Lurker > CaptainOfCrush

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKRe9PAGfCw

I can't believe I haven't seen that promo until today. Even when ignoring the uncanny level of prescience... holy fuck Austin was always incredible. I kinda feel like going back and watching some of his early 90s stuff that I've never had the opportunity to see.

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Yoblazer
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Peace___Frog posted...

Given that this guy is already old and is probably going to suck, do you think there is a realistic probability of him leaving the position (either willingly or otherwise) within the next 2-3 years?

I doubt either (leaving willingly or being removed) is very probable, but I suppose him quitting is the likelier option. I can't see any circumstances that would lead to his removal, as this department in particular seems insulated from any performance-related consequences.

Counting this new hire, 8 of the 12 fulltime faculty are near, at, or beyond retirement age. Eleven of the 12 are men (the lone female faculty, who has hired right before the pandemic, might be the department's first ever). It definitely feels like an old boy's club, and I doubt that will change until those older guys who run it begin to retire.

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Yoblazer
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KamikazePotato posted...

My mom works in academia. I've heard lots of stories. Internal academic politics are INCREDIBLY rampant like you wouldn't believe. The amount of nepotism probably runs deeper than in an actual corporation.

Oh yeah, I've seen it myself, and I wholeheartedly agree that politics/nepotism is much worse in academia than the corporate world. Don't get me wrong, it's bad in corporate America as well, but at least there employees have more numerous options (switching companies/departments, complaining to HR, requesting different projects or teams). The concept of academic tenure, along with the glacially slow nature of academia, effectively shields university faculty from consequences.

Like... I'm not even that upset about losing the job to a guy who is almost certainly a worse teacher - he has been teaching part-time longer than me and has taught a larger variety of classes. Seniority is seniority; I understand that. I'm more upset that he's 67 years old, already retired after a career in banking, and clearly has no financial need for this job. I got boomer'd.

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Yoblazer
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Gotta vent a bit

This is the second time I've reached the final interview stage of a lecturer position within this university, so hopefully next time is the charm. The problem is that "next time" might not be for another five years (unless I'm willing to move, which I probably am at this point).

I don't feel proud admitting it, but this one stings badly. When I couldn't seal the deal last year (for a job with the accounting department), I lost to a lady with an incredible reputation and skillset. As a part-timer, she was teaching a specialized grad-level course that hadn't even been offered in years. I had no problem taking that L and fully acknowledged her as the most qualified candidate for that job.

During this interview, the hiring department told me they were looking for a mutual long-term commitment with someone who could excite students about finance and possibly encourage some of them to pursue it as a major...

so of course, they select a retiree pushing 70, who, as far as I understand, has a reputation as a lousy teacher. Perhaps I'll reevaluate and come to accept the decision based on merit, but for now, it's hard not to feel like a victim of internal academic politics.

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Yoblazer
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I don't think I got it. =/

Bummer news, but thank you everyone for your support. I'll keep trying.

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

Bought my condo for 118k in 2015. It's now worth a good 225k. I'm definitely appreciative of my luck, but that same condo was probably worth 75k when the market bottomed out in 2011-12.

Shit's definitely crazy, and I've come to realize that home ownership is the best financial decision I've ever made.

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

Is it just me or are these women's waterpolo uniforms a half step removed from being full-on thong leotards

Edit: wedgies, apparently

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

No response yet. All department faculty received an email asking if there were any among us who were ok switching their in-person classes to remote instruction on short notice. I responded that I'd happily teach either in-person or remotely and would do whatever the department feels is best for my students (I consider this a flex because I know there are older faculty members who have detested online instruction and will protest it if they can).

I leveraged this flex by then immediately asking for an update on the position... so yeah we'll see.

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

I'm sure impressive future growth is being valued into Robin Hood's price. I've never used it myself, but from what I understand, it's about as easy to download and start using as something like Venmo, and *that* probably paints it as the trading platform of the future.

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

Yes

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

berlyman101 posted...

How's Henderson? I've thought of buying a house there since it seems like you can get a decent sized one at a reasonable price.

I love my area, but I was lucky enough to buy a condo in 2015 when things were a lot more affordable (real estate has nearly doubled in price since then). In most ways, Henderson feels like an average suburban city with the added bonus of being 15 minutes from one of the most famous entertainment districts on Earth. Your electric bill could be painful in the scorching summer months, but other than that, it's pretty gravy.

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

What are your favorite things to do here? Were any of the clubs open the last two times you visited?

I've lived in Henderson (Vegas metro area) for a decade, but like most locals, I generally try to avoid the strip if I can.

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Yoblazer
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I generally agree but the Kroger Private Selection brand is bomb and a definite exception to the rule.

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

foolm0r0n posted...

That job sounds cool but completely attainable, especislly with your background which seems pretty appropriate. That makes for a pretty shit dream. But it might be a nice reality for a while. You always gotta keep looking for the next thing!

It's a well-paying (for my standards), highly rewarding job with summers off. It's also usually low stress. It checks every single one of my boxes.

But yeah generally speaking, you're right - being a lecturer doesn't command nearly the same pay or prestige as being a tenured professor who produces research, so it may not be a "dream" for most career academics (though I've never been one of those anyway). A PhD is necessary for the latter, and that's a huge barrier to entry for many people (many also do prefer teaching to research, despite the enormous pay difference).

Though I will say that lecturing fulltime might be less attainable than the PhD-required professor positions that pay more than double. Fulltime lecturer positions can be exceedingly rare - if you don't have a PhD, a university will usually use you in an adjunct role for peanuts (which has been the case for me since 2019). This is the first fulltime lecturer position I've seen offered in this specific department for at least a decade, which is why I'm trying to temper my expectations despite my excitement.

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Yoblazer
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Finished! I feel like I had solid answers for the panel's questions and did an effective job selling myself. They said the final decision will be made within the next week or two, leading me to believe that this may have been the only round of interviews. Guess we'll see.

LordoftheMorons posted...

I do have to say that I did quite like actually lecturing students when I TA'd; I just hated that it came with extremely unfun tasks like grading. Though maybe you'd have TAs of your own to deal with that for you?

Yep, I've had access to the TAs even as a part-timer, but I've never asked them to grade since I don't mind doing that myself (it's kinda fun!). I might lean on them more if I ever get busier, though.

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Yoblazer
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Menji posted...

Because I came across Realo's tiktok and he's at like 70K+ followers doing real estate.

He must focus way more on TikTok then. We're connected on Facebook, and his posts rarely get more than a few likes. 70k is damn impressive though

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Yoblazer
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With the proper specs and strats, you can win despite being waaay underleveled. Ether attacks are best for this, since their accuracy penalty (against stronger enemies) isn't nearly as significant as for melee attacks.


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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

Man, it's hilarious how the concept of a "big investment" has changed since our childhood years (teenage years for me, but still). I still think a starter retailed for more than $10 in bougey ass SoCal, but if they were really that cheap, I should have saved up to immediately buy three Yugis. That would immediately get you

3x Summoned Skull
3x Wall of Illusion
3x Man-Eater Bug
3x Fissure
3x Trap Hole
3x Waboku

Those alone would have set you up with a decent deck throughout all of 2002.

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

When I first played ME1 back in 2007, I felt a bit intimidated by the combat mechanics, so I stuck with Soldier. When you're not sure what you're doing, it's usually easier to just pew pew pew.

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

Heart attack sucks, but I'm super relieved he's ok. Guy seems like an absolute gem.

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

Random question: does anyone remember how much early booster packs and starter decks cost? Can't remember if SDY/SDK were $15 or $30 each, and if individual boosters were $5 or less.

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Yoblazer
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10/10

There's no way I can manage a semi-objective appraisal given my affection for the game.

(but even then, the story's really good!)

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

Shaduln posted...

Have you actually taken any teaching courses? I'm just curious because I've always wanted to do something similar for accounting, but don't have any teaching background.

Nothing official. Prior to landing the part-time role, my only somewhat relevant experience was as a Graduate Assistant (glorified tutor) for this same finance department while I was in grad school. Luckily, I made a good impression on the department chair, and he remembered me when they needed a part-timer almost five years after I graduated.

Based on my experience, I'd say landing a part-time teaching gig is much more attainable at whichever school you actually attended. Do you keep in touch with any of the accounting faculty there?

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

Anyway, in case anyone is interested, I can divulge more about the interview. It's for a lecturer of financial literacy position at my local university. As a part-time finance instructor for the past two years, I applied as an internal candidate, which I'm hoping will provide me a slight edge. However, my actual finance credentials probably lag behind the competition (my masters degree and the bulk of my work experience are in accounting).

Teaching has been, by leaps and bounds, the funnest and most rewarding job I've ever had, but doing so at the part-time level pays poverty wages (I'm almost ashamed to divulge what I've been making), so I really needed an opportunity like this to eventually spring up.

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Yoblazer
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FFDragon posted...

oh man could we even handle baig2?

lol they're literally running this right now on the trash heap of a board that is CE.

Eleven YEARS behind the curve.

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOJr1dTPSis

What is this and how is it so epic

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Yoblazer
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I haven't told anyone because I don't want to jinx it (too much), but I've gotta share with B8.

Given the competition and my previous experience with the hiring process at this institution, I'm not realistically expecting to land this thing, but I can't help expressing my excitement and giving it my all tomorrow.

If I get the offer, it might be one of the best days of my life.

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Yoblazer
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If not for my likely neurotic aversion to the block feature, he'd be the one person here who I would block. I'm surprised you held on this long.

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

Dammit all

Oh well, it's damning enough to warrant multiple consecutive posts. How fucking sleazy do you have to be to proudly take that picture.

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

DoomTheGyarados posted...

I mean 15 years ago it produced some amazing things. 25 years ago we loved Bill Cosby. Get over yourself lol

ABOUT THAT

https://kotaku.com/inside-blizzard-developers-infamous-bill-cosby-suite-1847378762

Apparently this reeeeeally bad looking picture is from 2013, one year before allegations against Cosby were extensively covered by the TV media. Still (and please correct me if I'm wrong here), but weren't the rumors about him quite rampant well before the mainstream media started picking it up?

So basically yeah, I doubt that pic is an innocent homage to their favorite 80s family sitcom.

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Yoblazer
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This would happen there - Huntington Beach is like the Alabama of coastal CA cities.

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Yoblazer
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AWESOME #1 pick! I forgot about Lily but definitely thought she was an awesome card back then. I may still have one... I'll have to check tomorrow when I go to my parents' house.

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Yoblazer
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Figured as much, thank you. I talked to Chris about getting my beefiest Pokemon cards (I have a 1st edition Dragonite that *looks* like it's in great condition) graded, and he encouraged me to do so.

Then I looked into it, and demand for the most popular grading agency (PSA) is so feverish that they've abandoned all but their most expensive services. It costs a minimum of $200 to grade one card. Really.

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

Pretty sure I still have my Delinquent Duo (along with a bunch of other Super/Ultra rares). I know Pokemon cards have been dominating all the collector talk, but is there renewed interest and value in YGO cards as well?

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Yoblazer
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I forgot how young you are - I did a double take because it's kind of hard to believe we still have Board 8ers in their 20s.

Anyway, sorry to hear this. I'm going through something similar, as things are not looking good with my gf (we've also been together for about six years), and I doubt we'll be together much longer. We thankfully never got married, so I don't have to worry about divvying up my condo or other assets, but it's still a crappy situation to go through.

Here's to hoping you come through this better and enjoy your late 20s/early 30s, which may be some of the best years of your life.

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Yoblazer
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No talk about Simone Biles dropping out due to mental health issues? That seems to be the big sports news of the day.

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Yoblazer
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Jinzo also looks like the resident sadomasochist in a perverted sex dungeon.

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Yoblazer
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It looks like his wings swoop all the way down and become his swords

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Yoblazer
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Antlers are made of bone, it's horns that aren't

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Yoblazer
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My gf and her coworkers (state government agency) recently returned to the office on a hybrid schedule that everyone expects to revert to fulltime office work soon. Not a single one of the staff, senior, and supervisor level employees is happy about giving up WFH. Literally zero of them. It's a decision being forced down by the highest levels of management despite overwhelming employee feedback against it.

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

Also, if I had to take some top ten guesses...

Change of Heart
Raigeki
Mystical Space Typhoon
Heavy Storm
Mirror Force
Torrential Tribute
Harpie Channeler
Jinzo

Those first six are Spells/Traps that were staples of every deck for a time, so I wouldn't be surprised if most make it (they'd all make my personal list). Monsters are much harder to guess, but speaking as a Harpie fan, everyone who plays them loves Channeler.

Jinzo is Jinzo, eternal savior and asshole.

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Yoblazer
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Did Neo ever get specific support, even if it was just throwaway fanservice? He had such awesome art (and a cool name - The Matrix was in its heyday back then) that I think it would have been plenty warranted.

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Yoblazer
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The early starter decks were filled with such crap that I was still running things Gaia the Fierce Knight for a while (hey, it was better than running like eight Normal monsters with under 1000 attack). I wouldn't be surprised if the earliest competitive decks ALL had 3x Summoned Skull.

Skull was that dude.

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Yoblazer
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As bad and cringey as the comments from the speakers were, I think the chorus of boos that erupted from the crowd was worse. What a bunch of absolute losers.

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Yoblazer
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Yeah, adding "may" to Hunting Ground's text would have gone a long way.

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

REMake for "traditional" survival horror.

The sound design and visuals are amazing to this day, as is the atmosphere of constant tension (since each enemy encounter felt like it could kill).

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

I'm not sure there's a better feeling topdeck draw than 2002 Monster Reborn.

Okay, Pot of Greed, but nothing quite matched the feeling of victory/hope that came with drawing a Monster Reborn just when you needed it most.

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg