This is exactly how I got my start. Neocodex was the forum where I learned how to program, and slicing up images in CS2 to show up on a Tripod site was how I learned web development.
- Agentic: Claude Code, Zed Editor, Ollama, Copilot
I was in sales for about a decade prior to switching to IC work. I have 6 years of professional IC experience, but I've been messing with computers even since I found out TI-Basic was a thing. Looking to transition from F1000 work to something closer to the product. I've worn many hats in the past and don't mind donning a few more. In the process of moving to San Diego and not looking to relocate at the moment.
It would be relatively easy to solve this problem if the original supplier wanted the problem to be solved. Instead of releasing a batch of inventory at a certain time, run a raffle over a week or two and then randomly select folks to allow to purchase the item.
That assumption doesn't seem like it'd hold. You'd just replace bot services with package forwarding services that can generate unique PO Box numbers or whatever.
> But what other than artificial scarcity drives people to spend hundreds of dollars on bots to snipe sneakers?!
There's a whole sneaker collecting subculture. Some buy and wear while others just collect. The big names in sneakers do release limited production models or limited runs of certain color combinations.
What economic value (other than hoping for the value to increase, aka tulip mania) can I derive out of ultra-rare sneakers? What usage that goes above "it looks cooler than an unbranded, otherwise identical sneaker"?
For me, this kind of product is part of the "bullshit economy" - similar to "bullshit jobs", this kind of product has no reason to exist other than vanity, as almost all of these "collectibles" won't ever be used. We are using up valuable, finite resources to create and distribute this kind of useless "bullshit product", we are using up valuable human time and IT resources on developing websites capable to resist (D)DoS attacks and on developing snipers to bypass the anti-bot technologies employed by the shops, and we are creating a lot of demand for all kinds of sneaker-related crime - and there's a lot of that: theft and robberies from stores, theft and robberies in the supply chain, ebay/classifieds scams, credit card fraud, robberies on broad daylight [1].
Seriously, fuck all that shit. No one needs hundreds of dollars worth of sneakers that only incentivize crime and bullshit.
On average in the US, 1 in 2 bankruptcies are due to medical debt. I think it's disingenuous to include the "biggest costs of life" and omit what is arguably the largest for an american citizen.
3000 gross is more like 2-25 net depending on the state. I haven't been in many industries where an employer is going to be covering healthcare costs for an $18/hr employee. So for a family of 3, that's another $1,000 a month for insurance.
>" On average in the US, 1 in 2 bankruptcies are due to medical debt. I think it's disingenuous to include the "biggest costs of life" and omit what is arguably the largest for an american citizen."
If one's income is as low as the parent described, they would likely be eligible for Medicaid.
I'm ignorant in this domain, but wouldn't it be up to the structural engineer to make sure the plans are sound? I always thought that architects dream it up and engineers are responsible for the physics.
I disagree and don't believe that minimum wage should sustain a single adult with kids. It should sustain a kid or maybe an adult individual with support from a 3rd party. Compare the amount of adults that held minimum wage jobs in say, 1979-1982 to now.
