Thirteen Months of Working, Eating, and Sleeping at the Googleplex • Hacker News Board

Re: Thirteen Months of Working, Eating, and Sleeping at the Googleplex

#91

Post by sremani » Thu, Aug 06, 2015, 2:54 AM UTC

zzalpha wrote: post #27

ogreveins wrote: post #21

The rationale behind it makes perfect sense. Do you really want to give someone $2-3000 per month or $24-36k a year just to have a box around you? Especially if you don't own much stuff? How much do you actually need besides your computer, phone, clothes and toiletries? Gym for bathroom and free public wifi for internet aside from your phone and you're set. The rental and housing market is disgusting. I wouldn't cons…

The rationale behind it makes perfect sense. Do you really want to give someone $2-3000 per month or $24-36k a year just to have a box around you? Really? You honestly can't fathom why some people might desire their own, private space, away from their work environment, where they might, I dunno, live their life outside of their day-to-day drudgery? I'm not even sure how to react to that. It's such an alien way of thi…

When every one thinks alike, no one is thinking. I welcome frugalists who do not want to own home or pay rent, even though that is not my lifestyle. I see their point. Different strokes for different folks.

Re: Thirteen Months of Working, Eating, and Sleeping at the Googleplex

#92

Post by binarycrusader » Thu, Aug 06, 2015, 3:24 AM UTC

pbiggar wrote: post #19

astrange wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Regular California apartments don't have air conditioning anyway.

AFAIK it's only in SF they don't. Everywhere else in California is properly hot.

Nope; plenty of apartments in Menlo Park, Palo Alto, and Mountain View don't have air conditioning.

I lived in one in Menlo Park that I wished had air conditioning...

Re: Thirteen Months of Working, Eating, and Sleeping at the Googleplex

#93

Post by Turing_Machine » Thu, Aug 06, 2015, 3:35 AM UTC

jschwartzi wrote: post #52

cfallin wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You joke a bit but this is one of the biggest things I miss now (in a small apartment in the middle of a city). Growing up in suburbia with a well-stocked garage for tinkering was a wonderful experience. Yeah, hackerspaces; not quite the same though...

I won't pay 300 more a month for modern fixtures, plumbing, or millwork, but I'd pay it for a two-car heated garage with a 220v outlet and good lighting.

220? I want 480v three phase. :-)

Re: Thirteen Months of Working, Eating, and Sleeping at the Googleplex

#94

Post by Turing_Machine » Thu, Aug 06, 2015, 3:39 AM UTC

rayiner wrote: post #89

ogreveins wrote: post #21

The rationale behind it makes perfect sense. Do you really want to give someone $2-3000 per month or $24-36k a year just to have a box around you? Especially if you don't own much stuff? How much do you actually need besides your computer, phone, clothes and toiletries? Gym for bathroom and free public wifi for internet aside from your phone and you're set. The rental and housing market is disgusting. I wouldn't cons…

Where would you host dinner parties?

There are rental spaces for that sort of thing -- people rent them for weddings and such all the time, some privately owned, some public (the parks department here has some buildings that can be reserved for functions).

One that I'm thinking of even has a full commercial kitchen that you can use (for extra money).

Re: Thirteen Months of Working, Eating, and Sleeping at the Googleplex

#95

Post by Turing_Machine » Thu, Aug 06, 2015, 3:50 AM UTC

Some of the old school Stanford AI lab hackers were famous for sleeping in the suspended ceiling. The way I heard the story, they even cut into a ventilation duct to get cool air for their "nest".

Re: Thirteen Months of Working, Eating, and Sleeping at the Googleplex

#96

Post by nikatwork » Thu, Aug 06, 2015, 4:11 AM UTC

animefan wrote: post #86

infinotize wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only on HN! Doesn't this beg the question: Why would you suffer such an unreasonably irrational wife?

Not sure that this deserves to be down voted. If the only reason for not continuing this lifestyle is his wife, doesn't that imply that his wife is being irrational?

It means his partner has different values and needs and they are compromising as part of the relationship. That is highly rational.

Re: Thirteen Months of Working, Eating, and Sleeping at the Googleplex

#97

Post by holografix » Thu, Aug 06, 2015, 4:18 AM UTC

zzalpha wrote: post #27

ogreveins wrote: post #21

The rationale behind it makes perfect sense. Do you really want to give someone $2-3000 per month or $24-36k a year just to have a box around you? Especially if you don't own much stuff? How much do you actually need besides your computer, phone, clothes and toiletries? Gym for bathroom and free public wifi for internet aside from your phone and you're set. The rental and housing market is disgusting. I wouldn't cons…

The rationale behind it makes perfect sense. Do you really want to give someone $2-3000 per month or $24-36k a year just to have a box around you? Really? You honestly can't fathom why some people might desire their own, private space, away from their work environment, where they might, I dunno, live their life outside of their day-to-day drudgery? I'm not even sure how to react to that. It's such an alien way of thi…

I completely disagree. Sure there a few things I'd want to keep with me, a couple of books, a surfboard, a suitcase with clothes and shoes, my laptop, etc.

I could leave my business clothes at work, 3 pairs of pants and 5/6 business shirts. At the end of the week I dry clean it as needed. I can shower at work and I have all the entertainment I could possibly need on my laptop.

If I had a convenient and dependable car and safe overnight parking I would DEFINITELY not pay rent. Oh yeah I'd have to lose the girlfriend too of course...

Re: Thirteen Months of Working, Eating, and Sleeping at the Googleplex

#98

Post by cdcarter » Thu, Aug 06, 2015, 4:29 AM UTC

garenp wrote: post #69

slapshot wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

RMS, is that you?

Can't be, RMS likes parrots.

But would not like one as a gift.

Re: Thirteen Months of Working, Eating, and Sleeping at the Googleplex

#99

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Aug 06, 2015, 5:03 AM UTC

Steko wrote: post #59

This article pairs nicely with How I Gave Up Alternating Current from a few days ago. The only place left to go in the bachelor lifehacking one upsmanship game is to stop changing clothes and showering altogether, live under a bridge, telecommuting and doing all your work with a prepaid Andro-- err Firefox OS phone that you charge with a hand crank. No parrots.

[deleted]

Re: Thirteen Months of Working, Eating, and Sleeping at the Googleplex

#100

Post by Eiriksmal » Thu, Aug 06, 2015, 5:54 AM UTC

pbiggar wrote: post #19

astrange wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Regular California apartments don't have air conditioning anyway.

AFAIK it's only in SF they don't. Everywhere else in California is properly hot.

Heh, heh. San Diego is pretty temperate and many of the houses were properly constructed--they don't rely on air conditioning, so you can shrug off the 88* summer days. High ceilings, copious windows and balconies... Slide those doors and windows open, revel in the near-constant ocean breeze, never sweat. Until persistent heat and high humidity (relatively high, still laughable compared to the southern states I hail from) struck southern California year 'round the past few years. Many of my neighbors are installing air conditioning after living without it for 28+ years.

We'll see how El Nino ruins things for us holdouts.