#Paperless Office

[thewanderingfeetandmind]

The Clean Desk Chronicles: My Road to a Completely Paperless Office

Back in 2015, my old boss casually introduced a simplified policy inspired by the 5S methodology to our division. He called it the “Clean Desk Policy,” and it was more of a suggestion than a rule. As his assistant, I spearheaded it. The gist? Keep your workspace tidy and avoid printouts.Over time, I really started to vibe with the idea of a paperless workspace. The whole concept of not having…

[nte-backlinks1]

Cutting Costs: How a Digital Document Management System (DMS) Reduces Operating Expenses

Introduction

In today's fast-paced business environment, organizations are continually seeking ways to improve efficiency, streamline operations, and reduce costs. One impactful solution that has gained prominence is the adoption of Digital Document Management Systems (DMS). This article explores how leveraging a DMS can lead to significant reductions in operating expenses while enhancing overall productivity.

Understanding Digital Document Management Systems (DMS)

Definition of DMS: A Digital Document Management System is a software solution that enables organizations to digitize, store, organize, and manage documents electronically, eliminating the need for physical paperwork.

Importance in Cost Reduction: DMS plays a vital role in cost reduction by minimizing paper usage, reducing manual tasks, and improving accessibility to information.

Key Components of a DMS

Automation: DMS automates document workflows, reducing the time and effort required for tasks such as document routing, approval processes, and notifications.

Centralized Storage: By storing documents digitally in a centralized repository, DMS eliminates the costs associated with physical storage, such as filing cabinets and off-site storage facilities.

Document Retrieval: Quick and efficient document retrieval within a DMS saves employee time, leading to increased productivity and reduced labor costs.

Cost-Saving Benefits

Paperless Operations: Transitioning to paperless operations with a DMS reduces expenses related to paper, printing, storage, and document distribution.

Reduced Administrative Burden: Automated workflows and streamlined processes reduce the need for manual intervention, minimizing administrative costs.

Improved Compliance: DMS helps organizations stay compliant with regulations and standards, avoiding costly penalties and legal issues.

Case Studies: Real Cost Savings

Explore case studies of organizations that have successfully implemented DMS solutions and achieved significant cost reductions across various departments.

Best Practices for Cost Optimization

Customization: Tailoring DMS features to specific business needs ensures optimal utilization and cost-effectiveness.

Training and Adoption: Providing comprehensive training and fostering user adoption ensures maximum ROI from DMS investments.

Security Considerations

Addressing security concerns such as data encryption, access controls, and regular audits ensures protection against data breaches and associated financial losses.

Conclusion

In conclusion, a Digital Document Management System (DMS) is a powerful tool for reducing operating costs in modern businesses. By automating workflows, centralizing document storage, and promoting paperless operations, organizations can achieve substantial cost savings while improving efficiency and compliance.

<a href="https://www.nte.ai/Blog/productivity/cutting-costs-how-a-digital-document-management-system-dms-reduces-operating-expenses/?utm_source=backlink&utm_medium=directory+submission&utm_campaign=organic ">Visit nte.ai</a> 

[hellenhighwater]

hey so how come lawyers like so much PAPER?

sincerely, the person in the copy center who has to print all these goddamn binders

Man, it is the worst. I grew up file clerking for my dad and it was so terrible that I decided I would never be a lawyer. SO much paperwork. Ugh. Horrible.

But also, if you're in trial, you want all of the information in the entire case at your fingertips, and you want to know exactly where every piece of info is--which means that you have it hard copy, because a laptop can glitch or lag or crash but paper abides.

Also, in a lot of circumstances, you need a physical item in order to admit something as evidence, because the court physically marks it with a sticker label. So you print photos, documents...even for video files, you have it on a disc or USB that the court can put its little evidence sticker on. And then, depending on the type of trial, all that evidence may go with a jury into a jury room to look over, and you don't really want to give them a wholeass laptop, because that's just asking for improper non-evidence information to be considered.

And if you're feeling like a jackass when complying with discovery demands, you can give the requested information on physical paper and that's fulfilling the demand (unless it was specifically for digital format) but it's not searchable in the way that a PDF would be--you can't control+F for the info you want, you have to read through reams of paper. Which you should do, for thoroughness, but...it's time consuming. So you can play petty little games and give people hardcopy to make their lives marginally more difficult.

Ultimately though, lawyers just really love deforestation. Fuck them trees.

[lordsireno]

Here I am, enjoying the rhythm of the printer, only for it to click that it's been going for so long they've practically printed a while ream of paper.

[alexis-hrt]

Finally got the courage to continue writing my thesis, also made myself a black milk tea

[alwajeeztech]

Documents Library in ALZERP Cloud ERP Software

Key Features of the Documents Library

Automatic Document Uploads: Documents from various ERP modules, such as sales, purchase, vouchers, and employee transactions, are automatically added to the library.

Document Conversion: Image files are automatically converted to PDF format for universal compatibility.

Advanced Search: Easily find documents by date, number, type, or other criteria.

Multiple File Actions: Download single files or merge multiple PDFs for streamlined access.

Document Organization: Categorize documents into folders for better organization and retrieval.

Document Security: Ensure secure storage and access control for sensitive documents.

[mconsent]

Tips and Tricks for a Paperless Dental Office | mConsent

Is a heavy workload placing your staff on edge? Or are you facing a staff shortage that makes it a nuisance to manage your daily demands and retain patients?

The good news is that 6 effective solutions are at your disposal to provide a fast, automated front desk hand to complete operations for you, and keep both patients and staff satisfied.

Let's get to it…

6 Innovative Paperless Dental Office Solutions

Get yourself ready to take a tour of the paperless dental office you’ve always dreamed of. That dream can become a reality just as it has for thousands of dental practices nationwide. Let's dive into the most highly recognized paperless tools utilized by dental offices, that have completely won over patients and staff.

1. Paperless Forms

Dentists and office managers have discovered a secret to saving 35% of documentation time. Paperless intake forms have become the magic wand to secure reliable automation of paperwork, and seamless integration into practice management software. It eliminates printing, manual data entry errors, scanning, lost files, shredding, and the list goes on.

Paperless forms are far more convenient for patients, empowering them with self-service options to complete forms online from anywhere, at any time before the visit, or alternatively in the office on an iPad app.

2. Automated Appointment Reminders

Automated appointment reminders serve as an ultimate stress reliever for office managers, and provide ease and convenience for patients. They enable your staff to finally say goodbye to needing multiple hands for managing phone calls, on top of all the paperwork, and other daily tasks.

With auto appointment reminders via SMS/email, patients no longer need that phone call reminder from your office - they can reply to the SMS/email with a confirmation, or reschedule/cancel. It’s a huge hands-off relief for staff, affording them more time for better patient care.

3. Online Appointment Scheduling

Did you know that 20% of new patient phone calls are missed? Wouldn’t it be to your benefit to catch all those new patient opportunities? Online appointment scheduling is the perfect solution, giving patients more self-serve options to take control of booking their own appointment online without the need for a single phone call to the office.

With 24/7 access to scheduled visits from any device, you’ll discover more patients filling up your schedule than ever before. Additionally, your front office can finally ditch manual appointment books. Online scheduling accommodates the needs of patients better and releases your front office from having to manage a vast number of phone calls every day.

4. 2-Way SMS

Are endless phone calls really the best use of staff time? What if there was a faster, more convenient route for managing patient inquiries, and transmitting important information? There is, and it’s been discovered to be 10X more effective than phone calls or emails. It’s via 2-Way SMS real-time communication.

2-way texting allows providers to send notifications, attachments, appointment reminders, and billing links, in addition to countless other uses.

Giving patients the convenience to use their preferred route of communication via texting is smart thinking. Phone calls from the office have become a thing of the past. Texting gives patients the quick connection they’re looking for.

5. Fast Insurance Verification

Automated insurance verification has become a hot feature among dental practices. A major reason is that it provides instant eligibility reports, saving your front office hours every day. If you’re looking to be a favorite in the eyes of your patients, automated insurance verification is definitely your go-to.

From the front office perspective, traditional ways of verifying eligibility create stress and divert valuable time away from patient care. Automated insurance verification, on the other hand, reduces 30% of front desk time, serving as a huge time-saver.

Additionally, it prevents errors before they even begin, drastically reducing claim denials and delays. Patients love how fast and accurate automated insurance verification is. It cuts down 40% of their waiting room time and boosts satisfaction 4X.

6. Fast Payments

What if you could finally put an end to late payments? How sweet that’d be, and the awesome fact is that it’s already been tried and tested by dental offices nationwide.

Digital accounts receivable optimize payments while diminishing the need for manual processes. It helps get payments 20X faster than usual by giving patients the hassle-free convenience they’re looking for in digital payment options.

For dental practices, being able to text/email payment links helps to avoid late or missing payments. Digital accounts receivable also keep you on track of payment status and balances, without stress. Integration with major practice management systems like Open Dental, Dentrix, and Eaglesoft streamline the process making it 100X more efficient than manual processes.

Conclusion

If you’re wanting to give your front office healthy practices and improve the flow of operations, becoming a paperless dental office is your most promising solution. From shaving down 35% of documentation time with paperless intake forms to room time and cutting 40% of waiting with automated insurance verification, digital innovations are the new trend for revolutionizing the dental industry.

mConsent’s paperless solutions suite has successfully transformed 5000+ practices and can take yours to the next level as well.

[newsglobmedia]

Paperless Office System Market Opportunities 2022-2029

Paperless Office System Market Opportunities 2022-2029

Market Overview |Paperless Office System Market  Data Library Research newly added a research report on the Paperless Office System Market, which represents a study for the period from 2022 to 2029. The research study provides a near look at the market scenario and dynamics impacting its growth. This report highlights the crucial developments along with other events happening in the market which…

[ironskyfinder]

Taking Dictation

The ad was simple, running in such a nondescript fashion that she almost missed it, down at the bottom of the screen - plain black text on a gray background, so bland it was almost painful.

Help Wanted: Skilled Secretary. Seeking an experienced secretary proficient in dictation and transcription. Must adhere to a strict dress code based on long-term function; excellent communication skills required. Submit a resume online or text ‘SUBMIT’ to 67678.

She thought about it for a moment. 

Everyone at Hamilton & Greene was amazing - except, of course, for Ms Hamilton and Mr Greene - and she liked the fact that it was a short ten minute drive from her apartment. 

But….

The pay was terrible, the transition to the new ‘paperless’ system was a nightmare, and Eric still stunk so bad it was hard to go past his cubicle, even after Linda had a private conference with him. Everyone was overstressed and overworked, and with the lease coming due in two months there’d still been no word on whether they were moving offices, again.

Maybe it was time for a change, or at least time to scare everyone into thinking they’d have to go without her. She glanced back, but the ad and the link were gone - so, she picked up her phone, and texted 

“Submit”

to 67678, just like the ad said, and in seconds a reply popped up - a link, and she tapped it.

The page was similarly subdued, but it had all the information she wanted. The posting was as thorough and painstakingly specific as the job was straightforward - a freelance IT professional and technical writer needed a secretary that could help him run both his businesses. The only item that wasn’t extensively clarified was the dress code, but if it meant she’d be expected to be professional in front of clients, she wasn’t worried. 

She opened her resume, and skimmed it to make sure that it was current before she uploaded it; the next page simply read, “Thank you for your application”, and she stared at the phone for a moment in disbelief that it’d been that easy. 

By Tuesday, she'd forgotten about it, not least because of the fight that Mr Greene and Ms Hamilton were in over the Friemann case, and hearing that it meant bonuses were delayed had her trying not to cry in her car on her lunch break

The phone dinged - a text, from 67678, letting her know that her resume had been accepted.

And, seconds later, a text from a number she didn’t recognize. For an interview: 10AM or 11AM Thursday, or 10AM Friday?

She took a deep breath and steadied her hands. 10 on Friday would be perfect! she texted back, and got ready to head back into the office. 

The interview, and everything leading up to it, was a blur in her mind.

She had taken Friday off, calling in sick late the night before, and had spent a good hour longer than usual getting ready so that she looked sharp for her interview. 

It was at his residence, about a half hour’s drive away; she was on her way with plenty of time, and as much as she’d hate the commute, it was a nice upscale neighborhood, and on the map it looked like it was next to a park that she could walk to on breaks. 

When she arrived, though, all she could focus on was him. She didn’t remember walking in, taking off her jacket, or even what his name was - she was lost in those eyes, and in the sound of his voice. 

He was busy, he explained, too busy to keep up without assistance. He was employed and was about to be over-employed twice over, and there was just no time - his hands were too full. His previous assistant had gotten pregnant, and was looking for a change. She had all the right qualifications to replace her, and to perform even better in her role; she was an expert in taking dictation.

The pay he was offering was almost double what she was making - and, she would be free to use one of the bedroom suites downstairs, whenever she wanted - and she was so excited that she almost forgot to ask about the uniform requirement. 

Almost. 

She’d asked, and he’d chuckled, and she felt herself get wet. He’d said something - she couldn’t remember exactly what - and she’d flushed further. She’d followed him downstairs to one of the bedrooms - to her bedroom - and showed her the corset and stockings that were carefully laid out. 

The mix of arousal and astonishment and disbelief must’ve shown on her face. She didn’t have time to protest or ask questions before he was talking again, and she couldn’t help but melt into his voice. 

He wasn’t just a technical writer, he explained. He also wrote erotica, very successfully, and it was crucial to his process to have inspiration on hand, and reference material available. He was sure that she’d be a perfect fit for her role, all she needed to do was embrace it…

Six weeks in, and she was adapting extremely well to her role.

She rolled lazily out of bed - out of his bed - and quietly made her way downstairs to her room, where she stripped out of yesterday’s uniform and got ready for a quick shower. After last week’s shopping trip, she had everything here that she needed. 

That was another reason she hadn’t been to her apartment since last month. Drying her hair, she emerged from her on-suite bathroom in a cloud of steam and immediately set to getting ready.  

By the time he was coming downstairs to the office, she was dressed - in black today, the set she’d decided she liked the most - she was already there, their coffees in hand, ready to start the day. 

Today he had meetings all through the morning - so she sat at her desk and started working through the notes from the previous day. He was midway through a support call when he hit a button and his desk raised up so he could stand. As soon as he was comfortably standing, she knelt on the cushion in front of him and unzipped his fly, pulling out his cock.

She loved his cock. She got lost in his eyes, and his voice made her melt, but after the first time she saw his cock - on her fifth day, the first time he’d fingered her for reference, while dictating to her. She’d been dizzy, between the sensations of him ruthlessly stimulating her g-spot and  trying to keep up with the rapid pace of his words, and didn’t notice he was jacking off until he grunted softly.

She’d looked back, then - into his eyes, first, those hypnotic pools of gray, and only when he glanced down had her haze followed and - it was perfect, long, thick, throbbing, a drop of precum dripping from the tip as he gently stroked it. She’d begged him to fuck her, that later that afternoon, and that was the first night she’d spent at the office, working late. 

 And the best part - or the worst part, or the hardest part - was that he did expect her to work, despite it all. The uniform, she found, not only kept her on display and accessible, but she felt sexier in it, and even the heels were comfortable too, somehow - but it didn’t make it any easier to be bent over his desk, cockwarming him while he rattled off erotica to her to transcribe. She had to make sure his notes and files got organized, even if she was asked to bounce on a dildo for reference. She had to balance his schedules and make sure his emails were dealt with, even if she chose to spend the morning on her knees trying to distract him while he was on a call. 

Four months in, and she was starting to put a few things together. 

Sir kept assigning her more hypnosis to review, and no matter how good it felt to spend hours on his desk, fulfilling her role, she was only barely keeping up with the notes, and the scheduling, and taking his dick-tation - she giggled, now, whenever she thought of it like that - was even more intense now that he’d started writing a lot of breeding stories. 

She also barely ever slept in her own bed anymore. He liked having her close - for inspiration, he said - but he also liked picking a hole to use to satisfy himself in the middle of the night, and filling her up with another load.

She wasn’t complaining, of course - she would do it even if she wasn’t getting paid - but her birth control pills had vanished from the cabinet, and she couldn’t help but notice that over the next few months the scheduled titles were starting to shift from breeding into pregnancy stories.

A year into her employment and six months into her pregnancy, deskpet was starting to worry. 

She was falling behind now, everything was taking more and more time. The hypnos had made deskpet much, much happier, and now she barely had thoughts at all besides the ones that Sir put in her brain for her to use - but it meant that typing was harder, and now when she was cockwarming or taking dick-tation - she giggled - all she wanted to do was go blank and fulfill her role of serving his cock. 

But he worked so hard, and he deserved help - more help than she could give. 

She thought about it for a while, and set about posting an ad. 

‘Help Wanted: Skilled Secretary’ the ad began….

[pratchettquotes]

"You know I've always wanted a paperless office--"

"Yes, Archchancellor, that's why you hide it all in cupboards and throw it out of the window at night."

"Clean desk, clean mind," said the Archchancellor.

Terry Pratchett, The Truth

[sirfrogsworth]

Froggie's (Almost) Very Productive Day

I try to fit as many out-and-about chores as possible into a single day so I only have one set of post-exertional malaise consequences instead of consequences after each day of doing a thing. So any time I decide to drive, I try to find several tasks to accomplish all at once.

My first stop was the Family Services Division in the hopes of getting some help with grocery bills. I am making ends meet, but it seems to be getting harder each month. And maybe I could have skipped my trip to Florida and saved that money, but if I don't do something drastic for my mental health, I fear this first holiday season without a parent could send me into the darkness.

I needed to do an interview to finish applying for SNAP. I wanted to do a phone interview, but the next appointment was in January. So I went to social services where they allow walk-in appointments. I waited in a tiny plastic chair for several hours until they called my name. She yelled out "Benjamin" because when most people see "Grelle" they aren't really sure how to say it. (Rhymes with belly.)

She started my interview and it was going swimmingly at first. But then she started asking questions about the house and my inheritance and my trust. I had no idea what to tell her. It feels like a mistake now, but I have had pretty much no involvement in that process. I have no idea how it works. And I started to panic because she was acting like I was committing fraud or something by not mentioning the trust. But the entire point of the trust was to protect my benefits. Nothing is mine. I own nothing. I have no access. But I had no idea how to explain that.

Maybe my lawyer can help me apply, but I did not want them investigating everything and screwing things up before we even have the estate through probate. We specifically hired a lawyer and went through this convoluted process to make sure everything was on the up and up. But she really made me feel like I was doing something wrong. And that made me panic, which probably made me look even more guilty of something. So I just canceled everything and left.

After a few hours in a crowded government office, I decided to head to a different crowded government office.

I know I didn't need it until 2025, but I decided to go ahead and get my Real ID thingie before my first flight. I was kind of hoping they'd retake my picture because my current driver's license is... well...

And I'm so glad they took my big terrible picture and made it into a smaller, more terrible picture.

People complain about the DMV, but the one near me runs like a machine. It was filled with people and I still only had a 10 minute wait time.

I'm starting to wonder if all of those 80s comedians who were all, "What's the deal with the DMV?" were exaggerating.

Good stuff, Jerry.

I head up to the counter and ask for a Real ID. She asks for two pieces of mail and my birth certificate.

And this disappointed me a little bit.

I did my research. I went to the Real ID website and used their interactive guide to figure out exactly which documents I would need. They gave me this entire checklist and I printed it out and went through all my records and mail trying to find everything.

I had to wait a week for my internet bill to come because it's the only thing I forgot to change to paperless. This took a lot of effort and I was ready to be validated for being so prepared.

And she asks for two pieces of mail.

Any mail.

So I was off to get new tires.

Driving around on 8 year old bald tires was giving me anxiety. I didn't have the money for new tires, but I remember the guy saying they had financing. Recently several of my past debts went past the statute of limitations, and so my credit score lifted itself out of the pits of "poor" and into the realm of "fair." So I decided to take a chance and apply for a Discount Tire credit card. It's a 6 month payment plan with no interest, so that didn't feel as predatory as all the credit card offers I get in the mail with 8000% interest.

We started going through the approval process and I was answering all of the questions and then I saw the name of the bank offering the credit. It was the same bank that tried to sue me and also the bank that can longer collect due to the statute. I was worried they put me on some sort of list and would deny me. But, to my surprise, they approved me instantly. And wouldn't you know it, they gave me almost exactly the amount needed for a new set of tires.

I'm hoping we'll be doing another auction of the house stuff soon, so I plan to pay off the card and then cancel it, but this was the only solution I could come up with to drive safely until then.

I was having a weird day where photos of crusty rich wide dudes followed me everywhere I went. Here is my good ol' boy governor at the entrance to social services.

And at the tire place, I noticed this fella...

Why does every rich CEO think they are a font of wisdom capable of creating compelling quotes?

Does he think no one has ever said "work hard" and "have fun"? And after he said this was he like...

"That's gold, put that in *every* store."

"Oh, and use that picture of me where it looks like a handsome gal just grabbed my undercarriage."

He probably thinks, "Well, no one has put these specific generic platitudes together into a single mega-platitude. I am a genius."

"Be honest, work hard, have fun, be grateful, pay it forward" sounds like he had a bunch of motivational posters on his wall and started reading them all at once.

Like, every line could have a picture of an eagle above it.

In any case, the guy at the tire store, Dakota, was really nice. He made the experience very low anxiety. And he really liked my Thor's Hammer keychain with built in fidget spinner.

He went around showing it to all his coworkers. "Look, it even spins!" And they were like, "Dude, where did you get that??" And I was like, "Amazon." Now I'm just imagining 10 dudes at a tire store all fidgeting their hammers.

As nice as he was, Dakota was still a salesman and had a job to do. He gave me two tire options and tried to upsell me. The cheapest tires had a "1" rating for winter. He said they get "super hard" in the cold... I tried not to giggle. But I explained I drive about twice a month and mostly to the grocery store. If it is a bad winter day, I'll just wait or get delivery. He understood and set me up with the cheaper tires.

He then checked out my car and noticed my tire pressure sensors were dying. I keep getting a warning light on my dash. Apparently they all have tiny batteries in them that die after 7 years. And you can't just replace the batteries so you have to install brand new sensors.

And this is where my social anxiety got me into trouble.

I don't actually need these sensors. They are usually inaccurate. I prefer to test my tires with an actual gauge. But I got so caught up in his sales pitch that I agreed to replace them... at $60 each. For that I could have gotten the fancier tires. I really don't care if an orange light shows up on my dash. And I looked up the price online and a pack of 4 is $30. Though that is without installation.

But still... I wasn't thinking and he was so nice that I was just like, "I want to please Dakota. Saying no might make Dakota sad." Dakota's job is selling me but that doesn't mean I have to buy anything. He would live if I had said "no thanks."

To make my blunder more blunderous, when they finished the tires he asked for my key fob. And it decided that was the time for the battery to die. And in order to reset the system for the new tire pressure sensors, you have to press two buttons on the fob for 7 seconds. Thankfully I had a spare fob at home, but if I want my fancy new $240 sensors to work, I have to return to Dakota and have him initialize them.

I really hope these are the Cadillac of sensors.

Or, like, the ones they use on Cadillacs?

They better be accurate, is what I'm saying.

I do feel safer with new tires. So I am glad I did that. And I gave them a good obligatory kick and felt the tread. They seem nice enough even if they get boners in the winter. It's crazy how bald my other tires were in comparison. Like, I can fit half my finger down into the tread on the new ones—which did not get them super hard.

The way I drive, I probably won't wear them down. They'll probably start to rot before I do.

Before I do, meaning before I wear them down.

Not before I rot.

I am not in a rotting competition with my tires.

I was then off to Sam's. I decided all of my hard work accomplishing 2 out of 3 goals deserved some sushi. So I grabbed some California Rolls and headed home. On my way out, a Hummer and a Porsche nearly collided in the parking lot. And they sort of got stuck facing each other. One of them needed to back up and they both signaled at each other like "You back up, I'm not backing up." And it was just this weird standoff between the two douchiest looking cars you could imagine.

I mean, you have to be a douche to drive a Hummer.

I still remember the mystery Hummer dialysis patient from when my dad was going 3 time per week. We could never figure out who owned the Hummer, but we knew it was not the underpaid nurses and techs. So it had to be one of the patients. And none of them seemed the type. We never solved that mystery.

That hummer started off a delightful safety yellow. (Elon would cry.)

They decided this wasn't extra enough... so they did this...

Katrina and I could never decide... are these cow spots or the world's least effective camoflauge?

There was another patient who drove this old beater...

And I loved seeing this car because we had the same one when I was a little kid. I'm afraid the aesthetics of the 1980s Caprice Classic did not stand the test of time, but it had great sentimental appeal for me.

But this maroon beast that squeaked and sputtered its way from here to there belonged to a very sweet older gentleman. Sometimes he and my dad would be dialysis buddies—sitting next to each other in the recliners. And the worst thing about dialysis was the boredom. All you have to do is watch broadcast TV with 4 channels.

All of the TVs require headphones. They give you your own set of super cheap headphones in the dialysis welcome bag. They were very uncomfortable so I ordered my dad better ones with cushioned ear cups.

His dialysis buddy noticed them and thought they looked nice. And then he revealed that his free headphones broke and he didn't know how to get new ones. He had been watching TV with no sound for weeks. So, I bought another pair with the soft ear cups and my dad gave them to his friend. And it just made me happy imagining the two of them watching The Price is Right in matching headphones.

I do have to make fun of this sweet old man a little bit. When I walked passed his car I noticed he implemented the world's most effective anti-theft device ever created.

That's right... The Club™.

If someone decides they have to have a 40 year old car with an engine that sounds like a dying hyena and a hubcap missing... they are out of luck.

But hey, you gotta protect what is important to you. And if I needed a getaway car and my choices were between his beater and the Cow Hummer, I'd take his ride for sure.

Well, I'd try... and then get arrested because The Club™ is undefeatable.

Do NOT look that up on YouTube. It's 100% true. (And the Lock Picking Lawyer doesn't count due to him being able to break into Fort Knox with a paperclip and then doing it again to make sure it isn't a fluke.)

The dialysis center is in the same complex as my local Tolerable Schnucks and I still see that maroon boat of a car every once in a while. I always smile whenever it is there because it lets me know he is hanging in there and hopefully still has sound for his TV.

Wow, I went off on a mega-tangent.

I didn't even finish talking about my day. Where was I? Oh, the douche standoff finally ended. The Porsche Douche capitulated and backed up. Probably due to the fact the Hummer Douche has 0 visibility behind him.

When I got home I started devouring my sushi. I finally heard back from my lawyer. He submitted the last of the evidence for my appeal. And I was finally able to confirm he got the records of my ECT treatments from 20 years ago. I worked so hard to get those. At first, they forgot to send all records before 2011. I had to call back and figure that out. They shipped them and they didn't arrive until a week before we had to file. Everything was so last minute and my anxiety has been... palpable. It felt like when I did my science fair project on Sunday night.

He's hoping to get a decision at the beginning of next year. He warned me that these appeals are usually rejected. And that the most effective method of approval was a hearing in front of an administrative law judge. But that could be delayed by up to a year. So I might need to figure out how to survive until 2025. As long as my brother does what he is legally required to do, I should be okay. But counting on that also gives me palpable anxiety.

And that was my day.

Every time I go out is always an adventure.

But remember...

BE NICE. EAT YOUR VEGGIES. PET CUTE DOGS. DREAM BIG. KEEP YOUR TIRES WARM... FOR REASONS. 5 LIFE LESSONS -Froggie, Mildly Famous Internet Person

[hellenhighwater]

I am once again experiencing tech problems at work, so I'm just.....sitting at my desk and waiting for IT to show up, wishing I had the admin access to solve the problem myself.

The problem with being a "paperless" office is that one tech malfunction completely stops my ability to get anything done.

Time for coffee, I guess.

[humansofnewyork]

“I worked as a legal assistant for 50 years. And I’ve always been lucky to work for honest, kind, brilliant attorneys. All that paperwork might seem boring to other people. But I never even took lunch, that’s how much I loved it. I loved the law. It’s very precise. My work needed to be exactly right. And there was a lot of pride there. But something seems to have changed in the culture. So many of my coworkers would rush out the door at 5 o’clock. With important, unfinished things on their desk. In law you have to get things out quickly, but it’s like they just didn’t care. Maybe it’s a generational thing. I’m older, I’m 77. So maybe there’s something I don’t get. ‘Quiet quitting,’ and all of that, I just don’t understand it. If it’s just a paycheck to you, if you’re getting by on the minimum, and not trying to be perfect, or God forbid, if you're screwing it up on purpose,  why are you even going to work? Save your pennies and quit. Find something else you can take pride in. If you’re spending eight hours a day on something you don’t take pride in, it seems to me that somewhere, deep down inside, you’re a phony. Maybe not a phony. But you’re deluding yourself. It’s going to spill over into the rest of your life. And there’s not enough money for me. Well, $20,000 a week maybe. But otherwise there’s not enough money for me to not take pride in my work. I couldn’t do it. I know that sounds ridiculous, but I can’t. You know how people text, and there’s like spelling mistakes and grammar mistakes and everything? Not me. I’ll reread everything. I’ll go back and fix it, I’ll put in the comma. That’s who I am. You either have it or you don’t, and less people have it now. I think it was the digital revolution. When I first started working there were typewriters. If you made a mistake, you had to redo it. You had to be careful, you had to get it right, until the computer came along. I remember my boss was so excited about the computer age. He said: ‘It’s going to be great! We’re going to have a paperless office!’ I knew better. I told him: ‘There’s going to be a lot more paper, actually.’ Because you can reprint everything. And nobody’s going to care anymore.’”

[probablyasocialecologist]

We are in an unsustainable and potentially disastrous situation with many dimensions of the environmental crisis. And material flows, the sheer amount of stuff extracted, processed, transported, used and discarded simply is the key driver for a variety of central forms of environmental impact. Because the current situation is unsustainable, the sustainable way is down - towards material degrowth. Here the analogy with climate emissions breaks down: there is no evidence of economy-wide absolute resource decoupling. Economic growth all over the world is still strongly coupled with growing material consumption. Modern life has not ‘dematerialised’ with the promise of paperless offices, with internet and with the growing service economy. What’s more, ‘externalisation’ of resource use is still a fact of life. It is not analogous with the case of climate emissions. This makes sense: importing fruit and coffee from water-scarcity areas still uses up water; stuff produced with cleaner energy still needs raw materials. This is why answers to the question ‘Is decoupling happening?’ can diverge radically depending on what environmental metric you are using and in which part of the world you are. And there is still the other question: ‘Is it happening fast enough?’ If not, the question arises whether it could happen faster without the growth imperative.

[...]

A crucial ancillary question is, does the world need to see economic growth for everyone, everywhere, all the time? This is actually an issue pointed out repeatedly by degrowther figures like Parrique and Hickel. We live in a world of deep systemic inequality within regions and between regions, with overconsumption and underconsumption, with humongous carbon and material footprints for some, and specific problems related to poverty and insecurity for some. The latter people surely need economic growth, and material and energetic growth. But the future will be bleak, if bettering the lot of billions requires overconsumption by the affluent minority. This perhaps is the great lure of the idea of decoupling: it promises that everything can change without anything really changing. We are already on our way to a better world, so any kind of systemic change is not needed. All boats are raised, wealth trickles down, and so on.

7 May 2024