To ask if you're planning for a proper downward spiral of quality of life

[Fragmentedbrain]

I anticipate it and I'm saving up but that will be ofc no use if the financial system collapses

Should probably do something else

If you don't mind me saying, your attitude to AI is a positive one, in that you are using it as a tool, not handing your entire life and brain power over to 'the machine'. I had concerns about skills-fade, but noe I make sure I think about the prompts I give and read through its outputs and question it every step of the way. That's the power of the tool, it becomes more like a research assistant, saving critical time blocks that give us the head space to do useful things with its outputs.

I have a professional qualification that I need to submit in a short timeline. I'm not using AI to write my submission, that would be counter productive and not a great achievement. I'm getting it to compile a few options that I spend time crafting into the format and wording that will get me the best outcome. It has saved me weeks of laboriously sitting at a computer for hours on end starting everything from scratch. A game changer!

fwiw I currently don't find Co-Pilot as good as ChatGPT. What I'm also very heartened by is that ChatGPT has stated in its Ts&Cs that it puts guide-rails around anything that constitutes abusive or inappropriate use and I presume would take steps to ban the user. Not sure how that works in practice (maybe using some sort of blocking protocol) but it shows intent to have governance of the models, which I believe is positive.

I really hope you are right. I have a civil service pension. But the Trump era should teach us that nothing is sacrosanct and that things deemed impossible a couple of years ago can suddenly happen without going full Mad Max.

I’m in Slovenia. Mountain rivers. Trees. Perfect.

I’m not quite as pessimistic that ‘everything’ will collapse. Not even sure what that would look like. But I am personally trying to build up savings as I can see myself getting less and less enthusiastic about my job, and any change in career (or job loss due to AI, of course) at this stage is going to mean a significant pay cut. A buffer of savings should help with the transition.

Edit: I’m also gradually trying to reduce my outgoings and live a simpler life, and to generally lower my expectations. But I don’t see that as reducing quality of life so much as reducing excess.

🤣🤣🤣

Im.not really preparing. I do have a make hay whilst the sun shines mentality, so we are enjoying things whilst we can amd earning whilst we can.

Interesting on ChatGPT. My organisation doesn't let us use that as we have to keep information within our estate, but as we have a multi cloud policy I'm just about to get access to gcp to see whether vertex can fill some of the gaps I need eg reporting dashboards. I can't code so NLP has been a game changer and I'm keen to push it to its limits so I can deliver best value and use my time better. You definitely need to apply your own knowledge as it looks great at first glance so could easily look great to someone who was new to a field. It's very bad at saying I don't know and instead making stuff up!

That's true but the previous posts that you responded to were about the boomer generation, not people born at the turn of the last century.
In response to your new point, social housing was brought in a little after the turn of the last century so many of those who become adults in the 30s or 40s were able to acquire affordable and stable housing. That has complete changed now, as I'm sure you know. This has caused mass homelessness and social problems.

Plus a century ago, rent for the poorest people was only about 10% of their income. Rent for a young person now can be 50-60% of their income or more.

To be fair, I couldn't afford either!

If ive learned anything from the Corona virus is that it's of more use to keep checked in with the news and people around you in an emergency than it is stockpiling. The government will issue guidelines if something were to happenen no doubt. Have a few days supplies to hand for sure but the government has more control over our country than we give it credit for (good and bad). It's a good thing to remember too that it's people that keep the world going round really at the end of the day, not money. If we woke up in the morning and there was only money but no people, money would fast become meaningless. But if people woke up and there was no money, I've no doubt that people would find a way to pull together and figure out another plan. So maybe working alongside the right people could be a good idea!

You make the housing picture sound positively rosy. The reality was chronic overcrowding and many homes were tied to jobs - lose your job, lose your home - at a time of zero job protection and zero tenant protection and none of the current safety nets.

Many of my parents’ (greatest) generation were driven to get out of rented as a direct experience of overcrowded, dreadful quality rented and bad landlords. For those who did escaped rented it was often to small and overcrowded homes. Several children shared beds, let alone rooms.

If your point is that social housing should never have been sold off in the way it was I’d agree with you but “affordable and stable housing” is not a phrase my parents would have recognised from their own childhood or ours having been raising a family when Rachmanism was still the norm in rented.

I am very much of the "collapse now and avoid the rush" mindset. We have a car, but have arranged our lives so that it is a luxury we can manage without. Pay off debts, live in a cheap area and pay off mortgage. Live fairly frugally, develop skills (that are enjoyable hobbies and save us money), look after our own health as much as possible. Prioritise physical media over digital (so no need for power/gadgets and also much esier to swap with friends). We have made it a mision to make local friends we can cooperate with - having the right peer group is essential - build a tribe. Life is more enjoyable this way, but it also means we are less stressed by the continuing downturns and COL issues.

I didn't realise that the % of salary was so low but that is what AI on google says, if you can believe it!

Your FF comment was spot on in the earlier post. I'm not sure many understand the impact of these declining and becoming more expensive to acquire now.

It got considerably better after Nye Bevan, William Beveridge and the housing bill.

Perhaps my grandparents and other family of the greatest generation were particularly fortunate. Certainly agree that children sharing beds and rooms was commonplace. Also agree that social housing should not have been sold off, a grave error, amongst many others.

This does sound perfect, and is not far from places I've suggested! I might do some homework, how hard is the language to learn?

I think that location is half the battle when you push on into later life. Me and the missus want to move down to Dorset. Its closer to family for both of us.

Its important to remain connected with people. The pursuit of money cannot be a factor. Live on less if you can; move in smaller circle and buy less of what you don't need.

The problem in the UK I think is this. Most people don’t know they are born- they have zero awareness of their privilege- education, police, healthcare. A legal minimum wage. Law enforcement. They have no perception of what millions of people’s lives look like; the perspective is completely skewed. It’s complete ignorance. I think the WW’s, particularly WW2 gave people a sense of right and wrong, solidarity, an understanding that life isn’t to be taken for granted. I can’t help but feel the lessons learnt from these tragedies have been quickly forgotten as we see this rise in the far right & fascism.

It's quite a modern phenomena to be an owner occupier and the UK is out of step with much of Europe.

And rental costs & protection are the same in other European countries. Oh wait, they are not.
Plus posters who talk like this invariably have an awful lot of privilege. They will be an owner occupier of course, as will their dc if they are adults. It's the peasants who should accept their lot and not hope for secure housing 🙄

I'm anticipating it and preempting it by getting out of the UK and moving somewhere with a better quality of life and lower cost of living.