Hovertext: It's like going up to someone who doesn't know about conservation of energy, and telling them you have a wheel that never stops spinning, and expecting them to be blown away.
The inflation report was delayed due to the government shutdown and the White House said there will likely be no report next month. But even before the shutdown, experts were sounding the alarm after President Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, expressing anger about employment numbers. William Brangham reports on lessons from nations where trust in government data was lost.
A takeover is meant to correct the course of struggling school districts. But it can become a fraught process since the district’s elected school board loses its decision-making power.
The Trump administration’s on-again, off-again tariffs are raising the cost of doing business for companies that depend on the port, potentially threatening millions of jobs that depend on its smooth operation.
The Houston Police Department is reportedly investigating the death as a homicide. Exactly how the man died is being investigated by the Harris County medical examiner’s office.
The airline says in a statement Friday that 229 flights were canceled because of the outage and that more flight disruptions were expected as it works to "reposition aircraft and crews."
Retirees, nurses, doctors and the occasional Baylor University faculty member are part of the regular lunch hour crowd at The Musical Chair, a used furniture store at 710 N. Valley Mills Drive. They come not to buy furniture but to play the store’s eight-liners – video slot machines that can only award non-cash prizes worth […]
The pandemic proved that a lot of us can do our jobs just fine out of the office. Nevertheless, companies continue to push for workers to return to their cubicles—whether in a hybrid arrangement, or five-days-a-week mandatory attendance. In both cases, many companies are looking for ways to hold employees accountable: Since many of our jobs can be done anywhere with an internet connection, if your boss doesn't have eyes on you, it's not always easy to tell where you're working from.
Perhaps your company has rolled out initiatives meant to encourage office attendance. Maybe your boss counts your badge swipes, to ensure that you're meeting your weekly in-office quota, or you are obligated to attend in-person meetings. But it's not just the companies themselves that are working on these kinds of measures. Even Microsoft is trying to make it harder for remote employees to continue working from where they want to.
How Teams will track where you're working from
As spotted by Tom's Guide, Microsoft Teams will roll out an update in December that will have the option to report whether or not you're working from your company's office. The update notes are sparse on details, but include the following: "When users connect to their organization's [wifi], Teams will soon be able to automatically update their work location to reflect the building they're working from. This feature will be off by default. Tenant admins will decide whether to enable it and require end-users to opt-in."
The language suggests that Microsoft intends for this feature to be focused more on helping workers locate fellow employees in large office complexes, and less on snitching on employees working from home when they shouldn't be. That's fair enough: If I worked for a company with multiple buildings on campus, it'd be helpful to know where someone I needed to talk to happened to be working that day.
But let's be real. This feature is also going to be used by companies to track their employees, and ensure that they're working from where they're supposed to be working from. Your boss can take a look at your Teams status at any time, and if it doesn't report you're working from one of the company's buildings, they'll know you're not in the office. No, the feature won't be on by default, but if your company wants to, your IT can switch it on, and require that you enable it on your end as well.
As someone who has worked remotely for most of my professional career, I find the return-to-office mandates generally silly. I understand there are jobs that cannot be done remotely, and aspects of others that are made better by in-person collaboration. But if the vast majority of your work is done on a laptop connected to the internet, it makes no sense for you to be forced to work from an office. It also seems demoralizing to treat employees like children, tracking their whereabouts to ensure they're doing their jobs from a pre-approved location. If you're getting your work done, who cares where that work is happening?
In brief: We have a comprehensive update on what we expect to be two rounds of storms, one early Saturday, and another later on Saturday evening, that are likely to buffet Houston with heavy rains and strong winds. In between we still expect to have fair conditions for our Fall Day celebration on Saturday. And we have fall-like weather in the forecast to celebrate!
Hello, fall? (Weather Bell)
Fall Day update
As we noted yesterday, despite the prospect of storms this weekend, we plan to press ahead with our Fall Day celebration from 10 am to noon CT on Saturday, at Midtown Park. Yes, there will be storms early Saturday morning, but we expect the main line to have largely cleared by the time of our event. Temperatures should be in the low 70s. If there are a few scattered showers we will have plenty of cover at the park. We continue to watch the forecast closely, and will adjust our plans accordingly if conditions are unsafe. But right now the weather looks favorable for mid- to late morning on Saturday. And we have reasons to celebrate: drought-busting storms and the promise of much cooler weather next week. See you there?
Friday
Skies today should start out mostly clear, but we’ll see clouds building this afternoon as atmospheric moisture levels rise. We should see some scattered showers south and west of Houston later this afternoon and evening, but coverage will be rather sporadic. Expect highs in the low- to mid-80s for most locations. It will be breezy, with southeasterly winds gusting up to 25 mph.
Tonight we will need to cast our gaze to the west, as a strong line of thunderstorms (in association with an upper-level disturbance) forms in Central Texas along the I-35 corridor and begins to march toward Houston. In terms of timing I expect this line to reach College Station around 1 to 3 am; the central Houston area between 3 and 6 am, and the coast between 6 and 8 am. This line of storms should bring 1 to 2 inches of rainfall, with higher isolated totals, in addition to the potential for damaging winds and perhaps an isolated tornado.
We’ll be back with a forecast update later today to confirm the timings above.
Shortly before midnight Friday, as depicted here in the HRRR model, we expect a squall line to form over Central Texas. (Weather Bell)
Saturday
This line of storms should move eastward by mid-morning, leaving in its wake some scattered showers and possibly a few hours of clearing skies. However, by Saturday afternoon or evening we are likely to see the formation of another storm system to the northwest of Houston, in association with a weak front. This is likely to bring another round of storms into the metro area during the evening or overnight hours. These storms could be just as severe as those early Saturday morning, with the added bonus of hail. So it could be a second night for excitable dogs. Anyway I’m hopeful (but not certain) this second system will have moved through by around midnight or shortly after. Things should calm down a bit in its wake.
In terms of total rainfall, both of these rounds of storms should bring a combined 2 to 4 inches to most locations, with higher isolated totals. I don’t anticipate widespread flooding given how parched our soils are, but the heaviest rains will be coming at night, so please take care on roads and do not drive into high water. Hazards may be hidden.
There is a slight risk of severe weather in Houston on Saturday and Saturday night. (NOAA)
Sunday
Some showers may linger on Sunday morning, but I expect to see clearing skies and, with slightly drier air, a pleasant day with highs of around 80 degrees.
Next week
Monday and Tuesday should be slightly warmer days, with highs in the low- to mid-80s. However, a front with more cold air behind it looks set to arrive on Tuesday, and this will usher in decidedly fall-like weather for the remainder of next week. (Probably not much, if any, rain with this front). We are talking a few days of highs in the 70s (Thursday might even top out in the 60s) with nights probably in the 50s through the weekend. Halloween, for the most part, looks to be clear and cool for your trick-or-treating desires. Ideal weather on Halloween in Houston? It’s been awhile.
NEW YORK—Attempting to broach the sensitive subject as delicately as possible, Taylor Swift’s wedding planner reportedly asked the artist Friday if she had ever considered dance lessons. “They’re completely optional, of course, but a lot of brides find them quite helpful,” said event organizer Riley Hirsh, who spoke in a soft voice as she assured the multiplatinum artist that there was plenty of time before the big day to loosen up and get in some practice. “I promise it’s a skill that anyone can learn. Some people just have a natural rhythm, and for others it’s harder to catch onto. Even if you don’t find yourself significantly improving, at least you’ll have learned something new. How about I just leave you with the contact information for a couple of good local instructors?” At press time, sources confirmed Hirsh was biting her tongue after Swift insisted she would choreograph the first dance herself.
WASHINGTON—Occasionally pausing to rub his bleeding temple as he delivered the statement, visibly bruised Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth declared Friday that wobbly barstools were a threat to national security. “Our enemies are attempting to destabilize the United States by planting those rickety deathtraps in our nation’s restaurants, breweries, and watering holes, and now they have targeted me personally,” said a wincing Hegseth, who had sustained multiple soft tissue injuries the previous evening after falling from a 3-foot-tall seat while consuming his fourth scorpion bowl. “This is a threat to the American way of drinking, and the U.S. military must act quickly before wobbly stools infiltrate every bar in the country. The terrorists behind this plot are highly sophisticated and organized, as they somehow tricked me into believing that the stool had a back to it when I first sat down. And I swear, they’re making these fuckers higher every day. Our nation’s enemies want us falling over.” Hegseth went on to announce that the bartender who cut him off was also a threat to the nation.
SAN DIEGO—Pausing mid-conversation to shore up any doubts regarding his ability to shoulder adult responsibilities, full-grown 37-year-old man Justin Landry reportedly defended his credibility Friday by clarifying that he paid his parents $50 a month for his portion of their Verizon phone plan. “No, no, no—it would be crazy if I let them pay it in full,” said Landry, explaining that despite using a phone his parents helped him buy at the age of 35, he had always Venmoed them immediately at the beginning of every billing cycle. “I wanted to quit and get my own plan, actually, but that would be too much of a hassle for my parents at this point. Plus, it’s a family plan, so it’s cheaper for all of us. Really I’m doing them a favor this way.” At press time, Landry was reportedly sending his mom an extra $10 after receiving a text from her informing him that he had gone over his data limit again.
As the use of AI increases, data centers are popping up across the country. The Onion shares everything you need to know about the controversial facilities.
Q: What do data centers need to run?
A: Water, electricity, air conditioning, and other resources typically wasted on schools and hospitals.
Q: Do data centers use a lot of water?
A: What are you, a fish? Don’t worry about it.
Q: How are data centers regulated?
A: Next month, Congress will hear about data centers for the very first time.
Q: Do I need to worry about one coming to my town?
A: Only if your town is built on land.
Q: How long does it take to build a new data center?
A: Approximately one closed-door city council vote.
Q: What’s Wi-Fi?
A: Not right now, big guy.
Q: What will most data centers house in the future?
OpenAI has launched a new AI-powered web browser for macOS called ChatGPT Atlas, featuring split-screen chat companion and an agent mode to complete tasks. What do you think?
“I’d rather have AI insidiously take over my existing browser.”
Joel Nyberg, Corporate Clairvoyant
“I could definitely use an AI assistant to help me use ChatGPT.com.”
1. Clients apologize to my boss for snapping at me
I am a receptionist/admin in a two-person office. I understand fully that it is my job to be the front line dealing with clients both in person and on the phone. However, I’m baffled by this thing that has happened several times in the three years I’ve been in this job, and happened again last week most egregiously.
A client will snap at me over a policy I cannot change/have zero control over. They will storm out in a huff. Then later, they will call, I’ll answer the phone, they’ll ask to speak to my boss (Jane), and then once I transfer the call, they apologize to her for their outburst (which was directed at me, the person they just bypassed on the phone without a word).
Last week, the client was full-on screaming at me, to the point I asked him to please leave. He called back a couple of hours later, chipper as could be, and apologized to Jane.
I’ve thought about what I would like to happen. I know there’s no changing the behavior of the client; I don’t expect that. I used to wish Jane would say, “Oh, you actually were just on the line with Jill, let me transfer you back to her so you can apologize to her!” Now after all these times, I would just like Jane to acknowledge it’s weird. She will not. Every time it happens and I remark on it, she just laughs and says people used to yell at her when she had my job. But the yelling isn’t the point! It’s the apology to her for what was said to me. Why can’t she just agree it’s weird? Am I wrong about it? I told her last week it made me feel like the client doesn’t see me as human in some way. Again, she just said people used to yell at her too.
I mostly like my job and I like my boss other than this. Am I just being dramatic, which is how she makes me feel when she dismisses this when it happens?
You’re not being overly dramatic; what you describe is obnoxious behavior — both the initial rudeness and the apology to someone other than you. When a client skips over you to give their apology to Jane instead, it’s a signal that they don’t want to jeopardize their relationship with her and don’t really care about you, the person they actually mistreated.
And there are some bosses who would say, “Let me transfer you back to her so you can apologize” … but a lot wouldn’t, because with client management, the priority is usually to just keep the relationship as smooth as possible and not make the client feel awkward — because at the end of the day, the business (usually) cares most about preserving that relationship, because that’s what pays their bills. There are exceptions to this! But the way Jane is handling it is pretty common. Ideally she’d at least agree with you that it’s weird, but I suspect she’s seeing the whole thing as less personal and more transactional (and maybe wasn’t that bothered when she was the one being yelled at; people care about that to different degrees).
2. Can I make my manager deliver his own bad news?
About six months ago, a new head of the department was hired and, overall, I like Perry. But there are also some challenges. For various reasons, I cannot leave the company at this time and need to work within this structure.
I have an employee, Jimmy, who has worked hard to build his skills and, after a decade, is a trusted lead of our photography program. Prior to Perry being hired, Jimmy and I had worked over a few years to set him up for a “lead manager of photography” role. Titles have been important at our company and the “lead manager” title in particular opens up additional opportunities here.
When Perry started, he had a different approach to titles and wanted to thin out the management ladder, reducing the ability of anyone to take on the lead manager title. He required instead that Jimmy move to a “team lead” title, though allowing the same planned pay increase (this worked because of wide salary bands). Because of all of the work we had put into getting him to this level, Jimmy was really disappointed when I had to tell him. However, I worked on a plan with him to continue to build the role and take on additional responsibilities to keep working in that direction. One piece of that plan was hiring an additional photographer onto his team so that Jimmy can continue to focus on higher level team strategy.
Recently, Perry told me he has found a photographer he thinks we should hire into that role (and made it clear that Jimmy and I won’t have much option to say no). However, because of the photographer’s extensive experience (even more than I have), he said they would need to report to me instead of to Jimmy. I oversee all visual arts for the company and don’t manage the day to day projects of the photographers — that’s Jimmy’s role. So the new person would report to me, but take all of their day-to-day instruction and input from Jimmy, who would have responsibility but no authority. None of the other teams I oversee function in this setup.
When I raised some resistance, Perry said that Jimmy would just need to deal because it would be good for the company. I haven’t told Jimmy this yet, but know I need to before we get to the interview stage. It’s going to devastate him. Every time he gets close to taking a step forward, Perry seems to push him back (though in my conversations with Perry, he likes Jimmy well enough and values his skills and never seems to have any major concerns when I ask). I wouldn’t be surprised if Jimmy starts looking around for a new job as a result of this, feeling like the new leadership has some sort of problem with him that they won’t name. Losing him would be a significant setback for my team and the company. I’m doubtful it’s really better for the company to get this experienced photographer if it means we lose a critical lead.
Can I tell Perry that he’ll need to relay this update to Jimmy personally? There have been a few other smaller things like this with my other teams. I’m so tired of bearing bad news that, frankly, I don’t agree with and that I know is going to demoralize one of my strongest employees.
You can ask Perry to deliver the news with you, but as Jimmy’s manager you shouldn’t insist on sitting it out entirely. Part of the job of management is helping to present and contextualize decisions from above you — and Jimmy deserves to have you there as part of the conversation, too. Trying to opt out risks undermining you with both of them.
Maybe more importantly, though, you should first talk to Perry and lay out your concerns: that Jimmy has been working toward this role for years, you and he have been jointly planning for it and openly discussing it, the effect on his morale is likely to be significant, and you’re concerned you won’t be able to retain him for long as a result. Explain as clearly as you can what that would mean for your team and why you’re convinced it would hinder your work. And if you genuinely believe keeping Jimmy is more important than bringing in an experienced photographer, explain why (tying it as clearly as you can to work impacts, not to fairness).
Also, though, beyond the current situation it sounds like you and Perry need to get more aligned on staffing plans. You don’t want to be making plans based on one staffing/promotion philosophy and then finding out after the fact that Perry sees it differently. (In this case, he came in after things were already in motion — but going forward it’s important to make sure you and he are on the same page as you’re talking to employees about potential career plans.)
Last week I saw a flyer for a local vineyard looking for “healthy, strong volunteers” to come assist with harvesting for fun! I was horrified and thought of the news story of Chick-fil-A being cited for asking volunteers to work the drive-through.
Some light googling turned up that vineyards looking for volunteers is enough of a thing that there are tourism articles listing places to do it.
Could you help me understand: Is vineyard volunteering different or just under-enforced? And what makes volunteering via an internship different under FLSA?
Vineyard volunteering is generally illegal; for-profit businesses cannot legally use volunteer labor and have to comply with minimum wage laws. But it’s still pretty common, just like volunteering at yoga studios (which is also generally illegal).
In theory a vineyard could legally offer an unpaid internship, but to be legal it would need to meet the federal criteria for unpaid internships — the gist of which is that if it’s at a for-profit business (as opposed to a nonprofit), the intern needs to be the primary beneficiary of the arrangement, not the employer. The law looks at things like whether the internship provides significant educational benefits similar to what would be provided in an educational environment, whether they’re doing work that displaces paid employees, and “the extent to which the internship is tied to the intern’s formal education program by integrated coursework or the receipt of academic credit.”
4. Applying for a job when you know the hiring manager
I work in a small field where everybody knows each other. I’m applying for jobs and wondering how to handle it when I know the hiring manager. My uncle is my go-to person for professional advice, and he suggested that I reach out to the hiring manager after submitting my application to flag for them that I applied. Is that also what you would recommend?
And do you recommend that even when applying for a job at a very small organization, where the hiring manager is almost certainly the person reviewing applications?
Yep, if you know the hiring manager, you should apply and then email them to let them know you applied (and attach a copy of your resume and cover letter so they have it right there in front of them). The wording can be straightforward: “I wanted to let you know I applied for the X position on your team and would love to talk if you think it might be a good match.”
And yes, no change if it’s a small organization. If you know the hiring manager, you message them directly that you applied.
WASHINGTON D.C. – US President Donald Trump’s planned White House ballroom, requiring the complete demolition of the historic East Wing, is being criticized by Canadians who will now never get to torch building for a second time since the War of 1812. “With the way US/Canadian trade negotiations are going, it’s inevitable that we’re going […]
President Trump’s decision to demolish the White House’s East Wing for a $300 million ballroom has provoked public outrage and preservationist demands for a pause, with the formal review processes unable to occur during the government shutdown. What do you think?
“It’s none of our business what people build on their own public property.”
Dora Bibbs, Unemployed
“They could’ve waited until our tour was over.”
Rodney Wendorf, Seminar Booker
“I got a ton of guff from my HOA when I built my $250 million ballroom too.”
LONDON, ON – Self-professed “god-fearing Christian” and registered Conservative voter Graham Cortland has recently expressed an openness to being afraid of numerous other aspects of everyday life. “I was raised in the Protestant faith to have a healthy fear of the Lord our God,” explains Cortland, 52, “and that dogmatic terror of eternal damnation has […]
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