Getting better Acquainted

Technology and automation has affected many jobs over the years here in the U.S. as well. It is one of the hazards of working for a larger company these days. Gone are the days when one might expect to retire from a job after 30-40 years. There are some of these jobs, but most employees and employers are just not that loyal anymore.
My first real job lasted 25 years, which was 5 more than I needed to retire. I retired in 2003. The job I have now is also one of those that come with a pension plan. Another six years, and I can retire from this one too. In between these two jobs, I did the self-employment thing, but I must admit that I did not like it. Being self-employed is a 24/7 thing. It was good money, but I did not enjoy it.

As for automation, yup. We are already in a position where we can eliminate the human interface in many cases, we just elect not do. There is no need or cashiers, waiters, librarians (sorry Lanolin) or many other positions. The problem is that there would be no place for this type of labor force, so we keep them. There is probably also no need for news papers or physical schools. Soon, no need for bus drivers, taxi cap drivers, etc.

The only problem with going fully automated is that things sometimes go wrong and you really need a human to interface with a human.

I recall my college accounting class where the professor went through the mechanical process of balancing the books. He was one odd man. He liked to drink Sun Kiss sodas, but liked it at room temperature. He always purchased a can and kept it in his pant's pocket until it was at room temperature. Anyway, I recalled asking him why we went through all that cumbersome process, when we have software to do this. His reply was that we might not always have computers/software. My reply was that is this was the case, we would probably have no need to worry about balancing books. I got a in the class :(

Rtm
 
My first real job lasted 25 years, which was 5 more than I needed to retire. I retired in 2003. The job I have now is also one of those that come with a pension plan. Another six years, and I can retire from this one too. In between these two jobs, I did the self-employment thing, but I must admit that I did not like it. Being self-employed is a 24/7 thing. It was good money, but I did not enjoy it.

As for automation, yup. We are already in a position where we can eliminate the human interface in many cases, we just elect not do. There is no need or cashiers, waiters, librarians (sorry Lanolin) or many other positions. The problem is that there would be no place for this type of labor force, so we keep them. There is probably also no need for news papers or physical schools. Soon, no need for bus drivers, taxi cap drivers, etc.

The only problem with going fully automated is that things sometimes go wrong and you really need a human to interface with a human.

I recall my college accounting class where the professor went through the mechanical process of balancing the books. He was one odd man. He liked to drink Sun Kiss sodas, but liked it at room temperature. He always purchased a can and kept it in his pant's pocket until it was at room temperature. Anyway, I recalled asking him why we went through all that cumbersome process, when we have software to do this. His reply was that we might not always have computers/software. My reply was that is this was the case, we would probably have no need to worry about balancing books. I got a in the class :(

Rtm

I don't even know if they teach bookkeeping done manually anymore. They did when I went to school, but that's been awhile.

There's a difference between bookkeeping and accounting. Bookkeeping is the practical and often mechanical process of keeping a set of books. I don't know of any company these days that isn't automated. Accounting is the theory behind adjustments, correcting entries, the audit process and systems of accounting.

That being said, I learned the hard way that it is wise to keep paper records as well as computer records of many things related to business. Systems can fail. Backups can also fail in various ways. Sometimes even hard drives cannot be recovered. The IRS still requires proper documentation in the case of an audit, which can be difficult to reproduce if it is lost in any way. Not always impossible, but difficult.
 
I don't even know if they teach bookkeeping done manually anymore. They did when I went to school, but that's been awhile.

There's a difference between bookkeeping and accounting. Bookkeeping is the practical and often mechanical process of keeping a set of books. I don't know of any company these days that isn't automated. Accounting is the theory behind adjustments, correcting entries, the audit process and systems of accounting.

That being said, I learned the hard way that it is wise to keep paper records as well as computer records of many things related to business. Systems can fail. Backups can also fail in various ways. Sometimes even hard drives cannot be recovered. The IRS still requires proper documentation in the case of an audit, which can be difficult to reproduce if it is lost in any way. Not always impossible, but difficult.
Numbers are funny. Back in the day, when I first went to graduate school, I had a choice of an MBA or an MPA. I went with the MPA, because I did not want to deal with the statistics required for the MBA. Years later (like almost 20), I went back to graduate school and got an MBA with a concentration in intelligence and analytics. In a span of 20 years, I went from someone that hated numbers to someone that now does numbers as a hobby. Go figure.

As a form of amusement, I even keep my own Covid-19 Dashboard:

C19 Dashboard.JPG
 
Numbers are funny. Back in the day, when I first went to graduate school, I had a choice of an MBA or an MPA. I went with the MPA, because I did not want to deal with the statistics required for the MBA. Years later (like almost 20), I went back to graduate school and got an MBA with a concentration in intelligence and analytics. In a span of 20 years, I went from someone that hated numbers to someone that now does numbers as a hobby. Go figure.

As a form of amusement, I even keep my own Covid-19 Dashboard:

View attachment 5134

I also went on and got a masters which was completely done online. It was a Master's of Science in Taxation. I enjoyed the data science aspect. It's amazing these days what can be done with the enormous data bases of the internet, accounting programs, medical, credit, human resources, etc. I saw what could be accomplished inside a large company, as they analyze competition, marketing segments, and draw on all the various data from every department in the business and outside of it.

I hate to imagine the evil that will come when quantum computers are a reality. Sure there may be good, but the evil potential will be huge.

One particular company I worked for wanted to develop some of these inter-department links. Preparing real time links from the accounting programs own databases and databases kept by sales, purchasing, transportation. We were importing stone from three general areas of China. There were manufacturing facilities in China. Costs were incurred in bringing stone from various locations within China to each factory. Their were varying costs and logistics to bring these products to port. Three ports in China. Product had to be properly treated for critters and properly crated for safety otherwise there was the potential of a customs hold, quarantine or the worst impact of a returned shipment and the knowledge that all future shipment would be rigorously checked. Not only is that a large time delay, but it comes with high costs. From China product was shipped all over the United States.

I needed to determine the profitability for each type of stone by weight, economical load sizes, cost and profit by product, logistic costs and profit by product and shipping lane. There were three major categories of stone product and over 100 separate products within these categories. The large custom stone works were the hardest.

This was a tall order, but it was knowledge needed for my decisions and other department heads in making decisions.
 
I also went on and got a masters which was completely done online. It was a Master's of Science in Taxation. I enjoyed the data science aspect. It's amazing these days what can be done with the enormous data bases of the internet, accounting programs, medical, credit, human resources, etc. I saw what could be accomplished inside a large company, as they analyze competition, marketing segments, and draw on all the various data from every department in the business and outside of it.

I hate to imagine the evil that will come when quantum computers are a reality. Sure there may be good, but the evil potential will be huge.

One particular company I worked for wanted to develop some of these inter-department links. Preparing real time links from the accounting programs own databases and databases kept by sales, purchasing, transportation. We were importing stone from three general areas of China. There were manufacturing facilities in China. Costs were incurred in bringing stone from various locations within China to each factory. Their were varying costs and logistics to bring these products to port. Three ports in China. Product had to be properly treated for critters and properly crated for safety otherwise there was the potential of a customs hold, quarantine or the worst impact of a returned shipment and the knowledge that all future shipment would be rigorously checked. Not only is that a large time delay, but it comes with high costs. From China product was shipped all over the United States.

I needed to determine the profitability for each type of stone by weight, economical load sizes, cost and profit by product, logistic costs and profit by product and shipping lane. There were three major categories of stone product and over 100 separate products within these categories. The large custom stone works were the hardest.

This was a tall order, but it was knowledge needed for my decisions and other department heads in making decisions.
I am fascinated by predictive analytics. As a former intelligence officer in the law enforcement arena, I can appreciate both the good and bad that can result from attempting to predict both crime and criminal behavior. It works really well in marketing, but that comes with a lesser degree of problems than trying to figure out who will be the next murderer.

Rtm
 
I am fascinated by predictive analytics. As a former intelligence officer in the law enforcement arena, I can appreciate both the good and bad that can result from attempting to predict both crime and criminal behavior. It works really well in marketing, but that comes with a lesser degree of problems than trying to figure out who will be the next murderer.

Rtm

I'm sure that is true. Lots of variables, assumptions and a whole host of things that I probably don't want to know about. Understanding the criminal mind, especially the serial killer mind can be a dangerous place to play. Someone has to do it, but I'm glad that it's not me. 🙏
 
I'm semi-retired these days. I remodel, repair and manage real estate. I work when I want and there is lots of work, but primarily I'm home with my wife and her mother. I love to see ideas on paper come to life. It's part of the artist and accountant in me, I suppose.

Most of the homes I work on, need more than cosmetic kinds of work and I take on one project only at any one time. I also like to upgrade where I can. I've become good at sourcing materials from second use sources and when necessary from more traditional sources. Half the fun of remodeling for me, is seeing old materials revitalized.
 
Numbers bore me. I do keep stats of some things but most teachers don't use them. They can't be used to predict only to reflect trends. If you try and do that you might as well gamble. You can see patterns though, but even though my dad has does weather stats every day - for over 40 years - he cannot predict the weather 100% and doesn't try. I just look out the window and if it's clear its going to be a good day, if it's cloudy, maybe not.

Sorry. One of my cousins says he's studying 'sports analytics' and I'm going huh, what, is that even a job.


We always need gardeners. Plants can't be automated, and we will always have books. You can't say we don't need librarians, as we do a heap of a lot of work you don't even see, behind the scenes. A lot of our cataloguing work is digital, but there's no way it can be totally automated, because every library is different. Every person who becomes a library member is different, read different books, is at their own reading level/journey. In libraries, YOU choose. We don't do it for you. We provide, and we host. And there is much more to hospitality than checking in books, but its underappreciated by some people who have absolutely no idea how libraries work.
 
I also went on and got a masters which was completely done online. It was a Master's of Science in Taxation. I enjoyed the data science aspect. It's amazing these days what can be done with the enormous data bases of the internet, accounting programs, medical, credit, human resources, etc. I saw what could be accomplished inside a large company, as they analyze competition, marketing segments, and draw on all the various data from every department in the business and outside of it.

I hate to imagine the evil that will come when quantum computers are a reality. Sure there may be good, but the evil potential will be huge.

One particular company I worked for wanted to develop some of these inter-department links. Preparing real time links from the accounting programs own databases and databases kept by sales, purchasing, transportation. We were importing stone from three general areas of China. There were manufacturing facilities in China. Costs were incurred in bringing stone from various locations within China to each factory. Their were varying costs and logistics to bring these products to port. Three ports in China. Product had to be properly treated for critters and properly crated for safety otherwise there was the potential of a customs hold, quarantine or the worst impact of a returned shipment and the knowledge that all future shipment would be rigorously checked. Not only is that a large time delay, but it comes with high costs. From China product was shipped all over the United States.

I needed to determine the profitability for each type of stone by weight, economical load sizes, cost and profit by product, logistic costs and profit by product and shipping lane. There were three major categories of stone product and over 100 separate products within these categories. The large custom stone works were the hardest.

This was a tall order, but it was knowledge needed for my decisions and other department heads in making decisions.
Don't you have stones in America lol!
People complain about clay soil where I am, but I'm like, it makes great bricks.
 
Numbers bore me. I do keep stats of some things but most teachers don't use them. They can't be used to predict only to reflect trends. If you try and do that you might as well gamble. You can see patterns though, but even though my dad has does weather stats every day - for over 40 years - he cannot predict the weather 100% and doesn't try. I just look out the window and if it's clear its going to be a good day, if it's cloudy, maybe not.

Sorry. One of my cousins says he's studying 'sports analytics' and I'm going huh, what, is that even a job.


We always need gardeners. Plants can't be automated, and we will always have books. You can't say we don't need librarians, as we do a heap of a lot of work you don't even see, behind the scenes. A lot of our cataloguing work is digital, but there's no way it can be totally automated, because every library is different. Every person who becomes a library member is different, read different books, is at their own reading level/journey. In libraries, YOU choose. We don't do it for you. We provide, and we host. And there is much more to hospitality than checking in books, but its underappreciated by some people who have absolutely no idea how libraries work.

There are data scientists these days and they get paid quiet well. You might be surprised at the level of knowledge that is and can be collected in many areas. Predicting things like weather, the stock market, and some other things are very difficult and there are lots of unknowns which all affects the results. Some areas of data analysis produce surprisingly accurate results. They are far from 100%, but they are more accurate than many might believe.

Data science - Wikipedia

Isn't it a wonderful world with our varying talents, interests and cultures. The body of Christ is like this as well. Not all can be the head, how could we get around? Not all can be the feet, where would we get our direction? For some of us numbers are fun and exciting. For others it might be language, art, science, human behavior, etc. It's all good. I thank God for this diversity.
 
Don't you have stones in America lol!
People complain about clay soil where I am, but I'm like, it makes great bricks.

There are various reasons to import. Many of the stones we collected at that time were from the Three Gorge dam areas (these were areas that were going to be flooded). These were beautiful stones to begin with and in some cases didn't need any work done on them. Stone comes in many flavors and the stones or rock found in one country can be quite different from that found in another.

Most of the customers we had wanted high quality stone in various hues. Finding sufficient available quantity, at reasonable cost, and reasonable logistics is not as easy as one might think. Also manufacturing issues have to be considered if one is customizing in any way.

So while yes there is a lot of beautiful rock and stone here in the United States there is a lot of competition for it, it has different properties from rock found elsewhere, and may not be available in quantities at a cost a company can afford. Processing it then becomes another matter entirely.
 
There are data scientists these days and they get paid quiet well. You might be surprised at the level of knowledge that is and can be collected in many areas. Predicting things like weather, the stock market, and some other things are very difficult and there are lots of unknowns which all affects the results. Some areas of data analysis produce surprisingly accurate results. They are far from 100%, but they are more accurate than many might believe.

Data science - Wikipedia

Isn't it a wonderful world with our varying talents, interests and cultures. The body of Christ is like this as well. Not all can be the head, how could we get around? Not all can be the feet, where would we get our direction? For some of us numbers are fun and exciting. For others it might be language, art, science, human behavior, etc. It's all good. I thank God for this diversity.
My oldest son is a data scientist. He does environmental economics

Ray
 
I'm new here and thought I would share a little about myself and I hope that others will as well.

I was born in Seattle at the Fort Lawton Army hospital. It's not an active base any longer. Dad was in Taiwan at the time serving in the Air force. I was a bit of a trouble maker from birth. At the time mom lived with her parents.

Dad came into my life a year later. I didn't know this stranger and sure didn't want to share mom. I would climb out of my crib and make a real mess of things (still like to make a mess of things ;)) . I'm told that one time I checked if dad's high school yearbooks could swim. I'm told that I would climb bookcases and get places that amazed them.

Shortly after dad returned the family was shipped to Little Rock, Arkansas where my sister and a brother was born. Later we moved to Bangor Maine, not sure which Air Force base it was. We also spent 3 years in the Frankfurt, Germany area. In 1966, dad retired from the Air Force. We flew to New York City and drove cross country to the Seattle, Washington area.

Mom and dad wanted to settle down. We had a small farm in a rented house. Mom raised approx. 100 head of goat, also had chickens, ducks, geese and guinea fowl. My grandfather's farm was nearby. He had about 40 head of cow. I grew up milking the cows twice a day, feeding the hay, checking the water troughs, cleaning out the stables, bucking hay. I was a young boy when I started. Sometimes I had to separate the milk. Usually I took one or two gallons of whole milk home each day. We used it all.

From the age of 13 - 18, I went with my grandfather every summer to Leavenworth in eastern Washington. There he had 200 acres of alfalfa which we raised, cut, raked, bailed and bucked. It was dirty work getting up at about 6 am each morning and working until roughly 11 pm each day. I remember learning to drive a truck and an old Ferguson tractor. While it was hard work it was great fun for a teenager and granddad paid me $80 for a summer. That was big money for a teenager in those days.

From a young age I bought my own school clothes. I was able to get a few odd jobs even though there weren't many neighbors. I could count on my hand the neighbors, I had in a five mile radius. Now this same neighborhood is crowded with homes. I still remember the nearly 1,000 acres of wooded land and streams that had been formerly owned by the B&O Coal Mining which closed down in 1963. There were a lot of wooded areas and streams back then. Unfortunately there was the coal mine, it's many airshafts and an abandoned coal bunker. Naturally these all had to be explored, climbed on and otherwise inspected by young boys. I must have walked at least a mile underground without letting my parents know.

That's enough to chew on for now.
D8A3516F-E2F7-40CD-9B69-D1BA8E4883CB.jpegMaybe you will remember the coal miners cemetery that is nicknamed “the Pennsylvania of the pacific coast”
Love your story... I love looking back and reminiscing, even other people’s past is fascinating!😊
 
View attachment 5137Maybe you will remember the coal miners cemetery that is nicknamed “the Pennsylvania of the pacific coast”
Love your story... I love looking back and reminiscing, even other people’s past is fascinating!😊

This is in the current city of Newcastle. I've probably been all around it, but never visited.

Newcastle is both a new city and an old city. I actually live on the old main street of Newcastle. When I lived there it was an unincorporated part of King County Washington. One of my neighbors was named Buff, he was born and raised there having grown up with many coal miners. He had lots of stories tell having lived all of us life in a small tin shack with an old potbellied stove. Today this is all large housing developments. Small parts have been set aside for parks.

The old city of Newcastle was actually larger for a time than Seattle, back in the heyday of the coal mining boom. I found lots of old hand blown glass bottles on the old foundations that remained when I lived there.

The current city of Newcastle came into being in 1994.
 
View attachment 5137Maybe you will remember the coal miners cemetery that is nicknamed “the Pennsylvania of the pacific coast”
Love your story... I love looking back and reminiscing, even other people’s past is fascinating!😊
Yes, I have enjoyed this interaction a great deal. My mom and dad were not the type to tell stories, so I know very little about their (i guess my) background. That is a loss I often regret.

rtm
 
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