I've been in the industry since 2011. I've been with my current company 5 years the entire time I have been here they've had layoffs, RIFs etc sometimes voluntary retirement offers that sort of thing. The majority of the IT and call center staff are indian the US based teams are very small and basically for sales/retention and deal with complex issues where there is a system issue or a customer who insists on a person. Even with a small team there are times I don't work for quite a while when it gets really slow that is when they start offering for people to leave I'd say a round or two a year we just lost 4 more people on a team of less than 20.

Oh they are doing just fine the majority of my corporations staff is indian based both call center and IT. Those of us stateside are still here not because the company isn't still using indian staff or AI (that is what mostly runs the company) but because some complex issues and of course some customers still just prefer a human who shares the same language natively and or the same cultural background

Exactly some issues are too complex or require decisions made that an AI likely won't side on correctly-meaning with a customer where the company might lose money etc. but its the right thing to do. People get stuck in doom loops as well and never get the help they need or waste tons of time trying.

Isn't it largely nostalgia? Or the fun of collecting something physical as opposed to a file on your PC? I quite like looking at my bookshelves, cd folder etc not needing to boot a pc to listen is nice as well and the cd player in my car is less of a pain than bluetooth. That said most of my listening is via streaming or files like anyone else

For me, it was my first format, so I have some nostalgia and want to grab a few of those old tapes-I've done so, and sure enough quality is terrible and it's inconvenient still fun now and then though for nostalgia’s sake.

Disagree. My home does not have a massive screen, even if I set up a projector or got a 100-inch tv it's not the same. 3D still sucks at home (or does it, been a bit since I've checked-or probably still better in a theater) I also don't have DBOX for my recliner. The best part, and this is where you're probably right regarding bars/dinner, it's a nice place to escape with the wife for a night out or to take the kids. Maybe its just being home all the damn time (I work from home) It's nice to get out!

Not enough good movies, especially the kind you want to see in theaters-action, fantasy etc. I see a handful of decent action/fantasy/SCIFI flicks a year, but there you have an issue as well, it is expensive. Memberships can help, and skipping or sneaking in snacks. The experience is better in many ways, seats for instance are much more comfortable and DBOX and 3D can be fun sound and image quality better than ever. Just need better content. It's been fun seeing anime sometimes, something I wanted as a young fan of the medium. I've seen my local theaters try to survive by showing lots of old kid movies (fun to take my kids) and old classic films, but this just reinforces the lack of good new stuff. I hope they stick around we have so few public/third places to go hang out these days everything is at home or online :(

We live in different worlds, it seems. My local theater has heated seats with massage that recline! Hell, it is more comfortable than my living room! Kids usually aren't at the films I go see (not kids films) and cost if skipping concessions and using a membership makes it fairly affordable I go almost monthly which is more often than when I was a kid growing up. Also see tons of teens and parents bring their kids for kid movie specials, and they are showing old films now and then too, which can be fun. The biggest change I've seen is most of the staff is there for cleaning and concessions it's more self-service now but that too has improved the experience.

Supposedly there is more support than ever for unions. But honestly not much organizing or success from it. People are too afraid and or too self-interested to organize-I say this as a union member and former organizer. Hopefully this will change because being a union member has been life changing for me and my family.

same started reading/watching etc his stuff back in the max pc days this is so sad especially since my father is his age with poor health and just before christmas

I;'ve been a mozilla user since 2002. Mozilla is better than this I hope they change course here. in addition to concerns over environment and semiconductors due to these currencies we also need to be concerned about potential government controlled currencies which will allow monitoring and the kind of dystopian craziness we see in china

Longtime Toyota fan-we currently own a Prius prime. As excellent as their vehicles are overall between this and some other tech missteps and slow EV adoption with a lack of EV options, honestly not likely my next car will be a Toyota.

exactly. I can however see a benefit to cameras and other tech keeping an eye on how the driver is driving etc.

As someone with ADHD I have really benefited from working at home

I recently left a position during a second change of ownership while there. I chose a work from home job but not simply for its convenience and comfort levels but it is a job that pays well and has excellent benefits. That said I am a millenial who owns a home with space for an office and I had the income to renovate a bit and the company sent me the required hardware for the job. I am also married so at least once work is over I am not alone. I do miss coworkers though we do have the ability to chat using teams by microsoft and a few of us get together since we live in the same metro area for dinner etc, now and then. It will be interesting to see how this works out for myself and others personally I would like a mixed option