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Why are Adults so busy?

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Re: Why are Adults so busy?

#401

Post by zeveb »

zeveb wrote: post #323
Retric wrote: post #208

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In theory you're right. However, the expectation is someone will respond with ~"Thx, in meeting" unlike a phone where you may just let it go to voicemail, there is no message failed to get though feedback. So, you get sent a text and people will generally assume you are ignoring them unless you respond.

> However, the expectation is someone will respond with ~"Thx, in meeting" If you check your phone in a meeting, and you don't have a family member in the hospital, you're wrong. It's discourteous in the extreme to check a smartphone (or noodle around on a laptop!) when meeting with others.

I'm frankly shocked that so many people seem to disagree so strongly with my belief that texting in a meeting is rude, discourteous and unprofessional.

Re: Why are Adults so busy?

#402

Post by zeveb »

emodendroket wrote: post #363
zeveb wrote: post #360

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Now someone is stilling there holding the phone and looking at it, taking an extra ~15 seconds to respond is not a big deal. Meetings should be short and to the point: 15-30 minutes should be normal, an hour abnormal. 'I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention' is rude , and so is wasting every other participant's time while context switching back to the meeting. > Also, there are more and less formal meetings, but in a…

OK, in a theoretical world where meetings aren't hours long with no agenda and tons of circular, pointless discussion, I agree.

> OK, in a theoretical world where meetings aren't hours long with no agenda and tons of circular, pointless discussion, I agree.

Well, an agenda is part of the courtesy the meeting convener owes the participants, and a well-run meeting is part of the courtesy the chairman owes the participants.

Meetings are incredibly expensive: everyone owes it to their organisation, one another and themselves to make that expense worth it.

Re: Why are Adults so busy?

#403

Post by Frondo »

ghaff wrote: post #293
Spoom wrote: post #286

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've always wondered why someone didn't build a vertical washer-dryer combo, about the size of a fridge, where the clothes in the washer portion at the top simply drop into the dryer portion at the bottom (possibly assisted by a mechanical push) and start the dryer portion automatically. Bonus if you can then push the dry clothes out the side into a waiting basket, but not totally necessary. Perhaps stability is a fa…

There are all-in one units using a single drum. I've never investigated but my understanding is that they're pitched primarily for more space-constrained situations. (Example: http://www.homedepot.com/b/Appliances-Washers-Dryers-All-In-... ) I'm not sure of the tradeoffs. If you have the space, doing laundry while you're in the house for other reasons and transferring manually is the least of the effort.

I had one once, an all-in-one combo unit with the ventless dryer. The mechanism it used to dry clothes didn't work very well, and the clothes never actually got fully dry.

Re: Why are Adults so busy?

#406

Post by cylinder »

k-mcgrady wrote: post #250
bryanlarsen wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's your commute like? Can you arrange things to combine commute and de-stress time? In my experience the best way to de stress is to walk, but that's obviously not feasible for most. It's worth moving to make it possible, in my opinion. Mass transit is pretty awesome too. Even if it takes longer, you can plug in your headphones and zone, netflix and chill, or best of all, take a nap. Biking in urban areas can be…

>> "Mass transit is pretty awesome too. Even if it takes longer, you can plug in your headphones and zone, netflix and chill, or best of all, take a nap." Depends where you live. For me mass transit at rush hour is incredibly stressful.

Yeah, where does all this mass transit love come from? Every city I've been to has congested mass transit on rush hour. And if it's not congested, you still have to deal with inconsiderate, sick, obnoxious, or aggressive people. The 6 train in NYC home from work drained me even though I was only on it for one stop (two minutes). Definitely not getting a seat either; if you do, someone is hovering right over you anyways. It was more of a stress than when I used to drive 45 mins (different city).

Commuter rail might not be as crowded but has its own set of issues.

Re: Why are Adults so busy?

#407

Post by toyg »

dennisgorelik wrote: post #389
SubiculumCode wrote: post #318

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I grew up in a neighborhood of dirt and chicken coops. My parents made less than 12k $ per year as I grew up. My parents never attended college and did not know the first thing about it. My privileges included a stable family that pushed me to succeed where they had not, and an above average IQ. I got through college with my family on student loans, stipends, and food stamps.And you know what, my kids will have oppor…

> my kids will have opportunities I never even dreamed of On another hand your kids are more spoiled with the wealth they were born into and potentially may have lower drive than you have. Hard to tell how they would turn out.

> your kids are more spoiled with the wealth they were born into

An afghan (?) proverb I barely remember went something like this: "The king's father grew up in a tent; he worked hard, built his house, and led the people well. The king lived in a house but remembered the tent he was born in; he worked hard, built his palace, and led the people well. The king's children were born in a palace; they have never seen a tent. They are lazy and will not lead the people at all."

Re: Why are Adults so busy?

#408

Post by matwood »

VLM wrote: post #184
matwood wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a good point. For example, I hate going to the grocery store. Buying good food to cook for a night is fun, but the general grocery shopping is a horrible experience. A combination of Amazon Subscribe and Save, Pantry, and services like Blue Apron mean I rarely go to the store. And things like subscribe and save mean I never have to think about when I'm out of toilet paper, it just shows up on a schedule which…

I peapodded for a couple years when my kids were very small and ultra-high labor, but I found the ability to micromanage my delivery made me spend about as much time on their website as I used to spend shopping (omg hold on while I google ten pages about how many oz of fresh blueberries I need to buy to make exactly 1/2 crushed cup whereas at the store I'd rely on my finely honed nearly instant engineering estimation…

Good point on the Amazon S+S. I have had that happen a few times and it's annoying. I wish more products were Amazon Basics. Those rarely change. We get basics baby wipes for our dogs (don't ask), and I'm pretty sure they have never changed since I set it up almost a year ago.

The labor part is also a good point. I used to order groceries online and pick them up and found it easier to just go to the store. Only when I got S+S setup, and started using services like Blue Apron was I finally out of the labor of managing a delivery. I still go to the store every week or so, but it's to grab fruit, milk, and soda. I'm in and out in just a few minutes depending on when I go.

Re: Why are Adults so busy?

#409

Post by criddell »

dennisgorelik wrote: post #392
criddell wrote: post #366

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I tell my kids about how much TV I watched in the 70's and 80's. I loved TV! I still do. My kids (14 and 13) don't watch any TV. They don't even particularly like movies.

What do your kids do instead of TV?

They have a lot of school homework. Far, far more than I ever had.

They do a lot of arts and crafts, they play games (board games and video games), and one spends quite a bit of time playing the piano. They both are spending more and more time talking with friends either in person or on Facetime or IM.

The video that they do watch is pretty much exclusively on YouTube.

Re: Why are Adults so busy?

#410

Post by burdalane »

SubiculumCode wrote: post #305
retro64 wrote: post #291

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What used to be a trigger for inventing a game, building a den, or making something new with lego is far more filled with minutes on YT. This hurts to read because it really nails it. This very thing has been on my mind quite a bit lately after watching my older kids now as young adults. We managed to keep them away from much of this simply because we never thought it necessary, but apparently not to the extent I wis…

To be fair to yourself, kids often disappoint their parents, but this is more on the parents. An anecdote: My dad was driven nuts by how much time I wasted as a kid and teen on gaming, and how it seemed that I had few productive interests,never built anything, and stopped projects as soon as I got bored.. He wanted me to be obsessed with something, but few teens are obsessed with anything but not being lonely, social…

My parents really wanted me to find an obsession as a teen. By the time I was in high school, my parents were fretting that I didn't have an obsession except for doing well all-around in school, so, they proceeded to tell me what they believed I couldn't do successfully. This ruled out everything except for computers. Ironically, my dad didn't understand how anybody could be passionate about computers, and considered it an to be easy field for mediocre people without an obsession.

I still don't really have an obsession. Committing to a field feels so restrictive compared to reading about a variety of things. As a result, I haven't done very well professionally, but my dad, who was obsessed, didn't do well, either.

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