Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Yoink]

And I'm basically an autistic hermit who doesn't go out and try to meet people because being around new people or trying to make conversation with people or even being in a group of people makes me nervous and irritable and drains any energy or motivation I have to do anything.

That's what alcohol is for.
I mean, short of hitting up a psychologist/psychiatrist for some "official" kind of medication I don't think there's much else one can do about such an issue.
It sure works for me! Hell, I must be something like a thousand times better at interacting with people whilst sober these days.   
Self-medication really does work. I'm sure actual medication works well, too. Don't sweat it, you'll work something out eventually.    

[ChairmanPoo]

So what do you usually do in your spare time then?

Sleeping, reading, studying or college work, working on side projects like programming, playing games or internet browsing when I have nothing else to do or don't feel like doing anything else.

Hmmm, my jaded older self sees no issue, you have several hobbies which you enjoy. Really, looking back at my uni years I regret more forced social interactions  than staying at home.... although I also think that it's likely one of those things that you can't be told, but have to see for yourself. .

But yeah. Just chill, don't worry too much about other people, Over time you'll find more like minded individuals.

[SalmonGod]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

long time no post, and can't be arsed with proper capitalization.

so yeah, oh dear, i'm going to be part of a population where we're going to complain about work. and now i finally, truly understand what you guys with work feel now

so yes, working on the phones on a call center tech support on an account with big-ass metrics. there's the big four: CSAT, FCR, TR AND DR. AHT is also there somewhere. CSAT is customer satisfaction survey, which is randomly assigned, and given my relative virginity to the industry as this is my first job, i can handle only a few calls, means that there is a very big chance i wont get a return on this one. there are four areas of consideration in CSAT, which is knowledge, responsiveness, resolution and one other statistic i cant be arsed to figure out. so obtaining a 100% CSAT requires you to resolve the issue and be as helpful as possible to the customer. however this presents complications with AHT or average handling time because this call center wants you to ditch the customer as fast as possible, and my newness to the industry isnt helping me at all. and if you get a dissatisfaction rating, especially from idiotic people who would not listen to reason, youd have to claw out a good 4 or so CSATs in order to catch up.

AHT is well, average handling time, and in theory is very understandable why they set it up. but with the number of customers and issues that i get i can spend upwards to 40 minutes convincing the elderly that there is nothing wrong on our end of the internet service and getting them to shut up so i can end the call. this is very difficult to handle and match as you are expected to understand whats going on onset of the call, while the customer says their internet is not working with no practical explanation as to what happened (but i do understand why it can get hard to explain on customer end)

TR, or transfer rate. everytime we transfer someone to a different department we incur a transfer penalty. i understand this is to avoid agents from sending it to someone else and avoid a call, but its also a bit unreasonable when we're not allowed to do sales on our end and have to get damaged in order for the customer to get what they need. and this also results in us not getting CSAT calls.

DR, or dispatch rate. sending a technician also incurs a hit, even if its already determined that they need a technician in their area to get their problem fixed. or that some wires have been revealed in their apartment and have to be reburied in order to fix the area and prevent future issues

then theres FCR or first call resolution. customer must not call your department back in order for you not to get hit. however on certain scenarios you will get hit by this and you will get hit a lot. and we have a period of 3 days to consider if customer will call back and if it will hit your metrics.

other metrics include schedule adherence, which is follow your work schedule to the letter or get penalized, and using our own troubleshooting manual. for compliance purposes you must use it and click a button to confirm that you used it in troubleshooting, which kills your aht and in most cases, fcr and dr because the guide is lacking some things and customers do not wanna wait for more than 30 mins (understandable).

making it worse are some agents doing ninja moves, making it shit for the next handler (me), and there are some calls that take over 3 hrs when the person youre talking to is an utter idiot.

so before i eventually digress on the topic, I'll have to remind myself that I am here for work experience, however I don't feel I will last very long in this job at all. You must give yourself 30 days advanced notice when resigning so I can't just vault out of there if I want my resignation to be on good terms, and it's still damn too early to leave. Further exacerbating the issue is that I AM required to work a good 4 months or they can do legal action on me or take 25k php off my pay and remaining balances for the training period I undertook. Termination/Resignation during that period will allow them to go after me, which is usually just a threat, but I'd like to play extra safe as i dont intend to resign very early or get terminated.

so with resignation rules stating above, I don want to be considered as a sloppy job hopper, and can't determine if I should resign during the 6th month of work or maybe try to last in this metric shithole for a year before giving myself the paper bullet.

so what should I do? my weeks are full of mental and emotional fatigue, and while ai can handle the work hours, I cannot handle the strict amount of metrics imposed; they all look shit.

I feel your pain.  I kept a log for years of the exact minute I opened and closed every file I worked on.  Average time in a file would be around 10 minutes.  Just to cover my ass against micro-managing performance metrics.

It infuriates me daily how much shit millennials get about being cynical, depressed (as in weak-spirited), entitled, and so on... but very few from the older generations seem to realize how utterly, crushingly de-humanizing and micromanaged our lives are.  Even though they're the ones doing it to us.

Grow some very thick skin.  A lot of these metrics are hot air to keep people scared and performing like their life depends on it.  Just keep in mind that your co-workers who are in the same job position as you are being put under the same pressures.  If you're performing at least as well as they are and they're not getting fired, then you won't get fired on metrics either.  That stuff is very often a lot of hot air that corporate management pushes down the ladder to keep people scared and working like their life depends on it to maximize profits.  The only other thing you have to worry about is shitty office politics.  If you have no long-term interest in this place, then just don't draw attention to yourself, and you'll be fine.  Go to work, do the job, avoid making yourself interesting to those drama magnets and power players that you'll find in any office, and go home.

Other opportunities will come along in ways you don't expect.  Just be ready and act quickly when they appear.

[martinuzz]

Oxfam Novib presented a new report on the gap between rich and poor. It has again grown since last year.


The 8 richest people of the planet have as much money as the 3.6 billion poorest people.
No not 8%. Eight persons, as much as 3.6 billion people. Unbelievable.

[scriver]

I don't really think you can claim to be a millennial, Salmon, even if you still feel like seventeen on the inside

[SalmonGod]

I don't really think you can claim to be a millennial, Salmon, even if you still feel like seventeen on the inside

It's arguable.  Born 1983.  Graduated high school in 2001.  I'm right on the borderline of the typically cited age-range.

But I go ahead and call myself a millennial, because I fit their cultural criteria much more than I fit Gen X.  Seems to me like the cultural underpinning of millennial is being the first generation to grow up with the internet as a normal part of their lives, and witnessing the world's adaptation to it as lead by older generations who don't have the same understanding of it.  My family got internet in 1996, a couple years before it became commonplace to have internet service at home, and at least 3-4 years before it was broadly accepted as normal and safe for casual use.  I've practically lived on the internet ever since I first had access, and it's been possibly the largest factor in shaping who I grew up to be.  I even met my wife on IRC.

Oxfam Novib presented a new report on the gap between rich and poor. It has again grown since last year.


The 8 richest people of the planet have as much money as the 3.6 billion poorest people.
No not 8%. Eight persons, as much as 3.6 billion people. Unbelievable.

It's amazing it's got this far without some major shit going down.  It's so hard to imagine it continuing like this for much longer.  It's just not sustainable environmentally, politically, culturally, or in any way at all really.  But the longer it goes on, the more I wonder if I'm just naive for thinking so.

[TD1]

Populism encourages tearing down the elite, and we wonder why it succeeds?

[Helgoland]

Oxfam Novib presented a new report on the gap between rich and poor. It has again grown since last year.


The 8 richest people of the planet have as much money as the 3.6 billion poorest people.
No not 8%. Eight persons, as much as 3.6 billion people. Unbelievable.

Ah, but consider that 'having as much money' and 'consuming the same amount of labor and resources' are two very, very different things. Depending on how the money being had is calculated, this kind of statistics can be highly misleading.
In the same vein, consider the following: Do you think Oxfam would ever publish a report about inequality going down if there was any way to avoid it?

Not that I'm trying to claim there's no problem with inequality. It's just that this is the wrong way to think about it.

[SalmonGod]

Oxfam Novib presented a new report on the gap between rich and poor. It has again grown since last year.


The 8 richest people of the planet have as much money as the 3.6 billion poorest people.
No not 8%. Eight persons, as much as 3.6 billion people. Unbelievable.

Ah, but consider that 'having as much money' and 'consuming the same amount of labor and resources' are two very, very different things. Depending on how the money being had is calculated, this kind of statistics can be highly misleading.
In the same vein, consider the following: Do you think Oxfam would ever publish a report about inequality going down if there was any way to avoid it?

Not that I'm trying to claim there's no problem with inequality. It's just that this is the wrong way to think about it.

If anyone does think about it this way, I would be surprised.  In fact, people get upset about this, because no 8 individuals could conceivably consume as much labor and resources as 3.6 billion, even if they tried to by the most frivolous means possible.  It's horrible because that money is wasted by people who don't need it, because it's kept out of circulation through populations that do need it in order to pay for consumption of labor and resources that they legitimately need.

And I know that the way the statistics are measured can be misleading when it comes to these things.  I understand they're not just measuring the amount of cash everyone has sitting in their bank accounts.  But if you want to pick that apart, it could honestly be hiding something even worse, depending on how they mathematically compare people who technically own less than nothing due to debt vs people who control billions in assets.  Just because it could be misleading doesn't mean by default that it's leading us towards a more negative view than reality.

[AzyWng]

Some say that little things shouldn't be worried about.

But there's a reason the word "petty" has such a negative connotation. In any case, time for another one of my own rants about the little things.

This is what video games are coming to. If you're not watching, I've made a list of things that have changed from Dead Rising 4 from the original. I posted it onto Youtube but I've copied it here now because Youtube.

Spoiler: Warning: Long list with lots of salt (click to show/hide)

 * Health bars. Because it's fashionable these days.
 * Missions don't seem to have time limits anymore.
 * Lack of interactivity with the environment (THIS CHAIR... cannot be picked up or used in any way. Same with all the others.)
 * Can't pick up items from shelves in a lot of areas.
 * No little details like gore from dead bodies.
 * Chainsaw no longer needs to be revved.
 * Chainsaw blade doesn't make blood upon hitting enemies.
 * Less gore overall than in the first game. Thanks, Mom.
 * QTEs that don't involve getting grabbed.
 * Funky Baseball Bat hitboxes.
 * Weapons like swords are a bit too OP because there's no cooldown/recovery time. Sure, maybe Frank knows how to use a sword properly without leaving himself open for attack, but on the player's end that's just "mindlessly mash X."
 * It's REALLY easy to push away zombies. In the first game, upon running into a zombie head-on, Frank actually bumps into it and stops running.
 * Zombies no longer grab you?
 * Zombies ignore hunks of meat, unlike the first game.
 * Zombies look kind of like they ran out of Left 4 Dead. Emphasis on "Ran" because they do that now.
 * Zombies no longer have the damage output they once did, and even a completely pacifistic Frank has nothing to fear from a crowd or horde.
 * No zombie face/mouth animations.
 * Jumping does not have a cooldown/recovery time, allowing you to bunnyhop your way through hordes.
 * The Judo Throw no longer rips off the zombie's fucking hand even though the zombies appear to be weaker than we've ever seen them.
 * Frank's voice actor does not sound like the one from the first game. In fact, I don't really like his new voice at all.
 * Frank's kicks now have the power to pulp zombie bodies.
 * Food is... Instantly consumed upon pickup? Or it has a separate inventory? Either A) You can't store food for later use [Such as a Psychopath battle] or B) You no longer have to decide between weapons or healing, making the game easier. Also removes the possibility of pie-in-the-face moments.
 * Fire extinguishers are much stronger than in the first game. Or real life. Sure, it explains why the freeze cannon (water gun + fire extinguisher) works, but did we even need that explanation in the first place?
 * You now see the amount of time you have to use continuous weapons instead of a percentage.
 * Particles like ping pong balls disappear upon contact with walls?
 * Cash registers don't have the relevant particles. Same goes for plant pots.
 * Whole mannequins cannot be picked up. You must break them and then pick up the parts. I'm sorry, I mean PART. Singular. Because videogames.
 * Trash cans only contain this game. That is, trash. Sure, in the first game, there's no reason why there should be handguns and knives and bats in the trash, but it gave them a purpose. In 2 this was further improved by having the trash cans contain food and the like. In this game, however, there is no more purpose to using them at all aside from an extreme emergency.
 * Objects that appeared in previous games no longer appear as anything other than eye candy. Eye candy that is not the purpose of a video game.
 * Ovens and stoves cannot be used at all. No more golden brown pizzas or burning zombies with frying pans. That's just fine since you won't need to eat the pizzas since the zombies aren't worth burning with frying pans.
 * Blenders can no longer be used. That's fine, since mixed drinks are intended to aid in your fight against the horde, and the horde is no longer worth fighting.
 * Objects no longer respond to the player's strikes.
 * Doors cannot be closed once opened.
 * Blood effects appear when you're not in combat, like when you're pushing against a door.
 * Doors do not affect zombies. They don't knock them down, for instance.
 * A spray bottle of Windex is the perfect tool for breaking glass. Vandals rejoice!
 * Throwing is made much easier, as Frank is able to predict the path of his throws and where they will land. * Little details like plates and CDs (which do not appear in DR4) running out do not appear.
 * The hockey stick no longer shoots pucks. While this finally makes sense, it takes away the character it has. Additionally, you no longer have a weapon that shoots around corners. Not that you'll need one since zombies are no longer dangerous anyway.
 * Items like cooking oil are now in tougher plastic containers than before, and are no longer destroyed when thrown. They do make sloshing sounds when they're moved about, which is a nice detail. However, you can no longer slip zombies by spilling cooking oil.
 * Mirrors are shoddy at best. You won't be able to see zombies coming when you're styling your hair. You also won't be able to style your hair since you can't see it, either.
 * Your mirror twin is apparently attempting to rebel against you, as your reflection does not necessarily reflect Frank's current positioning and aiming. They do, however, perfectly reflect the fate of the series if games like these continue to be put out; very dark at best.
 * While the mirrors are low quality, they are, at least, indestructible. Maybe you should rip one off its wall and use it as a weapon! Wait, you can't do that. You never could in earlier games and you certainly can't now that interactivity with the environment is no longer a thing.
 * Items like the Servbot head also do not properly act as mirrors, as their reflection looks like a single sprite glued to the item's model.
 * We no longer have magnet hands, instead we just have magic hands. Instead of remaining in your hand when you do something like rolling, your current active object disappears.
 * Everything is secretly made of the same material, and makes the same bullet impact sound when shot.
 * Frank became a disciple of stealth in between games, and has now learned to muffle the noises his clothing makes. He still needs to work on his footstep sounds, though.
 * Everyone's mouth is slightly open. They should make sure flies (or wasps) don't fly in there.
 * Character models occasionally flicker back and forth.
 * Friendly fire is off, removing all challenge from the survivor escort missions that were a pain in the ass in previous games. Completely reversing the issue does not improve the quality of the game overall.
 * Survivors are aware that friendly fire is off, and will not react to the player's attempts to liberate them from the torture of being a character in a poorly made videogame. They will not react at all, in fact. Contrast this to the first game; while survivors are stupid, they at least know when a gun's pointed at them, and will eventually attack you if you aim at them for too long.
 * Escort missions do not exist. Instead, everyone has teleporters.
 * Clocks do not move.
 * The fourth game is not like the first.
 TL;DR
 The game needs to be improved.
 The "dev" "team" needs to play the first two games to understand what the basic premise and gameplay of Dead Rising is.
 The game engine needs to be improved.
 P.S. In Japanese, the word for "Four" sounds exactly the same as the word for "Death".
 Perhaps the devs are doing this on purpose? Just an insane crackpot theory from someone too young and stupid to have insane crackpot theories, but do we really know what the "devs" are planning?

If the people at the very top of the heap (people who are well off and [I'd assume] well-educated) can't even make a game that LOOKS fun to play... Is being at the bottom really so bad?

Never mind players not understanding the meaning of the word "team", this tops my cake of worry with a lovely assortment of "I'd love to replace these guys if I could but I can't because I'm apparently too young and stupid".

On the bright side, at least the ratings were good, which suggests that the video skipped over a long list of good things. I hope.

[Helgoland]

It's horrible because that money is wasted by people who don't need it, because it's kept out of circulation through populations that do need it in order to pay for consumption of labor and resources that they legitimately need.

And I know that the way the statistics are measured can be misleading when it comes to these things.  I understand they're not just measuring the amount of cash everyone has sitting in their bank accounts.

There's a contradiction there, no? Either the money is being kept out of circulation - then they're sitting on a pile of cash. Or it's actually tied up in assets, in which case it's not being wasted at all, at least assuming that it is tied up in something sensible and not, let's say, stocks of land mine manufacturers.

Could you clear that up for me?

[SalmonGod]

It's horrible because that money is wasted by people who don't need it, because it's kept out of circulation through populations that do need it in order to pay for consumption of labor and resources that they legitimately need.

And I know that the way the statistics are measured can be misleading when it comes to these things.  I understand they're not just measuring the amount of cash everyone has sitting in their bank accounts.

There's a contradiction there, no? Either the money is being kept out of circulation - then they're sitting on a pile of cash. Or it's actually tied up in assets, in which case it's not being wasted at all, at least assuming that it is tied up in something sensible and not, let's say, stocks of land mine manufacturers.

Could you clear that up for me?

Because it's generally a mix of both.  Because those assets are generally resources that are tied up in infrastructure and resources vital to the rest of the population, that people without such assets have to trade labor (which by its very nature increases the wealth gap) or put themselves in debt to partake of.  Which is why a person's financial worth is generally measured by both things.  Even if a person has billions in assets and doesn't sit on any cash, the value of those assets is based on what they're worth to other people.  And they're either denying other people access to that value, or (more likely) leveraging it to increase their share of the total economy and force others into relative poverty.

[Silthuri]

Couldn't get to sleep at a reasonable time last night even though I tried quite hard to sleep. And I woke up almost an hour early and couldn't get back to sleep. I think I'm developing some side effects for my antidepressant which makes me dizzy if I move my head too quickly. Or maybe I'm just getting sick. I just feel ill in general. Probs my mental state and the fact that I'm stressed to the max and it's only the second week of school.

Oh yeah. And I managed to piss my boyfriend off without even saying a damn word. I just want to go back to fucking bed.

[Iceblaster]

@Dead Rising 4.

holy shit how could you mess up dead rising. like seriously. if they got a new guy instead of using frank from DR1 and DR2:OTR that's just. goddamn. hopefully capcom realizes they fucked up

[Shadowlord]

Couldn't get to sleep at a reasonable time last night even though I tried quite hard to sleep. And I woke up almost an hour early and couldn't get back to sleep. I think I'm developing some side effects for my antidepressant which makes me dizzy if I move my head too quickly. Or maybe I'm just getting sick. I just feel ill in general. Probs my mental state and the fact that I'm stressed to the max and it's only the second week of school.

Oh yeah. And I managed to piss my boyfriend off without even saying a damn word. I just want to go back to fucking bed.

I hope you can get some sleep and feel better soon.

P.S. I get that same dizziness-when-moving-head thing sometimes, but in my case I'm fairly sure it's a migraine which just doesn't actually hurt yet (or, would be hurting if it weren't for the medicines I'm on).