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Disconnect. Offline only

chris.bolin.co

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Re: Disconnect. Offline only

#121

Post by fizixer »

khedoros1 wrote: post #115
fizixer wrote: post #111

I would love to work offline. But my work involves constant use of a commercial software that won't run without a license check connection to its central license server. edit: just occurred to me. I should try to script my connectivity, so the connection is established just before the software is used, and terminated soon after. Looking into it.

> But my work involves constant use of a commercial software that won't run without a license check to its central license server. Through your own choice, or something imposed on you by an employer or circumstance?

Circumstance. I'm under a bit of a deadline, and the software is complex enough that creating an open source version of it would take me a couple years, or more, of domain learning and s/w design and implementation (and of course I would need to be funded during that time).

Re: Disconnect. Offline only

#122

Post by khedoros1 »

lolsal wrote: post #67
Unbeliever69 wrote: post #45

I am probably one of the few techies in the world that does not own/use a smartphone. Since 2011 I have used a cheap Verizon flip phone for exactly this reason; I want more control over my life. NOTHING is that important that I need to be plugged in 24/7. My wife has a smart phone which is great for when we travel (maps, Yelp, Fandango, Uber, etc.) Don't get me wrong, I was standing in a long line outside the Apple s…

This seems a bit disingenuous - you definitely still use a smartphone, you just claim to not directly own one. You essentially said this: > My wife has a smart phone which is great for when [I want to use a smartphone]. If you don't want to carry a smartphone around that's totally fine, but you definitely still use one. I carry a smartphone myself and only use internet-aware 'smartphone' features like maps, yelp and…

> This seems a bit disingenuous - you definitely still use a smartphone, you just claim to not directly own one.

I think you're misreading the comment (or at least not acknowledging the degrees of use that the author seemed to intend to convey).

There's "using a smartphone", in the sense of using one to respond to messages quickly, having an entertainment device on hand for idle moments, and generally "[being] plugged in 24/7".

Then there's "using a smartphone", in the sense of being able to borrow one for a specific use, then giving it back to the owner. The difference in usage patterns us the distinction that was being made.

Re: Disconnect. Offline only

#123

Post by thinbeige »

beat wrote: post #41

For those interested in managing online time and getting ourselves offline regularly, the book Deep Work , by Cal Newport, has some very useful ideas. One that I plan to start experimenting with is the idea of scheduled internet access - allow yourself to get online only at certain times of day. This isn't just for work. Even if you're, say, standing in line at the grocery store, you don't get to pull your phone out…

As another person mentions, the book delivers a great nessage/idea, question is if a book is needed for sometthing which could have been summarized in a post. But 99% of self-help books belong to this category.

Besides, I am wondering if HN is a good and free lead generation channel for self-help books since I see many people pointing to the right book in the right thread and context. This could be easily scaled.

Re: Disconnect. Offline only

#126

Post by GordonS »

convolvatron wrote: post #98
mck- wrote: post #85

Beauty. Almost a piece of art. I was on a plane yesterday (literally on airplane mode) and I finished a book I've been working on for a month, and prepped/wrote half of a presentation. Quite often I produce much of my writing on a plane. I find myself very productive on a plane. Especially on cheap flights that don't have in-flight entertainment. Literally no distractions for a preset amount of time. You're not only…

i'm better on long train rides. more room, more comfortable. no battery worries. don't notice the person in front of you bouncing up and down in their seat.

Ugh, I wish I could do this. Trying to read or write while in a moving train invariably leads to me feeling really sick :(

Re: Disconnect. Offline only

#127

Post by beat »

thinbeige wrote: post #123
beat wrote: post #41

For those interested in managing online time and getting ourselves offline regularly, the book Deep Work , by Cal Newport, has some very useful ideas. One that I plan to start experimenting with is the idea of scheduled internet access - allow yourself to get online only at certain times of day. This isn't just for work. Even if you're, say, standing in line at the grocery store, you don't get to pull your phone out…

As another person mentions, the book delivers a great nessage/idea, question is if a book is needed for sometthing which could have been summarized in a post. But 99% of self-help books belong to this category. Besides, I am wondering if HN is a good and free lead generation channel for self-help books since I see many people pointing to the right book in the right thread and context. This could be easily scaled.

That would require it to be controlled, really. People recommend certain books because they're good. Word of mouth advertising.

You can't just take word of mouth and automate it and productize it somehow. That kills its nature.

Re: Disconnect. Offline only

#128

Post by Unbeliever69 »

skrebbel wrote: post #47
Unbeliever69 wrote: post #45

I am probably one of the few techies in the world that does not own/use a smartphone. Since 2011 I have used a cheap Verizon flip phone for exactly this reason; I want more control over my life. NOTHING is that important that I need to be plugged in 24/7. My wife has a smart phone which is great for when we travel (maps, Yelp, Fandango, Uber, etc.) Don't get me wrong, I was standing in a long line outside the Apple s…

Do you text? EDIT: someone downvoted me, probably interpreting my question as a snark. It was a serious question: I'm considering to do what you are doing and I'm wondering whether you ditched texting too and whether that got you social repercussions. In my country it's a bit more complicated even because everybody WhatsApps and nobody uses SMS, so a true dumb phone won't cut it if you want dumb + text.

Yes, I text (albeit rarely). I'm one of those people who would prefer to hang out with my friend rather than spend time writing walls of text or firing texts back-and-forth ad nauseum. I'm very much a minimalist at heart and this pervades most aspects of my life.

Re: Disconnect. Offline only

#129

Post by gambiting »

tzakrajs wrote: post #92
baxtr wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agree 100%. Problem is though that many airline are starting to offer WiFi connectivity. I just hope that they've built shitty systems that won't work most of the time... :)

Starting? Like ten years ago they started and now it's in nearly every plane.

I fly probably a 15-20 times a year and I've never been on a flight with wifi. I'm super curious what it's like though.

Re: Disconnect. Offline only

#130

Post by Unbeliever69 »

lolsal wrote: post #67
Unbeliever69 wrote: post #45

I am probably one of the few techies in the world that does not own/use a smartphone. Since 2011 I have used a cheap Verizon flip phone for exactly this reason; I want more control over my life. NOTHING is that important that I need to be plugged in 24/7. My wife has a smart phone which is great for when we travel (maps, Yelp, Fandango, Uber, etc.) Don't get me wrong, I was standing in a long line outside the Apple s…

This seems a bit disingenuous - you definitely still use a smartphone, you just claim to not directly own one. You essentially said this: > My wife has a smart phone which is great for when [I want to use a smartphone]. If you don't want to carry a smartphone around that's totally fine, but you definitely still use one. I carry a smartphone myself and only use internet-aware 'smartphone' features like maps, yelp and…

For clarification, she uses the smart phone, not I. I might touch her phone to solve some technical issue, but that is about it.

And it's not like I'm a Luddite. I still consume my news and watch some HBO Now on my laptop, but I set boundaries. Relationships, life-long learning, and hobbies are all very important to me, and I see technology as something that has the strong potential to compete with these things.

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