Reply to: Super-commuting between Rotterdam and London

[WTFH]

Not selective. I remember we were getting on well (along with jamesbrown IIRC), and you even suggested I join the Xmas do... then all of a sudden, WTFH banned me and deleted all evidence of us getting on to support their own agenda. ...

But instead of listening to me, I was banned by WTFH instead because they care more about their agenda and hiding evidence. What can a guy do? ?♂️

You're going to get banned again. I have not "deleted all evidence", I have removed it from public view, while we investigate your claims/threats/accusations, and review your post history. You complain about lack of anonymity, then post videos to show how important you are - where it's got your real name right there on them.

Your desire to make false accusations against me, and ask for my removal as a mod, and then trying to bribe me says a lot about you.

This thread is closed.

[northernladuk]

But what we really need to calm this thread down and increase traffic to the CUK is a picture of the beautiful Salma Hayek. As I am ever helpful here is on. Enjoy.

[northernladuk]

But I judge you for the last thing you did, not the first thing. And you decided to come in here and insult me when the thread was doing just fine. You and only you have made this thread a pile of crap. I will judge you for that, all the bullying you did to me over the years on here, and all my colleagues you bullied in the banking sector who stopped using this forum, not a couple of nice messages you posted in the middle of it all because maybe something good happened to you IRL that day.

Because I was hacked of I was trying to help with the google thing and just got some santimonious claptrap from you. Might be the truth and what you think but never the less I did try.

But while I was just sat down having dinner, I realised what the real problem is here. You and the rest of the clique accuse me of various things such as humblebragging, waving my willy, thinking I'm smarter, having a big ego/head, etc. And literally all I did was state my situation and include some figures that I thought were standard figures that people here are used to and probably earn more. I personally thought all the long-timers on here were on crazy rates like £1200/day or more. Then GregRickshaw keeps banging on about how I have high rates, and eek calls my position "fortunate". This is honestly not what I thought, and it still isn't. When I first joined this forum back in 2012, I was on £500/day. I thought it was high, but then I found that most people back then on this forum were earning much more.

Maybe you think that's all you did but it did come across as a bit, I dunno, self indulgent I guess? The fact you were ripped in to by what, 5 or 6 posts, some of them inc Mods and regular and respected posters might give you a clue. You did what you think was right but I can tell you it didn't read very well. Dunno why, dunno who's right or wrong but the facts are there to see. Something you put wound 5 or 6 generally very helpful and respected posters up. Take from that what you will.

but I haven't seen this level of forum toxicity since mIRC in the 90s

You've not been on mumsnet recently I assume. Makes us look look kind and gentle.

Just to be clear, the above is pretty much exactly what I said that got my other profile banned, but I say it completely sincerely, and to inform and advise. It's based on both my own observations, and hearsay from other contractors. If this forum is to survive, then something needs to be done, otherwise it will be completely dead in 3-5 years, and I think even you would have a hard time remaining active when the views of topics go into the tens. 10 years ago, topics routinely achieved hundreds of thousands of views. 5 years ago, this became tens of thousands. 2 years ago, it became thousands. Now, it's mostly in the hundreds, thousands if you're lucky. At that rate of descent, in 3 years, view are likely to be in the tens. That's not really a forum, but an exclusive group.

You know, there could be a lot of truth in that for sure but it is what it is. That said we've had people throwing their teddy out of the cot every 5 years saying the same and it's still here so who knows. While there are contractors out there not willing to put any effort in to running their company, understanding what they are and IR35 stays around there will always be enough people to keep it going.

I offered my expertise to Anthony for free to help boost this forum. I own a blockchain business comprising of a Telegram group and Discord Server that has a very positive and vibrant community, and has a lot of activity. I speak at blockchain conventions regularly , and I was invited to a Twitter Spaces session at 1pm tomorrow to speak about blockchain . I know how to promote through social media. I built a blockchain business last year that achieved $90m undiluted market cap. I know how to use Twitter and Discord and Reddit and TikTok and other platforms to promote a business, all the things CUK is simply not doing, and if it did, CUK could become huge, especially if it capitalises on crypto and tokenises itself perhaps.

But there you go. What you offer Anthony is none of the business on here yet you are lording it about your dealings with him for absolutely no reason. We don't care and neither are we impressed. That's business between you and him and to go on about it as you have above doesn't really help your case.

But it's interesting you wrote that others "ripped into me" on the thread that got me banned. Do you see what you wrote there? So, why TF did I get banned if you (a clique member here) admits that I'm the one who was being attacked by everyone!???

Dunno, modding can be very interesting here I'll give you that, but as I say, you wound up a good number of people for one reason or another. The people that posted are only the ones that could be bothered to reply as well don't forget. You made enough of an impression to have a paradoy thread posted in General. Usually when one person winds up so many others the problem rarely lies with all the others. Just saying like.

[Guest222]

You have a selective memory. I believe in your last thread I actually helped you and it was others that ripped in to you. I could be wrong but I don't think I fired in to your Neo account either did I? I actually thought we were getting on in the last thread before you got banned. Yes I have a rep for it but I think you are focussing too much on me and not looking around.

Not selective. I remember we were getting on well (along with jamesbrown IIRC), and you even suggested I join the Xmas do... then all of a sudden, WTFH banned me and deleted all evidence of us getting on to support their own agenda. But I judge you for the last thing you did, not the first thing. And you decided to come in here and insult me when the thread was doing just fine. You and only you have made this thread a pile of crap. I will judge you for that, all the bullying you did to me over the years on here, and all my colleagues you bullied in the banking sector who stopped using this forum, not a couple of nice messages you posted in the middle of it all because maybe something good happened to you IRL that day.

And trust me, I do look around. You tend to be the catalyst, and then everyone piles in. It's known as broken window syndrome. You break the first window. Then everyone starts breaking all the other windows on the building.

But while I was just sat down having dinner, I realised what the real problem is here. You and the rest of the clique accuse me of various things such as humblebragging, waving my willy, thinking I'm smarter, having a big ego/head, etc. And literally all I did was state my situation and include some figures that I thought were standard figures that people here are used to and probably earn more. I personally thought all the long-timers on here were on crazy rates like £1200/day or more. Then GregRickshaw keeps banging on about how I have high rates, and eek calls my position "fortunate". This is honestly not what I thought, and it still isn't. When I first joined this forum back in 2012, I was on £500/day. I thought it was high, but then I found that most people back then on this forum were earning much more.

Now, they're all gone - as they can't put up with this toxic culture. And the only ones left behind are the stragglers who have time to spend their lives on here because they're not busy nurturing families or a career. The forum has lost its use, and it took me a lot of guts to come back last week and post my job choice dilemma. That's why I put that coded message at the end of my first message in white text. I have the time right now to spend time on here because I took a few weeks off to participate in lots of interviews and give myself a good set of options for my next move. But come a week and a half from now when I'm back in full-time work alongside of my property and blockchain businesses, you won't see me for dust, just like all the others who stay away from this forum. I'm here because this forum was truly my very last resort to get some advice, and in return I've just been belittled, condescended, insulted, etc. just like the myriad people I speak to who hate using CUK anymore. Is it a form of jealousy, bitterness? Something else that the CUK-event-attending clique here have hang-ups about? I dunno what it is, but I haven't seen this level of forum toxicity since mIRC in the 90s. So enjoy this drama while it lasts - I'll be gone again soon.

Just to be clear, the above is pretty much exactly what I said that got my other profile banned, but I say it completely sincerely, and to inform and advise. It's based on both my own observations, and hearsay from other contractors. If this forum is to survive, then something needs to be done, otherwise it will be completely dead in 3-5 years, and I think even you would have a hard time remaining active when the views of topics go into the tens. 10 years ago, topics routinely achieved hundreds of thousands of views. 5 years ago, this became tens of thousands. 2 years ago, it became thousands. Now, it's mostly in the hundreds, thousands if you're lucky. At that rate of descent, in 3 years, view are likely to be in the tens. That's not really a forum, but an exclusive group.

I offered my expertise to Anthony for free to help boost this forum. I own a blockchain business comprising of a Telegram group and Discord Server that has a very positive and vibrant community, and has a lot of activity. I speak at blockchain conventions regularly , and I was invited to a Twitter Spaces session at 1pm tomorrow to speak about blockchain I know how to promote through social media. I built a blockchain business last year that achieved $90m undiluted market cap. I know how to use Twitter and Discord and Reddit and TikTok and other platforms to promote a business, all the things CUK is simply not doing, and if it did, CUK could become huge, especially if it capitalises on crypto and tokenises itself perhaps.

But instead of listening to me, I was banned by WTFH instead because they care more about their agenda and hiding evidence. What can a guy do? ?♂️

But it's interesting you wrote that others "ripped into me" on the thread that got me banned. Do you see what you wrote there? So, why TF did I get banned if you (a clique member here) admits that I'm the one who was being attacked by everyone!???

[northernladuk]

As for making things personal, you and NLUK should take a look in the mirror. You are the ones who both sent this topic south when it was doing just fine without you both until you came in and starting calling people names and belittling people. ?♂️

You have a selective memory. I believe in your last thread I actually helped you and it was others that ripped in to you. I could be wrong but I don't think I fired in to your Neo account either did I? I actually thought we were getting on in the last thread before you got banned. Yes I have a rep for it but I think you are focussing too much on me and not looking around.

Go look in General if you don't believe me

[Guest222]

You were told not to make things personal yet you did.
- and if that gets me a ban so be it

You really didn't understand the smile emoji at the end? Just when I think we're getting somewhere, you have to go and ruin it all... ?♂️

As for making things personal, you and NLUK should take a look in the mirror. You are the ones who both sent this topic south when it was doing just fine without you both until you came in and starting calling people names and belittling people. ?♂️

Ok so just to get this straight.

Not only are you a multiple high offer, high earning, desirable demi-god in your field you now are going to be jet setter now too.

One would think........
with all the demonstrable skills you clearly have which make you so desirable to so many Tier One businesses, in fact so desirable they are now prepared to fly you in every week......

you'd be able to make a decision on your own by now.

I'm not sure why you (and certain others) keep lauding my position. I don't know where you're based in the UK, but nearly every senior .NET dev/lead in London finance earns the same as me give or take. And no that's not humblebragging. This pay is standard for London, but it comes with high London living costs. Just yesterday, I was talking to my friend who works in another bank based in Canary Wharf. He's leads a crypto division in the bank, and earns £250k salary, and employs devs on £1000/day. I'm also a blockchain developer, and he wants me to work for his team in Dubai in a year or two (as banks are slowly building out their blockchain divisions), and then I can command those kind of rates, but for now, I'm a .NET dev/lead which are ten a penny in London and earn the rates and salaries I've been offered. Maybe you're just not that aware because none of them bother using this forum anymore because of responses like yours, eek's, NLUK's, etc. I admit it's a good rate compared to outside of London where I guess you are, but these are really quite normal salaries and rates in London now for senior/lead software devs. The market is crazy hot now. ?

And just to be clear, I will be paying for my own travel expenses. These companies will not be paying for my flights. If you'd followed the thead fully, I was very clear on that (in my first post in fact as I was talking about costs I will incur), and I was also clear that this is more likely for a permanent role (I'll likely be choosing the #2 job from the other thread).

As for being able to make a decision "on my own", no you're wrong. I'm not some infallible Merlin-type person who makes perfect choices. Absolutely not! And you are stupid to think I might be. I earn a good wage, and I've built up a decent portfolio through hard work and lots of mistakes. A year ago, I was worth $25m in crypto at one point and failed to cash out, and lost over 95% of it (thankfully I'm on track to building that back up). So, forgive me if I feel I should ask for advice about which job I should bloody take when I've never been in this exact situation before.

[GregRickshaw]

Ok so just to get this straight.

Not only are you a multiple high offer, high earning, desirable demi-god in your field you now are going to be jet setter now too.

One would think........
with all the demonstrable skills you clearly have which make you so desirable to so many Tier One businesses, in fact so desirable they are now prepared to fly you in every week......

you'd be able to make a decision on your own by now.

[eek]

You were told not to make things personal yet you did.
and if that gets me a ban so be it

[Guest222]

In my contracting career, I've had weekly commutes between:

• Bath and Calais
• London and Bath
• Basel and Paris
• Basel and Birmingham

You do what you and you're wife and family are happy with. Weekly commuting isn't anything new. I've been doing since the mid 1990s. I'm glad it makes you feel special.

Oh, by the way. Pack it in with the personal attacks and off topic.

Doesn't make me feel special. But nice thinly-veiled attack there just before you told me to pack it in with the personal attacks. Or were you referring to NLUK?

What assumptions did I make - because I can look at every thread you and Neo made and all I see is someone who is in a very fortunate position but utterly unable to make a decision going woe is me, woe is me....

As for the second bit you mentioned you have a relationship with advertisers on here - which if you do needs to be made explicitly clear because that's the rules..

The assumption is related to the thing you've mentioned twice now which I've bolded above to help you out. You're making assumptions about the word "relationship" and how my situation relates to the rules.

I'm not in a fortunate position at all. I achieved my position through hard work, not luck and privilege as you again seem to assume. And that's how it should be. Did you get to where you are in life because it was handed to you on a plate? If so, that's called white privilege - something I never had, and never would want. As I said in another thread, I tend to find that the harder I work, the "luckier" I am. A friend of mine called Christian stole that quote from me and used it in an interview once.

As for decision-making, I guess you missed this post (last paragraph).

+1 - I did three years round Europe - easy to do especially if you are close to a small airport but you need to understand the rules of the game - airlines can and will cancel at zero notice the emptiest plane.

Yes, I'm a bike ride (or 10 mins drive) from Rotterdam which is a small airport. And the office is of course close to LCY. So with that being true, and you saying it's easy to do, and getting to understand the rules of the game (which I'll of course become better at), then I'm happy. See? You can be helpful with a nice useful post if you want to be!

[eek]

In my contracting career, I've had weekly commutes between:

• Bath and Calais
• London and Bath
• Basel and Paris
• Basel and Birmingham

You do what you and you're wife and family are happy with. Weekly commuting isn't anything new. I've been doing since the mid 1990s. I'm glad it makes you feel special.

Oh, by the way. Pack it in with the personal attacks and off topic.

+1 - I did three years round Europe - easy to do especially if you are close to a small airport but you need to understand the rules of the game - airlines can and will cancel at zero notice the emptiest plane.

[eek]

So many assumptions. And you know what they say about assumptions. Amazing how this topic is going south for the reasons I predicted as soon as NLUK got involved. Specifically, I wrote:
.

What assumptions did I make - because I can look at every thread you and Neo made and all I see is someone who is in a very fortunate position but utterly unable to make a decision going woe is me, woe is me....

As for the second bit you mentioned you have a relationship with advertisers on here - which if you do needs to be made explicitly clear because that's the rules..

[NotAllThere]

In my contracting career, I've had weekly commutes between:

• Bath and Calais
• London and Bath
• Basel and Paris
• Basel and Birmingham

You do what you and you're wife and family are happy with. Weekly commuting isn't anything new. I've been doing since the mid 1990s. I'm glad it makes you feel special.

Oh, by the way. Pack it in with the personal attacks and off topic.

[Guest222]

I'd argue against EDI being not a commuter airport - early morning and early evening flights are filled with business travellers (finance). EDI is also fairly easy to commute through, especially if you have fastrack (Silver+ on BA) although landing late at night can sometimes result in the "waiting on the stairs" issue if the plane is being parked up rather than collecting passengers for an onward flight.

But if it is truly just 25 times a year, i would not let it put me off the role, if its the role i wanted to go for.

Yes, I think only 25 times a year based on my calcs. Even less if I have to do actual work-related travel to NYC and Asia which is highly likely. I forgot to mention there's a Frankfurt office which is a few hours' drive from Rotterdam, and this is also somewhere where they said I can go some weeks to work out of, and meet people there (they even gave me the option of being based there but we chose London in the end for strategic reasons).

Good point, and isn't LCY one of the first to close in high winds, due to the relatively short runway and the steeper angle of descent required due to the surrounding buildings?

OK, I'll have to carefully consider this during the winter months. In those cases, I'll just look at alternative options such as Eurostar, Eurotunnel, and boat. Hopefully this will only be occasional anyway, and I can probably look at the weather ahead and reschedule my flights to a different day if necessary. I guess after a while, you become an expert at this!

[eek]

I would rather just have my old profile back for all the reasons given. I don't see why that is so difficult given the outcome is the same. The reasons you just gave seem more like an excuse to not do the extra mouse clicks. It would achieve a lot more for me to have my old profile back, not least the exposure risk of this one, and the outcome would be same for everyone else.

I would rather that your permanent ban was treated as permanent - be thankful that the Mods haven't banned this account because if I was a mod this account wouldn't have got past the second post in the last thread...

[eek]

Good point, and isn't LCY one of the first to close in high winds, due to the relatively short runway and the steeper angle of descent required due to the surrounding buildings?

The other question is how much of a priority and how full is the flight. LCY to AMS will be a priority because of transfers and the cost of cancellations, that simply isn't the case for smaller airports and it was common in Amsterdam to play the game of which flight out of Norwich / Aberdeen / Bristol is going to be cancelled this evening...