Psycho-Babble Social Thread 1106072

Shown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.

 

scalability

Posted by alexandra_k on September 9, 2019, at 17:21:33

I have been thinking a lot about scalability. About how I have heard people say that things often don't seem to be scalable.

You have a little company producing some quality product. People buy in (purchase the product) for something along the lines of the right reasons. Because they value the quality, or whatever.

But then other people sort of catch on and go along for the ride.

Then eventually you have a lot of people doing that because... It is easier? It is habit? Because they don't know why.

I was looking into shoes... I will risk this one. I was looking into shoes...

Doc Martins was produced out of this shoe store someplace in England. Then they took off... Then production got shifted off shore to keep up with the sales.

Now we have 'vegan' (which is to say non-leather, synthetic) fibre shoes costing a price premium solely (haha) because of the branding around the product.

I have found that if you are willing to hunt through the mounds and mounds and mounds of crap you can find one or two pairs of good, solid, functional, hardwearing leather, made in England doc martin shoes. Actually... Very (very very) reasonably priced. One might want to say... That all the money they are making off of the people willing to throw $300 + dollars into rubbish shoes with the right label... Some of that money, at least, is subsidising a good, sensible, pair of functional shoes for someone who can tell the difference and choose those ones.

And what happened to all of the beautiful beautiful functional boots? Soleofair is what happened to them. A different company. A different label. But the whole good quality leather that's been dyed different colors on a good quality sole... Thats where that went.

And now I feel like I've run the risk of ruining it. Maybe I won't be able to find those shoes at that price when I look next time. Maybe they'll be all sold out.

But I'm seeing it more, now. If I look.. Put time into looking.

Because people can't tell the difference. Or... Because people have different things that they value.

Eleiko barbells.

I think I can get a barbell from here that... Given the price point... Given the price point.... Well... A subsidy is coming from somewhere else in the production line / production process...

It isn't about 'we made too many now we have to sell them at reduced cost because that's better than boxing them up until fashions return in 5 or 10 or 15 or 20 years...'

And that is as it should be. I reckon. That seems fair.

I really need to lift from home. So I have some control over that.

The obvious cardio solution is a bicycle... And rollers. Rollers so I can do that from home, too...

 

Re: scalability

Posted by alexandra_k on September 9, 2019, at 17:26:56

In reply to scalability, posted by alexandra_k on September 9, 2019, at 17:21:33

But on the barbell thing...

Crossfit is what made that possible.

Because crossfit introduced weightlifting (sort of kind of) to the masses enough for the masses (and lots of gyms) to purchase barbells.

And the whole powerlifting thing... And the whole crosslifting sort of weightlifting thing...

You have people with more money than they know what to do with having barbell racks like gun racks and purchasing barbells as items of... Aesthetic value. That they don't even plan on lifting...

So these things are produced. On mass.

Out of a factory in Ohio, apparently.

To all different specifications. All different specifications... Bearings and bushings and hand grip markings here and knurl there and oxidised steel and zinc and...

:-)

 

Re: scalability

Posted by alexandra_k on September 9, 2019, at 17:31:11

In reply to Re: scalability, posted by alexandra_k on September 9, 2019, at 17:26:56

And of course what you really want...

Is a bar that will bend into a curve around the lifter when the lifter catches the weight and the ends will then spring back up...

And the lifter can time the catch and time themselves standing the weight up so they are perfectly utilising the osillation in the bar...

And the women's bar is particularly about this because the bar is more slender... So the steel is very elastic with lots of recoil.

And the sleeves would rotate around the collar around and around and around and around with no friction. perpeptual motion forever...

Oh wells.

Again... For the price point...

 

Re: scalability

Posted by Honore on September 16, 2019, at 14:49:00

In reply to Re: scalability, posted by alexandra_k on September 9, 2019, at 17:31:11

Hi Alex

Yo go back to shoes (which I at least understand what were you wanting to say about scalability (which I take to mean something about quality vs quantity).?

Or am I not following you?

Thanks. Honore

 

Re: scalability

Posted by alexandra_k on October 3, 2019, at 2:07:59

In reply to Re: scalability, posted by Honore on September 16, 2019, at 14:49:00

yes. i suppose it is about quality vs quantity.

the `low road' to economic growth. the mass production of inferior product.

that seems to be the way of it. instead of sustainable growth... instead of there being a limit imposed in the interests of sustainability... things boom until they bust.

how you doing?

 

Re: scalability » Honore

Posted by alexandra_k on October 10, 2019, at 12:03:36

In reply to Re: scalability, posted by Honore on September 16, 2019, at 14:49:00

How are you, by the way. It has been ages since I have seen you post.

 

Re: scalability

Posted by Honore on October 19, 2019, at 12:05:47

In reply to Re: scalability » Honore, posted by alexandra_k on October 10, 2019, at 12:03:36

Hi Alex,

I have good days and bad days. Right now, not so good, as I've been disappointed in an important situation recently.

In a way somewhat as you have== although since I wasn't looking for professional certification--in a way that is perhaps less traumatic--- although traumatic enough for the moment.

I understand your confusion and disillusionment at the masters of the universe-- or your universe-- who seem so implacable and irrational--

It's hard to know sometimes why fate smiles on one person and pushes another-- perhaps someone with more potential-- aside-- but it happens-- maybe all the time. A pleasant countenance and manner cannot be under-rated. And in good conscience I can't say I don't understand why those who possess them seem to have all the luck.

And then there are those of us who are just unable to get along-- the unbehagen, as they call them. (German for unquiet, discontent,uneasy). We have a double struggle, with our own personalities as well as with the world's expectations.

I've been following along, from time to time-- and hope you can fight through and not be defeated. I hope also that you can find more peace about this.

 

Re: scalability » Honore

Posted by alexandra_k on November 8, 2019, at 16:15:14

In reply to Re: scalability, posted by Honore on October 19, 2019, at 12:05:47

I am sorry to hear you have been very disappointed recently.

I hear you on being pleasant. Unpleasant people are unpleasant to deal with. Nothing worse than being stuck dealing with unpleasant people.

On the other hand I have been pleasant to philosophers for years and years and years and they really started to take advantage. It did get to the point where I would go to seminars / conferences / talks and see people who I took to be old friends and they would say about their new job and I would ask 'how is that?' and they would say 'they pay me'.

They pay me.

That is what they would say to me.

And I saw that yes, they pay them. This is just a job to them. They do it becuase they are paid to do it.

Why am I at the seminar / conference / talk. They don't pay me.

They don't provide me with a living wage.

They take money from me to subsidise / further them.

I'm not a fan-boy.

But I was paying them.

So...

Time for me to be less pleasant.

I was being taken for a fool.

I needed for different people to see me. To see that I am pleasant.

That has been hard. Those at the lowest level trying to keep things hidden for themselves / their own advantage.

I suppose it is about doing time before being beamed out. For whatever reason. Jealousy. I suppose. I don't know. Awful people. I suppose it is about chasing / scaring people away so they can continue to live like Kings of their rubbish.

Sigh.

I will be okay, I expect / suppose.

I hope things feel better for you, soon.

 

Re: scalability

Posted by alexandra_k on November 8, 2019, at 16:48:57

In reply to Re: scalability » Honore, posted by alexandra_k on November 8, 2019, at 16:15:14

I guess the issue is that my presence got people asking 'why don't they pay her?'

It wasn't a good look...

And with the MPhil / PhD...

People have it into their heads that the MPhil is a 'second rate Degree' and so people are like 'why isn't she doing a PhD'?

And they don't want me to give department talks or teaching work or whatever because people wonder why I don't have a PhD scholarship when these other people do...

And it upsets their hierarchy / their perception of hierarchy.

And then they worry about the things I might say to their students. Like about getting the hell out.

Corrupting the young, or whatever. Why pay them to teach you what these things are when it is obvious from their conduct that they don't f*ck*ng know.

Which is of course why they don't teach Socrates or primary texts any more...

The fact that I a not working towards joining them. Where working towards joining them means doing things that stabotage my doing anything else. If I wanted to be a philosopher my post-modernist essay generated thesis would be line edited (most of the words changed and lines re-written) by at least 1 person. Maybe by 2 people playing 'tag' with it in order to stretch my enrolment out to the maximum possible time.

The money would run out... I would spend much mierable time crying into alcohol that my supervisors would buy me...

I would take whatever teaching scraps they threw me...

To possibly have my grading copy-edited by them line by line. A's changed into D's...

While I'm begging them to sign me off...

Return home to live with parents... Sending them work for them to play copy-editing...

Then... When everybody else thinks I'm utterly incompetent and useless. I can't get anything done on time. My research is totally incomprehensible. My thesis statement is something suitable state-the-obvious or ludicrous or whatever... Probably only when I have figured out some alternative means of employment for myself...

They will get around to signing me off.

Once it is clear I'll never get a job in philosophy.

Of course the way around it is to learn that journals will likely treat you better. Or to find a journal that does. One that gets your work out there in a timely fashion.

But if you don't want to work in the field (and I do not)...

The journals are the output, really. Otherwise its being a High School teacher, really. For the kids that nobody wants. Sigh.

Which is just an awful job. No matter how you look at it. Some of the kids are great. But the Council has been making their riches off of keeping them kicked back and down and taking out loan after loan after loan to subsidise their meetings about how they are too inempt to supply an accurate transcript and too incompetent to understand examiners reports...

It is just not a productive working environment within the University.


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