#Tech Service

[macbookscreenrepair]

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[reasonsforhope]

Federal regulators on Tuesday [April 23, 2024] enacted a nationwide ban on new noncompete agreements, which keep millions of Americans — from minimum-wage earners to CEOs — from switching jobs within their industries.

The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday afternoon voted 3-to-2 to approve the new rule, which will ban noncompetes for all workers when the regulations take effect in 120 days [So, the ban starts in early September, 2024!]. For senior executives, existing noncompetes can remain in force. For all other employees, existing noncompetes are not enforceable.

[That's right: if you're currently under a noncompete agreement, it's completely invalid as of September 2024! You're free!!]

The antitrust and consumer protection agency heard from thousands of people who said they had been harmed by noncompetes, illustrating how the agreements are "robbing people of their economic liberty," FTC Chair Lina Khan said. 

The FTC commissioners voted along party lines, with its two Republicans arguing the agency lacked the jurisdiction to enact the rule and that such moves should be made in Congress...

Why it matters

The new rule could impact tens of millions of workers, said Heidi Shierholz, a labor economist and president of the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank. 

"For nonunion workers, the only leverage they have is their ability to quit their job," Shierholz told CBS MoneyWatch. "Noncompetes don't just stop you from taking a job — they stop you from starting your own business."

Since proposing the new rule, the FTC has received more than 26,000 public comments on the regulations. The final rule adopted "would generally prevent most employers from using noncompete clauses," the FTC said in a statement.

The agency's action comes more than two years after President Biden directed the agency to "curtail the unfair use" of noncompetes, under which employees effectively sign away future work opportunities in their industry as a condition of keeping their current job. The president's executive order urged the FTC to target such labor restrictions and others that improperly constrain employees from seeking work.

"The freedom to change jobs is core to economic liberty and to a competitive, thriving economy," Khan said in a statement making the case for axing noncompetes. "Noncompetes block workers from freely switching jobs, depriving them of higher wages and better working conditions, and depriving businesses of a talent pool that they need to build and expand."

Real-life consequences

In laying out its rationale for banishing noncompetes from the labor landscape, the FTC offered real-life examples of how the agreements can hurt workers.

In one case, a single father earned about $11 an hour as a security guard for a Florida firm, but resigned a few weeks after taking the job when his child care fell through. Months later, he took a job as a security guard at a bank, making nearly $15 an hour. But the bank terminated his employment after receiving a letter from the man's prior employer stating he had signed a two-year noncompete.

In another example, a factory manager at a textile company saw his paycheck dry up after the 2008 financial crisis. A rival textile company offered him a better job and a big raise, but his noncompete blocked him from taking it, according to the FTC. A subsequent legal battle took three years, wiping out his savings. 

-via CBS Moneywatch, April 24, 2024

--

Note:

A lot of people think that noncompete agreements are only a white-collar issue, but they absolutely affect blue-collar workers too, as you can see from the security guard anecdote.

In fact, one in six food and service workers are bound by noncompete agreements. That's right - one in six food workers can't leave Burger King to work for Wendy's [hypothetical example], in the name of "trade secrets." (x, x, x)

Noncompete agreements also restrict workers in industries from tech and video games to neighborhood yoga studios. "The White House estimates that tens of millions of workers are subject to noncompete agreements, even in states like California where they're banned." (x, x, x)

The FTC estimates that the ban will lead to "the creation of 8,500 new businesses annually, an average annual pay increase of $524 for workers, lower health care costs, and as many as 29,000 more patents each year for the next decade." (x)

Clearer explanation of noncompete agreements below the cut.

Noncompete agreements can restrict workers from leaving for a better job or starting their own business.

Noncompetes often effectively coerce workers into staying in jobs they want to leave, and even force them to leave a profession or relocate.

Noncompetes can prevent workers from accepting higher-paying jobs, and even curtail the pay of workers not subject to them directly.

Of the more than 26,000 comments received by the FTC, more than 25,000 supported banning noncompetes. 

[queer-spoon]

I bet that most ppl that go to tech service for their phone or notebook or whatever are rejected by the company bc some unrelated exterior problem of the equipment (like a scratch) and NOT AT ALL the actual problem that have.

[thesquareperson]

my mom telling my sister about how we had to call tech service to instal the wifi router: “and i had to do this or else id fucking cause ww3”

[rockpaperscissuhs]

HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH + BAND OF BROTHERS:

ANTONIO C. "TONY" GARCIA

Born October 15th, 1924, in Inez, Texas

Died August 18th, 2005 (age 80), in Burlingame, California

Tony Garcia was born in Texas but he grew up in Cheyenne, Wyoming. His parents were from Mexico and had immigrated separately into the States. Tony and his siblings grew up speaking English and Spanish. He decided to drop out of high school in order to enlist, and even borrowed a friend's prescription medicine to cover up a heart murmur for his Army physical. He was accepted for training in 1943, and he served a Technician 5th Grade with Easy Company from Holland all the way through the end of the war. After the war, Tony returned to Cheyenne where he finished high school, then he moved to San Francisco, working and attending college. Later, he met his wife, Nancy, and started a family. They were married nearly 60 years, and had four children together. When he wasn’t working at the department store warehouse which he managed for three decades, he enjoyed spending time with his family, traveling, dancing, and reading. He was described as a kind, generous, and gentle man, with a “playful sense of humor that belied his quiet demeanor.” The Band of Brothers series bible describes him as “very gung-ho and game” and a “family man and extremely compassionate.” He kept in touch with several of his friends from Easy, and he participated in many Easy Company reunions and events in the U.S. and in Europe. His family has said that he was very reluctant to talk about his combat experiences, but he did like to talk about the people he met, and the families who helped him. Appears in Episodes 3-5 and 7-10, portrayed by actor Douglas Spain

Sources below

SF Gate Obituary for Antonio Garcia

[rthidden]

What is an Algorithm in 30 Seconds?

An algorithm is simply a series of instructions.

Think of a recipe: boil water, add pasta, wait, drain, eat. These are steps to follow.

In computer terms, an algorithm is a set of instructions for a computer to execute.

In machine learning, these instructions enable computers to learn from data, making machine learning algorithms unique and powerful.

[tearlessrain]

I was always determined that as I aged I would not fall for the siren song of nostalgia and I would look at new and unfamiliar things with an open mind.

what I didn't account for was how much new stuff was about to start genuinely sucking so bad.

[petermorwood]

I feel like you would appreciate this tiktok: https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSFBX8YAq/

I certainly do! Thank you!

:->

TL;DR (or TL;DW is more accurate) A member of Post-Purchase Support deals with a customer who bought an enchanted sword and knows nothing about it.

Correction: who knows NOT A THING about it. How extensive is this lack of knowledge?

NTL; Click to W.

Even funnier, taking offence at the term "bastard sword" is something I once heard for real. I've even seen it in censored form: "b*****d sword", and then of course there's Sky-TV's episode listing for "Game of Thrones":

*****

"Bastard", though it CAN be an insult, isn't a swear-word but a perfectly legitimate description and was even an honourable title.

This gentleman, shown alongside his coat of arms, is Antoine, le Grand Bâtard de Bourgogne...

That translates to Anthony, the Great Bastard of Burgundy, a member of The Order of the Golden Fleece, fully recognised by his father Duke Phillip and with the right to carry the Ducal arms differenced with a bend sinister.

"Great" just means he was the most senior of the Duke's illegitimate offspring.

The modern circle-and-bar "prohibited" symbol is similar to bend sinister, though its bar is a bend dexter - top right to bottom left - perhaps to avoid confusion with with the diacritical mark used by some Scandinavian languages.

However I would NOT like to be the Support staffer trying to explain any of this to a dingbat customer... :-P

[hnm-tech-support]

To be continued...

(Censored for The Children)

@kirbyoctournament

[hootjiggle]

If the back end of Fullbring arc was good, Rukia would've shown up like this.

[arc-hus]

Lloyd's Building, London - Richard Rogers

[msmc-796-official]

>encrypted communication incoming

>decrypting message...

Mirrorsmoke Mercenary Company.

This is st-g2-084. I am contacting you to request an escort out of the Mergi III system, as well as refuge among your fleet. I shall offer both payment in front, as well as my services to your company for as long as you deem necessary.

To be frank, this mission might put you at risk of opposing Smith-Shimano Corpro, although I have done all in my power to avoid such a situation. I only ask eventual protection in case my preparations were insufficient.

I understand my request is not rich in details, however rest assured I shall expand on everything that led to my message once I am safe aboard one of your ships.

You will find my exact coordinates as well as a rough description of local corporate presence attached to this communication.

I await your response with hope.

[Killjoy]

Your message has been received, Killjoy. Help is on the way.

I got in touch with Command; they've dispatched squadron MSMC-835 "Rogue Syndicate" to your supplied coordinates, along with an allied transport ship. This particular squadron has a lot of experience dealing with hostile SSC elements, so they should be more than qualified to get you out. (One of their pilots used to be a model for SCC prior to joining us, actually - callsign Mannequin, if memory serves. Pilots a Pegasus now; real cool gal.)

Ask for me once your escort makes it back here; I'll get you set up with Recruitment to get started on your paperwork. (They'll probably call in a few folks from Legal, too, as it sounds like you'll have some outstanding connections to SSC that need terminating.)

MSMC is no stranger to getting people out of tight situations in regards to the Big 4; in fact, the current IPS-N intern has an outstanding offer of sanctuary with us in case things go south for them and UNCLE. You'll fit right in here - we've got a LOT of ex-corpo folks on staff. (Hell, both of my squadmates are former Big 4 members - I'm technically the odd one out here!)

And hey, feel free to stick around however long you need to. If you need to go back, we can arrange that - or, if you end up deciding that you'd rather leave SSC behind for good, I can hook you up with the requisite paperwork to make that happen. Either way, you're safe with us. Legal wouldn't dare let SSC lay a finger on you (and neither would any of our mercs, for that matter).

Hang in there, Killjoy. Help is on the way.

-- Angel

[techtimechronicles24]

📅 On August 29, 2003, the first version of Skype was released, revolutionizing how people communicate over the Internet. Developed by Scandinavian entrepreneurs Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, in collaboration with Estonian developers Ahti Heinla, Priit Kasesalu, and Jaan Tallinn, Skype set a new standard for online communication.

🌍 Today, Skype is owned by Microsoft, but its impact on how we connect across the globe remains undeniable.

[redo-rewind-if]

MC, stop dying challenge!! Homie got the ability to time travel and still got shot twice by the same man. Now that's talent!

[rthidden]

The Frame Problem: AI's Unseen Nemesis

The frame problem is AI's Achilles' heel, lurking since the 1960s and still unresolved.

1. The Robot Dilemma

Daniel Dennett's thought experiment illustrates the issue: a robot must save its battery from a room with a bomb.

Initially, the robot pulls the battery on a cart but also drags the bomb out, unaware of this side effect.

Solution attempts include programming awareness of side effects, leading to analysis paralysis as the robot debates endless possibilities.

2. The Side Effect Spiral

When programmed to consider all side effects, the robot wastes time on irrelevant details—like pondering wall color changes.

This shows how difficult it is for AI to filter relevant from irrelevant information without getting bogged down.

3. Human Intuition vs. AI Logic

Humans effortlessly ignore irrelevant details, making quick decisions in complex contexts.

Programming AI to mimic this selective ignorance is resource-intensive and remains a significant challenge.

The frame problem underscores a subtle yet crucial aspect of human intelligence: our ability to instantly prioritize relevant information. As we advance in AI development, solving this problem will be key to creating truly intelligent systems.

Got thoughts on tackling the frame problem? Share your ideas!

[h34vybottom]

This post and everything under it are about service shutdowns for 2024. This is by no means a conclusive post nor will I be able to find everything myself. If you notice anything I've missed, feel free to shoot me an ask about it.