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Ask HN: I'm Tired of Hacking. What Do I Do? Please Advise.

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Re: Ask HN: I'm Tired of Hacking. What Do I Do? Please Advise.

#111

Post by hellweaver666 »

PStamatiou wrote: post #100
chez17 wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Getting a dog has completely turned my life around. I wasn't uber depressed before, but I had some days where basically looking at the news made me so disgusted to be a human, I could hardly work. I was working at home, living at home, hanging out at home, etc... Get a dog, get outside 3 or 4 times a day. Having a little creature be so happy to see you every time you walk through the door he can barely contain himsel…

Well put! I adopted a black labrador puppy last thursday. She's 3 months old and she's pulling me outside 6 times a day! We spent 2 hours at the park today because she kept laying down on the grass during the walk home. Quite a difference from those "err i havent been outside in 3 days" scenarios. pics here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pauls

Upvoted your comment just because your puppy is so damn cute!

Re: Ask HN: I'm Tired of Hacking. What Do I Do? Please Advise.

#112

Post by uptown »

PStamatiou wrote: post #100
chez17 wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Getting a dog has completely turned my life around. I wasn't uber depressed before, but I had some days where basically looking at the news made me so disgusted to be a human, I could hardly work. I was working at home, living at home, hanging out at home, etc... Get a dog, get outside 3 or 4 times a day. Having a little creature be so happy to see you every time you walk through the door he can barely contain himsel…

Well put! I adopted a black labrador puppy last thursday. She's 3 months old and she's pulling me outside 6 times a day! We spent 2 hours at the park today because she kept laying down on the grass during the walk home. Quite a difference from those "err i havent been outside in 3 days" scenarios. pics here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pauls

Cute pup ... Good luck with her. Here's mine: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3014/2759237541_1d360e7795_b....

Re: Ask HN: I'm Tired of Hacking. What Do I Do? Please Advise.

#113

Post by uptown »

jganetsk wrote: post #95
uptown wrote: post #18

Get a: a) Girlfriend b) Dog c) A hobby that doesn't involve electricity Allow your job to become just one part of your life ... not what defines your life.

How do you know he doesn't have all 3?

Because if he did, he wouldn't have these problems ... duh! :)

Re: Ask HN: I'm Tired of Hacking. What Do I Do? Please Advise.

#114

Post by logic »

I was, and still am, in a similar situation.

I picked up the requisite non-tech hobby that I'm now quite passionate about: in my case, it was automotive modification and racing. I have a veritable performance shop in my garage now: I taught myself welding and metal fabrication, aerodynamics, fluid dynamics, engine performance, fuel delivery, and a host of other skills. I even came back around to the tech side of things by getting involved in electronic engine management (reflashing and reprogramming OEM ECUs, logging, performance tuning, etc). It's exciting stuff, and introduced me to a very different community of people than I'd previously known.

Echoing some of the other comments here: I married a woman who is possibly the perfect companion for me, something I try very hard to be for her. We also have two dogs, another item I saw mentioned, and they've been a joy.

After all that, I still spend 8 hours (minimum) each day doing work that has lost it's lustre. When I started my career, there was exciting work to do: in 1994, my cohorts and I started an ISP. I did work in that vein for about six years, and it was some of the best years of my career (my personal life was a shambles, but the work was incredible). Today, that's reversed: I have a rich private life, but the work is dull.

So, my long and winding road to a point: the suggestions to get a "significant other", pet, and non-tech hobby, while well-intentioned, won't actually fix your problem. Certainly, take a bit of time off and decompress to make sure you're not just in need of a vacation, but that's essentially what you've already done. And the fact that you have neck pain is significant: you should certainly get that addressed before making substantial changes that might not be necessary afterward.

But, at the end of the day, you'll still have a problem with being bored of the work you're doing, and you can only fix that by finding new work to do: either new problems/niches in your current field that you haven't tackled before, or start looking in the direction of fields that you can get passionate about.

Re: Ask HN: I'm Tired of Hacking. What Do I Do? Please Advise.

#115

Post by auser7 »

chez17 wrote: post #63
uptown wrote: post #18

Get a: a) Girlfriend b) Dog c) A hobby that doesn't involve electricity Allow your job to become just one part of your life ... not what defines your life.

Getting a dog has completely turned my life around. I wasn't uber depressed before, but I had some days where basically looking at the news made me so disgusted to be a human, I could hardly work. I was working at home, living at home, hanging out at home, etc... Get a dog, get outside 3 or 4 times a day. Having a little creature be so happy to see you every time you walk through the door he can barely contain himsel…

Couldn't agree more!

Re: Ask HN: I'm Tired of Hacking. What Do I Do? Please Advise.

#116

Post by mattdennewitz »

mattdennewitz wrote: post #27

welcome to burnout. its absolute hell. before depression sets in and you become irreversibly emotionally detached and drained, you have to branch into hobbies that bookend your life as a hacker. personal advice: buy a synthesizer or a nice digital camera. or a bike (but you have to use it though, that part is key , my friend. key .) professional advice: use a reasonable chunk of your vacation time and money and get o…

something i forgot to mention the first time: i started playing fantasy baseball with some friends who are really into it, and its been a blast. its also a huge stress reliever for most of the folks involved. definitely not for everyone, but it works for us.

Re: Ask HN: I'm Tired of Hacking. What Do I Do? Please Advise.

#117

Post by hs »

edw519 wrote: post #78
TheSOB88 wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, share what you do to feel great.

Exercise: I have scoliosis and I've tried everything for sore back and neck. Nothing has worked as well as the 5 Rites every morning before breakfast. I think #3 has helped me the most, but who knows. I'll leave the secret with the ancients. I do these every day. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Tibetan_Rites In addition to that, the usual: - get my heart rate into the training zone (140 to 170 BPM) for 30-40 minute…

i got scoliosis too, and i went to chinese medical master (he also does accupuncture) that specializes in massaging and bones structure

he didn't use any equipment. i was to sit on a chair, knee/shin next to each other. an assistant locks the knees by hugging using both hands so my body cannot move easily.

he then 'measured' my backbone and then stretched my arm, twisted my back based on his initial estimate and then do the measure-stretch-twist loop. it took him quite considerable force (he's sweating)

the whole process took about an hour and must be done in many visits (mine's 3), depending on severity

i felt better but cannot provide statistics/numbers; however, my cousin can. her father is a modern doctor who cannot believe ancient chinese methods. he took x-rays after each visit. he told me that during 2 weeks of therapy, her scoliosis improved from 40deg to 20deg.

i want to visit the chinese medical man again, it's been more than 2 years. there's no 'cure' or 'pills'. i believe if i do better pose i won't need to go visiting him again ... but i'm as uneducated as layman about correct posture so i always revert back to old problems

if you have resources on this please share. the hindu squat looks very tiring -- 500 of these in one go?

btw i'm now using stand-up desk (like a week or so) and my back, heel, ankle and toes are aching and cramping. is it to be expected especially for scoliosis guys? after feeling pain, i just sit for a while. i guess after a while i'll develop endurance

thx for the links

Re: Ask HN: I'm Tired of Hacking. What Do I Do? Please Advise.

#118

Post by hs »

pageman wrote: post #72
mahmud wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let me just add that small valuables, like gold and Western-made digital electronics come handy for pawning when you lose your wallet, get your documents stolen or otherwise that odorsome object hits the Murphy fan. And it will. Two gold rings and a necklace, not worn, but secreted in your boots will get you out of allot of trouble, at least until that unexpected national/religious/regional holiday you never expected…

I have to agree with the gold rings. What we had were gold coins hanging on our necks just in case something happened to the dollar or the euro. At least with gold, you can pay your way out :)

did you ever happen to sell it?

coz o/w it's just an added weight -- well in your case it's maybe for appearance so it's a good investment/insurance

some people do hide gold in their teeth, might be interesting if that's your thing

Re: Ask HN: I'm Tired of Hacking. What Do I Do? Please Advise.

#119

Post by colins_pride »

grandalf wrote: post #103
stanleydrew wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Often getting a dog leads to getting a girlfriend, since you'll be outside more and have an instant conversation starter.

I thought about starting a puppy rental business for college campuses. I imagine you could charge over $100 per hour b/c of all the girls who would flock to pet the puppy and then happen to think "wow what a nice guy".

It's a good idea, I wouldn't try and do it on college campuses, though. You can lose some serious coin trying to sell good but expensive things to broke kids.

Re: Ask HN: I'm Tired of Hacking. What Do I Do? Please Advise.

#120

Post by taelor »

Well I personally like to bartend when I'm not hacking. I find it really helps me reload. It's great, I get to be super social and make money. Its not even really like work.

And its great when your talking to girls cause you can make yourself sound like a super hero, "Yah, I'm a hacker by day, bartender by night!" Chicks dig super heroes.

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