Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Hyperemployment, or the Exhausting Work of the Technology User

theatlantic.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–28 of 28 posts

Re: Hyperemployment, or the Exhausting Work of the Technology User

#21

Post by incision »

alaskamiller wrote: post #8

Once I was a Marine combat engineer. We worked all day. Reveille starts at 06 and taps wasn't until 20, 21, or maybe even 24. There was a singular focus throughout the day: get shit done. That involved no computers, no phones, no digital distractions. Just blowing up stuff, building bridges, or moving boulders by hand. Physically draining work that at the end you try to somehow find a can of un-skunked beer to cheer…

Well put.

I often lament that if I could make anything close to my current salary in technology by cutting grass, digging holes, spreading mulch and hammering nails as I did for 10 hours a day at minimum wage in the 90s - I'd jump on the opportunity.

Re: Hyperemployment, or the Exhausting Work of the Technology User

#22

Post by friendly_chap »

alaskamiller wrote: post #8

Once I was a Marine combat engineer. We worked all day. Reveille starts at 06 and taps wasn't until 20, 21, or maybe even 24. There was a singular focus throughout the day: get shit done. That involved no computers, no phones, no digital distractions. Just blowing up stuff, building bridges, or moving boulders by hand. Physically draining work that at the end you try to somehow find a can of un-skunked beer to cheer…

You, sir, are incredibly talented at writing. Please consider writing (anything), and drop me an email to buy/read it.

Re: Hyperemployment, or the Exhausting Work of the Technology User

#23

Post by sbierwagen »

I remember pg saying something like "email is a todo list that lets anyone in the world add items to the top" but the actual quote isn't quite as good:

http://www.paulgraham.com/ambitious.html

  Email was not designed to be used the way we use it now. 
  Email is not a messaging protocol. It's a todo list. Or 
  rather, my inbox is a todo list, and email is the way 
  things get onto it. But it is a disastrously bad todo list.

Re: Hyperemployment, or the Exhausting Work of the Technology User

#24

Post by xlayn »

This is a rant about I can't manage my own life: there is no reason to pay attention to what you don't want, unless you do. Unsubscribe, if you can't flag as spam, pay your bills on time (do I really need to say that?). Add others rant's as previous, leave FB/HN/etc bla.

Re: Hyperemployment, or the Exhausting Work of the Technology User

#25

Post by mchusma »

digikata wrote: post #16
alaskamiller wrote: post #8

Once I was a Marine combat engineer. We worked all day. Reveille starts at 06 and taps wasn't until 20, 21, or maybe even 24. There was a singular focus throughout the day: get shit done. That involved no computers, no phones, no digital distractions. Just blowing up stuff, building bridges, or moving boulders by hand. Physically draining work that at the end you try to somehow find a can of un-skunked beer to cheer…

I'm thinking that the exhaustion had less to do with email or tech per se, but more to do with not having the authority to get shit done by actually solving problems. What I imagine with your Marine combat experience, is that you had access the to resources you needed, and it was your group's sole responsibility to get things done. In my career, the most draining positions I've had in the past are the ones where you…

Ha. I found this statement pretty funny as an ex-army officer. You got it 100% wrong. You have very little control in the army. To do anything. Including leave for the weekend, or taking a vacation.

Re: Hyperemployment, or the Exhausting Work of the Technology User

#26

Post by chongli »

thrush wrote: post #4
Detrus wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Physical labor was great because you didn't have to work then go to the gym separately. Left more leisure time.

I don't buy it. You only need to workout about 30min a day, 3-4 times a week to stay in decent shape. Maybe an hour if you include prep and showering. That's only a few hours of your leisure time a week you might be missing out on...

Or you could go even further and incorporate workout into your leisure time: play a sport!

Re: Hyperemployment, or the Exhausting Work of the Technology User

#27

Post by gizmo686 »

codex wrote: post #12
scarmig wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The biggest difference is the leisure time that accrues to you by retirement. On top of having more money saved, you're almost certainly in much better physical shape than someone who engaged in physically demanding activity for 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week, for 40 years.

Have you seen professional acrobats? They look 15 years younger than they are.

I suspect acrobats self select as people who look young, as that seems correlated with agility. Not withstanding that, the most common advice my high school coach gave us was to not over-practice. (I ran cross country, most of the more dedicated members had at least 1 season where they had to drop out from over-exerting themselves).

Re: Hyperemployment, or the Exhausting Work of the Technology User

#28

Post by jerkface »

sbierwagen wrote: post #23

I remember pg saying something like "email is a todo list that lets anyone in the world add items to the top" but the actual quote isn't quite as good: http://www.paulgraham.com/ambitious.html Email was not designed to be used the way we use it now. Email is not a messaging protocol. It's a todo list. Or rather, my inbox is a todo list, and email is the way things get onto it. But it is a disastrously bad todo list.

It's amazing you were able to type that from so far up pg's ass. One demerit for not using a numbered citation [1].

[1] Imitation is the sincerest form of groupthink.

Post reply on HN