The middle class is doomed…

[an]

CAR, no one is discrediting that luck plays no role in their good fortune. But you seem to think luck is all that’s needed. But that’s always the case. It takes guts and risk to take advantage of that luck. Sometimes, it also needs proper planning and saving to take advantage of that luck. Prime example is yourself. In 2005, there was a RE bubble. You sold and made a huge fortune. That luck was presented to EVERYONE in US. Yet, most didn’t have the guts or knowledge or the desire for risk to sell and rent. You did and good for you. You were rewarded handsomely. Same thing happens a few years later. The market crashed and you jumped back in at a much lower price and are being rewarded handsomely with the low interest rate. Not everyone could or would take advantage of that luck. So, yes, there is luck involve, but a lot of times, you and you alone are responsible for acting on that luck.

With your example of the intelligent being lucky. They could have easily become the uni-bomber or the many who chose careers that doesn’t pay well. Then there’s good-looks. Sure you have good look but if you didn’t take advantage of that and eat like a slob and get fat, you blew that luck away. Same with athletic ability. If you don’t practice harder than most, you won’t be at the top and you won’t make much money. Or worse yet, you can ignore your athletic ability and be lazy, eat like a slob and get fat. Luck are presented all over the place, yet, not everyone can, could, would take advantage of it.

[CA renter]

But I could not replicate those financial moves today. Luck was the most important variable because I was at a stage in life in the mid-late 90s where I was able to buy a house when I felt that the market was at a low. If not for my entry point, the benefits at the exit point would not exist. As you’ve mentioned in other posts, you were not able to take advantage of the RE bubble like others who were a bit older than you. Timing is everything, and the ability to take advantage of certain market anomalies (unusual highs and lows) is based on pure luck, IMHO, both because of the timing and in having the means to take advantage when the opportunities present themselves.

[an]

[quote=CA renter]But I could not replicate those financial moves today. Luck was the most important variable because I was at a stage in life in the mid-late 90s where I was able to buy a house when I felt that the market was at a low. If not for my entry point, the benefits at the exit point would not exist. As you’ve mentioned in other posts, you were not able to take advantage of the RE bubble like others who were a bit older than you. Timing is everything, and the ability to take advantage of certain market anomalies (unusual highs and lows) is based on pure luck, IMHO, both because of the timing and in having the means to take advantage when the opportunities present themselves.[/quote]
Of course you can’t replicate those financial moves today. Opportunities doesn’t repeat itself it the exact same way. But you could have bought a few investment properties a year or two ago and you could be refi-ing those properties today. Those are the opportunities you have today. Who know what the opportunity will be tomorrow, but those opportunities are available for all who can/could/would take advantage of it. I remember in 2005 telling someone I know they should sell their house for $700k+ when they bought in 2004 for ~$450k. They didn’t and today, that same house probably goes for high $300k. So, just because someone have the opportunity take advantage of the opportunity well all were presented with, doesn’t mean they would do it, like you.

Luckiness and unluckiness are two side of the same coin. You blame the person for their actions when they were hit with unluckiness, yet you don’t attribute their actions to their luckiness, why? After all, yo-yo-ing that you laughed at could be nothing more than being hit with a bought of unluckiness. Like you said, people my age wasn’t presented with the lucky situation of buying a house in mid 90s but we were presented with the unlucky situation of housing market in 2005, when many of us made and saved enough for a down payment. I actively stopped myself from buying, which saved me a lot of financial heart aches. Not only that, it allow me to continue to save to take advantage of the crash and the low rates. So, bottom line is, just because luckiness and unluckiness presents itself doesn’t mean you can/could/would take advantage/fall victim in it.

[sdduuuude]

[quote=livinincali]How do art classes prepare you for the business world. What do those classes do to advance economic activity.[/quote]

To say that art classes don’t prepare you for a career is remarkably short-sighted.

They may not prepare YOU for the business world because you have no talent and are unable to create art for money, but I would suggest that a few massive industries are reliant on art:

– Advertising
– Web Design
– Architecture
– Fashion Design
– Entertainment (TV, Movies, Video Games)
– Interior design
– Furniture design
– Any product design

[sdduuuude]

[quote=no_such_reality][quote=flu]
Bring it .[/quote]

I’m curious, have you seen Shipping Wars?

I see software development going to same way. Time, distance, location, all will basically be immaterial.

Just 200 Million people doing clever language tricks scrapping for a gig.[/quote]

That is a good theory.

In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, however, that is not the case.

[The-Shoveler]

[quote=sdduuuude][quote=no_such_reality][quote=flu]
Bring it .[/quote]

I’m curious, have you seen Shipping Wars?

I see software development going to same way. Time, distance, location, all will basically be immaterial.

Just 200 Million people doing clever language tricks scrapping for a gig.[/quote]

That is a good theory.

In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, however, that is not the case.[/quote]

Not every piece of code is a simple few hundred lines of code app.

I work on embedded systems with hundreds of files, probably a million or more lines of code,

it takes 6 months to a year to bring a good programmer up to speed.

OK go back to your android app’s, the whole world revolves around smart phone app’s.

Just kidding.

[an]

[quote=The-Shoveler][quote=sdduuuude][quote=no_such_reality][quote=flu]
Bring it .[/quote]

I’m curious, have you seen Shipping Wars?

I see software development going to same way. Time, distance, location, all will basically be immaterial.

Just 200 Million people doing clever language tricks scrapping for a gig.[/quote]

That is a good theory.

In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, however, that is not the case.[/quote]

Not every piece of code is a simple few hundred lines of code app.

I work on embedded systems with hundreds of files, probably a million or more lines of code,

it takes 6 months to a year to bring a good programmer up to speed.

OK go back to your android app’s, the whole world revolves around smart phone app’s.

Just kidding.[/quote]
My SDK for has hundreds of files and million lines of codes :-P. Same goes for my SDK for iOS. Then there are laso Java server side. Then there are ruby server. Yeah, you get the idea. Just because it’s mobile doesn’t mean it’s simple. The day Robots can do my job is the day Robots can do all jobs and we’ll be like those fat people in Wall-E.

[The-Shoveler]

Yes I get it, not all Smart phone code is simple apps.

But I think a lot of people think the whole coding world is something that can be farmed out to the lowest bidder and completed in a month or two most…

it takes some serious commitment to/by an enginerd to make stuff that works. well then again, there is always the flashlight app.

Like I said, I think for at least a generation software enginerds will still be in demand,

The singularity is still a long ways off,

[Author]

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