I secretly lived in my office for 500 days • Hacker News Board

Re: I secretly lived in my office for 500 days

#11

Post by xamuel » Sun, May 03, 2015, 2:33 PM UTC

rafaelnonato wrote: post #5

I wonder what would happen if this form of housing became more popular. Maybe soon we'll be reading accounts about two office-overnighters who inevitably found about one another.

>I wonder what would happen if this form of housing became more popular.

Simple. Due to liability/insurance/fire-safety concerns, it would be cracked down upon. Where not cracked down upon, it would develop into a shady black market.

Re: I secretly lived in my office for 500 days

#12

Post by marktangotango » Sun, May 03, 2015, 2:51 PM UTC

netman21 wrote: post #3

I used to do this when I was an executive at a software firm in Boulder, Colorado. I maintained a home in another state but commuted to Boulder every week. For a while I had a great deal on a shared condo but when the owner sold it I was faced with staying in hotels or... sleeping in my cubicle under the desk. There was a shower for employees so I would just get up early and be ready to go by 6 am. No one ever discov…

Why didn't you telecommute? I've often considered taking a high salary job in a high cost of living area ie san francisco, boston, or new york. And maintaining a residence somewhere cheaper. If one could arrange a schedule of four ten hour days it might be doable.

The obvious problems are part time housing and travel ie air fare. How did you handle this? Has anyone done this?

Re: I secretly lived in my office for 500 days

#13

Post by mcculley » Sun, May 03, 2015, 2:52 PM UTC

I once worked 2nd and 3rd shift for a project that encouraged such hours because there weren't enough servers to handle the load for everybody during the day. A few mornings around 5:00 AM I heard a weird high pitched noise but it went away before I could figure out what it was. The next time it happened, I immediately hunted it down. I narrowed it down to the men's restroom and opened the door to find a man standing in the nude using a blow dryer. He was a contractor who had moved from another state. He had been sleeping in his truck and using the shower in the employee restroom every morning.

I became less enthusiastic about hunting down the source of weird noises after that.

Re: I secretly lived in my office for 500 days

#14

Post by geomark » Sun, May 03, 2015, 2:54 PM UTC

Some years ago I worked at a large aerospace firm in the L.A. area. 20,000 people worked there and with that many people there are bound to be a few odd ones. Several lived in their cars in the parking lot. But the weirdest one was the guy who was living in the ceiling above his office. The story goes that one night a security guard noticed some movement in a hallway and went to investigate. He saw some wet footprints that led from the bathroom into an office and right up the wall. He pushed up the ceiling panel and found a room outfitted with lights, seat cushions and a sleeping bag. The guy had apparently been living up there for several months.

Re: I secretly lived in my office for 500 days

#15

Post by shanemhansen » Sun, May 03, 2015, 3:03 PM UTC

I've heard people who live with their parents proclaim how great it is. They don't have to pay rent or do their own laundry or anything us terrible materialistic people do. It's great for saving money. For reasons that I hope would be obvious I'm not interested in that sort of "lifestyle choice".

This guy is worse because at least people who are mooching off their parents aren't literally stealing from them.

Re: I secretly lived in my office for 500 days

#16

Post by dghughes » Sun, May 03, 2015, 3:07 PM UTC

rafaelnonato wrote: post #5

I wonder what would happen if this form of housing became more popular. Maybe soon we'll be reading accounts about two office-overnighters who inevitably found about one another.

It sounds like something Japanese people would do since apparently the commutes in Japan are horrifying long.

Those capsule hotels in Japan have been around for quite awhile.

I've thought of creating an apartment building of pod apartments it seems to be a Millenials thing to couch surf or share apartments.

Re: I secretly lived in my office for 500 days

#17

Post by jqm » Sun, May 03, 2015, 3:16 PM UTC

I lived in a grape cooler on a grape farm for several months once (in the non-cooled part). It had a bathroom but no shower. I made one out back on a cement slab with a hose, a garden water wand and a tarp.

Re: I secretly lived in my office for 500 days

#18

Post by allemagne » Sun, May 03, 2015, 3:25 PM UTC

It might change for me in the future, but at this point in my life commuting seems really inefficient and annoying. It's not just the time lost while in your car (I listen to music anyway) but the stress of having to basically exist in two places.

I appreciated the Thoreau references in the article. Perhaps moving into my office isn't the best simplifying solution, but it's a nice parable for improving daily routine.

Re: I secretly lived in my office for 500 days

#19

Post by peter303 » Sun, May 03, 2015, 3:27 PM UTC

This was not rare in college. One school had a 364/24 library and students took over a study correl with their books and a few belongings. Others lived in closets or cars. I think the janitors knew but did not care. I did this a few times myself when there were gaps between residences and I run out of placed to crash.

Re: I secretly lived in my office for 500 days

#20

Post by Chinjut » Sun, May 03, 2015, 3:32 PM UTC

allemagne wrote: post #18

It might change for me in the future, but at this point in my life commuting seems really inefficient and annoying. It's not just the time lost while in your car (I listen to music anyway) but the stress of having to basically exist in two places. I appreciated the Thoreau references in the article. Perhaps moving into my office isn't the best simplifying solution, but it's a nice parable for improving daily routine.

Mind you, Thoreau would probably abandon the office-drone life altogether...