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Death of a Programmer, Life of a Farmer

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Re: Death of a Programmer, Life of a Farmer

#301

Post by sliverstorm »

crpatino wrote: post #165
a8da6b0c91d wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> hippy commune / kibbutz concept It's been tried over-and-over-and-over for centuries and there's a ton of research. If it's not based on a religion, it fails, is the long and short of it. Only works with religious people.

It is interesting to speculate why is it that religious groups fare better in this kind of arrangements. I think it has to do with 2 things: The ability to shame individuals into compliance without resorting to violence, and the ability to shut off free-loaders. That's the problem with intentional communities. Everybody (claim to) have the best intentions, until push comes to shove and you have to actually put your s…

I would focus on one even-simpler thing:

Power structure.

Religion usually has a built-in power structure that nothing else has been able to replicate.

Re: Death of a Programmer, Life of a Farmer

#302

Post by wpietri »

solipsism wrote: post #192
wpietri wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I believe the distinction suggested is not real vs imaginary, but real vs constructed. I think it's a reasonable point. One of the useful tests for "realness" is what lasts, what is sustained without human effort. Artificial environments are in some sense a fantasy made real. Sufficiently advanced technologies are indistinguishable from magic because we are always trying to construct our dreams. Our civilization is i…

One of the useful tests for "realness" is what lasts What? This ismeaningless, and obviously false if you just think about it for one second. Please see my reply to tsunamifury above.

If you had said, "I don't understand this point, could you say more" I would have happily answered. But instead you give a lot of drama in reply, which makes me think there isn't much point in taking the time. But suffice it to say I thought about it for more than one second in writing it, and did so again just now. I still believe it to have meaning.

Re: Death of a Programmer, Life of a Farmer

#303

Post by jessaustin »

logfromblammo wrote: post #85
philbarr wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I never understood that about America. I've been lost in the suburbs in Michigan once, driving along for ages with just house after house after house, and thinking, "where's the local shop?" Surely it's got to be worth someone setting up a local shop every couple of miles?

At a suburban population density of 640/mi^2 (1 acre/person), a circle with 3 mile radius covers 18000 people. A 2 mile radius covers 8000. A 1.5 mile radius covers 4500. A 1 mile radius, only 2000. A 0.5 mile radius has 500 people in it. Realistically, a person walking at 3 mi/h won't walk more than 0.5 miles to visit the local shop, and a person bicycling at 12 mi/h won't go more than 3. They won't, unless they are…

Many places don't even have sidewalks.

The USA would be a much nicer place if no new residential development could be built without sidewalks. It would only require a little vision on the part of planning & zoning boards, with perhaps a little empathy for children, the elderly, and others who can't drive.

Re: Death of a Programmer, Life of a Farmer

#304

Post by galfarragem »

Our need for a low-density or high-density environment apparently change during our life:

- Childhood: kids need space, safety/freedom and some friends to explore the world. Countryside and suburbs are the best option.

- Social years: humans are social and hierarchical. We need a place with plenty of opportunities to experience the world and prove our value in the different hierarchies. Cities are the best option.

- Maturity: after we had experienced the world and/or when our place in hierarchy gets stagnant, we want to slow down. Countryside is the best option.

Re: Death of a Programmer, Life of a Farmer

#305

Post by Snesker »

pugio wrote: post #211

This is probably too extreme of a life change for most people to implement, but there are ways to gain some of the benefits without an entire lifestyle upheaval. Recently I've begun camping on business trips instead of using my hotel budget. I'll fly in with a tent, sleeping bag, laptop, and cooler bag, rent a car, and set up camp in whichever campground is closest to the city. Most of these places are meant for loca…

>whichever campground is closest to the city >and are equipped with water, power (for trailers), and showers.

This is not camping. It's dishonest and offensive to call sitting around with every amenity programming camping. I can't understand where you get off having the audacity to say people need nature when you're flying around and driving hours to spend time in tacky family camp grounds and playing on your computer. I'm so disgusted that you think not taking a smartphone with you is an act of daring revolution. So, what, you own two phones? And the smart one can't be made to stop vibrating over every reply to your dumb tweets? Regarding everything else you wrote, there's a book about how to buck gullibility that might suit your little maverick wilderness adventures.

Re: Death of a Programmer, Life of a Farmer

#306

Post by Snesker »

narrator wrote: post #49
mtbcoder wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the Midwest, suburbs are designed and developed around the car and the "local shops" are generally located in a series of strip malls off the major roads. On the coasts and in denser populated areas, there seems to be a renewed push for more walk-able areas, public transit and such though.

I'll tell you the real, but awful, reason why we have such restrictive zoning in the U.S. The idea behind zoning is to make sure that different classes and races don't have to see each other if they don't want to. Putting commercial retail in a residential area would give outsiders an excuse to be there. The whole "white flight" from the cities has left it's mark on zoning ever since the 1960s. IMHO, this is also the…

>The idea behind zoning is to make sure that different classes and races don't have to see each other if they don't want to.

What's wrong with that? It's what they want.

Re: Death of a Programmer, Life of a Farmer

#307

Post by mod »

longlivegnu wrote: post #201
mod wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I grew up in a relaxed beach town in Florida (Venice), and I liked it pretty well--but all of my peers hated it. "There's nothing to do here." I just thought "seriously? We have everything but a theme park." Go carts, beaches, movies, skating rinks, arcades, everything! I've since learned that kids say that no matter where they live, seemingly.

As a software engineer near Venice FL in his early 20s there isn't a lot to do here still. I guess some people do enjoy going to the beach a lot but it definitely gets old.

Great outdoor activities (saltwater & freshwater fishing, myakka river, camping, pretty awesome parks, beach obviously). I personally hate the beach--sand, salt, and sunburn are three of my least favorite things.

Venice YMCA has a ton of offerings--rock wall, skate park, basketball gym, adult leagues, etc.

You have pretty much every other normal amenity, like theaters & community college.

Tampa isn't far for theme parks, concerts, etc.

You're missing having a hometown bar scene, but those aren't too far anyway (and the 20-somethings make do with what's available, anyway).

What do you feel like you're missing?

Re: Death of a Programmer, Life of a Farmer

#308

Post by kelvin0 »

Snesker wrote: post #305
pugio wrote: post #211

This is probably too extreme of a life change for most people to implement, but there are ways to gain some of the benefits without an entire lifestyle upheaval. Recently I've begun camping on business trips instead of using my hotel budget. I'll fly in with a tent, sleeping bag, laptop, and cooler bag, rent a car, and set up camp in whichever campground is closest to the city. Most of these places are meant for loca…

>whichever campground is closest to the city >and are equipped with water, power (for trailers), and showers. This is not camping. It's dishonest and offensive to call sitting around with every amenity programming camping. I can't understand where you get off having the audacity to say people need nature when you're flying around and driving hours to spend time in tacky family camp grounds and playing on your compute…

So are you implying he should not do these things? Or simply he is not doing it the right way? Or is your harsh tone due to perceiving this small change as inadequate for an outdoors guru like yourself? Please enlighten us as to why his small change (which makes him happy) is not appropriate to you.

Re: Death of a Programmer, Life of a Farmer

#309

Post by rndn »

proggR wrote: post #248
M8 wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the end, if society doesn't collapse, farming will be automated.

I plan on sort of following the path of the OP, but in an automated way. Longer comment on Reddit[1], but the goal is to make a climate controlled greenhouse that houses a heavily automated aquaponics setup along with backyard chickens for eggs and eventually meat. I may take on a couple goats for milk but that would follow later. As part of this I also want to setup solar and vertical axis wind along with evacuated…

Did you look into alternatives to mammal meat? Farm 432 comes to mind: http://www.kunger.at/161540/1591397/overview/farm-432-insect...

Re: Death of a Programmer, Life of a Farmer

#310

Post by erdle »

xrange wrote: post #239
jorgeleo wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"The farm life works for some people" I agree. I couldn't do farm, I have bad allergies to pollen, dust, and too much time under the sun and I become red as a lobster, and it is painful But programming is what I love to do. So I will say "The programmer life works for some people" I wouldn't call the original article "The death of a programmer", I would call it "The born of a farmer". He figure out were he feels happ…

>I have bad allergies to pollen, dust Interestingly enough, if you had grown up on a farm, you many not have developed allergies... http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20497148 https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=allergies+and+growing+u...

Anecdote: Grew up on a vineyard and blueberry farm ... did not stop allergies from crushing my sinus cavities aka chronic sinusitis
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