Octopus Overlords

Me and my wife lived this way for a decade and a half nearly. I thumb my nose at cabin fever.

Recovered, but still testing positive? https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east- ... tive-again

Daehawk wrote: Thu Mar 26, 2020 7:35 pm Me and my wife lived this way for a decade and a half nearly. I thumb my nose at cabin fever.

The way I look at it is we humans are creatures of habit. What is a 'comfort zone' if not simply a set of habits? Psychologically it's good for us. That's why a disaster which disrupts our habits can be so stressful. If someone is used to dropping the kids off at school, then going to work, and one day they can do neither, that is going to stress them out. The loss of the job and the fact they now have their kids home all day are added stresses piled on to the disruption of their daily habits.

The good news is that new habits can be formed, thus a new comfort zone can be created. We humans are very adaptable. The keyword is 'habit'. A parent who wakes up in the morning with the idea that they will just wing it as far as what they do with their kids that day is making a big mistake. It sounds ideal, I can do whatever I want, but in reality it's making things worse. Having a set schedule and sticking to it is the superior way to go. It creates new habits and new structure for their lives.

In your case it sounds like your comfort zone hasn't been rocked so hard by this pandemic. That's good, that's a load of stress you don't need since you still have plenty to worry about without needing your daily life turned upside down too.

Ralph-Wiggum wrote: Sun Mar 15, 2020 9:33 am He doesn’t post on here much anymore, but Captain Caveman has a good chance at being the first OOer with it.

Drag his ass back, please.

For those that don't frequent R&P:

Dallas





I'm in Denton, coop's in Collin, Captain Caveman is in Dallas, and I don't know the locations specifically, but there's a few more of us in those three, including Fretmute.

Coronavirus: Man planning to bomb Missouri hospital killed, FBI says

A man suspected of planning to attack a hospital treating coronavirus cases in the US state of Missouri died after a shootout with the FBI, officials say.

Only in this country.

I’m pretty sure I mentioned earlier in the thread that I run an entertainment company for bars and restaurants. Obviously, that’s not easy to do when restaurants are delivery/takeout only. So we moved our trivia games on to Facebook Live. We’ve been busting our butts trying to find a way to continue to serve our clients and make enough money to survive.

Today was a good day though. We took over the Facebook page of our local Make-A-Wish chapter and did an 8-hour marathon. We helped to raise over $2,000 for them, all with online games and videos.

On the pregnancy front, the Coronavirus is going to make sure that this pregnancy isn’t anything like what I expected. I’m probably not going to be able to be a part of any of the appointments. They wouldn’t let me in for the first ultrasound, and wouldn’t even let my wife Skype me from the office. There are also some hospitals now that won’t let the fathers be there for the birth. We’re a long way from delivery, but I’ll be pretty devastated if I can’t be there for the birth.

Can they legally keep you out? What if you both took tests and were negative?

Daehawk wrote: Thu Mar 26, 2020 11:02 pm Can they legally keep you out? What if you both took tests and were negative?

Right now there isn't the infrastructure for that kind of testing. Maybe in the near future but how not how. And if false negatives continue to be an issue maybe not even then.

msteelers wrote: Thu Mar 26, 2020 10:13 pm They ... wouldn’t even let my wife Skype me from the office.

That seems rather draconian.

Isgrimnur wrote: Thu Mar 26, 2020 11:22 pm

msteelers wrote: Thu Mar 26, 2020 10:13 pm They ... wouldn’t even let my wife Skype me from the office.

That seems rather draconian.

It does and it is but it's most likely a privacy / security issue.

Some companies in Chattanooga are getting some work done while its easier. Things like street and sidewalk traffic are way down so they are getting curb work, street landscaping, even roofing work done now. As they also remarked when things can get back to normal people will enjoy the changes and it can draw them back into those areas.

Daehawk wrote:

Isgrimnur wrote: Thu Mar 26, 2020 11:22 pm

msteelers wrote: Thu Mar 26, 2020 10:13 pm They ... wouldn’t even let my wife Skype me from the office.

That seems rather draconian.

It does and it is but it's most likely a privacy / security issue.

Some offices are letting the mothers video conference the father. My friend is in the hospital right now with his wife giving birth to their first child. He was able to FaceTime in to the last few appointments.

I think what made our particular issue worse is I called the Dr’s office the day before and specifically asked if Skype would be an issue. They said it would not be an issue, and even said we could log in to their WiFi. But when my wife got there, they shot her down and acted like she was crazy. They also didn’t give any reason outside of saying “its for our safety”.

My number's been drawn for the dead pool. Today is my last day, tomorrow I'm officially laid off.

Given that my employers are keeping only another 6 people employed, and for how long no one can say, this isn't a shock to me. I'm planning to call the unemployment office today and let them know. I've also talked with my employer and asked if I could be retained as a "volunteer" to work remotely as needed. I don't have a lot of plans to leave the house and 99% of my job can be done remotely... it's just that with only 6 people on staff instead of 55, there's nothing to keep me busy aside from routine maintenance (which accounts only for a modest portion of my job).

So I'll be "employed" with no salary, working 2-6 hours per week with no pay, collecting unemployment, and home-schooling the kids so my wife can concentrate on her work. I want to support the business I work for and help them stay afloat. I don't see this as a vacation, but rather an extraordinary circumstance that no one can avoid.

They're currently "tentatively" planning to re-open in two weeks, depending on circumstance. I expect that circumstance will last a lot longer.

msteelers wrote: Fri Mar 27, 2020 7:40 am

Daehawk wrote:

Isgrimnur wrote: Thu Mar 26, 2020 11:22 pm

msteelers wrote: Thu Mar 26, 2020 10:13 pm They ... wouldn’t even let my wife Skype me from the office.

That seems rather draconian.

It does and it is but it's most likely a privacy / security issue.

Some offices are letting the mothers video conference the father. My friend is in the hospital right now with his wife giving birth to their first child. He was able to FaceTime in to the last few appointments.

I think what made our particular issue worse is I called the Dr’s office the day before and specifically asked if Skype would be an issue. They said it would not be an issue, and even said we could log in to their WiFi. But when my wife got there, they shot her down and acted like she was crazy. They also didn’t give any reason outside of saying “its for our safety”.

New doctor maybe? This is a one in a lifetime thing for you. Ya other kids and all but this is this one. "Sorry hon wasn't there for your birth. No idea how it went. Didn't see you for a week or more" Thats not fair.

Paingod wrote: Fri Mar 27, 2020 10:01 am My number's been drawn for the dead pool. Today is my last day, tomorrow I'm officially laid off.

Given that my employers are keeping only another 6 people employed, and for how long no one can say, this isn't a shock to me. I'm planning to call the unemployment office today and let them know. I've also talked with my employer and asked if I could be retained as a "volunteer" to work remotely as needed. I don't have a lot of plans to leave the house and 99% of my job can be done remotely... it's just that with only 6 people on staff instead of 55, there's nothing to keep me busy aside from routine maintenance (which accounts only for a modest portion of my job).

So I'll be "employed" with no salary, working 2-6 hours per week with no pay, collecting unemployment, and home-schooling the kids so my wife can concentrate on her work. I want to support the business I work for and help them stay afloat. I don't see this as a vacation, but rather an extraordinary circumstance that no one can avoid.

They're currently "tentatively" planning to re-open in two weeks, depending on circumstance. I expect that circumstance will last a lot longer.

I would be VERY careful about "volunteering" for your old job while collecting unemployment. The unemployment office might consider that fraud.
You might want to ask them.

Punisher wrote: Fri Mar 27, 2020 10:44 amI would be VERY careful about "volunteering" for your old job while collecting unemployment. The unemployment office might consider that fraud.

You might want to ask them.

I will, but I'd like to think that in this extraordinary time of unusual circumstance, helping my employer have the best shot of coming back to life so I can get off unemployment sooner would be a good thing.

I cannot imagine a scenario where my employer would put me through a layoff and then I'd volunteer my time back to them in order for them to continue to operate. That seems potentially abusive. Regardless, I'm sorry to hear it and hope your transition to unemployment is painless.

Smoove_B wrote: Fri Mar 27, 2020 10:54 amI cannot imagine a scenario where my employer would put me through a layoff and then I'd volunteer my time back to them in order for them to continue to operate. That seems potentially abusive. Regardless, I'm sorry to hear it and hope your transition to unemployment is painless.

I can see how it might be seen that way. I'm looking at the future of my employment with the same company that's laying me off. I don't see a reason to refuse small tasks or questions; I'm the only one in my department and the only one with the inside-out knowledge of the systems. I do have documentation of the network and a list of vendors they can utilize for anything that gets out of hand, though. I won't be coming in to work a full day or on weekends at no cost. I'm talking about maybe a few 5 minute phone calls each week, so the people I've worked with for the last 3 years who have depended on me know they still can. There is seriously VERY little for me to do without users to support. There's not a lot of room to exploit anything.

If this wasn't a coronavirus scenario I'd merrily tell them to pound sand.

On the flip side, my boss has said I'm welcome to come in and use the office showers if I need to, or hang out in the conference rooms on the weekends and watch NetFlix if I need to get out of the house.

This is equal parts fascinating and scary:

https://twitter.com/MikaelThalen/status ... 8037913600

This shows the location data of phones that were on a Florida beach during Spring Break. It then shows where those phones traveled.

First thing you should note is the importance of social distancing. The second is how much data your phone gives off.

There has been talk of using that sort of cellphone data to verify that people are complying with self-quarantine/distancing orders, but I don't know if any jurisdiction anywhere has actually gone ahead with it yet.

A local health guy was talking about how he went into a convenience store to get something and the clerk had on a mask and gloves. He said how much you want to bet in this crisis thats her only ones of each or at least a limited amount. She probably wearing them all day....maybe even a few days or a week long. Imagine that when she hands you your credit card back or bags your items.

Max Peck wrote: Fri Mar 27, 2020 11:58 am There has been talk of using that sort of cellphone data to verify that people are complying with self-quarantine/distancing orders, but I don't know if any jurisdiction anywhere has actually gone ahead with it yet.

I can't remember if it is Singapore, Taiwan, or Hong Kong, but one of them is tracking and shows up at your house if the tracker fails for some reason to verify you are still in quarantine.

Max Peck wrote: Fri Mar 27, 2020 11:58 am There has been talk of using that sort of cellphone data to verify that people are complying with self-quarantine/distancing orders, but I don't know if any jurisdiction anywhere has actually gone ahead with it yet.

Some other countries have done it:

https://www.businessinsider.com/countri ... rus-2020-3

stessier wrote: Fri Mar 27, 2020 12:32 pm

Max Peck wrote: Fri Mar 27, 2020 11:58 am There has been talk of using that sort of cellphone data to verify that people are complying with self-quarantine/distancing orders, but I don't know if any jurisdiction anywhere has actually gone ahead with it yet.

I can't remember if it is Singapore, Taiwan, or Hong Kong, but one of them is tracking and shows up at your house if the tracker fails for some reason to verify you are still in quarantine.

Taiwan, I think (the guy's battery died).

Anonymous Bosch wrote: Mon Mar 23, 2020 8:54 pm

malchior wrote: Mon Mar 23, 2020 8:41 pm

Anonymous Bosch wrote: Mon Mar 23, 2020 8:28 pm

Daehawk wrote: Mon Mar 23, 2020 8:12 pm That boy believes China? What a shitty laureate.

Yeah, I'm sure your forecast of Chinese coronavirus fatalities was much more accurate than that of a Nobel laureate and Stanford biophysicist "boy."

Biophysicist. Not a Medical Doctor. Not an epidemiologist. Not an expert in that field at all. Why listen to the experts when we can find an expert in something else that says what we want to believe and lean on those credentials. That is solid science.

So what? You're free to believe whatever you like. But Levitt's forecast of Chinese deaths from COVID-19 was pretty damn accurate, so one can but hope his prediction of slowed growth in other nations also holds up.

He predicted Israel to have less than 10 death. One week later, it is now at 12 death.

Daehawk wrote: Fri Mar 27, 2020 12:12 pm A local health guy was talking about how he went into a convenience store to get something and the clerk had on a mask and gloves. He said how much you want to bet in this crisis thats her only ones of each or at least a limited amount. She probably wearing them all day....maybe even a few days or a week long. Imagine that when she hands you your credit card back or bags your items.

The cashier in the Chinese market a couple of days ago wore a mask, and put on gloves before handling our purchase, plus she had a table in front of the counter with the register (forcing people back an extra three feet from her.) She's the only one I've ever seen there, and she's staying open during all of this. I don't blame her for the mask.

As to wearing the gloves all day, likely not. Those things are miserable after an hour, and your hands look and feel like you've been soaking in a bathtub for hours. Besides, after a half an hour working in a store with them, they're probably not doing any good anyway. They're not meant to stand up to abuse like that, and will get tiny cuts and holes that end up letting everything in anyway. Even surgeons, who aren't handling rough cardboard boxes, change their gloves every 30-60 minutes for that reason (and I have no idea how they keep their hands from sweating like mad.)

In checking in with our last four employees in two clinics, they're pretty much handing out whatever had been ordered and prescribed and then locking the doors. Patients with emergency needs will be redirected to ER's. Maybe a week or so from now.

I may not have to worry about getting too many calls for help after all.

Management still optimistic on re-opening April 13th at the latest. I expect that to change. It will every week.

Thankfully this business relies on human processes - medical work - so we won't have an automatic shortage when we re-open the doors. People may not have money for our services, though. It's hard to predict the path forward.

Paingod wrote: Fri Mar 27, 2020 11:14 am

Smoove_B wrote: Fri Mar 27, 2020 10:54 amI cannot imagine a scenario where my employer would put me through a layoff and then I'd volunteer my time back to them in order for them to continue to operate. That seems potentially abusive. Regardless, I'm sorry to hear it and hope your transition to unemployment is painless.

I can see how it might be seen that way. I'm looking at the future of my employment with the same company that's laying me off. I don't see a reason to refuse small tasks or questions

When making these kinds of decisions I look at it from the other side's perspective. If I'm the employer and the employee is willing to work even part of their job for free, why am I paying them? So when things get back to 'normal' now I know they are willing to do things for free, thereby giving me the leverage to reduce labor costs. That's the reason why I would think twice about it. Don't do it thinking you're going to impress them or are showing them what an amazing employee you are. I mean they MIGHT feel that way, but most employers are looking at the bottomline first and foremost. That's when the economy is good. This year the economy is shot, the bottomline is going to be all anyone thinks about.

gameoverman wrote: Fri Mar 27, 2020 4:06 pm

Paingod wrote: Fri Mar 27, 2020 11:14 am

Smoove_B wrote: Fri Mar 27, 2020 10:54 amI cannot imagine a scenario where my employer would put me through a layoff and then I'd volunteer my time back to them in order for them to continue to operate. That seems potentially abusive. Regardless, I'm sorry to hear it and hope your transition to unemployment is painless.

I can see how it might be seen that way. I'm looking at the future of my employment with the same company that's laying me off. I don't see a reason to refuse small tasks or questions

When making these kinds of decisions I look at it from the other side's perspective. If I'm the employer and the employee is willing to work even part of their job for free, why am I paying them? So when things get back to 'normal' now I know they are willing to do things for free, thereby giving me the leverage to reduce labor costs. That's the reason why I would think twice about it. Don't do it thinking you're going to impress them or are showing them what an amazing employee you are. I mean they MIGHT feel that way, but most employers are looking at the bottomline first and foremost. That's when the economy is good. This year the economy is shot, the bottomline is going to be all anyone thinks about.

This is an extraordinary circumstance. Most employers won't view what an employee does right now as typical market behavior. Any employer who thinks that the goodwill shown by employees during this (or any) crisis is suddenly a standard is crazy.

Similarly, layoffs right now aren't cost cutting measures so much as they are survival measures.

LawBeefaroni wrote: Fri Mar 27, 2020 4:13 pm

gameoverman wrote: Fri Mar 27, 2020 4:06 pm

Paingod wrote: Fri Mar 27, 2020 11:14 am

Smoove_B wrote: Fri Mar 27, 2020 10:54 amI cannot imagine a scenario where my employer would put me through a layoff and then I'd volunteer my time back to them in order for them to continue to operate. That seems potentially abusive. Regardless, I'm sorry to hear it and hope your transition to unemployment is painless.

I can see how it might be seen that way. I'm looking at the future of my employment with the same company that's laying me off. I don't see a reason to refuse small tasks or questions

When making these kinds of decisions I look at it from the other side's perspective. If I'm the employer and the employee is willing to work even part of their job for free, why am I paying them? So when things get back to 'normal' now I know they are willing to do things for free, thereby giving me the leverage to reduce labor costs. That's the reason why I would think twice about it. Don't do it thinking you're going to impress them or are showing them what an amazing employee you are. I mean they MIGHT feel that way, but most employers are looking at the bottomline first and foremost. That's when the economy is good. This year the economy is shot, the bottomline is going to be all anyone thinks about.

Similarly, layoffs right now aren't cost cutting measures so much as they are survival measures.

Sure. But if the employer is keeping X amount of employees on the job and they are getting paid then the employer has made a decision on who is needed and who isn't. For instance, for survival purposes, they might have elected to keep more employees at work but paid them all a smaller percentage of their normal pay. That way they all pull together to survive this but no one is expected to work for free. My previous experiences with employers who took advantage of helpful employees is why I'm wary of this kind of thing. Others may work for better employers and so won't have this problem.

Blackhawk wrote: Fri Mar 27, 2020 1:21 pm

Daehawk wrote: Fri Mar 27, 2020 12:12 pm A local health guy was talking about how he went into a convenience store to get something and the clerk had on a mask and gloves. He said how much you want to bet in this crisis thats her only ones of each or at least a limited amount. She probably wearing them all day....maybe even a few days or a week long. Imagine that when she hands you your credit card back or bags your items.

The cashier in the Chinese market a couple of days ago wore a mask, and put on gloves before handling our purchase, plus she had a table in front of the counter with the register (forcing people back an extra three feet from her.) She's the only one I've ever seen there, and she's staying open during all of this. I don't blame her for the mask.

SpartanNash grocery stores here have put up sneeze guards between cashiers and customers.

A place here called Bite Me Bakery is offering a free roll of toilet paper when you buy a loaf of bread. Thats got to be one of the strangest incentives to buy Ive seen in my life.

They probably have more TP than customers.

mori wrote: Fri Mar 27, 2020 6:03 pm They probably have more TP than customers.

Or they make shitty bread. Since bread seems to be among the hoarding items (why? It lasts like a week!), they must be making pretty bad bread if incentives are required.

Daehawk wrote: Fri Mar 27, 2020 5:55 pm A place here called Bite Me Bakery is offering a free roll of toilet paper when you buy a loaf of bread. Thats got to be one of the strangest incentives to buy Ive seen in my life.

A bakery here has been doing that too when you buy a dozen pastries.

I have a friend that owns a brewpub/distillery and they are giving out hand sanitizer that they made with a $25 to-go order.

Pretty much all distilleries in town have started making hand sanitizer and both donating and selling it.

dbt1949 wrote: Wed Mar 25, 2020 4:23 pm Chances are if I caught it I wouldn't do anything about it either. Just tough it thru or die.
They can't do anything about it now except try to ease the symptoms and make you comfortable.
My wife would catch it too and we'd do the same thing for her except stop her care nurse from coming over.

The VC and NVA could not kill you, what chance does a little virus from China have? Not much!