch of your venue needs to work harder—restrooms included. Traditional faucets rack up water bills and offer nothing back. Isn’t it time your restrooms became more than just a maintenance checkpoint?​

Enter VODXs—our cutting-edge LCD screen faucets not only save up to 70% on water usage but turn your restrooms into dynamic advertising platforms. Imagine every handwash generating revenue and enhancing guest experience with captivating, customizable content.

I’m imagining other things, like meeting the people who think this is a good idea in a dark alley. I checked all over to see if this was satire. It isn’t. I wonder if they’ll eventually make a version of the hand dryer that screams the advertising over the jet engine noise. Man, I wish we could rein in the advertising monster.

Well, that’s the roundup for this Tuesday. Hi ho Silver, and away…!