This is my thread

[S O F I]

Also, Pitts, did you get your PMP? I see you're getting a Master's in PM. I'm done studying for it, going to submit my application this week to take the test.

 

[masta247]

Oh I've recently gotten it myself after all, got a Master's in PM years ago so never found it useful but here in Canada they somehow value it as much if not more than 5 years of formal education and experience abroad. This reminded me I already need to renew it though, but maintaining it is just a scam and pain in the ass at the same time, and most ways people get their PDUs are just a waste of time too.

I'm a project management nerd (almost) as much as I'm a tech nerd. I wrote my theses on managing remote teams, and earlier another one about PM tools/software. I never felt like the world looked at me and decided "let's do what Masta wants" up until this year, when it went all out.

 

[S O F I]

Yeah, there's a whole industry built around getting you certified in a matter of weeks. It's definitely super easy to get the PDUs. I can't speak to passing until I do, but doesn't seem too hard.

 

[Pittsey]

Also, Pitts, did you get your PMP? I see you're getting a Master's in PM. I'm done studying for it, going to submit my application this week to take the test.

I've been working in project management for about 5 years now.m. My organisation is suffering due to coronavirus and specifically lack of government support for testing. So I put my CV together. My experience is brilliant. Managing billion pound programmes and £260m projects. But apart from the APMPQ, no formal qualifications. So I decided to get something. A master's has fewer modules than a degree, so I've started that.

Haven't got PMP. But was considering getting chartered by the APM.

 

[dilla]

Damn, MF Doom passed away. i had a lot of his stuff a decade or more ago but hadn't kept up with him and his music since then. Probably stashed away on old hard drives of mine, from the days before Spotify when we downloaded music.

Also, I get him and MF Grimm confused. It's whatever but on the last day of 2020, this shit is the cherry on top to lose a hip hop legend.

 

[masta247]

Damn, MF Doom passed away. i had a lot of his stuff a decade or more ago but hadn't kept up with him and his music since then. Probably stashed away on old hard drives of mine, from the days before Spotify when we downloaded music.

Also, I get him and MF Grimm confused. It's whatever but on the last day of 2020, this shit is the cherry on top to lose a hip hop legend.

What's fucked up is that he's been dead for two months now. They just announced it today. Nobody knew.
His only son died on Dec 31 three years ago at 14.

 

[dilla]

What's fucked up is that he's been dead for two months now. They just announced it today. Nobody knew.
His only son died on Dec 31 three years ago at 14.

Yeah, it's pretty nutty. When I saw the Facebook post that was shared announcing it, the date threw me off and I didn't quite understand what was going on. All the comments on Reddit seemed to skip over that fact and went straight in to talking about his work. I thought I was going crazy for thinking that it had been two months since the date on the post and no one had said anything for that long?

 

[dilla]

So....there was almost a coup? Or was it a failed coup?

Either way, that was hilariously scary what happened and I have a feeling it put the world on notice that if you want to fuck shit up in Washington, all you need is a bunch of trailer park trash and some dudes who love to collect military gear, knives, etc. to breach a government building. And don't worry, some of the cops there will either show you the way in or half-assedly try to stop you with "no, please don't."

That woman who was shot and killed was an Air Force veteran. 4 tours over 14 years. And her dumbass had all that go to shit when she tried to hop through a broken window and got shot. For a dude that gave 0 fucks about her before and gives 0 fucks now.

One representative from WV was seen as being a part of the mob and was actually live-streaming himself in the Capitol. And one representative from my own state had a speech that included the phrase "Hitler was right about one thing." And then proceeded to quote him about whoever controls the youth, controls the nation, or something along those lines.

I thought people saying we were going to have a civil war in 2016 or so were exaggerating, but boy did we come close yesterday.

And to see the comparisons between how the protests around the killing of George Floyd and other black folks last year with how the protestors yesterday, it was pretty sad to see. I was pissed when some of the protestors during the George Floyd and Kenosha protests turned to rioting and looting, but this is a completely different thing. A government building in the nation's capital (the Capitol lol) was attacked the way a Target or Walmart was attacked during the riots last year. And they got in.

 

[Da_Funk]

So....there was almost a coup? Or was it a failed coup?

Either way, that was hilariously scary what happened and I have a feeling it put the world on notice that if you want to fuck shit up in Washington, all you need is a bunch of trailer park trash and some dudes who love to collect military gear, knives, etc. to breach a government building. And don't worry, some of the cops there will either show you the way in or half-assedly try to stop you with "no, please don't."

That woman who was shot and killed was an Air Force veteran. 4 tours over 14 years. And her dumbass had all that go to shit when she tried to hop through a broken window and got shot. For a dude that gave 0 fucks about her before and gives 0 fucks now.

One representative from WV was seen as being a part of the mob and was actually live-streaming himself in the Capitol. And one representative from my own state had a speech that included the phrase "Hitler was right about one thing." And then proceeded to quote him about whoever controls the youth, controls the nation, or something along those lines.

I thought people saying we were going to have a civil war in 2016 or so were exaggerating, but boy did we come close yesterday.

And to see the comparisons between how the protests around the killing of George Floyd and other black folks last year with how the protestors yesterday, it was pretty sad to see. I was pissed when some of the protestors during the George Floyd and Kenosha protests turned to rioting and looting, but this is a completely different thing. A government building in the nation's capital (the Capitol lol) was attacked the way a Target or Walmart was attacked during the riots last year. And they got in.

From an outside perspective, the US looks more and more like a failed state each passing month. It can probably be traced further back but it started to become evident under Bush II and then Obama. Trump has only accelerated the process.

I really dont know what the country can do going forward to fix itself. Corruption, extreme inequality (the likes which resemble serfdom) and extreme radicalization have taken such a strong hold. My guess is the reprisals from this event will become a further rallying point for Trump and his merry band which will only tear the country apart further.

At least my investments are sky rocketing on the back of the Democrats actually being able to function as a government for the next two years.

Seriously though, thank God I live on literally the other side of the world.

 

[dilla]

Looks like they're identifying a lot of the people rioting at the Capitol and arresting them. I don't know what those people were thinking, that they wouldn't be caught? If security cameras didn't get them, the idiots posting their rampage on social media certainly helped.

I also love seeing Trump getting banned on social media. Same with his followers on apps like Parler and hosting companies like AWS denying their service. I have a welll-educated friend who I am certain was a closeted Trump supporter from the get-go. In 2016, he shat on Bernie and Hillary as candidates and on election night told us he voted for Jill Stein. Jill fucking Stein. Ok. As a Christian guy that hated Obama like many Republicans did at the time, that was hard to believe. But I believed it because at that time I felt the people who supported Trump were either brain-washed uneducated people or people that truly shared his views on immigrants and/or the rest of the world well before Trump came along.

But in my group chat with my two closest college friends, one of them was him and the other was also a Republican and I could tell he was slowly losing faith in the party before Trump was even the nominee. It only decreased further since 2016 and I can tell he just hates Trumps represents his political party and what it's turned in to. I mentioned Trump being banned on social media and simply said it was funny to see it happen and wondered what Trump would be doing to get around it. The original friend who I felt was a closeted supporter said nothing the day of the Capitol attack and the days after that but finally broke the silence on the Trump banning by saying that he thought Trump was nuts but was concerned about social media censorship. That was it. His country was under attack by Ya'll Qaeda, they literally shit in the buildings and smeared them on the walls, they had zip-ties which they probably planned to hold people captive with, trashed the building, fought police (aided by some police, too, in breaking in) and got 4 people (last I checked) killed. And he was worried about tech companies censoring the dude that was responsible for all of that.

Talk about moving the goal posts. It's happened on several other issues that have happened since we left college, all of them political ones from BLM to the events of this past week. I'm not ending a friendship over something like that because that too would be silly but it definitely feels like he's drinking the Kool Aid put out by the likes of people like Alex Jones, QAnon, etc.

 

[dilla]

They are IDing many of the people who were taking pictures of vandalizing the Capitol last week. The guy in the viking hat and the one that sat on Pelosi's desk with his feet up were caught. Dozens more too

What's crazy is how many representatives were also IDd as being a part of the rioting, or at the very least tweeting support of the rioting.

Who the hell is voting for people like this?

 

[dilla]

Anyone got recommendations on jackets? My Columbia down jacket that I've had the past 6 years is looking pretty damn flat now. Plus there's some holes/tears in odd places from being used daily during that time. I saw REI had their own branded down jacket for like $90. Seems reasonable since I'm no outdoorsman that needs top notch brands. But I do like the Patagonia puffy jacket I tried on this weekend. But it's $280 lol. I'd probably be warmer if I covered myself in 280 single bills.

 

[Da_Funk]

Trump pardoned Harry O

 

[dilla]

Trump pardoned Harry O

I missed that in between the Kodak Black and Lil Wayne news.

Trump seems to be aiming to cater to "older" black folks, especially celebs that are no longer relevant. I know 50 Cent has voiced his support. Snoop has always been a "Fuck Donald Trump" guy, but Snoop is definitely in a sticky situation regarding this: https://www.billboard.com/articles/...row-records-co-founder-michael-harry-o-harris

Kim K and Kanye got what they needed from Trump and then dipped. Then dipped again from each other.

Doesn't Ice Cube support Trump? I think he was pretty vocal about it in recent months.

 

[dilla]

You guys keeping up with this GameStop stuff?

https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/28/22255245/google-deleting-bad-robinhood-reviews-play-store

Reddit just trolling these hedge fund managers hard.

 

[Pittsey]

You guys keeping up with this GameStop stuff?

https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/28/22255245/google-deleting-bad-robinhood-reviews-play-store

Reddit just trolling these hedge fund managers hard.

Only certain hedge funds. Others were in heavily and made billions. It's too easy to manipulate the market, especially if you're managing multiple pension funds, as an example. It always puts me off playing with stocks. You're always at the mercy of the money men

 

[Da_Funk]

^Man you should at least stick some money in some ETFs or something. With all the QE going on throughou the world and interest rates next to zero money is worth less and less each day. Assets are the way to go.

You guys keeping up with this GameStop stuff?

https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/28/22255245/google-deleting-bad-robinhood-reviews-play-store

Reddit just trolling these hedge fund managers hard.

I hope some everyday people managed to make money off this. Regardless of anyone's opinion on shorting, gamestop is a moribund company irrespective of share price and I think a lot of people have been swept up in the hype and stand to lose a lot.

 

[masta247]

^Man you should at least stick some money in some ETFs or something. With all the QE going on throughou the world and interest rates next to zero money is worth less and less each day. Assets are the way to go.


I hope some everyday people managed to make money off this. Regardless of anyone's opinion on shorting, gamestop is a moribund company irrespective of share price and I think a lot of people have been swept up in the hype and stand to lose a lot.

I'm in, I like this stock.

 

[Pittsey]

^Man you should at least stick some money in some ETFs or something. With all the QE going on throughou the world and interest rates next to zero money is worth less and less each day. Assets are the way to go.

.

So.... You got in my head a bit. I've not really bitten yet, but just researching. I have taken a punt on xrp hoping that there will be a pump and dump and I can ride the wave

 

[Da_Funk]

So.... You got in my head a bit. I've not really bitten yet, but just researching. I have taken a punt on xrp hoping that there will be a pump and dump and I can ride the wave

Haha.

I wouldn't recommend investing like this unless you have a lot of free time to watch the market and consistently be buying and selling. I think you are UK based, so you should also be aware of how capital gains taxes work there as those can take a chunk out of your profits.

I would recommend having a serious think about what it is you want your money to do for you. Do you want a steady source of income, i.e. are you chasing dividend payments? Then you probably want to look at your blue chips.

Do you want to grow your savings rather than have it sit there and do nothing? This is where I found myself. I'm not an active investor and because of my work I am quite restricted in what I can and can't trade in; I also don't have the time to be monitoring the market to be buying & selling on the regular. This is where your ETF's come in. Look for some reputable funds which have a solid 5 to 10 year history of outperforming the market (really anything that grows > 7% per annum and in particular see how they performed during the GFC) and diversify across those (I'd go one which tracks against your local index; one which tracks against global indexes; one which tracks against emerging markets). I've managed to grow my savings by ~$20k by just having it sit in ETFs rather than in my savings accounts.

Those aren't crazy gains but for someone who isn't an active investor its nothing to sneeze at.