FranLab is getting evicted

[EEVblog]

Another FranLab update video released, it's not a fund drive video, just an update. Patron only video at the moment, I'm sure it'll get released in a day or two.
She discusses how the algorithm is killing the channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMLgHbpJ8qYqj3CkdbvC0Ww/community?lb=Ugkxm0GFLPVbSdrDZVrdmgwylJ0soT_gCrCN

And if she doesn't maintain the green funding line, it's ultimately game over. Doesn't sounds good. It should be very clear that something needs to be done now. You have to assume there is no way to maintain that funding level, so it's time to cut expenses, drastically.

UPDATE: Fran replied to my comment about cutting cost by saying "I am optimised".
Well, I'd guess that with $80k/year in expenses was it? that is not quite optimised.
I really don't want Fran to fail and have to give up this game  but I'm just not seeing a way out of it apart from cutting costs or another revenue stream.

[SiliconWizard]

She'll figure it out! (Am I being optimistic now? or maybe it's just a management technique!)

[MK14]

UPDATE: Fran replied to my comment about cutting cost by saying "I am optimised".
Well, I'd guess that with $80k/year in expenses was it? that is not quite optimised.
I really don't want Fran to fail and have to give up this game  but I"m just not seeing a away out of it apart from cutting costs or another revenue stream.

It is a bit like someone who has had a $150,000 per year, highly paid job, who enjoys cars.  So they drive round in this really nice car, which costs $80k/year to run.  Which is sort of ok, but maybe they should be saving up some money as well, but it is debatable.

So, by saying the car costs ARE optimized.  They seem to mean, they have found the cheapest car insurance for such an expensive car, they have found a good enough quality garage to service and repair the car, at reasonable costs and they are careful to control other car maintenance costs, to keep at the $80k/year level.

But of course, when if they lose that job, and if they then have to take a $50k/year job.  They need to sell the car, and buy a much more cost efficient car.  NOT say the car costs are already optimized, at $80k/year.

Fran seems like a realistic, sensible, intelligent person overall.  So I'm a bit puzzled, at how they are so happy with their so called 'optimized' business structure.

Fran seems to happily and very rapidly jump at the band-wagon, as soon as any (usually technologically related) company / entity / news-item, falls into their realm.  Then they seem to relish at criticizing what has happened.  E.g. Massive balloons being shot down, or giant fish tanks, seemingly almost exploding, etc.

Typically (very roughly speaking), with step by step, detailed explanations, on how those various projects failed and why, also what they did wrong. Or similar.

So, it is somewhat ironic, that they can be subject to criticism.

[EEVblog]

Oops, I accidently edited this post and lost stuff instead fo quoting it 

As for cutting costs, here you go:
https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/414-Blair-Ave-Reading-PA/27896820/
2400sqft in the nearby town of reading for $0.83/sqft, or $2k/year. Or under $1k/year for the 1350sqft option.

[james_s]

There is very little connection between intelligence and being rational. Many otherwise highly intelligent people hold irrational beliefs or have quirks that I would view as irrational. Some people are very stubborn and get totally stuck on certain arguably arbitrary things, it doesn't mean they are not intelligent.

[james_s]

So she'll have the drive an hour to get there to do stuff or pickup stuff, but worth it IMO. But I'm not Fran.

She might not drive. I've known a small few urban people that don't own a car, and a smaller few that are not even licensed to drive. Of course getting trained and licensed to drive and acquiring some kind of car is certainly possible, and would easily pay for itself in the savings on rent, but I think if she were willing to go this route she would have already done it.

[abeyer]

She might not drive. I've known a small few urban people that don't own a car, and a smaller few that are not even licensed to drive. Of course getting trained and licensed to drive and acquiring some kind of car is certainly possible, and would easily pay for itself in the savings on rent, but I think if she were willing to go this route she would have already done it.

Yeah, I was about to say the same... She's mentioned having cars in the past, but I've never heard her say anything about driving that sounded like it might have been in the last decade. Seems like it could make sense... but I've kinda given up on her funding travails making sense, so mostly just ignore it now. 

[james_s]

I have to pretty much ignore it too, it's like watching a train heading toward the end of the track, while somebody frantically works to build more track but it is painfully obvious that they have no hope of doing it fast enough and there is no end game such as stopping the train. All options being seriously pursued are just kicking the can down the road a bit and delaying the inevitable. It's kind of depressing.

[EEVblog]

So she'll have the drive an hour to get there to do stuff or pickup stuff, but worth it IMO. But I'm not Fran.

She might not drive.

She does have a car, I think it's a classic something. Her apartment has a car spot which is rare in Philly aparently.
She also has a motorbike, or at least had, not sure if she still does.

[EEVblog]

As for cutting costs, here you go:
https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/414-Blair-Ave-Reading-PA/27896820/
2400sqft in the nearby town of reading for $0.83/sqft, or $2k/year. Or under $1k/year for the 1350sqft option.

I've sent Fran the link if it's of use to her.
She has a lot of stuff stockpiled in her lab/apartment so I can envisage only needing to go to a remote storage facility an hour away very occaisonally.
I rarely go to my big bunker these days, and it's only a 5min walk away from my lab, as I have my new dungeon downstairs where I keep my stock and some other stuff that I might use soon in a video. Or at least have it there in my view every time I go in so it might inspire to get off my butt and make a video on it.
Fran and I are practically identical in this regard to hoarding stuff for potential videos.

[EEVblog]

As for cutting costs, here you go:
https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/414-Blair-Ave-Reading-PA/27896820/
2400sqft in the nearby town of reading for $0.83/sqft, or $2k/year. Or under $1k/year for the 1350sqft option.

I've sent Fran the link if it's of use to her.

Scratch that. I won't try again. I know I said that last time, but I can't help myself. Engineers just like solving problems I guess.

Anyway, I'd like to see more of the bike riding videos. Louis Rossmann made those quite popular.

[jonovid]

As for cutting costs, here you go:
https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/414-Blair-Ave-Reading-PA/27896820/
2400sqft in the nearby town of reading for $0.83/sqft, or $2k/year. Or under $1k/year for the 1350sqft option.

I've sent Fran the link if it's of use to her.

Scratch that. I won't try again. I know I said that last time, but I can't help myself. Engineers just like solving problems I guess.

Anyway, I'd like to see more of the bike riding videos. Louis Rossmann made those quite popular.

whatever happened to Louis Rossmann?  just another loss

[aargee]

Scratch that. I won't try again. I know I said that last time, but I can't help myself. Engineers just like solving problems I guess.

Anyway, I'd like to see more of the bike riding videos. Louis Rossmann made those quite popular.

That's sometimes the problem engineers have in relationships, trying to fix the problem rather than listening and letting it be.

Fran's model for living appears no longer valid and needs to change whether she likes it or not.

[Nusa]

As for cutting costs, here you go:
https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/414-Blair-Ave-Reading-PA/27896820/
2400sqft in the nearby town of reading for $0.83/sqft, or $2k/year. Or under $1k/year for the 1350sqft option.

I've sent Fran the link if it's of use to her.

Scratch that. I won't try again. I know I said that last time, but I can't help myself. Engineers just like solving problems I guess.

Anyway, I'd like to see more of the bike riding videos. Louis Rossmann made those quite popular.

whatever happened to Louis Rossmann?  just another loss

He's still around and quite active on Youtube. But he is no longer in the unique environment of NYC, where parking is hard and traffic sucks. But he streams plenty of 30 minute Texas commutes in his Tesla, if that floats your boat.

[sokoloff]

Scratch that. I won't try again. I know I said that last time, but I can't help myself. Engineers just like solving problems I guess.

Anyway, I'd like to see more of the bike riding videos. Louis Rossmann made those quite popular.

That's sometimes the problem engineers have in relationships, trying to fix the problem rather than listening and letting it be.

Fran's model for living appears no longer valid and needs to change whether she likes it or not.

It's not about the nail.

[SiliconWizard]

Scratch that. I won't try again. I know I said that last time, but I can't help myself. Engineers just like solving problems I guess.

Anyway, I'd like to see more of the bike riding videos. Louis Rossmann made those quite popular.

That's sometimes the problem engineers have in relationships, trying to fix the problem rather than listening and letting it be.

Fran's model for living appears no longer valid and needs to change whether she likes it or not.

She can live however she wants, that's none of our business.
While we can all have an opinion on her situation and most of us have stated it, I don't much like this kind of statement. It sounds obnoxious, condescending and authoritarian.

Giving her benevolent advice is fine, telling her what she has to do or else, really?
Just my 2 cents though.

[james_s]

I'm not telling her what to do. I am however stating what she would have to do in order for me to consider contributing funds toward the effort. I would chip in a small amount toward a "permanent" solution that involved purchasing a property somewhere. I will not contribute to enabling the current behavior delaying the inevitable by begging for money repeatedly while bleeding enormous amounts of cash with no plan.

[SiliconWizard]

I'm not telling her what to do. I am however stating what she would have to do in order for me to consider contributing funds toward the effort. I would chip in a small amount toward a "permanent" solution that involved purchasing a property somewhere. I will not contribute to enabling the current behavior delaying the inevitable by begging for money repeatedly while bleeding enormous amounts of cash with no plan.

This was not addressed to you but rather to the post that I quoted.

Participating in funding is something else. Obviously you're 100% free to decide the way you'd fund and under which "conditions".

[RAPo]

imho: no, stop it

Is there a reason this thread needs to continue? It's been nearly five years since the original event. Do all discussions of this particular YouTuber's channel -- and needlessly invasive discussions of their personal life -- need to continue under the gloomy auspices of this thread's title, or at all? Hopefully I'm not stepping on a landmine with this one.

[magic]

Is there a reason this thread needs to continue? It's been nearly five years

Yeah, I lurk here to watch people retrying for five years the same old nonsolutions which all failed to work five years ago, and never learn.
 

So it's fuel for my addiction to Internet drama and irrational behavior. Maybe also a chance for the active participants to learn, or maybe not.

[Nominal Animal]

I'm hoping that this kind of thread teaches or reminds technical people to avoid making this-or-bust plans, and instead carefully consider alternatives, and have a few back-up plans in case of things going tits up.

Talking about options and suggestions, as if her situation was a problem to be solved, is how us technical people deal with it.

Having the other options discussed, hopefully might spark ideas in others as to what kind of back-up plans one could have.
The most important thing, though, is to observe that even if you are competent and work hard and produce a lot of videos, there are no guarantees things will go your way, and planning for alternatives is not about admitting defeat, but being resilient and prepared for setbacks.

Besides, what else should we discuss?  There aren't any interesting problems related to programming or math or physics on this forum right now.
If you want members to talk about something else, start a new thread on a more useful/interesting topic.

[Brumby]

This ^ ^ ^ from Nominal Animal.

Also, the reason why the subject is still being discussed is that there are several people who care and are interested in her well-being, for example:

I really don't want Fran to fail and have to give up this game 

[Kasper]

imho: no, stop it

Is there a reason this thread needs to continue? It's been nearly five years since the original event. Do all discussions of this particular YouTuber's channel -- and needlessly invasive discussions of their personal life -- need to continue under the gloomy auspices of this thread's title, or at all? Hopefully I'm not stepping on a landmine with this one.

Fran's problem is still going as are similar problems for many people.  There is a cost of living crisis that is going through the biggest changes in many years.  Many people are being pushed from their homes and cities and they are pushing governments to make drastic changes.

Between Fran's choice to put this online and similar peoples' choices to push governments to make drastic changes that impact us, I think this discussion is justified and relevant. 

[james_s]

Is there a reason this thread needs to continue? It's been nearly five years since the original event. Do all discussions of this particular YouTuber's channel -- and needlessly invasive discussions of their personal life -- need to continue under the gloomy auspices of this thread's title, or at all? Hopefully I'm not stepping on a landmine with this one.

This "particular person" has made her dirty laundry very public in the process of repeatedly begging for money, her channel is very relevant to this forum and most of us have watched at least some of her content. The reason the thread has continued so long is that her situation keeps repeating itself and every time it does it wakes up this thread again. If you don't see any value in continuing the thread you are free to leave it any time, there's a whole forum full of other threads you may find more value participating in.

[EEVblog]

whatever happened to Louis Rossmann?  just another loss

Huh? How?
He's still making daily videos and killing it, he's got 1.76M subs.