Everything is an easy job when you know the system.

Source: https://dirt.fyi/article/2023/06/bad-waitress

For so many years I thought that I was missing an element of secret knowledge about how actual jobs worked, and that therefore I would be stuck forever. But now that I do other work, I see it all for what it is: everything is a system. The restaurant is a system, the content management is a system, the computer is a system. Everything is so much simpler than I imagined it was.

I thought I was doing an easy job, but everything is an easy job when you know the system.

Other professions weren't magic. They were systems too.

Mobiel abonnement voor maximaal €5 ?

 

Wat is er op de Nederlandse mobiele mark te krijgen voor maximaal € 5 aan data/minuten/sms-bundels?

We kijken alleen naar contracten van 1 jaar:

 

• Simpel.nl (T-Mobile netwerk), € 4,50 geeft je 500 MB, 100 minuten en 500 sms'jes.
• Ben.nl (T-Mobile netwerk) valt buiten de boot. De goedkoopste bundel is € 8,50, voor 200 min/sms en 2000 MB.
• Simyo.nl (KPN netwerk) valt ook buiten de boot. De goedkoopste bundel is € 8, voor 200 min/sms en 2000 MB. Betaal je € 10 dan krijg je 200 min/sms en 6000 MB.
• Andere optie bij Simyo.nl is om voor 2 jaar te tekenen, dan krijg je 200 min/sms en 2000 MB voor € 7 per maand.
• Budget Mobiel (KPN netwerk) maakt het nog duurder. Hier betaal je 3 maanden € 8 en 8 maanden € 16, dus gemiddeld € 12,66 per maand, voor onbeperkt min en sms en 7000 MB.
• Lyca Mobile. (netwerk onbekend?) prijst zichzelf ook uit de markt. Voor € 8 heb je  5000 MB data en onbeperkte minuten en sms.
• 50 plus mobiel geeft je voor € 6,00 een bundel van 500 MB met onbeperkt minuten/sms, dit is op een abonnement van 1 jaar.
• 50 plus mobiel geeft je voor € 4,00/8,00 dus gem € 6,00 een bundel van 3000 MB met onbeperkt minuten/sms, dit is op een abonnement van 2 jaar.
• Youfone (KPN netwerk) geeft je voor € 4,50 een bundel van 500 MB en 150 minuten/sms. Wil je 2000 MB dan ben je al € 7,50 kwijt, of € 6,50 bij 2 jaar.
• Hollands Nieuwe (Vodafone Ziggo netwerk) geeft je voor € 4,25*3 en 8,50 *9 dus 89,25 per jaar, dus 7,44 per maand 1000 MB/MIN/SMS.

 

Conclusies:

• Het is niet goed mogelijk een bruikbare bundel voor maximaal € 5 per maand te vinden. Je zit dan aan een abonnement met 500 MB, en zelfs als je alleen bankiert op je mobiel en zo nu en dan EasyPark of ParkMobile aan wil zetten dan is dit al karig.
• Als we een abonnement van 2 jaar zouden accepteren i.p.v. van 1 jaar dan is er al meer mogelijk 50plusmobiel heeft je voor gemiddeld 6 euro 3GB data en onbeperkte minuten en sms´jes.

 

It's Just Business

It's Just Business kottke.org

Whenever I hear someone say "it's just business" in order to magically justify some decision to ignore the humanity of individual people, I remember that it's adapted from a line in The Godfather spoken by Michael Corleone at the precise momentwhen he decides to become a murderous sociopath. We should maybe stop running businesses like fictional mafia families.

I've seen this movie a couple of times yet never made this connection. 

Now that I know "it's just business" comes from The Godfather, I'll use this in business meetings 😊 

Good food and horrible pens in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles.

I am that kind of person who, when looking for a pen, will read all kinds of blog posts written by pen snobs and aficionados, only to come away with the feeling that I don't know my pens well enough. 

Here in the Netherlands, we have the Consumentenbond (the Consumer-Union?), basically a test organization with an accompanying magazine and website. They are held in very high regard, but most of their tests are behind a paywall or only published in their magazine. 

So, how is a cheapskate like me to find out about The Best Pen? Well, for most of my needs, ✨ The Wirecutter, ✨ once so named because they helped people to "cut the wire" of their cable TV and internet providers, does just fine.

They are open about how they make money. It's simple: they test stuff, write about the tests, and post Amazon Affiliate links. Quite like how your dear writer does it, too. 

Back to the pen, or rather, The Pen. 

I am a simple guy with simple guy-needs. A pen should write. It should be affordable. It shouldn't kill my wrist after some lines of text have been jotted down. 

Now, to reach pen-Nirvana, I had to climb a big mountain 🏔️. After ploughing through comparison charts and wading through blogposts, I first came upon the Pentel SignPen, a great pen, so I was told, that is produced in Japan. I bought a bunch of SignPen's in March 2021 and tested them. Somehow they were not for me, though. The ink bleeds through fine paper, the tip is too broad, they don't even "feel right." Why should I ever trust pen snobs' opinions ever again?

I didn't give up, though, on my quest to unlock this life achievement, Finding The Right Pen For Me. Thanks to the aforementioned snobs' blogposts and The Wirecutter, I found another pen worthy of my attention:

• The Mitsubishi Jetstream Uniball SXN-210. 

Yes, Mitsubishi, the same Japanese conglomerate brand that makes fighter planes and cool pickup trucks, also makes pens. I bought a bunch in December 2021, and again, gave them a thorough testing. With a price of 14 of these for only US $37, they are less than $3 a piece. But they feel very premium. I am now totally sold on the Mitsubishi Jetstream Uniball SXN-210 😍.

While visiting Little Tokyo in Los Angeles in February, I enjoyed the local Japanese cuisine at Takoyaki Tanota, and I also perused the Japanese Souvenir shops. 

To my delight, I found a shop that had all kinds of nick nacks, including...  a bunch of other Jetstream Uniball pens. So, I bought two of the lesser known SXN-150-05 (pencil with of 0.5) model pens.  They are lesser known for a reason. The pencil tip is so small that, again, they don't feel right. It feels like I will push them through the paper instead of dreamily writing away on the paper. Don't buy these, kids, just stick to the winning team.

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Making a rap song, Eminem-style, but sweet and Christian, with chatGPT

ChatGPT is one of several LLMs currently being built. The possibilities seem almost endless. For now, they are certainly good fun to play with. 

Just imagine that in a year or two or three, you can ask your device whether your watch, phone, speaker or laptop: when would be the best time to take some time off? Which part of Europe have I not visited? What is there to see and do? What would that trip by car cost me if I want to rent a good car and sleep over in hotels rated 8.0/10 or better, and, oh, that sounds reasonable, book this trip for me, please.

For now, we have to do more things manually, but that's fine too.

I goofed around with chatGPT and asked it to write a letter for me, as if I am a Jehovah's Witness who wants to tell about my faith. Also, keep it brief.

Hoe zou een brief van een Jehovah's Getuigen er uit zien, welke mij in een kantje tekst probeert te overtuigen van zijn geloof? 

The result was very passable as "real":

Next, I wanted to expand on this letter a little bit, so I asked chatGPT to use 2 or 3 Bible scriptures, instead of the 1.  It could indeed:

Kun je deze brief herschrijven met 2 of 3 Bijbelteksten er in verwerkt in plaats van eentje?

If you start out right away with asking what you want to get done, chatGPT will often be missing the mark. But by introducing your real question by some simpler queries first, you force chatGPT into a certain "mindset." 

Now that we have done so, we come to our true purpose, I want a rap song, Eminem style, but with a very neat Christian message, is this at all possible?

kun je deze laatste tekst omzetten in een engelse rap tekst in de stijl van Eminem ?

The result was far better than I expected:

For fun and kicks, here is the rap song in full:

(Verse 1)

Yo, this letter I write, hope it finds you alright, 

My name is [Name], a Witness of the Light,

We're living in times, so unsure, so confusing,

But I got the Bible, for guidance, I'm choosing.

God is love, it's stated, no debate (1 John 4:8),

A message so strong, no room for hate,

In this world of chaos, where love's in decline,

This reminder of love, so divine, it's a sign.

(Chorus)

We got hope, we got faith, in the words that we read,

In the good book, the Bible, is where we feed,

Jehovah's Witnesses, we stand tall and proud,

Voicing His message, humble but loud.

(Verse 2)

Look to Revelation, twenty-one, three and four,

A promise of a paradise, pain no more,

No death, no crying, the old world's past,

A new Earth's coming, peace at last.

Tryna walk like Jesus, in our daily strides,

No sin in his steps, truth in his guides (1 Peter 2:22),

Striving to reflect his compassion and humility,

In our actions, interactions, not just ability.

(Chorus)

We got hope, we got faith, in the words that we read,

In the good book, the Bible, is where we feed,

Jehovah's Witnesses, we stand tall and proud,

Voicing His message, humble but loud.

(Outro)

I invite you, come learn, see what it means to you,

Bible studies for free, meetings online too,

I respect your beliefs, and I hope you do mine,

Let's have a convo, in His love, let's align.

So thank you for your time, hope to hear back soon,

Under the same sky, beneath the same moon,

Signin' off now, but before I go,

Remember, in His love, we grow.

(End)

This is [Your Name], a Jehovah's Witness,

In a world full of noise, find the quiet bliss,

His word, His love, His promise so vast,

In His name, we move forward, not tied to the past.

What was your most fun project with chatGPT? Please let me know via the comment box. Also, If you had fun reading this, why not subscribe to my RSS feed?

Bloedstollende bevindingen dankzij Jehovah’s getuigen | medischcontact

Omdat Getuigen van Jehovah geen bloed en bloedfracties willen eten of gebruiken, ook niet in medische noodsituaties, zijn ze een interessante "controle groep". In onderzoek wil je eigenlijk groepen splitsen en op de ene groep behandeling A proberen en op de andere groep behandeling B.

Maar ja, wat nu als je denkt dat behandeling A beter is dan behandeling B? Dan is het dus on-ethisch om behandeling B aan iemand aan te raden of behandeling A te onthouden aan die zieke persoon.

Maar wat nu als iemand behandeling A afwijst, omdat er bloed of bloedfracties in worden gebruikt? Dan bied je natuurlijk de een-na-beste-optie aan, behandeling B. Dat is precies wat wordt beschreven in Medisch Contact, een uitgave van de Koninklijke Nederlandsche Maatschappij tot bevordering der Geneeskunst (KNMG).

https://www.medischcontact.nl/opinie/blogs-columns/blog/bloedstollende-bevindingen-dankzij-jehovas-getuigen

Een van de doctoren die er al vroeg bij was om Getuigen zonder bloed te behandelen, en er ook en hoop gedoe mee kreeg van zijn medische collega's, was Gene Church. Zijn boek "No Man's Blood" uit 1983 verteld over zijn ervaringen in die vroege dagen van bloed vrije chirurgie.

Als je dit boek wilt kopen, door op dat linkje te klikken, ontvang ik (Jan) een % van Amazon. Je mag dit boek trouwens ook van mij lenen, ik heb het thuis op de plank staan.

Books I’ve read (and enjoyed) lately.

 

This book review is a bit different from my previous ones. You see, I signed up for a paid account at Audible, a service with a gigantic catalog of audiobooks.

So, instead of trying to read a book while lying in bed, waiting for that dreaded moment that I will blissfully doze off and nanoseconds later wake up with a painful nose because my Kindle (2019 model) landed on my face, I now just lie in bed, waiting for sleep to come and take me, while I… while away, listening to the soothing voice of the likes of Michael Lewis or John Lee.

About Audible

When I signed up for Audible, I didn’t fully understand how the subscription plan works. I assumed that as soon as I subscribed, I would have unlimited access to all audiobooks. This is not the case.

Basically, every month, a subscriber receives 1 “credit”. All the books I’ve looked at until now have wildly varying prices, but all cost 1 “credit” each in Audible. Which I like because having to consider the exact price would defer me from listening to a book, or it would make me think “more expensive = better”, which is a silly thought.

So, every month I receive 1 credit that I can spend to buy one audiobook. Even if I cancel my subscription, the book stays on my “shelve” in the Audible app. That is, for now, of course, until Jeff Bezos chances his mind.

But as an active subscriber, I also have unlimited access to other books in the“Plus Catalog.”

And so, it happened that the very first book that I listed to didn’t cost me one credit at all.

As always, I try not to give any spoilers while still giving you a feel for the storyline.

April: Playing to Win by Michael Lewis.

Also Narrated by Michael Lewis, which is good because he has a pleasant voice. This little Also narrated by Michael Lewis, which is good because he has a pleasant voice. This little booklet describes how he (used) to travel all over the USA, almost every weekend, to accompany one of his daughters on training sessions and matches of women’s softball.

He realizes that although very few of these girls, his daughters, and the daughters of thousands of other families, make it into semi- or professional softball, the true money is made by the teams and various leagues that organize these matches. The youth sports industrial complex is a multi-billion dollar market❗️, and countless parents are sucked and suckered into it, thinking they are doing their kids a favor.

A little sad to think about, isn’t it? Moreover, this is just softball, but I’ve been told there are other sports out there that people throw money into as well… 🤔

• $12.07 / £ 12.07 Recommend 3.5/5, it could have been more understandable for the uninitiated if more jargon had been explain.

April: Pushing ice by Alastair Reynolds

This sci-fi book takes place some decades into the future. This means that human technology is more advanced but very recognizable. Long story short: the crew of the Rockhopper under captain Bella Lind are capturing ice-comets to push them into earth orbit. If you ask me, that is a very uneconomical way to get clean water to earth, but whatever.

At some point, the crew is asked to fly to Janus, one of the moons of Saturn, because this moon by has started to move away from Saturn. Not only is it moving away, it’s speeding up, which is a clear indication that it is not a moon at all but a very ancient spaceship covered in a layer of ice.

The book mostly focuses on the crew, how to deal with living so isolated, away from humanity. And what do you do if you have an opportunity to get wealthy but also have a very slim chance of reaching earth and spending your hard-earned money? Give it to your family? Ignore the fortune you made? Get mad?

I noticed that some people were a bit ‘salty’ about this book, maybe because it focuses more on humans and less on big alien spaceships than Reynold’s usual readers had hoped? I liked this book and would recommend it 👍

• $16.99 / £2.82 / € 6.49. Recommend 3.5/5. If the storyline had focussed a bit more on the alien contacts and a little less on the interpersonal troubles, I would havel liked it even more.

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