We also have to thank the FBU (fire brigades union) for this. They’re one of two or three prominent unions left in the UK that are still radical. Thanks to them, firefighters refuse to help police arrest protesters.

Do you think “still love the truck though” is like the Tesla owner’s version of “in Minecraft” for people that don’t want Elon Musk to personally/legally harass them?

The economy has centred on china for years. The Anglosphere elite just thought rent seeking was real economic activity and guided manufacturing is cheating. No matter how big the brand is, most western “manufacturers” have essentially been drop-shipping since the 90s. Naomi Klein wrote no logo 25 years ago FFS.

It’s half way to self management.

Software exists in a world that kind of exists outside of property. Cynics like to think that Agile got big because as some kind of fad because the kids love it, but the reality is that fully hierarchical models just cannot keep up with self organising teams.

The old model - the model that most of the rest of the world of work still uses - simply cannot compete on a level playing field where the means of production (a cheap computer) are available to all. A landowner can stop you building your own house, but Microsoft can’t really stop you building your own software, so they still have to put in work to collect rent.

Imagine what we could accomplish as a species if the goals and distribution of resources were also decided democratically.

Lmfao

My point isn’t actually about the software.

Agile is a limited form of workplace democracy that succeeded because the usual forms of disciplining workers couldn’t be enforced to stop it. It’s taken off in software because the outlay for software is so low that people can just quit their jobs and start a rival project with preferable working conditions. It’s stuck around because it’s significantly more effective than dictat.

I have problems with agile too. A lot of the “ceremonies” seem more like cult rituals and bad practices are often assumed to be self justifying when they should be interrogated. (I once had a bust up in the office because I insisted in creating a future proof test framework instead of writing just what’s needed at the time. I was overruled and I’m still mad about it).

So I guess my point isn’t even about the specific agile practices either.

The point is that workers are able to self manage when they’re allowed to, and agile has accidentally proven this to be the case. Other work places should adopt some of these ideas. And these ideas should be pushed further, into business decisions and HR and management. And physical communities etc. all the way up to actual government.

Search for “Hexamethyldisiloxane adhesive remover”. It’s designed for removing ostomy bags but it will remove pretty much any gummy sticky glue from anything with very little effort.

Thanks for having me. Is there a way to chuck in a few quid to help pay the bills?

I couldn’t find it in jerbal or whatever this app’s called so I just googled it

Never approach an empty section of the bar. Make sure to form an orderly queue that blocks the front door and the route to the toilets.