A favourite of mine:
" The only money you ever have, is the money you spend"

quite the opposite

I never saw that coming. Old PC taken off ebay.

The Netherlands are still holding back the sea.  (hows that for optimism from me )

Hand slapped appropriately.  You are right.

 We should all be more optimistic, its not always easy.

Quote from: ergophobe on May 11, 2026, 11:07:45 PM>>  wont go to the US at present

Would she consider a trip to China or Russia or the Philippines?

Absolute NO to Russia.>  Way too cautious.  China and the Philippines would be on the list to visit I think.

Quote from: ergophobe on May 11, 2026, 11:44:12 PM>> AI makes human labor close to irrelevant.

I'm not convinced this will happen. We went from a world where over 90% of all people were involved in agriculture to one where only 2% are in the US.

But it wasn't an easy process. Lots of people lost livelihoods along the way. The problem is the pace of change. If too many people lose livelihoods too quickly, that is the moment of danger. I've heard economists say that 3% per year is sustainable just through natural attrition, but 6% is major social dislocation.

Another issue we have is what sociologists call "elite oversupply." It happens periodically and we are going through it now.

Essentially, for years we have been saying, "Get a college education and get a good job." But the "elites" (college educated) may be in oversupply and this leads to particular anger. You hear this a lot from young people today: "I did everything I was supposed to, but I still can't afford to move out of my parents' house."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elite_overproduction
https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/the-elite-overproduction-hypothesis-994

I guess like in my long discussion with Rupert, I see AI as an accelerant.

We have a house on fire and a fire engine with an empty gas tank. We also a water hose and a gasoline hose. If we can just somehow stop ourselves from filling the fire engine gas tank with water and spraying gasoline on the house, maybe it won't be so bad.

Way too optimistic     

My wife was in LA last month, to see the old relative who has just turned 100. (Congrats Aunty Marg ) .  But my sister has said she wont go to the US at present.

Thanks for the heads up.

Somehow I was under the impression it was filling up... no idea where I dreamed that up.

I have the book by my bed to read. I must find the time!

Blimey, right at the start 

Anyone else enjoy Charlie's speech?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ASPO2geKP8

works until:

QuoteEY uses its own proprietary large language model (LLM) called EY.ai EYQ to power its AI-driven recruitment and talent management processes.Key details on EY's AI recruitment tools:

EYQ: This is a secure, internal generative AI tool developed by EY that supports conversational AI assistants, talent management, and recruitment.
EY.ai Workforce: This platform combines IBM watsonx Orchestrate with EY's HR domain knowledge to automate and enhance recruitment and HR processes.
Recruitment Features: The AI systems are used for CV screening to analyze content, match keywords, and rank candidates based on qualifications, skills, and experience.
AI Training: EY also uses Azure OpenAI capabilities to power, and its teams have access to GPT-4 through partnerships with Microsoft
.The goal of these AI tools is to create a more personalized, efficient, and equitable hiring process, while ensuring data privacy for applicants.

equitable....

I passed that on to a godson of mine looking for work. Thx.

https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/dave-grohl-joins-us-for-mouthwatering-spanish-style/id1626354833?i=1000762976744

If you like food, Laughter and Rock and Roll, you will enjoy this:


Time extremely well spent with a master of storytelling... and barbecuing!

Dave Grohl in the Dish studio. It finally happened. The award-winning musician and founder of Foo Fighters settled in for a delicious meal with Nick and Angela to discuss the band's forthcoming album, My Favourite Toy. The record - the group's twelfth - is out on Friday 24 April ahead of a worldwide tour that includes two dates at Liverpool's Anfield Stadium.