Why nobody ever wins the car at the mall (2018) • Hacker News Board

Re: Why nobody ever wins the car at the mall (2018)

#191

Post by hutzlibu » Mon, Jul 04, 2022, 9:37 AM UTC

LadyCailin wrote: post #189

HWR_14 wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What are you supposed to achieve with a bachelors in physics Start an internet payment, space exploration, electronic vehicle, tunnel boring, or direct brain-computer interface company. The mean ROI on a bachelors in physics is probably the highest in STEM. Apparently, they're also popular on Wall Street

Other than perhaps space exploration, what do any of these have to do with physics? It seems what you are arguing for is “just found multiple highly successful businesses”, which… well, yeah. Why do you need a physics degree for that?

I think cars have something to do with physics(like most real things), and since physik is applied math and being good with applied math might also help with numbers of money in general, I think a physics degree is helpful in allmost any job.

Re: Why nobody ever wins the car at the mall (2018)

#192

Post by rwmj » Mon, Jul 04, 2022, 9:41 AM UTC

lisper wrote: post #19

paulgb wrote: post #11

How did timeshares become so deeply associated with slimy sales tactics?

Because the fundamental economics of time shares are a scam. They are pitched as "ownership" but what they really are are perpetual rental contracts with no way out. (The rent is called "maintenance fees" but it doesn't matter what label you attach to it. It's a sum of money that you are obligated to pay year after year after year. If it quacks like rent...) And you even have to pay a hefty sum up front for the privi…

It's worse than that - it's a perpetual unsellable rent that can be inherited by your kids and their kids forever! https://www.theguardian.com/money/2012/feb/18/macdonald-hote...

Re: Why nobody ever wins the car at the mall (2018)

#193

Post by red75prime » Mon, Jul 04, 2022, 9:58 AM UTC

q-big wrote: post #168

xwdv wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just get a STEM degree and it’s hard to do poorly afterwards.

> Just get a STEM degree and it’s hard to do poorly afterwards. Wait until the winds of the economic climate change their direction again; until this moment, celebrate and post such texts on HN that will become bad advice.

Ah, the AI-mediated boom of janitors, teachers, and other low-paid jobs that are costly to automate. I wouldn't say that they will bathe in money though. Being low paid is their competitive advantage.

Re: Why nobody ever wins the car at the mall (2018)

#194

Post by stilldyl » Mon, Jul 04, 2022, 10:30 AM UTC

tayo42 wrote: post #176

onion2k wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oprah's famous "You get a car! And you get a car! And everyone gets a car! " show landed each audience member who got a 'free' car with a $6000 tax bill. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/oprah-gives-away...

Could they have offered to pay the tax? Or would that then trigger more tax, creating some kind of infinite loop of gifts and taxes?

Yes.

There’s a great YouTube view about exactly this by Stand Up Maths if you want to go down a rabbit hole.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=3cNdM7W0VlQ

Re: Why nobody ever wins the car at the mall (2018)

#195

Post by number6 » Mon, Jul 04, 2022, 10:34 AM UTC

red75prime wrote: post #193

q-big wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Just get a STEM degree and it’s hard to do poorly afterwards. Wait until the winds of the economic climate change their direction again; until this moment, celebrate and post such texts on HN that will become bad advice.

Ah, the AI-mediated boom of janitors, teachers, and other low-paid jobs that are costly to automate. I wouldn't say that they will bathe in money though. Being low paid is their competitive advantage.

Ah! When the AI cometh then, blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven - all others shall be automated away!

Re: Why nobody ever wins the car at the mall (2018)

#196

Post by amelius » Mon, Jul 04, 2022, 10:37 AM UTC

lbriner wrote: post #182

josephg wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The most important part of managing scams is to expose them, and cite the names involved so that they need to pick a different line of work. Or we make these scams illegal. Sending scammers to jail is much more effective than finger wagging.

But you are assuming what they are doing is illegal. Just because the car isn't winnable might be misleading but that doesn't make it a crime if the defendent claims that they never said that you could win the car, they could also claim that the Ts and Cs describe the real scenario. Even if it is slightly a grey area, you then have a lawyer fight which costs a ton of cash and then even if found guilty, what are you r…

> life in prison at $100K/year to the tax payer?

I think the point was that these scams wouldn't exist if the laws were better.

Re: Why nobody ever wins the car at the mall (2018)

#197

Post by oriolid » Mon, Jul 04, 2022, 11:13 AM UTC

LadyCailin wrote: post #189

HWR_14 wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What are you supposed to achieve with a bachelors in physics Start an internet payment, space exploration, electronic vehicle, tunnel boring, or direct brain-computer interface company. The mean ROI on a bachelors in physics is probably the highest in STEM. Apparently, they're also popular on Wall Street

Other than perhaps space exploration, what do any of these have to do with physics? It seems what you are arguing for is “just found multiple highly successful businesses”, which… well, yeah. Why do you need a physics degree for that?

Physics seems to attract the sort of people who have the sort of arrogance it takes to look at a product or business and say "This is not great. I can start work from first principles and build a better one". Elon Musk is certainly an example, but not the only one (think MySQL/MariaDB, 90s Nokia, or more far-fetched example, the Red Special guitar). Physics also tends to be just difficult enough that most computing or finance problems are easy in comparison, and some of the math is useful.

Mandatory SMBC link: https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/2012-03-21

Re: Why nobody ever wins the car at the mall (2018)

#198

Post by SkeuomorphicBee » Mon, Jul 04, 2022, 11:17 AM UTC

chiph wrote: post #64

> There are other types of car giveaways run by more legitimate parties (charity raffles, event promotions) that do deliver the goods — but if you win, you’re liable to pay a hefty gift tax. I don't think it's a gift tax, but ordinary income tax. A coworker won a living room sofa set on a game show, and the staff were waiting with a 1099 for her as soon as she stepped off the stage. The IRS says you need to pay tax b…

> I don't think it's a gift tax, but ordinary income tax.

Is it simply counted on top of (added to) your existing income, and therefore progressive?

If I'm unemployed, with no income at all, would I pay very little to no tax on such a gift? Or gifts are a special case with a separate rate?

Re: Why nobody ever wins the car at the mall (2018)

#199

Post by HWR_14 » Mon, Jul 04, 2022, 11:23 AM UTC

LadyCailin wrote: post #189

HWR_14 wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What are you supposed to achieve with a bachelors in physics Start an internet payment, space exploration, electronic vehicle, tunnel boring, or direct brain-computer interface company. The mean ROI on a bachelors in physics is probably the highest in STEM. Apparently, they're also popular on Wall Street

Other than perhaps space exploration, what do any of these have to do with physics? It seems what you are arguing for is “just found multiple highly successful businesses”, which… well, yeah. Why do you need a physics degree for that?

> Other than perhaps space exploration, what do any of these have to do with physics?

Historically, the most successful examples in each of those industries have a physics degree. I cannot explain the causation.

Elon Musk also drives the mean for physics majors way up.

Re: Why nobody ever wins the car at the mall (2018)

#200

Post by hennell » Mon, Jul 04, 2022, 11:30 AM UTC

I used to enter a lot of competitions in my Uni days. Won a few DVDs/CDs, a years worth of coffee, public WiFi for a year, a Sony laptop, an iPad mini and a trip to Florida with car hire and a meet an astronaut meal at Kennedy space center!

I stopped entering comps though because it started to change from "give us your email for some marketing you can opt out of" to "enter with Facebook account where we can see everything about you and you have to share our post on your feed etc".

Pretty sure the UK / EU is better on making sure prizes are what they say they are, but the small print on competitions has got so much worse.