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

Ordinary Abundance

ordinaryabundance.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

111–120 of 203 posts

Re: Ordinary Abundance

#111

Post by toast0 »

abroadwin wrote: post #103
toast0 wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> As someone living on well water in an area with semi-frequent power outages in winter After a few of these outages and typically two to three nines of utility power availability, I got a portable generator for my well (we have an automatic generator for the house, but the well is on a separate meter); but we've also had a well pump fail. That was "fun", I think the well company came out the next day to troubleshoot…

I was in the same boat. When I bought this house it had a standby generator, but not on the same meter as the well and not enough power to run my central heating. I recently upgraded the generator to be able to power everything and switched the well onto the house panel. Such a huge improvement.

My well is pretty far from the house. Would have to trench a lot of large electrical cabling to get it connected to the generator. Too much hassle and expense for now.

I've been seeing aliexpress battery + hybrid charger deals that could probably support my pump, at least for a little while, will probably do one of those eventually, especially if we build a pumphouse.

Re: Ordinary Abundance

#112

Post by strken »

dachris wrote: post #51
carlgreene wrote: post #2

Hedonic adaptation really is something. I have been deeply trying to appreciate these modern marvels more and more, but it's hard. A hot shower, air almost 50 degrees cooler than the outside air coming out of my vents, communicating instantly thousands of miles away, it's all so easy to just forget and take for granted

I often say that everyone should be on a misery week once a year, where you live like our "ancestors". I.e. like my grandparents, who grew up in the 1920s on a farm, only 1 heated room, privy outside, no running water, limited food options, hard work each day. As my granny used to say to anyone with nostalgia: no, things were definitely not better back then. Misery week would greatly increase happiness for the rest o…

Misery week might greatly increase happiness during the week itself. An unheated room with an outdoor toilet, no running water, limited food options, and hard work is basically going camping.

Re: Ordinary Abundance

#113

Post by marssaxman »

marssaxman wrote: post #15

This is an interesting premise, and I would like to read the article, but the weird scrolling makes that almost impossible; the pictures overlay the text to such an extent that I can only read a couple of lines at a time. I wish there were some browser feature that would force sites to use normal scrolling.

I found the problem: the site can't handle a portrait-ratio browser window like I always use. After stretching the window out wide, the layout works.

Re: Ordinary Abundance

#114

Post by dwoldrich »

.. and I want more for myself and everyone else. And I don't feel bad about it. In fact, degrowthers can pound sand and cry about it.

There is power in controlling people through upheaval and degrowth. I delight when those self-serving revolutionaries FAIL.

Re: Ordinary Abundance

#115

Post by andai »

xnx wrote: post #3
carlgreene wrote: post #2

Hedonic adaptation really is something. I have been deeply trying to appreciate these modern marvels more and more, but it's hard. A hot shower, air almost 50 degrees cooler than the outside air coming out of my vents, communicating instantly thousands of miles away, it's all so easy to just forget and take for granted

We need a Netflix Chaos Monkey tool for modern life. Each week one modern convenience stops working for a day: indoor plumbing, air conditioning, electricity, wifi, automobile, air travel etc. after one day without, you will again appreciate those things for the next few years

You are describing life in central Europe! At least when I was growing up.

I'm also reminded of a while back when the power went out in Spain, and people said it was like a time capsule to the 1970s.

People, outside, talking! Imagine...

Re: Ordinary Abundance

#116

Post by Slow_Hand »

smallmancontrov wrote: post #41
xg15 wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or "living in an apartment with affordable rent"...

> affordable That's the crux, isn't it? You aren't just dependent, you are dependent on a system that relentlessly stalks you with increased demands. You are tasked with keeping ahead of a pack of hunters who want to take you down -- and not only will your companions leave you for dead the moment that happens, the group will punish any suggestion that we might want to do something about this on a systemic level becau…

Today’s ways of living - no matter how challenging or disillusioning or alienating they may be - are largely preferable to literally being hunted and having your livelihood threatened by predators, compared to the figurative hunters and predators you’re describing.

It ain’t perfect - and we’ll work to improve it - but it’s way better than the way it used to be for so many people. Civilization aint all bad.

Re: Ordinary Abundance

#117

Post by andai »

tshaddox wrote: post #68
carlgreene wrote: post #2

Hedonic adaptation really is something. I have been deeply trying to appreciate these modern marvels more and more, but it's hard. A hot shower, air almost 50 degrees cooler than the outside air coming out of my vents, communicating instantly thousands of miles away, it's all so easy to just forget and take for granted

Hedonic adaptation is a very good thing. Culture or technological stasis is a death sentence for civilization. Open-ended progress is the only chance civilization has to survive (and even that's not a guarantee). There is an infinite sequence of future problems to be solved. Each time you solve a problem, you don't reduce the total number of future problems, but you are left with one or more better problems than you…

>Hedonic adaptation is a very good thing. Culture or technological stasis is a death sentence for civilization.

Actually, it's the other way around. Thanks to technology, civilization has become unnecessary.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JS2N4VWIbCI

“Visiting,” says a French writer, “forms the cord which binds society together, and it is so firmly tied, that were the knot severed, society would perish.”

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/39293/39293-h/39293-h.htm#CH...

Re: Ordinary Abundance

#118

Post by andai »

physicles wrote: post #59

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. For the last month I’ve been living in a camper van, working and traveling, which I’m really lucky to be able to do by choice. It’s lonely to be sure, but I also feel mentally far more resilient than I have in ages, and I’m trying to figure out why. Being in nature is good for us, so that’s probably part of it, as is the constant practice of being self-reliant. Another theo…

Environmental design!

Make it so the path of least resistance takes you exactly where you want to go.

https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits-summary

Re: Ordinary Abundance

#119

Post by Slow_Hand »

csours wrote: post #97

I can eat better than a king, every day.

I remind myself of this often, despite living a lower-middle class existence.

There’s always room for hedonic escalation and lifestyle creep, but if all of my needs are covered I’m largely satisfied.

As the saying goes: “He who is not satisfied with that which he has will not be satisfied with that which he hopes to have.”

Re: Ordinary Abundance

#120

Post by nradov »

palmotea wrote: post #88
xg15 wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you need better companions.

Or his companions need to get better. I interpreted... >> You are tasked with keeping ahead of a pack of hunters who want to take you down -- and not only will your companions leave you for dead the moment that happens, the group will punish any suggestion that we might want to do something about this on a systemic level because they strive to join the hunters themselves. ...as referring to software engineers as a wh…

If you want to be a capitalist instead of a laborer then you can just go do that. There's never been a better time to start a company and be your own boss.
Post reply on HN