Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

I was a 20-something dethroned dotcom ceo that went to work at mcdonald's (2000)

web.archive.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

121–130 of 204 posts

Re: I was a 20-something dethroned dotcom ceo that went to work at mcdonald's (2000)

#121

Post by photonthug »

Aperocky wrote: post #116
maschera wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We, the internet people, should all work a regular job for 2-4 weeks year. I think far too often that I'd like to experience being a truck driver before I die. Why there are no companies that arrange this? We need a Kidzania for adult nerds.

Therein lies the problem, as you'd expect a company to arrange for this, via just go ahead and .. do it? But I guess as a society we are constantly inventing higher level of first world problems that's probably the result of echo chambers that has stratified the society.

I think unions and certification would largely prevent the "just do it" idea. For better or worse, it seems more difficult for a programmer to become an electrician than for an electrician to become a programmer. So yeah, if you want to LARP at some kind of trade, then you're likely going to need some kind of fixer to let you do that after you (and the people you want to inflict all the substandard work on!) sign all the appropriate waivers.

Now if you just want to swing a sledgehammer on demolition day for what is usually a construction crew, ask a friend, because it is great exercise and relieves stress and has a relatively low barrier to entry. But on the other hand while you're saving the membership fee of your crossfit, you're also taking work from someone who's unlikely to be able to switch careers on short notice, so perhaps this is not the best way to unstratify society.

Re: I was a 20-something dethroned dotcom ceo that went to work at mcdonald's (2000)

#122

Post by swader999 »

josefresco wrote: post #23
your_challenger wrote: post #16

> Nobody thanked me. Do you think this is still true? This resonates with me. I used to work in tech, but I recently joined my family's brick-and-mortar business. No one says thank you, no one appreciates you. I find it amazing that this culture of thanklessness exists even in the US (I'm in India) in non-tech jobs. P.S. I worked at all fronts of the business before joining the management. Worked at the counter, as a…

> Nobody thanked me. I don't buy this for a second. I thank everyone for even the most trivial of interactions and I'm certainly not alone (in the US) Buy a Coke at 7-11 - "thank you!" Take package from UPS guy - "thank you!" Waiter takes order - "thank you!" Support rep puts me on hold to look up issue - "thank you!" Pretty much every retail/store interaction - "thank you!"

I always say thankyou. Got three raw burgers at a restaurant this summer and just asked for them to be cooked. They gave us new ones, took an hour longer. Still tipped 20% and thanked them sincerely and said not to worry about it. The waiter got choked up. I'm not going to be an ass in front of my kids. I worked manual labour planting trees for ten seasons, know what it's like to struggle.

Re: I was a 20-something dethroned dotcom ceo that went to work at mcdonald's (2000)

#124

Post by _heimdall »

jorvi wrote: post #112
mathgeek wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not GP, but being on your feet all day will lead to needing more calories and sleep for proper recovery.

I can't speak to sleep, but you are wrong about the calories. Kurzgesagt has a really interesting video on it: https://youtu.be/lPrjP4A_X4s The caloric part quite blew my mind. I know its not the most scientific source but digging deeper in it it does seem to match up.

This is one in a long list of reasons why I continue to view calories as a useless measure. I don't really give a damn about how much water I can heat up by burning my food, that's not how my digestion system works. It was a reasonable enough analog when we had a very rudimentary understanding both of what's really in food and how digestion and the metabolic process works, but its horribly outdated today.

I can say having recently gone from coding at a desk 8 hours a day to working full-time on a farm with no heavy equipment, your food intake absolutely should increase. As long as I'm staying busy I can eat basically whatever I want and not feel sick or gain weight. That's not to imply that I don't still need to eat the right kinds of food as well, but volume and calorie count has no noticeable effect on me like it did when I had a sedentary job.

Re: I was a 20-something dethroned dotcom ceo that went to work at mcdonald's (2000)

#125

Post by nh2 »

aaronbrethorst wrote: post #117
jorvi wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't speak to sleep, but you are wrong about the calories. Kurzgesagt has a really interesting video on it: https://youtu.be/lPrjP4A_X4s The caloric part quite blew my mind. I know its not the most scientific source but digging deeper in it it does seem to match up.

Herman Pontzer, an anthropology professor, talks quite a bit about a study he did on the calorie needs of people who are highly active on this podcast: https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc-podcast/examining-energy-evoluti... Spoiler alert: you burn basically the same number of calories per day sitting on your butt as you do being quite physically active.

No, that's wrong.

Somebody else burns the same number of calories being active as you do sitting.

The article does not compare the the same individuals performing sitting vs. being active.

It says that members of hunter-gatherer tribes such as the Hadza on average consume as much energy per day as US-Americans sitting on their butt at home. It says the Hadza's bodies have adapted to perform a more exhausting task with less energy expenditure than US-Americans need.

But the same person (being a Hazda or US-American) will still need more energy being active than being inactive.

(Source: Read from "here's what we know so far" in the article.)

This is similar to finding that from N calories, an obese person may only run 1km while a professional marathon runner will run 5km.

Edit:

The Kurzgesagt video refers to the same Hazda people, and states that if you start working out after being sedentary for a while, you burn a lot more calories, until your body eventually adapts: https://youtu.be/lPrjP4A_X4s?feature=shared&t=212

Re: I was a 20-something dethroned dotcom ceo that went to work at mcdonald's (2000)

#126

Post by I_am_uncreative »

nh2 wrote: post #125
aaronbrethorst wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Herman Pontzer, an anthropology professor, talks quite a bit about a study he did on the calorie needs of people who are highly active on this podcast: https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc-podcast/examining-energy-evoluti... Spoiler alert: you burn basically the same number of calories per day sitting on your butt as you do being quite physically active.

No, that's wrong. Somebody else burns the same number of calories being active as you do sitting. The article does not compare the the same individuals performing sitting vs. being active. It says that members of hunter-gatherer tribes such as the Hadza on average consume as much energy per day as US-Americans sitting on their butt at home. It says the Hadza's bodies have adapted to perform a more exhausting task wit…

You can call us just "Americans". The US is unnecessary, thank you.

Re: I was a 20-something dethroned dotcom ceo that went to work at mcdonald's (2000)

#127

Post by warmlander99 »

I_am_uncreative wrote: post #126
nh2 wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, that's wrong. Somebody else burns the same number of calories being active as you do sitting. The article does not compare the the same individuals performing sitting vs. being active. It says that members of hunter-gatherer tribes such as the Hadza on average consume as much energy per day as US-Americans sitting on their butt at home. It says the Hadza's bodies have adapted to perform a more exhausting task wit…

You can call us just "Americans". The US is unnecessary, thank you.

[flagged]

Re: I was a 20-something dethroned dotcom ceo that went to work at mcdonald's (2000)

#128

Post by aaronbrethorst »

Alupis wrote: post #118
aaronbrethorst wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Herman Pontzer, an anthropology professor, talks quite a bit about a study he did on the calorie needs of people who are highly active on this podcast: https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc-podcast/examining-energy-evoluti... Spoiler alert: you burn basically the same number of calories per day sitting on your butt as you do being quite physically active.

> Herman Pontzer, an anthropology professor > you burn basically the same number of calories per day sitting on your butt as you do being quite physically active Can you provide more evidence for this, because it sounds entirely bogus. Perhaps you mean one's base metabolic rate? If you are physically active, you will consume more calories than sitting all day - because, you know, you are exerting yourself. Also, an a…

https://www.science.org/content/article/scientist-busts-myth...

Re: I was a 20-something dethroned dotcom ceo that went to work at mcdonald's (2000)

#129

Post by burningChrome »

oceanplexian wrote: post #68
SoftTalker wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well that explains why he felt nobody appreciated his efforts. The first few weeks at a job like that you are pretty much just in the way. It takes some time to learn the routines and operate the equipment so you can work quickly without thinking.

Agree that’s kind of *^%% move, I’d have too much self respect to start working somewhere for a few weeks than bail. Doesn’t matter if it’s a food service job or a FAANG. McDonalds was doing him a solid by offering some kind of employment for a person presumably down on their luck with zero experience. Hiring people is a huge expense and risk even for a small franchise.

>> I’d have too much self respect to start working somewhere for a few weeks than bail.

You also have to remember the time. The first real dot com crash and recession that quickly followed.

I went through that crash. I remember several days where FLOORS of companies in the building I was working would be let go and companies were shuttering by the dozens every day. For about three months the bar across from our building would have a dozen people sitting around a couple tables, drinking beer around noon, talking about how they almost made it and you knew another company had laid off its entire staff. You knew one day you would most certainly join them. And I finally did.

And then you realize your dreams of changing the world are gone and you need to find a job because you still have to pay rent, pay your heat bill and put gas in your car, so you just took anything as aside to keep you going. I went to work at a Pizza Delivery place for almost a year while the economy recovered and companies started to need people again.

For him, he had a much faster turn around. But at the time, when no companies are hiring, you're just looking for something that will keep you busy and bring in some money until your next move. I'm guessing he didn't really care because so many of us tech cast offs were working at fast food places after the crash. He probably felt like he would be replaced within hours of quitting, which is probably pretty accurate.

Re: I was a 20-something dethroned dotcom ceo that went to work at mcdonald's (2000)

#130

Post by Jiro »

oceanplexian wrote: post #68
SoftTalker wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well that explains why he felt nobody appreciated his efforts. The first few weeks at a job like that you are pretty much just in the way. It takes some time to learn the routines and operate the equipment so you can work quickly without thinking.

Agree that’s kind of *^%% move, I’d have too much self respect to start working somewhere for a few weeks than bail. Doesn’t matter if it’s a food service job or a FAANG. McDonalds was doing him a solid by offering some kind of employment for a person presumably down on their luck with zero experience. Hiring people is a huge expense and risk even for a small franchise.

McDonalds never does anyone a solid. As long as it's legal, you don't owe McDonalds a thing.

It's the flip side of McDonalds not owing you anything under capitalism.

Post reply on HN