Chesky Announcement

[Dunny0]

Tried to make a new thread...'Cheeky Announcement' but the system disallowed it. Here goes:

There was an announcent put out via media channels - cnet - on a new or back-to-basics orientation of the firm AirBnB and the person authoring/speaking none other than Brian Chesky (the software changed his name to 'Cheeky' above - Freudian slip, perhaps.) Who says machines aren't intelligent?

Here's the announcement link: https://www.cnet.com/news/airbnb-hosts-advisory-council-chesky-business/

I looked at my mother-in-law. She's 92 and a half, has seen money value vaporize August 15, 1945, has dodged police-turned-thieves
immediately postwar, has deftly sidestepped 'yakuza' tricks as they grabbed land for conglomerates. I said, "Hey, Ma. looks like everything's going to be peachy now. This lad Brian is our new 'Head of Community'." She glanced my way and mumbled. I asked her to repeat.

"You're stupid," she sighed sadly.

"I see," I inhaled. I didn't know quite what to say. I mean, she had nailed me to the wall with 2 1/2 words. Pretty good for being bow-legged, almost deaf, and in and out of amnesia.

"So, tell me Ma...What do you think?" She was superstitious, but also amazingly clairvoyant. Pre-birth, she had correctly guessed the gender of each of her seventeen grandchildren.

"Son.. This smells."

"What do you mean?"

"It's how a company avoids a union."

"Huh?"

"It's business."

"No way. That's too cheeky. There are rules."

"I love you son, but shut up. You're stupid. And I'm being kind. Now, listen.
There are no rules. That's the first rule."

Then she whacked me with her cane.

*[Title Updated]

[Robin4]

@Dunny0 @Annette And Curtis @Andrea @David @Lizzie

I am editing this reply to bring @Rebecca181 into it because although off the topic it is her thread but I al;so want to include one of our newcomers, @Rachael who has the makings of a good contributor to the forum!

Oh Dunny, I Love it!! Mothers are great aren't they....they will bring you down to size every time.

When my mum was well into her eigthies she started to suffer from incontinence issues.....should I be bringing this up here?

Anyway I eventually talked her into having one or two of those 'mattresses' that the elderly have around for just this scenario!

Now..... I know, you will say seriously stupid on my part but.... I took her along to her local chemist (drugist) because I thought she might accept their advice before she accepted mine! Anyway she listed obsevantly while the chemist explained what size and configuration did what, and bless the old dear she seemed to take it all in her stride. At the end of the chemists spliel I heaved a sigh of relief, I though go on you old girl, you have got a grip on this, when she suddenly turned to me in front of the chemist and said...."Robbi, How will I know when it's full"!!!

Cheers.....Rob

[Dunny0]

Thank you, Rob.

Me Mum thanks you, too.

Here's another gem of a link by the folks who write the rules we live by. At Freecodecamp.

https://medium.freecodecamp.com/dark-genius-how-programmers-at-uber-volkswagen-and-zenefits-helped-t...

Rules are code... and code can be... bent... in any direction. Deliberately. Everything is done deliberately. 

Mantra of the day.

[Dunny0]

There was another link inside this article - about ethics, real morals, responsibility, and code.

Here it is: https://medium.freecodecamp.com/the-code-im-still-ashamed-of-e4c021dff55e#.u9a41g6tw

Read it. The best 5 minutes you'll spend today. And the toxic effect profile indicates mercury as key elemental component.

[Lizzie]

Hello @Dunny0,

I hope you are good. I'm not sure why you couldn't start a new topic, but as this was a little off the original subject I have moved this and made it into a new one for you. 🙂

I am not sure if you have seen my topic I shared here in the CC about Brian's announcement yesterday, you might like to view his talk in full there.

Thanks,

Lizzie

(FYI - @Robin4)

[Dunny0]

@Lizzie@Robin4

Thank you, Lizzie.

I am well. Well. As is said in the Commonwealth. 

Watched the video, and yes, Mr. Chesky is a nice man, an Everyman who has done very well.

All well and good.

What me Mum was focusing on, with her cane as a light sabre, was my thick head.

See, I hadn't seen well-meaning but uninitiated communities, neighbourhoods, unions and groups 

put to the sword by smiling well-spoken young men as they lunged and fenced for their masters,

their sponsors - but she had. 

She cracked my noggin right hard to stop me being mesmerized by the public relations script, to wake me up.

It hurts, but I love'er. She's me Mum.

[Dunny0]

@Lizzie@Robin4

Actually, Lizzie, in all fairness and balance, helpfulness, I wanted to offer my own video and announcement **bleep** suggestion.

This is it. About time to refresh the AirbnB image. As in, more image and less of else. This could begin with a current hit song

and dazzling artist: PikoTaro. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ct6BUPvE2sM He's really good, down-to-earth and loveable,

adorable. My wife's in television, chatted him up. Super nice. Now advertisers are adapting the tune to their own ditties.

Try this:

"I have a Community... I have Three Million Frazzled Hosts. Ugh! New CEO-New Head of Community!" 

Whadayathink? Here's a sample by one advertiser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA5pPZQECZg Kids just love it.

I say go with Image. Image always wins, always feels good.

[Dunny0]

Ah. *Bleep*. The bleeping censoring software must live in San Francisco. A common latin word

meaning 'with' or 'akin to' has been targeted. That's 'c' and 'u' and 'm'. What next?

[David126]

They also ban the English slang for Cigarette.

[Dunny0]

@David126@Robin4

A kindred spirit. Thank you David. Makes one look stuff up, helps creative writing. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/**bleep**got_(unit) (a link to Middle English for 'a bundle of sticks')

Will keep an eye out for more, like an Easter egg hunt.

I'm trying to blow off steam by flying under the radar but over their heads. Some folks can see the writing on the wall and read the signs of the times. It's a challenge, but also leads to all sorts of articles by people creating the coding software and sorting algorithms that make these online automatic systems function. Very much food for thought - and at the base there are profound moral questions.

I tripped over some videos by the late producer and impresario Aaron Russo. He's the fellow who managed Bette Midler.

That Crunchbase source of investor lists and timelines leads down the rabbit hole with Alice. 

The sudden out-of-nowhere campaign against 'dee-scrimination' without comment or discussion was the trigger for me.

Am always curious to know what ruffles other people's feathers. Learn something every day. Good day!

[David126]

If you are going to look up words, 'triggered' has a new meaning.

[Dunny0]

Excellent!

My fear is that I could play with these things all day. (Getting lost in 'Urban Dictionary' now). 

There is a relevance here, too - a hosts welcome all sorts of guests, and it doesn't seem to matter what age, 

what profession, what ethnic mix, or anything. A host must be alert, aware - "Cocked, locked, and ready to rock" as 

George Carlin in 'Modern Man' https://www.reddit.com/r/StandUpComedy/comments/1pwqlf/george_carlin_modern_man/

and that reddit might lead Lord knows where. I've learned to be a good guest wherever we go, what chemicals motels spray

between guests, and more.

On the flip side, and still in this thread about Brian's announcement, he is being honest. The venture became a business. Now 'business' is a term loaded with meaning for those in the business world. The list of priorities has a different order than a charity or benign community. In all honesty, too, it really couldn't be any other way. What irks me is the psychopathic drive to be purely businesslike, to the point of emphasizing 'community' in this speech when at its heart, that is not the paradigm beating in the chest of this beast. Still, there is so much to like in the activity, like roaring down a mountain path on a trail bike - just don't want to make a mistake. There's no safety net anywhere.

Checking that announcement again, BC and his chums were in Austin, Texas - and a buddy just happened to be a good coder, and Austin just happens to be the number 2 Silicon Valley for start-ups, and our man just happened to have training in design, and ... could probably find more coincidences if one cared to try. He doesn't speak like a CEO. He speaks like a 'front man', speaking from memory, ad libbed from a rehearsed script with a bit of coaching. Actually, he does well, but a good drama coach could spot training. Enough for today. Must work in the garden, clean for another guest. Cheers.

[Rachael26]

@Dunny0

Wow. And Wow again! Dunny - a breath just blew away the cobwebs and I love the way you write. And the way I have to concentrate to absorb and comprehend (or at least try to) your missives. Love it. 

@Robin4

Pal - thanks for including me in this link (and the 'newcomer' acolade - you are sweet!)

[Dunny0]

@Rachael26@Robin4

Thank you Rachael, for your kindness. Warms the heart. Really does. I'll humbly share all that my friends and I can see/muse on 

through the fog of propaganda and advertising. Sometimes we'll be off-target, no doubt, but I think it's worthwhile to ponder these things and safe to stay abreast of changes. Just today, all over our country of Japan, a new law regarding this type of accommodation has been promulgated. With penalties. Prison time. Ouch. This is why we're working with programmers on parallel online existence, perhaps cloaked, perhaps related to information services, being guides, and more. 

If a person steps back and examines the situation on a grander scale - over many countries, across many decades - patterns and progressions appear. Your eyes will pop. Profiling and selling private data is what most companies do. See Aaron Russo videos online for more of this. Too bad he passed away. It's like the Twilight Zone. Remember that? It ends by the pilot saying, "And now do you want to see something REALLY scary....??" 

Take care, stay safe.

[Rachael26]

@Dunny0

I do think it is invaluable to see how Japan is reacting to Airbnb and all the laws coming to pass - so thank you for sharing - and in such a brilliantly creative and sanguine manner (you see how you have aready influenced me to raise my vocab game - my father would be pleased! 🙂

Cheers,

Rachael