"Pod-estrians"

All the different ways of solving the shelter problem. To be static or mobile? Roots, legs, or wheels?
Jason

Re: "Pod-estrians"

Post by Jason »

Laura Ingalls wrote:
Sun Jul 07, 2019 11:13 am
@Jason
okay so you read too many reformation books in 2017. Here I stand corrected ;)
Well, as much as those trapped in their own smug, self-righteousness can be.

Laura Ingalls
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Re: "Pod-estrians"

Post by Laura Ingalls »

Jason wrote:
Sun Jul 07, 2019 11:58 am
Well, as much as those trapped in their own smug, self-righteousness can be.
It sort of a core belief of Lutheranism :D

7Wannabe5
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Re: "Pod-estrians"

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

I would definitely live someplace like that if it was rent-adjusted down to my locale. Anyways, The Cowboy talked me into moving back in with him for $0 rent instead of living in a tent for the summer, so I can't get any cheaper than that.

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unemployable
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Re: "Pod-estrians"

Post by unemployable »

Discussed earlier here: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=10635

So I guess the founder deserves some credit for getting the publicity.

I'd rather live in Arkansas. I'd rather live in my car. I'd rather live in jail, I think.
Kriegsspiel wrote:
Sat Jul 06, 2019 4:37 pm
Extolling the virtues of pod living (bunk beds in the same room) seems like putting so much lipstick on a pig. Communal sleeping space sucks.
Like public transportation, this kind of living demonstrates that hell is other people.

Jason

Re: "Pod-estrians"

Post by Jason »

Technology is like the new cotton. Except the workers get there in an UBER instead of a slave ship.

I don't understand why these companies just don't go fully Medieval and build housing for their employees. This way the workers can live close to the office and the companies can get all that salary back in rent money. This has had to have cross Mark Zuckerberg's mind. I mean the guy's got slum lord written all over him. I don't care how you market these living arrangements, its modern day indentured servitude. Everyone has to sleep by 10:00PM and no friends? It's POW camp shit. Sorry. I don't care that they own IPADS and have college degrees.

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unemployable
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Re: "Pod-estrians"

Post by unemployable »

Jason wrote:
Mon Jul 08, 2019 4:33 pm
I don't understand why these companies just don't go fully Medieval and build housing for their employees.
Company towns that did that well into the 20th century.

I suspect an employer could account for it as a pretax expense one way or another. Like charge the employee rent separately from his pay, then worker fills out a form to it get reimbursed, so it's like expensing for travel.

Jason

Re: "Pod-estrians"

Post by Jason »

Yes, mill towns and minings towns were essentially feudal villages. Down to the company owned stores.

The airline industry uses this "POD" model. As most pilots and on board service workers are independent contractors, the employment agency has residences throughout the US that are laid out in a similar fashion as the one in the picture. The use of the homes are part of their pay package.

ZAFCorrection
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Re: "Pod-estrians"

Post by ZAFCorrection »

Big tech companies tilt dystopian so I also guessed it would be sensible to make Outer Party quarters and eventually get vertically integrated with the human resources. But maybe the reason it doesn't happen is employees are considered commodities to be hired and fired at will. So not much point in thinking about them other than making sure they show up to work and do something.

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Sclass
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Re: "Pod-estrians"

Post by Sclass »

ZAFCorrection wrote:
Tue Jul 09, 2019 6:27 pm
But maybe the reason it doesn't happen is employees are considered commodities to be hired and fired at will.
This is an interesting thought. Google talks about solving the housing problems in Silicon Valley but all I’ve seen them do is make things worse.

The employees choose to pay overinflated prices for their modest homes. The company enables it with compensation (and comfy tour buses and free Caltrain). Fear drives the workers to buy the most home their creditors will allow. The bank becomes their motivator to show up at the office.

If you follow that line of thinking it’s cheaper and more effective for the big tech companies not to solve the problem. Just let the employees exacerbate it by throwing their earned resources at it.

I’m going to visit my “successful” friends in the valley next week. They’re all millionaires with 90% of their money in home equity. They work hard to earn cash to pay their ongoing expenses. Kids’ college demands cash flow . Steady employment in tech at age 50 is tricky. They cannot sell because they’d have nowhere to live close to their big tech jobs. The trap is of their own making. No company housing town required.

Kylinne
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Re: "Pod-estrians"

Post by Kylinne »

Jason wrote:
Mon Jul 08, 2019 5:02 pm
The airline industry uses this "POD" model. As most pilots and on board service workers are independent contractors, the employment agency has residences throughout the US that are laid out in a similar fashion as the one in the picture. The use of the homes are part of their pay package.
In major cities, especially near major airports, individuals (sometimes industry related, sometimes not) also run crash pads for pilots and flight attendants who are based there and commute in; my sister's pilot ex suggested she or I could do it with a spare bedroom (or two or three in my case) - you generally charge each person a couple hundred bucks a month and they get a place to sleep in a bedroom with usually 4-6 bunkbeds. While I did end up with one part-time pilot (who pays $50/night when he needs a place, and I have storage space for linens in the closet and spare furniture in general that he doesn't use), I decided against the whole place being a crash pad. I have enough chaos in life without adding 15 pilots to the mix, lol.

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