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calvinbhai

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calvinbhai
·6 yıl önce·discuss
Need to go off on a tangent to reply.

Canada is showering it's unemployed citizens with something similar to $2000 per month unemployment benefits.

That's $12.5 per hr for not working, while (minimum wage in Ontario) is $14 per hr.

Why would anyone work to get $1.5 per hr extra? When you can stay home and get the free money? (in fact other provinces, $12.5 per hr is above minimum wage).

Having something like this for a month or two was probably fine, but right now Canada is paying it's residents to not work while grocery stores / warehouses are not finding enough workers.

I was tilting positive of UBI until I saw the effects of this $2K per month scheme in Canada.

To immediately solve the problem, Canada can continue giving $2K per month to those who are unemployed, but working in a necessary occupation (say grocery stores, deliveries, warehouses) wouldn't disqualify them from getting the $2K, with a caveat that there's no minimum wage. At that point it's a two sided bidding with grocery stores going lower and workers increasing their bids. At some rate (say $5 per hr or $10 per hr) there's a right balance for supply/demand of labor.
calvinbhai
·6 yıl önce·discuss
This should be next in the killedbygoogle.com entries
calvinbhai
·6 yıl önce·discuss
I agree with you about convenience of ordering. This was often the case when I was in the US. But in canada it's nice that all stores I frequent accept credit cards, and all of them work with apple pay, so no fumbling with cash.

Probably I'm not like most app users are. If I know a few different types of restaurants in the area, and I know specific items I like there, I'll just order the same thing again and again until I move elsewhere.

If I wanted a new place, new dish every time, probably Delivery apps would be a good way to discover
calvinbhai
·6 yıl önce·discuss
Love their mission. But I think Slice is more for helping non-chain pizza shops compete with Dominos/Pizza-Hut/Papa-johns.

also $1.95 doesn't include the costs of delivery (delivery is handled by pizza shops' existing delivery drivers)
calvinbhai
·6 yıl önce·discuss
The cost for Uber is to process the cc transaction, cost of transportation (the close to minimum wage "net pay" to the driver).

I agree Uber has other costs, and I'm not saying it should act like a charity and not recover those costs.

So whatever is uber's costs + profit needed, add it as a fee for using the app.

Eg: If I order a 2 large pizzas at my neighborhood pizza shop, and on their printed menu it is $40 (assume including taxes), I'd like to see the same price displayed to me. Uber can charge me processing fee and delivery fee of say $20 or $30 on top of this (to recover Uber's costs + profit).

Sadly, this is not what actually happens. Ordering the same item through delivery app, I see that each menu item is costing $1 to $5 more already (happens with Instacart too). On top of this I pay a processing fee and a delivery fee. In addition to this, the pizza shop guy pays 40%.

Obfuscating price at every step and then proclaiming to be a saviour of my neighborhood restaurants, is exactly what ticks me off.

Again, I'm not saying delivery apps should be charitable. I just want some transparency. The reason I go to a local pizza shop, (in addition to satiate hunger and enjoy tasty food) is to support the local economy.

Uber can charge the same total amount to me while providing the same service, provided they clearly show how much goes to Uber and how much goes to restaurant and delivery person.
calvinbhai
·6 yıl önce·discuss
I refuse to use any of these delivery apps, which are kind of useless already.

Here in Toronto area, most of the big food outlets are closed, because they are not able to get workers.

The ones that are open, are these mom&pop restaurants, that run on a skeletal workforce.

So with fewer restaurants operating, and delivery apps having a limited radius for delivery, I'd rather go and get the order myself, and let the neighborhood restaurer keep more of the money I give instead of losing 30%-40% of the amount as commission (I tip on top of it even though it's a pickup).

I'll use delivery apps only if: - They charge the restaurant less than 5% total fees - They charge me 5% - 10% for delivery and processing fees whatever (lets say a minimum of $5 or $10, whichever is higher).

Problem is at this rate, Uber Eats or Door Dash or GrubHub wont survive.

I understand using these apps is more of a necessity if you have kids and larger number of people at home. But this is not for me.

Uber drivers who got cars on subprime loans cannot survive with deliveries only. I'm curious to how they'll get through this storm. At least in this case, Uber has fewer liabilities (all head ache borne by the driver).
calvinbhai
·6 yıl önce·discuss
4/4S/5 and the old SE are still my favourite designs / form factors (saying this despite owning 6/7/11Pro). I hope 12 will do away with rounded edges (similar to the latest iPad Pro).
calvinbhai
·6 yıl önce·discuss
This is much worse an issue if you live in a super new apartment in the suburbs. UPS/FedEx drivers know location very well. Amazon delivery ends up in a totally different location, marking it as delivered. I dont know how Amazon makes money when 2 out of 5 deliveries to my address were being lost or mis-delivered ️
calvinbhai
·6 yıl önce·discuss
surprising that such a long writeup about the wework debacle doesn't mention Masayoshi Son holding founders at ransom to take his Softbank money.

Why would anyone refuse such money? Not sure what's Rebekah got to do with the WeWork debacle.

(good to know all the star kids connections. IMO, most rich white people in US can do any financial crime and get away with it)
calvinbhai
·7 yıl önce·discuss
and if you are born in India or China, you wont get a GC until you are in your 80's
calvinbhai
·7 yıl önce·discuss
Not opposed to that idea either (I have a MS degree :).

But my guess is that the number of non-US bachelors students is negligible compared to the number of MS/PhD students.

I dont have the data, but either way, it'll help US hold on to highly skilled immigrants, and make it difficult for low skilled ones to slip in.
calvinbhai
·7 yıl önce·discuss
True. I'm not mad with US immigration issues either.

It's more like I feel sad for the country, which has such potential, and they are missing out on having high skilled immigrants live and pay taxes in the US.

Since I'm fed up with US permanent residency process (as an India born person, there's no point in applying), I'm working remote from outside US, as a contractor with a US company and paying Canada taxes (I almost bought a house in the US, before I decided to get a Canada PR. US's loss, Canada's gain).
calvinbhai
·7 yıl önce·discuss
as an immigrant who got an MS degree in US and worked on H1b visa, what you say is quite a simplification of what it takes to move to a different country, get a master's degree and survive long enough to get a H1b visa.

A tiny chunk of them may do this, by going to so shady US universities. But that's a very small %age
calvinbhai
·7 yıl önce·discuss
As an immigrant from India, who worked in the US on H1B, I welcome this change, because this increases the chances of weeding out the bad apples and increases the chances for the good ones to get an H1b visa.

This at least encourages genuine direct employers to hire those who have already contributed to the US economy (by paying out of state tuition which funds/subsidizes the university education of US resident/citizen students)

With this rule change, it certainly is better than what it was earlier.

How could this be made even better?

Make it such that those who studied in the US are not in the lottery. Meaning, give H1b to every applicant who has graduated in the US, and lottery with the remaining visas to those who didn't study in the US. That way, the downward trend of international student admissions will reduce, and help the universities and all the students.