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Meet the minimalists living out of a hard drive

bbc.co.uk

71–80 of 110 posts

Re: Meet the minimalists living out of a hard drive

#71
post #65
post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Everybody wants to hang out with a traveller. They all have questions. People who would never dream of doing what we do, are happy to tell us their dreams about doing what we do, believe it or not. Everyone seems to find the idea romantic even if they could never do it. Back when I was traveling by myself I found it easier to meet women on the road than at home. I guess maybe you would think these women were "really…

People do want to hang out with a traveller - for an evening. There's also a difference between being a "traveller" and just being a guy with no home and no stuff. The article seemed to be more about the latter.

The difference is all between the ears. A positive attitude and open mind go a long way.

Re: Meet the minimalists living out of a hard drive

#72
post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Space is expensive monetarily, but how is it expensive psychologically? I find _not_ having enough space to be psychologically expensive. Nothing better than going for a walk through your own house, knowing it's all yours and nobody can invade it. But hey, different people have different preferences...

http://www.paulgraham.com/stuff.html Just because space is expensive doesn't mean you should have none .

I love that essay.

Re: Meet the minimalists living out of a hard drive

#73
post #15

Since almost 4 years now I do not have any other possession than what fits into my two suitcases. Wherever my 30 inch monitor is, I call home. I am very comfortable with the fact that I don't need to manage my possessions. And Dropbox, Google Apps and alike even made my fears of data loss a thing of the past. I enjoy moving to a different country almost every year, thanks to being a digital vagabond. I am taking a wi…

"I do not have any other possession than what fits into my two suitcases" ... "Wherever my 30 inch monitor is, i call home"

isn't that a little counter intuitive? you're hardly portable.

Re: Meet the minimalists living out of a hard drive

#74
post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Space is expensive monetarily, but how is it expensive psychologically? I find _not_ having enough space to be psychologically expensive. Nothing better than going for a walk through your own house, knowing it's all yours and nobody can invade it. But hey, different people have different preferences...

http://www.paulgraham.com/stuff.html Just because space is expensive doesn't mean you should have none .

That's not an argument, that's a link to an essay. Besides, that essay is about "stuff", not "space". Personally I'm not a fan of having too much stuff, but I'm not sure it's so easy to have too much space. I'd have a hundred acres of forest if I could afford such a thing (anywhere convenient). But I don't want, say, a deep-fryer.

If you think space is psychologically expensive, why not phrase it in your own words?

Re: Meet the minimalists living out of a hard drive

#75
post #71
post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People do want to hang out with a traveller - for an evening. There's also a difference between being a "traveller" and just being a guy with no home and no stuff. The article seemed to be more about the latter.

The difference is all between the ears. A positive attitude and open mind go a long way.

Not really. It sounds like this guy is staying in one city and sleeping on his friends' couches. That's not travelling, it's mooching.

Re: Meet the minimalists living out of a hard drive

#76
post #73
post #15

Since almost 4 years now I do not have any other possession than what fits into my two suitcases. Wherever my 30 inch monitor is, I call home. I am very comfortable with the fact that I don't need to manage my possessions. And Dropbox, Google Apps and alike even made my fears of data loss a thing of the past. I enjoy moving to a different country almost every year, thanks to being a digital vagabond. I am taking a wi…

"I do not have any other possession than what fits into my two suitcases" ... "Wherever my 30 inch monitor is, i call home" isn't that a little counter intuitive? you're hardly portable.

A 30-inch monitor fits into a suitcase. Still, if I were rationalizing my life down to two suitcases (which, incidentally, I've done before, and I didn't much enjoy it) then I'd have more clothing and less 30-inch monitor.

Re: Meet the minimalists living out of a hard drive

#77
post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's called "The Economy". I have something that you want, you have something that I want. We swap, usually using a token of exchange, and we're both better off for the exchange. That basic exchange, multiplied by technology, is why nearly everyone in the world will be much richer than their parents and why their children will be richer still. Accountants, lawyers and bankers all perform services. Not fun services, b…

Yeah, you are completely missing my point. The fact is, if you set up a business that sells luxury goods that people spend their discretionary income on, then there have to be those people in the system. For every bohemian running a boutique B&B in rural France, there have to be 20 (say) yuppies elsewhere doing something else to pay for it as guests. Can one lawyer stay in 20 B&Bs? Or drink the production of 20 viney…

Do lodging-house owners not drink wine? Do vintners not vacation? People making luxury goods earn an income, often a very good income, and often they spend rather a lot of that income on luxury goods. It is perfectly possible to sustain an economy where the main productive output is luxury goods - it could be argued that many international cities are exactly that.

You seem to be under the misapprehension that the money a lawyer earns in exchange for his time is "real money", whereas the money earned by a fashion designer or an organic honey grower or someone who restores vingage fixed-gear bicycles is somehow not real money.

The economy only demands productivity. It cares not one jot whether that production is hamburger buns or brioche, whether it is kalashnikovs or designer garden tools. All that matters is that enough people will pay for what you do. It should be self-evident that artistry is highly marketable.

The real growth in the current economy is beauty. Apple is testament to that - their products are made by Quanta and Foxconn like everyone else's, but they are worth more by simple merit of being beautiful. Every year the metal and plastic and glass is worth less and the design and styling worth more, that's why we in the west no longer manufacture very much at all. The taste of Steve Jobs and the imagination of Jony Ive is worth more than any factory machine.

For every bohemian running a boutique B&B, we merely need 20 other people who make or do something that other people like. They don't have to wear a tie or work in a tall building, they only need to be productive.

Re: Meet the minimalists living out of a hard drive

#78
post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

http://www.paulgraham.com/stuff.html Just because space is expensive doesn't mean you should have none .

That's not an argument, that's a link to an essay. Besides, that essay is about "stuff", not "space". Personally I'm not a fan of having too much stuff, but I'm not sure it's so easy to have too much space. I'd have a hundred acres of forest if I could afford such a thing (anywhere convenient). But I don't want, say, a deep-fryer. If you think space is psychologically expensive, why not phrase it in your own words?

Stuff (in this case, physical possessions as opposed to digital) takes up space. Most people buy space so they can fill it with stuff. If you're buying space because you actually want the space, that's great! But paying for a mortgage, a storage unit, a parking space, etc is space for your stuff. And, as pg explained, stuff can be a problem.

Re: Meet the minimalists living out of a hard drive

#80
post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not an argument, that's a link to an essay. Besides, that essay is about "stuff", not "space". Personally I'm not a fan of having too much stuff, but I'm not sure it's so easy to have too much space. I'd have a hundred acres of forest if I could afford such a thing (anywhere convenient). But I don't want, say, a deep-fryer. If you think space is psychologically expensive, why not phrase it in your own words?

Stuff (in this case, physical possessions as opposed to digital) takes up space. Most people buy space so they can fill it with stuff. If you're buying space because you actually want the space, that's great! But paying for a mortgage, a storage unit, a parking space, etc is space for your stuff. And, as pg explained, stuff can be a problem.

I think most people get mortgages so they have space for their families, not space for their stuff.
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