Alan Smithee posted:

Source you are quote

Leon Trotsky 2012 posted:

All you have to do to keep getting your paycheck is one Zoom conference per week. Can you do it?

Alan Smithee posted:

Source you are quote

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It took awhile to get the right angle, get the lighting right, they saw me preparing, it wasn't a surprise. More like the highlight of their week.

And they should consider themselves lucky to be in the presence of such greatness. If they had a drive thru, I'd have shown them my X7 as well.

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You've got a $17,000 Rolex. If you're a Rolex owner then act like a Rolex owner.

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I am a real Rolex enthusiast. I have a pretty nice 6 Rolex collection that I have curated over the 25 years I've been into the hobby. See my profile for pics.

Unlike most enthusiasts, however, I also allow myself to take pleasure in the power of the Rolex brand as a status symbol. I like it when people notice my watches. I like it when others are instantly intimidated by my trappings of a successful life.

So I'm a bit of a split personality. It can confuse people, so I'm glad you asked. On the hardware side, I'm a straight arrow, I'm what you'd expect as a forum participant, I give many posters solid advice and technical information. On the status side, it comes across as trolling to some because forum narratives have led people to believe it is when it isn't. If you're not going to enjoy the status symbolism that comes as standard equipment with a Rolex, you're depriving yourself of half the fun. I embrace it. Let me know if that makes sense.

Tomfoolery posted:

Wow he is the most terrible

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We say you are using too many straws and your response is let’s shut down poor countries ??? Speaks volumes dude, you can pay for school but you can’t by class!!

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I am wearing a $25,000 Rolex. Ask me if I care.

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Your mistake is trying to apply “rationality” to an entirely emotional impulse purchase. We aren’t talking about milk, electricity, or other necessities. We are talking about men’s jewelry, frivolous baubles, luxury indulgences.

To those who can afford a Rolex, price simply doesn’t matter. And grey premiums are another luxury, allowing us to skip the lines and to be treated with dignity while others humiliate themselves. We pay for these types of privileges all the time, no different than paying $10,000 for a first class seat that arrives at its destination at the exact same time as those costing $299.

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I paid $17,000 in 2018 for my $12,400 MSRP Daytona and could sell it tomorrow for $20,000. So, yes, it’s worth more than some arbitrary MSRP that’s nothing but a bunch of type on a spreadsheet. In the real world, you want a Daytona, you pay fair market value. Those who stick to the MSRP script aren’t serious buyers. They are bargain hunters. Yuck. I could never look at my wrist with pride if I paid MSRP for a unicorn.

Not the bubble nonsense again. There is no bubble because there is no inventory. There aren’t millions of tulips growing in Rolex garden. They are shut down. What were scarce are now downright impossible. Prices will go up, not down. Once the desperation private sales dry up, the greys will be the only ones with inventory.

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Fact is, Rolex has enhanced and upgraded the entire line in the last few years and that’s led to dramatic increases in interest. Not hype. Tangible enhancements. Not only do you have the usual group of new 30-40 year olds getting their promotions and their first Rolexes but you have the 30 million Rolex buyers of the last 30 years looking to upgrade. Rolex doesn’t need to make more than 1 million a year, so they don’t. And Rolex owners don’t want them to either. Turns out, we like wearing scarce trinkets.

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My advice for getting into the hobby is this: Get a submariner. If you can't (more like won't) drop more than $9,999 because of some weird psychological hold in your brain, then you don't need to be in this hobby. Get the gently caress out. You can judge the value of a man's life by the answer to that question

Tomfoolery posted:

Wow he is the most terrible

PurpleXVI posted:

At this point you're unlikely to ever be more than a few feet from something that can tell time, whether that's a computer screen, a TV or your cell phone, so watches are entirely for conspicious consumption, unless you're somewhere far afield like in the Antarctic or an impenetrable jungle, or somewhere out in the sticks enough for a reliable electricity supply to not be guaranteed.

Animal posted:

He’s clearly a troll parodying the kind of dumb rich people who are incapable of appreciating any watch that is not a Rolex.

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forums.watchuseek.com profile

Join Date
May 2006
Location
NJ
Posts
10,149

PurpleXVI posted:

At this point you're unlikely to ever be more than a few feet from something that can tell time, whether that's a computer screen, a TV or your cell phone, so watches are entirely for conspicious consumption, unless you're somewhere far afield like in the Antarctic or an impenetrable jungle, or somewhere out in the sticks enough for a reliable electricity supply to not be guaranteed.

PurpleXVI posted:

I have to admit I consider almost anyone actually wearing a watch to be a pretentious dong. The only people I ever see wearing them tend to be managers, the arrogant rich or old people for whom watch-wearing is a habit, and only the latter of those three groups can be excused.

At this point you're unlikely to ever be more than a few feet from something that can tell time, whether that's a computer screen, a TV or your cell phone, so watches are entirely for conspicious consumption, unless you're somewhere far afield like in the Antarctic or an impenetrable jungle, or somewhere out in the sticks enough for a reliable electricity supply to not be guaranteed.

PurpleXVI posted:

I have to admit I consider almost anyone actually wearing a watch to be a pretentious dong. The only people I ever see wearing them tend to be managers, the arrogant rich or old people for whom watch-wearing is a habit, and only the latter of those three groups can be excused.

At this point you're unlikely to ever be more than a few feet from something that can tell time, whether that's a computer screen, a TV or your cell phone, so watches are entirely for conspicious consumption, unless you're somewhere far afield like in the Antarctic or an impenetrable jungle, or somewhere out in the sticks enough for a reliable electricity supply to not be guaranteed.

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DeepBrain Chain is a decentralized AI computing platform - DBC is the utility token for transactions on the platform.

*... first artificial intelligence platform with a working product ... reduce about 70% of hardware cost by buying data and processor power on DBC network. ... privacy risk can be effectively avoided by harnessing the algorithm and immutability from on-chain smart contracts. ... “Blockchain + artificial intelligence will change all aspects of our lives”. ...a decentralized, low-cost, and private AI computing platform and also provide perfect peripheral products.

Soylent Pudding posted:

A niche case, but the majority of people I know who've had a security clearance are in the habit of wearing watches.

PurpleXVI posted:

I have to admit I consider almost anyone actually wearing a watch to be a pretentious dong. The only people I ever see wearing them tend to be managers, the arrogant rich or old people for whom watch-wearing is a habit, and only the latter of those three groups can be excused.

At this point you're unlikely to ever be more than a few feet from something that can tell time, whether that's a computer screen, a TV or your cell phone, so watches are entirely for conspicious consumption, unless you're somewhere far afield like in the Antarctic or an impenetrable jungle, or somewhere out in the sticks enough for a reliable electricity supply to not be guaranteed.

Subjunctive posted:

Nah, checking the time on a watch is less rude than taking out my phone during a conversation or meeting (and much less likely to end up distracting me), and I can do it with both hands occupied while cooking or working on something else, or with gloves on outside in the winter. I just can’t find a watch I like, or I’d be back to wearing one.

WarMECH posted:

Nah, watches are cool and good and are a functional accessory to your wardrobe. Mechanical watches, specifically, are fascinating examples combining engineering and art. If you look hard enough you might be able to find a few models for less than $25k but everyone will look down on you according to Internet connoisseurs of haute horology.

Alan Smithee posted:

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In many ways, it’s difficult to pin down exactly who was the “biggest loser” in what amounted as the greatest wealth transfer from disillusioned tech nerds to snake oil salesmen of all-time. But that’s only true if you ignore the immaculate failure that is DeepBrain Chain. DBC investors were definitely the biggest losers.

A major theme across 2017 ICO burnouts is wistful investors asking for more transparency. The good news for DeepBrain Chain followers is that the team is impressively transparent. The bad news is they are transparent about their status as a straight scam. DBC holders woke up to a brief message on the DBC official Medium page today. Quoting it wouldn’t do justice, here’s a screenshot:

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DeepBrain Chain is a decentralized AI computing platform - DBC is the utility token for transactions on the platform.

*... first artificial intelligence platform with a working product ... reduce about 70% of hardware cost by buying data and processor power on DBC network. ... privacy risk can be effectively avoided by harnessing the algorithm and immutability from on-chain smart contracts. ... “Blockchain + artificial intelligence will change all aspects of our lives”. ...a decentralized, low-cost, and private AI computing platform and also provide perfect peripheral products.

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Even as Delta and the other major airlines in the United States dramatically slash schedules, they are averaging an anemic 23 passengers on each domestic flight and losing $350 million to $400 million a day as expenses like payroll, rent and aircraft maintenance far exceed the money they are bringing in. Passenger traffic is down about 94 percent and half of the industry’s 6,215 planes are parked at major airports and desert airstrips, according to Airlines for America, a trade group.

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Desperate to preserve cash, the airlines have also aggressively discouraged customers from seeking refunds, offering vouchers for future travel instead and attracting the ire of lawmakers. Legally, passengers are entitled to refunds for canceled flights and, at a hearing last week, Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, described the practice of pushing vouchers instead as “misleading and sometimes deceptive.” Nicholas Calio, chief executive of the industry trade group Airlines for America, said that refunding all tickets could lead to bankruptcy.

silence_kit posted:

I think the functional aspect to watches is being called into question.

I wear a watch with a date function. Both being able to tell the time and reference the date without pulling out a phone or finding a clock or checking a computer come in handy occasionally. It is mostly a fashion accessory though I guess.

Hyrax Attack! posted:

I thought for sure this was a typo:



We're definitely going to see some big name airline mergers.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/10/business/airlines-coronavirus-bleak-future.html

threelemmings posted:

It's twofold, it's easy to forget how many flights take off just in America every day, and also the cost of maintaining an airfleet, even if they aren't being used you can't just let a plane lapse without then having to recheck everything when you bring it back into service. I don't feel particularly bad for them but not surprised they're being crushed by such a large amount by ongoing expenses in addition to payroll. I also have no clue how terminals handle hangar space and gates but there has to be some ongoing cost there as well. If companies start to fold I wonder what's going to happen to all the material, both in airlines and in other companies whose business boils down to owning and keeping up expensive machinery to sell a service to others? Are they going to be scrapping planes, selling them off? Weird times, as always.

Subjunctive posted:

Nah, checking the time on a watch is less rude than taking out my phone during a conversation or meeting (and much less likely to end up distracting me), and I can do it with both hands occupied while cooking or working on something else, or with gloves on outside in the winter. I just can’t find a watch I like, or I’d be back to wearing one.

AreWeDrunkYet posted:

Airlines sold off their planes long ago and now mostly just lease them from companies dedicated to that.

AreWeDrunkYet posted:

Airlines sold off their planes long ago and now mostly just lease them from companies dedicated to that.

Heffer posted:

If anybody is in the market for a vacation home, it looks like AirBnB 'entrepreneur' are starting to offload their properties. It doesn't look like the market's crashed yet, but that can only be around the corner.

spwrozek posted:

Somewhere between 40-50% of planes globally are leased according to a bunch of articles I read.

threelemmings posted:

I assume they still gotta pay the lease so I guess that just doubles the companies holding the bag then, lol. What a disaster.

Inner Light posted:

From a bunch of articles on this, although it seems it from internet sentiment, hosts just don't hold enough properties to appreciably affect housing market price averages.

AreWeDrunkYet posted:

Globally is the key word there. The prestige, state-owned airlines like Emirates, Air Singapore, Qatar Airways, etc own a much larger proportion of their fleet than pretty much every US airline. So they have less exposure, and they'll be propped up either way.


Yup, that's a big part of the problem. Parking a plane you own is a lot cheaper than making lease payments on a plane you can't fly, and it's a big part of the reason these companies are burning cash at this rate. They took on more risk for a more financially efficient solution, and this is the result.

Inner Light posted:

Check out this Casio, it's my jam: https://www.amazon.com/Casio-F91W-1-Classic-Resin-Digital/dp/B000GAWSDG/

Super comfortable and light. So much better than pulling out your phone to check the time.