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My ideas are shitty so I'm going on an Internet diet

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Re: My ideas are shitty so I'm going on an Internet diet

#73

I've been thinking about this lately, too. A long time ago, I spent almost no time on the internet, because there wasn't really much of an internet to speak of. Instead, I wrote code. Lots, and lots, and lots of code. Some of it in assembly; some of it, even, in hex, with tons of printed pages of processor instructions in front of me. Feats like that required a level of concentration that I find almost impossible to…

I think you just spoke for 75% of the people on this site, myself included.

Re: My ideas are shitty so I'm going on an Internet diet

#74

I've been thinking about this lately, too. A long time ago, I spent almost no time on the internet, because there wasn't really much of an internet to speak of. Instead, I wrote code. Lots, and lots, and lots of code. Some of it in assembly; some of it, even, in hex, with tons of printed pages of processor instructions in front of me. Feats like that required a level of concentration that I find almost impossible to…

I have felt the same way for a while now and upon reflection I realized that one purchase in my past had pushed me over the top in my addiction: a laptop in 2006. I was liberated from my desk to do creative things. Think of all the beautiful places I could take may new laptop and feel the juices flowing. The world was my oyster! Instead, I just looked at crap on the Internet from all those places. I could sit on the…

I wonder how productive you could be if you ran linux with no window manager (just screen).

Sure, you could use lynx, but it's a only-if-i-have-to sort of thing.

Re: My ideas are shitty so I'm going on an Internet diet

#75
post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have felt the same way for a while now and upon reflection I realized that one purchase in my past had pushed me over the top in my addiction: a laptop in 2006. I was liberated from my desk to do creative things. Think of all the beautiful places I could take may new laptop and feel the juices flowing. The world was my oyster! Instead, I just looked at crap on the Internet from all those places. I could sit on the…

I wonder how productive you could be if you ran linux with no window manager (just screen). Sure, you could use lynx, but it's a only-if-i-have-to sort of thing.

I wouldn't be, because dealing with a console all day drives me up the wall. For me, it's an utterly miserable way to work--this is the future, we have these things called "mice" and "overlapping Windows" and "text editors that don't expect you to have a modal brain or memorize three-modifier shortcuts."

I just unplug from the Internet, and have my reference materials in hardcopy or sitting on my hard drive (the complete Java and .NET references are in local storage, for example). It's not hard to do, it just takes a bit of self-discipline.

Re: My ideas are shitty so I'm going on an Internet diet

#77

Related: a few years ago, Aaron Swartz took a month-long internet fast. Before: http://www.aaronsw.com/weblog/offline After: http://www.aaronsw.com/weblog/offline2

Thanks for posting that, it was much more interesting and relevant than the OP link.

By the way, if you (the figurative 'you', not RyanMcGreal) find yourself unhappy and unable to concentrate on your work, consider that you may be depressed. Several years ago, I went through a bout of deep depression. I took Zoloft for about six months and was, for the first time in a long while, able to really focus and get work done. Accomplishing things leads to satisfaction, which snowballs to help ease the unhappiness. I've read elsewhere that borderline ADD-type symptoms are associated with depression, and let's face it, sitting in front of a glowing box all day probably isn't the most psychologically healthy activity in the world.

Re: My ideas are shitty so I'm going on an Internet diet

#78

I've been thinking about this lately, too. A long time ago, I spent almost no time on the internet, because there wasn't really much of an internet to speak of. Instead, I wrote code. Lots, and lots, and lots of code. Some of it in assembly; some of it, even, in hex, with tons of printed pages of processor instructions in front of me. Feats like that required a level of concentration that I find almost impossible to…

I agree the tic you mention can be a serious problem. Here's how I dealt with it: no DSL/cable internet connection to my apartment for 6 months. Looking up technical questions on Stackoverflow was done via iPhone 3G connection (to the phone only, no tethering). Email and IM were also done via the phone.

During this time I created iOS apps. When I needed an internet connection (to download open-source code etc) I would go to a cafe, library or friend's place.

This solution is extreme. It certainly won't work for everyone (or most people for that matter). However it worked well for me so I though I'd share it.

Productivity level during this period was high.

Re: My ideas are shitty so I'm going on an Internet diet

#79

I wouldn't suggest an internet diet to anyone over 15 years of age. Brains feed on information and the information on the internet is vastly more interesting than what most people encounter in an everyday "offline" life. Seems like the problem is the distractions caused by social sites. It's easy to turn that habit off, you are not missing much anyway. If you feel you are feeding too much on web fragments, read some…

The problem is that too much stuff on the Web is pre-digested pap. In terms of what Stephenson wrote in In the Beginning Was the Command Line..., it is turning Morlocks into Eloi.

Re: My ideas are shitty so I'm going on an Internet diet

#80
post #75
post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder how productive you could be if you ran linux with no window manager (just screen). Sure, you could use lynx, but it's a only-if-i-have-to sort of thing.

I wouldn't be, because dealing with a console all day drives me up the wall. For me, it's an utterly miserable way to work--this is the future, we have these things called "mice" and "overlapping Windows" and "text editors that don't expect you to have a modal brain or memorize three-modifier shortcuts." I just unplug from the Internet, and have my reference materials in hardcopy or sitting on my hard drive (the comp…

I have a mouse (actually a trackball), and run X. But why do you need overlapping windows? Tiling requires less mental overhead.
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