Re: The price of oil

BeH <[email protected]> wrote in news:[email protected]:

> On 17.10.2022 12.38, Merlyne wrote:
>> BeH <[email protected]> wrote in news:[email protected]:
>> 
>>> On 16.10.2022 18.16, Merlyne wrote:
>>>> BeH <[email protected]> wrote in news:[email protected]:
>>>>
>>>>> On 15.10.2022 15.29, Merlyne wrote:
>>>>>>>>> [8<---]
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> What a coincidence! I'm a secret agent too!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I Don't believe you - so you don't have to kill me
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> now.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> And that fish smell? It's my new cologne --Fruit de
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Mer.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Very -erm- catching...
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> See? It's working already.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> It would work on a cat...
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Not my cat.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Do you want me to send you my dead mouse to try on your
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> cat? It hasn't been dead for more than a day... yet.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Save the postage. Soonish I will probably have mice in
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> the house and she can catch a fresh one.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> So she's good for something after all. When she's awake.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> She's been practicing with the toy mouse. At 2 AM.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> The squeaky kind?
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> The squeaky things are dog toys. Cat's no like noise.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> I've known of cats that very much like to make noise - loud,
>>>>>>>>> penetrating, undulating noise - in the middle of the night
>>>>>>>>> when decent people are trying to sleep.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Light sleeper, huh?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Sounds that mostly allude to someone or something being brutally
>>>>>>> murdered do tend to wake me up, yes...
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I think my cat is not adverse to noises that she creates
>>>>>>>> herself. She will leave the room if the tv is on too loud or
>>>>>>>> someone sneezes/coughs or if I am talking on the phone. She
>>>>>>>> really hates the Zoom conferences.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> So she wants to hear herself and only herself. I've known people
>>>>>>> like that. Also I've never participated in a Zoom conference.
>>>>>>> After my time, I guess.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> *adds have Zoom conference with BeH to bucket list before 'get
>>>>>> TikTok account'*
>>>>>
>>>>> Good luck with that. I still don't have a webcam.
>>>> You don't need a webcam, you need an internet connection.
>>>
>>> I do have one of those...
>>>
>>>> <whispers...your cellphone has a camera>
>>>
>>> IT DOES??? What will they think of next.
>> 
>> You'll have to wait to see.
> 
> Oh never mind, it will probably just be something silly - like *two* 
> cameras.

How many does an IPhone have?

> 
>>>>>> I don't want you to die a virgin.
>>>>>
>>>>> I did take part in some video conferences back in the day
>>>>> (1993-ish). That involved a great big camera and a wall mounted
>>>>> tv. Mostly though it was 1/2 hour taxi -> 1/2 hour plane ride ->
>>>>> 3/4 hour drive to have a physical meeting. On behalf of the
>>>>> country's largest telecom operator...
>>>>
>>>> We had those too. Except that there were probably 2 or 3 conference
>>>> rooms with the camera/tv. Now they all have them.
>>>
>>> And things are so much better now, coordination and co-operation
>>> vise... or what!
>>>
>>>>>> We use MS Teams at work.
>>>>>> It has some advantages over in person meetings such as if you
>>>>>> have your camera off and the meeting is boring, you can play
>>>>>> Candy Crush or pretend that your internet connection dropped.
>>>>>> When we were 100% virtual, the director would ask to get invited
>>>>>> to team meeting randomly just to stay in touch with people. Like
>>>>>> the rank and file want to hang out with upper management. *eye
>>>>>> roll* I have 2 programmers who report to me who would never put
>>>>>> their camera on at meetings. I'm cool with that. The director
>>>>>> called me after a meeting and asked how I knew they were working.
>>>>>> Seriously? 
>>>>>
>>>>> Well, how do you know? It's not like those types produce anything
>>>>> tangible. It's all bits and zeroes and ones with them.
>>>>
>>>> Well, someone is loading the databases and creating custom
>>>> extractions for clients. The only other person who can program on
>>>> the team is me and I know I didn't do their work.
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> The benefit of not having your camera on at meetings is that no
>>>>>> one can see you rolling your eyes when they say something stupid
>>>>>> or blather away off topic for an extended period of time. In the
>>>>>> before-time, I would doodle in my notebook or write 'OMG STFU' or
>>>>>> something like that which would often make the person sitting
>>>>>> beside me burst out laughing. MYOB.
>>>>>
>>>>> Heh. The first place I worked the boss insisted on going over the
>>>>> accounting in d-e-t-a-i-l every month; overhead slides and all.
>>>>> All nine of us sitting there listening attentively (obv.)...
>>>>>
>>>> Ugh! I leave my body at those meetings.Then someone calls my name
>>>> and sucks me back into the vortex. What did I think of the idea?
>>>> Yep. it's craptactular! I tell them I missed the question because I
>>>> left my body. They all laugh because they think I'm joking.
>>>
>>> The worst part, I always found, was all the time (and money) is
>>> wasted on these things - half the people aren't interested in *any*
>>> of and the rest are only invested in a little bit. Also 50
>>> consultants (who could be billing opwards of €200/hour) sitting
>>> there for an hour... 
>>>
>> 
>> Weird. I never invited any of the consultants I've had to hire to
>> budget meetings. It was usally them booking meetings to present
>> screen mock-ups and such.
> 
> It was a consulting firm - otherwise all the consultants would be 
> billing which somewhat eases the sense of futility.
> 

When I hired consultants, there was a contract that stipulated a per 
diem of X$. Then they gave me time sheets which were signed off by the 
project manager.