I like when people buy me nice film.
Why I don't want stuff
171–180 of 332 posts
Re: Why I don't want stuff
#172Earlier quoted context omitted.
I have some nice tea things too, but when I'm travelling, I make tea with whatever's handy. The thing I mostly use for brewing is a gaiwan, which is basically just a cup with a lid, and that's very easy to substitute. And I used to bake quite a lot of bread using nothing but a couple of mixing bowls and an oven. So not to be argumentative or anything, but beyond clothes and a pair of swim shorts, the only things you…
To expand on baking, you're going to need a huge variety of pots, pans, baking sheets, pie pans, cake containers, cupcake trays, mixing bowls, a stand mixer, a handheld mixer, rolling pins, ingredients, etc. I know because my sister is really into baking and she has all of that stuff and more; a whole kitchen full. By the time you're all said and done you're in for over $1,000, and a bunch of cupboards are full. The…
I'd like to emphasize that I have absolutely nothing against gear.
But I'm a little surprised that people continue to insist that no, one really needs lots of stuff.
It's just not true that you need a huge variety of stuff for over $1,000 to bake bread. Think about it. The history of bread goes back thirty thousand years. You don't need a cupcake tray. You don't even need a baguette pan to make decent baguettes. I'm not making this up: I baked bread nearly every day for months using nothing special.
With podcasts, I again resist the idea that to go beyond "superficial" you need anything except a phone. I've recorded audio on my iPhone lots of times. In a quiet room, it works fine. There are plenty of very serious podcasts with people who participate by phone, and that's just fine.
Again with running. Nope, you don't need that stuff. How did people run a hundred thousand years ago? It's a fundamental bodily function. I have a pair of Merrell Trail Gloves that I also use as walking shoes in the summer, and they're just fine for running, and no other equipment is necessary at all.
I program just fine with just a laptop.
Again—it's all just preference and availability. But you can't say that everyone needs this stuff, because they don't. And I resist the notion because I think it can prevent people from getting started with the stuff they actually have.
Re: Why I don't want stuff
#173Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why are people who do not know you well even aware of when your birthday is?
Google likes to populate my calendar with the birthdays of anyone I've ever talked to.
We also have Facebook and similar social networks now, though I don't use them. All kinds of social networks reminded people about birthdays ever since the era of PHP forums.
Re: Why I don't want stuff
#174Earlier quoted context omitted.
While I like the ideea of this lifestyle, I can't do it. I simply love my tools too much. And I have a lot of them. And lopts of parts. At a first look, some might looks superfulous, for example, I have this wierd star-shaped screwdriver. Most of the time, I don't use it, but boy, when I use it, does it save me a lot of time.
I want to live like this too, but I need tools. I need automotive tools. I can't afford mechanics bills, nor trust the workmanship. I need tools to repair watches--which turned into a side business. Plus I have home contractor tools. It's the tools that has me waited down. I have a library I can thin down, but it's hard. It's 99 percent refrence. And the first editions--well I like them more than some people. I would…
I don't know why but this was really moving. Upsetting, a little, maybe, but so moving.
Re: Why I don't want stuff
#175Earlier quoted context omitted.
One time I took square photos of all my things and put them in CouchDB with just a label. It was pretty fun to see an alphabetical list of photos of nearly everything I owned. Like an RPG inventory.
This is an amazing idea. First thing that comes to mind is a process to automate labeling like with google images. Is there anything open source that fits this?
That would be pretty neat, but I just spent like fifteen minutes going through the photos and typing a word for each one... toothbrush, Zippo, shoes, plectrum, document... kind of fun, actually!
Re: Why I don't want stuff
#176I can appreciate the sentiment, but I actually like doing things. Don't get me wrong, I probably spend much more time than most in front of my computer, but even so. I'm a photographer -> Two bags full of camera gear, tripod... I'm a hiker/backpacker -> Backpack, tent, sleeping bag, hiking boots... I'm a cyclist -> Bike, helmet, gloves, pump... I'm a computer engineer -> Solder station, wire cutters, crimping tools..…
Everything you describe is a tool. I think there's a difference between unnecessary stuff, and tools.
The average guy who owns a toolbox will never use 80% of the stuff in that box. He owns the tools "just in case."
Re: Why I don't want stuff
#177Earlier quoted context omitted.
In my neighborhood we all borrow each others gear, whether it's home improvement stuff, or occasionally used outdoor sports gear. Any startup in this space would have to establish the "trust" feature of a sharing community, which is a feature that a friendly neighborhood has built-in. You might be on to something if you find an easy way for people to publish their inventory of stuff to a trusted group of neighbors, m…
Instead of trust, it may be possible to rent stuff in usual way by leaving a deposit and paying per hour for using someone else's tool.
For communities that prefer municipally provided services, Tool-Lending libraries are a great option:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tool-lending_libraries
Re: Why I don't want stuff
#178Earlier quoted context omitted.
One time I took square photos of all my things and put them in CouchDB with just a label. It was pretty fun to see an alphabetical list of photos of nearly everything I owned. Like an RPG inventory.
This is an amazing idea. First thing that comes to mind is a process to automate labeling like with google images. Is there anything open source that fits this?
That seems like it would take longer than just manually labeling the things to begin with, especially with edge cases (what happens when there are 2 items in the picture? how do you handle mislabeling?).
Re: Why I don't want stuff
#179It's my birthday today. This is the gift I would like: The gift of not having to expend energy over the issue of gifts and social reactions to them. Thank you.
Happy birthday! Best of all, since it's not my birthday you don't have to worry about reciprocation! :D
Re: Why I don't want stuff
#180I fight against this all the time. It's simply impossible due to all the guilt involved. I do not want anything for xmas/birthday. My wife always wants to get me something and makes me feel like a killjoy. This is perhaps manageable. Bigger problem is I have 2 kids who get invited to parties. I have to take the birthday boy/girl something. Fine - but this means it's reciprocated. Valentines day recently. Used to be f…
I haven't celebrated christmas with gifts since about the age of 12 or so. My family forces a gift or two on me each year.. and each year I return it for cash and leave the money at their house. Sometimes they notice, other times they don't. In the end, we both win.
I stopped accepting / asking for gifts after I overheard them stressing about a credit card bill. It didn't make sense that they should stress so I could have something I didn't want or need.
I have a small soap company on the side. I started bringing soap as a hostess gift instead of wine. It felt weird at first, but I find that most people are grateful to have a useful gift over some two-bit beach wine.