2013.03.06 07:00 - Work, Taxes and Language

The guardian was Zen Arado. All comments are by Zen Arado.

Session was held at Kira because region restarted. We just chatted about SL in general at start:

Catrinamonblue: Morning Zen :)
Korel Laloix: Sl really need to revert back to how it was in about 2010... far less lag and less crashes.
Catrinamonblue: :)
Korel Laloix: Heya
Zen (zen.arado): Hi Cat, Kori ;)
Korel Laloix: I panned my cam way above things to reduce my lag...
Zen (zen.arado): but maybe you just need a faster computer?
Zen (zen.arado): or faster broadband
Korel Laloix: That is also true.
Korel Laloix: And that.... smiles
Catrinamonblue: SL works pretty good for me on my laptop but lags on my work computer :)
Zen (zen.arado): SL takes a LOT of computing power
Korel Laloix: My point is that there needs to be a balane of advances in Sl that people actually use and the average computer speeds.
Zen (zen.arado): yeh maybe
Korel Laloix: Exactly... so simplify SL and make the expereience for everyone better.
Zen (zen.arado): but better graphics etc also needs more computing power
Korel Laloix: I don't know anyone that does not complaing of lag on a regular basis.
Zen (zen.arado): so has to be a balance I guess
Zen (zen.arado): lots of people in a close place = lag
Korel Laloix: But.... as a feeloading, not subscriber. I really have no say in the matter... lol
Zen (zen.arado): otherwise I don't see that much lag
Korel Laloix: So if they took out some of the lesser used aspects of the program... they could kill that lag in busy sims.
Zen (zen.arado): yeh but then people buy hairstyles and clothes that induce it again
Korel Laloix: That is true.. there are people that love their mesh stuff.
Korel Laloix: I just find it funny looking at them naked or half there... smiles
Zen (zen.arado): :)
Zen (zen.arado): I haven't seen grey people for a long time
Korel Laloix: More staying clouds now I guess.
Zen (zen.arado): since I got a fast gaming laptop last years
Korel Laloix: It is time fore me to get a new one for sure.
Catrinamonblue: :)
Korel Laloix: But, that costs money, and I am cheap.... smiles

Students and grades:

Zen (zen.arado): students aren't rich usually
Zen (zen.arado): but you will be later hopefully
Korel Laloix: I do well for myself.. but I also give a lot away.
Zen (zen.arado): isn't tuition expensive?
Korel Laloix: With the stats pacakge I have to run on my computer next semester, I will have to get one.
Korel Laloix: I am a gay, minority, female with a 4.0 GPA.... I don't pay for school... lol
Catrinamonblue: good for you :)
Zen (zen.arado): what's 4.0 GPA?
Korel Laloix: It means I get the best grades possible in all of my classes.
Korel Laloix: The Grade Point Average is a scale between 0 and 4. 4 Being the highest.
Zen (zen.arado): ah I see
Catrinamonblue: :)
Zen (zen.arado): I always had to work very hard to get good grades
Korel Laloix: I do as well... I am not really smart at all, but I work hard and focused.
Zen (zen.arado): only got them in philosophy now that I think of it
Zen (zen.arado): would be great to be naturally very bright
Korel Laloix: That would be too easy...
Korel Laloix: I am thankful for the abilities that I have though.
Zen (zen.arado): yeh
Catrinamonblue: sometimes being naturally bright can be hard in other ways
Zen (zen.arado): like gifted people you mean?
Catrinamonblue: my youngest boy tested as gifted but has a hard time socially
Zen (zen.arado): yes
Catrinamonblue: we have been very lucky with the school they have helped him grealy
Zen (zen.arado): others don't like people who are too clever
Catrinamonblue: nods
Zen (zen.arado): it's better to be reasonably good at lots of things maybe
Catrinamonblue: but the school set up a program in when he was in Gr 2 that allowed him to work one on one with each of the students in class on a project
Zen (zen.arado): that's me
Catrinamonblue: and then present it, helped him make friends
Catrinamonblue: and they were and are still protective of him
Zen (zen.arado): education seems more collaborative these days
Catrinamonblue: thank goodness
Zen (zen.arado): they set up more competitiveness in my days
Catrinamonblue: nods
Zen (zen.arado): everything was a competition
Korel Laloix: I am rather agressive, so I like the competative model.
Zen (zen.arado): :)
Korel Laloix: It helps me perform and push myself.
Catrinamonblue: :)
Zen (zen.arado): yes there are pluses too
Zen (zen.arado): life is competitive
Zen (zen.arado): not so good of you lose too much though
Korel Laloix: It gets me into trouble sometimes... but it is usually the trouble of my choosing... grins

Ways of working:

Zen (zen.arado): wonder if the workplace is still the dog eat dog place I knew
Zen (zen.arado): probably is
Zen (zen.arado): or even worse
Korel Laloix: My new office is busy and pushed... but I like that.
Korel Laloix: But with only two real days at work, that is not a good sample size to really say.
Zen (zen.arado): hmm wonders about individualistic looking after number one
Zen (zen.arado): and being able to work with others
Zen (zen.arado): group effort on a team
Catrinamonblue: being self-employed I don't have to deal too much with office politics
Catrinamonblue: I just come in do the work and leave when I'm done :)
Korel Laloix: THe people that only look out for themselves we collect into small locations by electing them...
Catrinamonblue: :)
Zen (zen.arado): :)
Korel Laloix: I try not to take work home with me, but fail usually.
Catrinamonblue: :)
Korel Laloix: I don;t mind taking work home if I can sit quietly with a glass of something I like and do it on my own schedule.
Korel Laloix: Rather than doing it rushed at work...
Zen (zen.arado): others can distract
Zen (zen.arado): but can help as well
Zen (zen.arado): I am used to distance learning
Zen (zen.arado): I wouldn't survive conventional university
Catrinamonblue: I'm so used to working on my own I don't really know how I would do in a shared environment
Zen (zen.arado): I like to go at my own pace
Korel Laloix: There are times and subjects for both I think.
Zen (zen.arado): yes
Zen (zen.arado): what do you do Cat?
Zen (zen.arado): if you want to share
Korel Laloix: Just plain math... by myself for sure.
Korel Laloix: But applied math I work will with others.
Korel Laloix: well
Catrinamonblue: bookkeeping and tax returns :)
Korel Laloix: Ouch.
Catrinamonblue: fun actually :)
Zen (zen.arado): oh I would hate that Cat :)
Catrinamonblue: I like it

Taxes and Why?:

Zen (zen.arado): I managed to get out of doing tax returns
Catrinamonblue: I find satisfaction in balancing the numbers :)
Zen (zen.arado): I just hate fiddly details
Catrinamonblue: :)
Zen (zen.arado): and form filling
Zen (zen.arado): they always ask stupid questions
Korel Laloix: I have to look again on if I really have to do a return.
Zen (zen.arado): that I don't understand
Korel Laloix: My part time job does not make me a lot of money.
Korel Laloix: But some scholarships count.
Catrinamonblue: I'm in Canada so as I understand it tax returns are a bit less complicated than in the US
Zen (zen.arado): the UK is beaurocratic too
Korel Laloix: Here you have fedreal.
Korel Laloix: Most states have them as well.
Zen (zen.arado): Australia was great when I lived there
Korel Laloix: But some countries do.
Korel Laloix: And then some cities do.
Korel Laloix: So in some places, you have to file four times.
Zen (zen.arado): you multiplied hours worked by hourly rate and that was your wage
Zen (zen.arado): then at the end of year you looked up how much tax you should have paid on a table
Zen (zen.arado): so simple
Catrinamonblue: :)
Zen (zen.arado): in UK they have all sorts of weird rules
Zen (zen.arado): I never liked applied math either
Zen (zen.arado): pure math yes
Korel Laloix: I do like the theory side of statistics as well.
Korel Laloix: Some of it is just a big mind game... in the good sense of the word.
Zen (zen.arado): yeh if they explain why
Zen (zen.arado): just do this and this..
Zen (zen.arado): I hate that
Zen (zen.arado): I always asked why?
Korel Laloix: And my professors are great at the why thing.
Korel Laloix: They alwasy start with the why before we move into th how.
Korel Laloix: But that is now... for my undergrad classes... no... they were horrid.
Zen (zen.arado): remember a little math lecturer covering a balckboard with math equations
Zen (zen.arado): lost me after second line :)
Korel Laloix: That is just bad teaching.
Zen (zen.arado): and no one stops him
Zen (zen.arado): yeh
Catrinamonblue: that's why I like bookkeeping, simple math :)
Korel Laloix: I have had teachers like that for sure.
Korel Laloix: And worse when they do not even make an attempt to speak as good English as they know.
Korel Laloix: brb... workers are here.
Catrinamonblue: :)
Zen (zen.arado): I never found what I wanted to do with my life
Zen (zen.arado): confession
Zen (zen.arado): :)
Catrinamonblue: ah sometimes I wish I had been crative... when I was little I wanted to be a writer, even have had some poetry published but....
Zen (zen.arado): I only have some idea now
Catrinamonblue: creative*
Zen (zen.arado): great
Catrinamonblue: I fell into bookkeeping only because I happen to be good with numbers
Catrinamonblue: and yes there is satisfaction in balancing there is no creative part to it
Catrinamonblue: but I'm not much of an artist either :(
Zen (zen.arado): I always wonder why they teach so much math when no body ever uses it again
Catrinamonblue: I sometimes think we never know what we want to be
Zen (zen.arado): unless you become an engineer or designer
Catrinamonblue: nods
Zen (zen.arado): I have never used anything but arithmetic in life
Zen (zen.arado): algebra?
Zen (zen.arado): how many use quadratic equations
Zen (zen.arado): ?
Catrinamonblue: my daughter is doing gr 12 calculus right now and it is hard hard stuff
Catrinamonblue: way above my head
Zen (zen.arado): calculus ideas are useful thing to know I guess
Zen (zen.arado): Hi Xirana :)
Catrinamonblue: Hi Xiri
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): hello Zen! :-)
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): Hello Cat and Kori:)
Zen (zen.arado): I could still differentiate and integrate with a little revision I think
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): Osiyo:)
Zen (zen.arado): differential equations though ..hmmm

Language learning:

Zen (zen.arado): I have a French story for you Xirana
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): ahhh wonderful! :-)
Zen (zen.arado): avec beaycoup d'erreurs :)
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): hehe...
Zen (zen.arado): beaucoup
Zen (zen.arado): l'enfance de Zen
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): last time there were not so much
Zen (zen.arado): le petit Zen
Zen (zen.arado): :)
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): you're improving quick...soon you will have to correct my French :)
Zen (zen.arado): heh non
Catrinamonblue: :)
Zen (zen.arado): I bought an internet radio
Zen (zen.arado): now I can listen to French radio stations
Zen (zen.arado): but I don't understand much
Zen (zen.arado): they talk too fast :)
Catrinamonblue: brb
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): oh! but that's very good to learn...even if at first you don't understand all
Zen (zen.arado): yes I think so
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): I think there's also Radio France International?...
Zen (zen.arado): I hear wordsa and look them up
Zen (zen.arado): France info I like
Zen (zen.arado): I have also been watching 'Engrenages'
Zen (zen.arado): a French crime series on TV
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): brb...telefon
Zen (zen.arado): but they use a lot of Parisian slang
Korel Laloix: Back.. but in and out.... they are all over the place with stuff.
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): back
Zen (zen.arado): wb Kori
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): hi Kori:)
Zen (zen.arado): wb Xiri
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): thank you:)
Zen (zen.arado): everybody went away
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): :)
Korel Laloix: I have workers in today with new washer and dryer and the like.
Zen (zen.arado): le flic is police I think?
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): yes.. it's a policeman
Catrinamonblue: back :)
Zen (zen.arado): wb Cat
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): ahhh lol...Cat was also afk :))
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): wb Cat:)
Catrinamonblue: yes :) had a phone call
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): do you speak other languages cat?
Catrinamonblue: no though I wish i did :(
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): well.. it's never late :)
Catrinamonblue: I know I keep saying some day when I have time :)
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): :)
Catrinamonblue: I have to cut out some round pieces of paper and put get around to it on them :)
Zen (zen.arado): it's hard to keep going at it
Zen (zen.arado): I tried to learn French many times but gave up
Zen (zen.arado): and Spanish as well
Zen (zen.arado): SL is good for language learning
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): yes.... it's fun here :)
Zen (zen.arado): because you can talk to native speakers
Zen (zen.arado): and you can teach people English too cat
Zen (zen.arado): plenty of peple want to learn or improve their English
Catrinamonblue: :)
Zen (zen.arado): because the web is so English
Zen (zen.arado): I just translate my own stories Xiri
Korel Laloix: PaB has been very very good for my English for sure.
Zen (zen.arado): I use a translator then try to correct
Zen (zen.arado): it takes so long to look up words in a dictionary
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): that's great Zen...ggod practice:)
Zen (zen.arado): I wrote the 1st paragraph using a dictionary
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): for me too Korel...I've improved a lot
Zen (zen.arado): then tried Word translator
Zen (zen.arado): I use a lot of adjectives
Zen (zen.arado): makes translation more difficult
Zen (zen.arado): I have a French woman friewnd came back into SL last night
Zen (zen.arado): haven't seen her for over a year
Zen (zen.arado): I can get her to help me ;)
Catrinamonblue: :)
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): ah sure.. if she is French she will do much better:))
Zen (zen.arado): the regions has come back but it's too late to go back to pavilion
Catrinamonblue: :)
Zen (zen.arado): she lives in Pacardy
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): yes...I went there and noone was there, so I came here:)
Zen (zen.arado): picardy
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): PIcardie:)
Zen (zen.arado): ah ok
Zen (zen.arado): :)
Zen (zen.arado): I knew it looked funny
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): yes..it looked English ending:)
Zen (zen.arado): does that link work Xiri?
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): the one you gave me yes:) but I am trying to share in another document and I am not sure if it works. Maybe I will paste the text in the other document shared with all, if you don't mind
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): maybe we have luck and Cem sees it too:))
Zen (zen.arado): should I make it sharable to everyone?
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): I don't know...maybe just add the people of the French chat
Zen (zen.arado): 'anyone who has the link can access' should be enough?
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): yes:) that's enough :)
Zen (zen.arado): I can see you adding to it :)
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): :)
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): yes google docs is good to work with more people
Zen (zen.arado): Google is amazing
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): yes, I agree:)
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): and we can also chat there while discussing the text if we want...there's the chat option too, very good tool
Zen (zen.arado): I have never used that
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): I have done for a work of my studies we had to work with another student
Zen (zen.arado): that's useful
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): it was really useful, yes
Zen (zen.arado): can you have more peple to chat?
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): yes..I suppose you can have as many people that have acces to the document
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): we will have to learn more:)
Zen (zen.arado): yes
Zen (zen.arado): we can use that at a class I think
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): yes... it's a good idea....also, for exemple to ask doubts
Zen (zen.arado): yes
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): and to let us time to look for the answer :))
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): ok...I will go now.....
Zen (zen.arado): yes I better go too
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): have a nice time Zen , Cat, Kori....and see you soon!
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): :)
Catrinamonblue: bye guys :)
Zen (zen.arado): you too Xiri
Xirana (xirana.oximoxi): bye bye :)
Zen (zen.arado): byee Kori and Cat
Zen (zen.arado): tyy for coming
Zen (zen.arado): :)
Korel Laloix: ciao
Zen (zen.arado): byee