Monsieur Slacker

Serving up Open-source delights and other IT oddities since 2000

[Monsieur Slacker @slacker400]

Thanks @anki for the awesome super fun time @sips_ & @YogscastLalna represented the Yogscast stupendously well today!

[NOBUNAGA🇯🇵🏯_夏樹蒼依 @japan_nobunaga]

I went to In-N-Out and ordered a cheeseburger. The cashier, a calm young woman named Destiny, asked me a question I did not expect.

"You want that Animal Style?"

I paused.

I did not know what this meant. But a samurai does not admit he does not know. So I answered with weight.

"...Animal Style."

"Cool. So that's mustard-grilled, extra spread, grilled onions, pickles. Yeah?"

I understood now. This was a sacred permission. For one meal, I was being told to put down my manners at the door. To eat the way a beast eats, without shame. I had waited my whole life for someone to give me this order.

"Yes," I said. "I will become the animal."

Destiny did not blink. "...Okay. You want your fries Animal Style too?"

I stopped. Even the potatoes?

"The potatoes also become animals?"

"I mean, they get cheese and sauce and grilled onions, so..."

"Then yes. Let the potatoes abandon their restraint as well."

"...Got it." She was the calmest woman I have ever met. "3x3, 4x4, or just the one?"

I did not know these numbers, but I knew a challenge when I heard one. "How many must I face?"

"It's, like, how many patties you want."

"How many is the most honorable?"

"...Four is a lot."

"Then four. A warrior does not ask for fewer."

She wrote it down without argument. A 4x4, Animal Style, with animal fries. She warned me once, kindly. "That's gonna be huge." I told her I was counting on it.

It arrived. It was a tower. Cheese and sauce ran down my hands the moment I lifted it. There was no clean way to eat it. There was no dignified way. That was the entire point.

I ate it like a beast. Both hands, no honor, grilled onion on my chin, and I have to be honest with you, it was the best thing I have ever put in my mouth.

For thirty years I have kept my manners at every table in the world.

They handed me a burger and told me to be an animal, and I have never felt so free.

So tell me, America.

The whole country knows the secret menu. What else are you hiding in plain sight?

And "Animal Style." Was I eating the animal, or finally becoming one?

[Cobra Commander @CobraCommander]

With politicians like these, who needs terrorists?

[hunter @hxxntrr]

you're about to pay that $14,000 hospital bill. Stop

call the billing department and say five words: "I need an itemized statement"

watch $14,000 turn into $4,200

hospitals don't send you itemized bills by default. they send you a summary. one line. one number. pay this

the itemized version shows every single charge. and that's where the scam falls apart

$78 for a single Tylenol you could buy at CVS for $3 $400 for "room usage" for a room you sat in for 12 minutes $1,200 for "physician consultation"

when a nurse practitioner spent 45 seconds checking your chart $250 for "surgical supplies"

when you got 3 stitches and a bandaid duplicate charges for the same procedure billed twice under different codes

hospitals get away with this because most people never ask. they just pay the summary or let it go to collections and destroy their credit for 7 years over charges that were never real

the call script:

"Hi, I'm calling about account number [X]. I'd like a fully itemized statement showing every individual charge, CPT code, and unit cost. I'm also requesting the chargemaster rate versus what my insurance was billed"

they'll push back. "we already sent your statement." no. you sent a summary. you want the itemized breakdown with procedure codes

once you get it:

step 1: google every CPT code on the bill. compare their price to the Medicare rate for the same procedure. hospitals routinely charge 300-800% above Medicare rates. you now have negotiating leverage

step 2: call back. "I've reviewed the itemized statement. There are duplicate charges on lines [X] and [X]. The charge for [procedure] is $1,200 but the Medicare reimbursement rate is $180. I'd like to discuss a fair adjustment"

step 3: ask about financial hardship discount. every nonprofit hospital has one and many for-profit hospitals do too. most require a simple application. income under $60K-$80K for a family qualifies at most nonprofit hospitals for 40-100% reduction. they won't volunteer this. you have to ask

step 4: if they won't negotiate, say "I'd like to file a formal billing dispute and request review by your patient advocate"

this triggers an internal audit. a different person reviews the charges. errors get caught. bills get reduced

step 5: offer a lump sum. "I can pay $3,800 today if we can settle this account in full." hospitals would rather take $3,800 now than send $14,000 to collections where they'll recover a fraction of the balance

and if it already went to collections? the collection agency bought that $14,000 bill for pennies on the dollar. they'll often take a fraction of the original amount to delete it and walk away happy

you were about to destroy your credit for 7 years over a bill that was mostly inflated charges
five words would have saved you

(i repair credit in 60-90 days, links in my bio)

[The White House @WhiteHouse]

Imagine refusing to stand for:

- Americans over illegals
- Voter ID
- Lowest murder rate in 125 years
- Ending fraud & waste
- Angel families
- Tough-on-crime policies
- No tax on tips, overtime, or Social Security
- Crushing fentanyl
- A Secure border

That’s exactly what Democrats refused to stand for. Tells you everything.

[CAMILLE PAGLIA STAN ✨ FAN ACCOUNT @Provokatov]

I AM FUCKING SCREAMING 😂😂😂

[Peter McCormack 🏴‍☠️🇬🇧🇮🇪 @PeterMcCormack]

2023 you're a bigot
2024 you're a racist
2025 you're a fascist
2026 you're neo-nazi
2027 you're literally Hitler

Bro, I just want to stop giving welfare to freeloaders.

[Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh]

🚨 IT’S OFFICIAL: Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi is gifting President Trump and America 250 CHERRY TREES for our country’s 250th birthday in DC, the embassy says

She is an AMAZING ally! 🇺🇸 🇯🇵

“I extend a gift of 250 cherry trees to Washington DC...I also understand Japanese fireworks will be shown in DC on July 4th next year!" the PM told Trump late last year

Her approval rating is 70%! 🔥

[Tubular Goobular @TubularGoobular]

We are not the same.

[Jim Ferguson @JimFergusonUK]

🚨 GLOBALISM JUST DIED IN DAVOS

Howard Lutnick just walked into the lion’s den — and told the World Economic Forum exactly what they didn’t want to hear.

“Globalism has failed.”

Not whispered.
Not softened.

Declared — on their own stage.

He dismantled the entire WEF doctrine in minutes:
• Offshoring hollowed out the West
• Cheap labor destroyed innovation
• Net Zero made Europe dependent on China
• Sovereignty begins with borders
• Nations must control their industry, energy, and medicine

Then came the line that shook the room:

“Why would Europe agree to Net Zero when they don’t even make a battery?”

That’s the truth globalists can’t answer.

Green agendas without industry.

Climate pledges without sovereignty.

Moral posturing while outsourcing power to Beijing.

America First isn’t isolation.

It’s independence.

And Lutnick made it crystal clear:

The old model is finished.

The globalist experiment has failed.
And the future belongs to nations that put their people first.

Davos just heard the obituary — live.

[Peter Girnus 🦅 @gothburz]

I spent $1.4 million on Microsoft Copilot.

$30 per seat per month.

4,000 employees.

Why?

2 words.

Digital transformation.

This morning I opened Microsoft Teams.

My top notification wasn't from my boss.

It wasn't from my team.

It wasn't a customer escalation.

It wasn't my wife.

It was Microsoft.

Telling me to learn how to use the thing I already bought.

It said ... "Elevate your expertise with new Copilot courses."

I've had these licenses for 6 months.

Apparently ... I should have waited.

The courses are 47 minutes each.

There are 9 of them.

That's 7 hours of learning.

Times 4,000 employees.

28,000 hours.

To learn the tool ... that was supposed to save us 40,000 hours.

We're already down 12,000 hours.

And no one's opened it yet.

Here's the math I don't put in the deck.

4,000 employees.

Average salary ... $105,000.

That's $50 an hour.

Times 7 hours of training.

Times 4,000 people.

$1.4 million.

In labor.

Just to learn the tool.

The training ... costs as much as the software.

$2.8 million.

Year 1.

To save 12,000 hours.

That's $233 ... per hour saved.

The CFO will never see this slide.

But I'll mandate the training.

Completion rates will be tracked.

Tracked means dashboarded.

Dashboarded means presented.

Presented means ... "adoption metrics are strong."

The graph will go up ... and to the right.

Strong adoption ... of the training ... for the tool no one uses.

Microsoft will send another case study team.

The case study will be called

"Enterprise drives 98% Copilot Academy completion."

The CEO will post it on LinkedIn.

He still won't know what Copilot does.

But he'll know we're ... "committed to continuous learning."

Learning is a journey.

The journey costs $1.4 million per year.

Plus $1.4 million in training labor.

To summarize emails ... we could read in 30 seconds.

But here's the thing.

I'll renew next year.

Because canceling requires a business case.

The business case requires ROI data.

The ROI data comes from the dashboard.

The dashboard shows 98% training completion.

98% is a success.

Success means renewal.

Renewal means ... I keep my job.

My job is ... making decisions.

I made a decision.

The decision was $2.8 million.

The decision cannot be wrong.

Because wrong decisions ... don't get promoted.

I got promoted.

So the decision was right.

This is called ... "strategic alignment."

Next quarter ... we're adding Microsoft 365 Copilot Studio.

It costs extra.

It lets us build ... custom Copilots.

Custom Copilots ... to automate the workflows ... no one has ... because everyone's still ... in training.

Microsoft says it's ... "transformational."

I believe them.

I have to.

I already signed the contract.

[Insurrection Barbie @DefiyantlyFree]

https://t.co/pyqLItyhvJ

[Mark Cecchini, CFP® @markcecchini]

TAX MAN: Hey you! Your W-2 is ready. Pumped for tax season.

ME: Awesome, so I can file my taxes now?

TAX MAN: Nope, your wife’s W2 isn’t ready yet.

ME: Cool. I'll see if she knows her ADP login.

TAX MAN: Hey. Your 1098 is ready.

ME: Great, that’s my mortgage interest right?

TAX MAN: Yep. But your loan got sold last year haha. So you’ll get two 1098s, one from each bank.

ME: Yea I remember getting a letter about that at some point…that's like the 3rd time our mortgage has been sold.

TAX MAN: Btw only 1 of your 1098s is ready. The other isn't.

ME: Cool, so I still can't really file yet.

TAX MAN: Yep. But your brokerage account 1099s will come out in mid-Feb.

TAX MAN: Go look for a Consolidated 1099, or separate 1099-INT, 1099-DIV, 1099-B, 1099-R.

ME: I thought 1099s were for people who were contract-based employees or gig workers?

TAX MAN: Nah, 1099s are for so many things man.

TAX MAN: Did you sell RSUs last year? If so, you'll get a 1099-B that shows $0 basis, so you'll want to go get a Supplemental Information document from your broker.

ME: Cool, thanks for the heads up. Someone will tell me that explicitly, right?

TAX MAN: Not at all.

ME: Cool. What’s the difference between 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC?

TAX MAN: 1099-NEC (Non-Employee Compensation) reports payments to contractors. 1099-MISC (Miscellaneous) reports other types of payments like rent, royalties, and prizes, etc.

TAX MAN: They changed it a few years ago but didn't really tell anyone.

ME: Why are you the way you are?

TAX MAN: Nobody knows.

ME: Looks like I got a 1099-K this year?

TAX MAN: Did you sell something online?

ME: I sold a couch on Facebook Marketplace

TAX MAN: For how much?

ME: $600...

TAX MAN: Congratulations, you’re a business now.

ME: Okay I have all my 1099s, I’m ready to file.

TAX MAN: Did you check for corrected forms?

ME: What?

TAX MAN: Sometimes they prepare a corrected one to recharacterize income or fix mistakes.

TAX MAN: They come like a few weeks later.

ME: So should I wait?

TAX MAN: Up to you man.

TAX MAN: File now and maybe amend later?

TAX MAN: Or wait, and maybe it never comes.

ME: Cool.

ME: Oh btw, I invested in a private company last year.

TAX MAN: Ah, you’ll be getting a K-1 now LOL.

ME: Great, when?

TAX MAN: LOL.

ME: Taxes are due in a couple months...

TAX MAN: Right.

ME: But the form comes in October?

TAX MAN: Sometimes September if you’re lucky!

ME: So what do I do?

TAX MAN: File an extension and make a payment.

ME: I filed an extension, but I think we owe money.

TAX MAN: Yeah you'll need to pay that by 4/15.

ME: But I don’t know how much I owe?

ME: Because I don’t have all my forms...

TAX MAN: You estimate. 100% of last year's tax or 90% of this year's tax....or else you get slapped with thousands in underpayment penalties/interest.

ME: What if I make over $150,000?

TAX MAN: Then you have to pay in 110% of last year's tax....or 90% of this year's tax.

ME: What if I estimate wrong?

TAX MAN: Penalty.

ME: What if I overpay?

TAX MAN: They’ll refund it eventually.

ME: With interest?

TAX MAN: LOL no.

ME: I did everything right.

ME: I have all my forms

ME: I filed on time

ME: I’m getting a refund

TAX MAN: Congratulations

ME: When will I get it?

TAX MAN: The IRS says 21 days

TAX MAN: It’s been 12 weeks

TAX MAN: Your return is “still being processed”.

ME: Can I call someone?

TAX MAN: You can try.

TAX MAN: They’re experiencing higher than normal call volume.

ME: For how long?

TAX MAN: Since 2019.

ME: What if I just don’t file?

TAX MAN: Prison.

ME: What if I file wrong?

TAX MAN: Also prison, but less likely.

ME: What if my accountant files wrong?

TAX MAN: Still your fault.

ME: Can I just move somewhere with no income tax?

TAX MAN: You can try!

ME: What if I leave the country?

TAX MAN: You still have to file.

TAX MAN: For ten years after you renounce citizenship.

ME: This is tyranny.

TAX MAN: That's funny because that's actually how this whole thing started.

[JD Vance @JDVance]

You see a lot claims that Venezuela has nothing to do with drugs because most of the fentanyl comes from elsewhere. I want to address this:

First off, fentanyl isn't the only drug in the world and there is still fentanyl coming from Venezuela (or at least there was).

Second, cocaine, which is the main drug trafficked out of Venezuela, is a profit center for all of the Latin America cartels. If you cut out the money from cocaine (or even reduce it) you substantially weaken the cartels overall. Also, cocaine is bad too!

Third, yes, a lot of fentanyl is coming out of Mexico. That continues to be a focus of our policy in Mexico and is a reason why President Trump shut the border on day one.

Fourth, I see a lot of criticism about oil. About 20 years ago, Venezuela expropriated American oil property and until recently used that stolen property to get rich and fund their narcoterrorist activities. I understand the anxiety over the use of military force, but are we just supposed to allow a communist to steal our stuff in our hemisphere and do nothing? Great powers don't act like that.

The United States, thanks to President Trump's leadership, is a great power again. Everyone should take note.

[Shawn Farash @Shawn_Farash]

This is Socialism.

This is what Maduro did to his people in 2019.

He had opposition protesters RUN OVER by armored military vehicles.

This is what the Democrat Party is defending.

This is what they want to do to you.

Do not let them win.

[The White House @WhiteHouse]

Law and order delivered. ALL WE NEEDED WAS A NEW PRESIDENT.

[healthbot @thehealthb0t]

Having been called a liar by Anthony Fauci for saying that "not one of the 72 vaccines mandated for children has ever been safety tested", RFK Jr. sued Fauci.

After a year of stonewalling, Fauci's lawyers admitted that RFK Jr. had been right all along.

"There's no downstream liability, there's no front-end safety testing... and there's no marketing and advertising costs, because the federal government is ordering 78 million school kids to take that vaccine every year."

"What better product could you have? And so there was a gold rush to add all these new vaccines to the schedule... because if you get onto that schedule, it's a billion dollars a year for your company."

"So we got all of these new vaccines, 72 shots, 16 vaccines... And that year, 1989, we saw an explosion in chronic disease in American children... ADHD, sleep disorders, language delays, ASD, autism, Tourette's syndrome, ticks, narcolepsy."

"Autism went from one in 10,000 in my generation... to one in every 34 kids today."

[Wall Street Apes @WallStreetApes]

No longer a conspiracy theory

US Attorney confirms shops are being setup with the sole purpose of exchanging SNAP benefits for cash

Multiple fake stores, one as small as 150 square feet cashing out as much as $480,000 in EBT per month

$7 million in food stamps turned into cash at 2 locations

“Less than 150 square feet in size, smaller than some bathrooms — stores had one register, no carriages, no hand baskets”

“One legitimate supermarket in the same area as these stores redeems approximately $80,000 in and SNAP benefits per month. Over the last 20 months, the Juswala variety store was redeeming between 3-6x that amount monthly”

The 2 fake convenient store owners caught were both from Haiti

[Kyle Tibbitts @KyleTibbitts]

Fixed it for you. Thanks for playing, Gavin.

[Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh]

🚨 BREAKING: Speaker Johnson FUMES after learning Democrats SUED the US Department of Agriculture for trying to figure out how many illegal aliens receive welfare

"They SUED the USDA for simply asking them how many illegal aliens are on the program in California, New York and these other states!"

"They SUED THEM! You need to take account of what people are doing here!"

"We are trying to get government to work more efficiently and effectively for the people - and we are getting STOPPED and HINDERED by political games, by Democrats!"

"That's why we are so FRUSTRATED."