Categories
Economics

Google’s caste system is bad for workers—and bad for Google, too — Quartz

We were at the world’s most enviable workplace, allegedly, but were repeatedly reminded that we would not be hired full-time and were not part of the club. Technically, we were employees of a legal staffing agency whose staff we’d never met. We didn’t get sick leave or vacation and earned considerably less than colleagues with the same qualifications who were doing the same work.
— Read on qz.com/1494111/googles-caste-system-is-bad-for-workers-and-bad-for-google-too/

Sounds like Google is Uber for office workers. It does not appear to help create a very conducive culture all around.

I work remotely but feel a sense of culture that most of my office jobs have not had. Being fully employed is a big part of this as it gives one level of equality. Open meetings with the entire company is critical. Free access and encouragement to speak freely with anyone on the company is also critical. Companies and cultures die in silence.

While I might miss some water cooler banter I am also missing the micro aggressive non-verbal bullshit that is constantly rampant in any office space. Since I work for the work and not the social ness of my workers this seems like a good trade off.

Yes I like my coworkers and think I would probably hang out with most of them if we lived near each other. However I spend enough time outside of work to have a healthy social life.

Categories
Economics

What’s next for marketplace startups? Reinventing the $10 trillion service economy, that’s what.

The companies mentioned in this essay just scratch the surface of regulated industries. You can imagine a marketplace for every service that is regulated, with unique features and attributes designed to optimize for the customer and provider needs for that industry. (A full list of regulated professions in the US can be found here.) We fully expect more Airbnb- and rideshare-sized outcomes in the service economy.
— Read on andrewchen.co/how-marketplaces-will-reinvent-the-service-economy/

Good reading. Hard to get my brain around how this creates jobs instead of replacing them or causing more Uber effect. Where people get work at lower rates with higher self costs.

Categories
Equipment

Airstream’s Nest is a cozy, futuristic trailer

Starting at $45,900, the 16-foot, seven-inch rolling home breaks the mold and goes for a minimalist design.
— Read on www.engadget.com/2018/11/24/hands-on-airstream-nest/

For the price of one of these cool trailers you could buy four of the trailers we have lived in for over 4 years. Oh and you could have put our solar system setup on one of them. Each trailer would be more than twice the size of this Airstream.

Categories
Travel

Driving day: Flagstaff to Tucson

Spent the night in Flagstaff at a buddies driveway. I had to work but it was still very nice and quiet. Although it did get a little cold and the water line connecting our fresh water tank to our pump partially froze.

The dogs slept well and were ready to roll in the late morning:

We rolled out and had planned on stopping for lunch at Green in Phoenix. Unfortunately Phoenix traffic was horrendous at 2:30pm so we had to keep on moving. We ended up stopping at the rest area south of Phoenix on I-10 for PBnJ’s.

We rolled into Tucson a bit after 5pm and just enough time to relax a minute before my night shift started.

We are parked at Kate’s brothers house for a few weeks. The weather is so much nicer here. 70’s!

I got my new iPhone Xr and have been playing with portrait mode.

Categories
Travel

Driving: Mancos to Grand Junction

Travel day! We moved from Mancos to Grand Junction today so that I (Roger) can drive up to Vail this week to get my knee checked out. Kate drove and did a great job as arrived without incident.

Klondike Bluffs north of Moab

It’s a beautiful drive that passes through Moab Utah. Moab is definitely one of the most unique landscapes on the planet. As a kid we used to drive there in springtime to start the mountain biking season. It has since grown into a major travel destination and is crawling with people, atvs, and mountain bikers.

On the road again

We were planning on driving the rig up to Eagle Co tomorrow to be closer to the doctors office but the weather is getting drastically colder. Since our rig is not equipped for freezing temps we are gonna stay in grand junction and drive up for the day. Fun times!

38° 34.401 N -109° 32.787 W