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The Tao of Programming (1987)

mit.edu

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Re: The Tao of Programming (1987)

#31

Post by try_again »

goatinaboat wrote: post #28
jraby3 wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I moved abroad about ten years ago to a non English speaking country. Got the first kindle that came out and never looked back. I have hundreds of books I take with me everywhere now.

I have hundreds of books I take with me everywhere now This is an underexplored cultural shift I think. In the past your books and your music on LP or CD and your movies on DVD or VHS were part of the decor, usually on prominent display in the living room, the room of the house where guests were entertained. Even your games carts for your console would be in that display. Seeing what was in your host's collection was…

There are of course the ways to share your digital collection. Your games list on Steam, books on Goodreads, music on services like Spotify and last.fm. On the one hand it's less immediately visible but on the other people can see it without visiting your home. As for what has replaced it in the home, no idea.

Re: The Tao of Programming (1987)

#32

Post by fakedang »

goatinaboat wrote: post #28
jraby3 wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I moved abroad about ten years ago to a non English speaking country. Got the first kindle that came out and never looked back. I have hundreds of books I take with me everywhere now.

I have hundreds of books I take with me everywhere now This is an underexplored cultural shift I think. In the past your books and your music on LP or CD and your movies on DVD or VHS were part of the decor, usually on prominent display in the living room, the room of the house where guests were entertained. Even your games carts for your console would be in that display. Seeing what was in your host's collection was…

Blank white spaces. And art.

Re: The Tao of Programming (1987)

#33

Post by Joeri »

goatinaboat wrote: post #28
jraby3 wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I moved abroad about ten years ago to a non English speaking country. Got the first kindle that came out and never looked back. I have hundreds of books I take with me everywhere now.

I have hundreds of books I take with me everywhere now This is an underexplored cultural shift I think. In the past your books and your music on LP or CD and your movies on DVD or VHS were part of the decor, usually on prominent display in the living room, the room of the house where guests were entertained. Even your games carts for your console would be in that display. Seeing what was in your host's collection was…

What I find troubling is that we don’t own our goods in the digital space. When you “buy” a kindle book, you don’t own that book, you own a license to read that cannot be transferred or inherited. That means that parents no longer can pass on cultural artifacts to their children and grandchildren. This cannot be a healthy evolution for humanity.

Re: The Tao of Programming (1987)

#34

Post by eru »

caskstrength wrote: post #30
UncleSlacky wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's just working itself that sucks. AKA alienation of labor, as Marx put it: > labor is external to the worker. It does not belong to his nature. He does not realize himself in his work, that he denies himself in it. That he does not feel at ease in it but rather unhappy. He does not develop free physical and mental energy in it... The worker is only himself when he does not work, and in his work he feels outside…

Are you implying that people somehow don't need to work in communist countries? I was too young to work during USSR times, but I can assure you my parents and grandparents hated Mondays as much as my generation do, if not more.

Oh, but those countries weren't doing 'real communism'.

Compare https://www.econlib.org/socialism-the-failed-idea-that-never...

Re: The Tao of Programming (1987)

#36

Post by UncleSlacky »

caskstrength wrote: post #30
UncleSlacky wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's just working itself that sucks. AKA alienation of labor, as Marx put it: > labor is external to the worker. It does not belong to his nature. He does not realize himself in his work, that he denies himself in it. That he does not feel at ease in it but rather unhappy. He does not develop free physical and mental energy in it... The worker is only himself when he does not work, and in his work he feels outside…

Are you implying that people somehow don't need to work in communist countries? I was too young to work during USSR times, but I can assure you my parents and grandparents hated Mondays as much as my generation do, if not more.

There's work that you do for yourself and to benefit yourself and your community, but this kind of work is the kind which doesn't benefit you, only your boss. In the case of the USSR, your boss was the state, hence why the USSR's economy is often referred to as "state capitalism".

Re: The Tao of Programming (1987)

#37

Post by TremendousJudge »

Joeri wrote: post #33
goatinaboat wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have hundreds of books I take with me everywhere now This is an underexplored cultural shift I think. In the past your books and your music on LP or CD and your movies on DVD or VHS were part of the decor, usually on prominent display in the living room, the room of the house where guests were entertained. Even your games carts for your console would be in that display. Seeing what was in your host's collection was…

What I find troubling is that we don’t own our goods in the digital space. When you “buy” a kindle book, you don’t own that book, you own a license to read that cannot be transferred or inherited. That means that parents no longer can pass on cultural artifacts to their children and grandchildren. This cannot be a healthy evolution for humanity.

There are two types of people, broadly speaking: the ones that keep nothing always throw everything away and format their computers once a year, and the ones that hoard everything like an archive.

Although I am proudly the second type, I understand that many people are the first type. They don't really care that much about this stuff that to me feels fundamental, so they have no issue with things not really being theirs.

And in a way, they are right. While year after year I'm burdened by being the archivist of my own possessions, there are many people that just live unencumbered by such things.

Re: The Tao of Programming (1987)

#38

Post by 0xbadcafebee »

UncleSlacky wrote: post #27
thn-gap wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If your current job is your would-be hobby, and you still have to work +40h per week, chances are that it can't get better than this. It's just working itself that sucks.

> It's just working itself that sucks. AKA alienation of labor, as Marx put it: > labor is external to the worker. It does not belong to his nature. He does not realize himself in his work, that he denies himself in it. That he does not feel at ease in it but rather unhappy. He does not develop free physical and mental energy in it... The worker is only himself when he does not work, and in his work he feels outside…

People hate Capitalism in the same way they hate Country Music.

They say, "I like all music except Country. I hate Country." And you say, "So you hate Johnny Cash?" And they say, "Oh. No, I like Johnny Cash. But I hate the rest of Country."

This is the Tao of Labels.

Re: The Tao of Programming (1987)

#39

Post by throw1234651234 »

UncleSlacky wrote: post #36
caskstrength wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you implying that people somehow don't need to work in communist countries? I was too young to work during USSR times, but I can assure you my parents and grandparents hated Mondays as much as my generation do, if not more.

There's work that you do for yourself and to benefit yourself and your community, but this kind of work is the kind which doesn't benefit you, only your boss. In the case of the USSR, your boss was the state, hence why the USSR's economy is often referred to as "state capitalism".

Arguments against your theory: 1. Inefficiencies of labor distribution / shortages in USSR.

2. There were bosses in the USSR, called party members. Someone needs to manage.

3. Decreased motivation for high performance due to smaller "CEO"/common laborer wage gaps.

4. Inability of USSR to compete in both consumer goods and other areas except in a few focus points (mainly military) such as - small scale nuclear, rocket propulsion, certain areas of medicine, certain sports (far more actual research done than in the US), cavitating torpedoes, stealth subs, IR seekers, thermobarics, fighter wing leading edge vacuum generation from the SU27 copied in the F-15/MIG29, VTOL lift, etc

P.S. - I do agree with your parent comment.

Re: The Tao of Programming (1987)

#40

Post by ghaff »

seibelj wrote: post #7
linsomniac wrote: post #4

I went through a major book downsizing ~7 years ago when I moved unexpectedly. I don't know the exact book count, but something like 60+ linear feet, down to a single armload. The Tao of Programming and The Tao of Pooh both made that cut.

Paring down a book collection is a very strange act for the bibliophile. I only did it once but the end result was a much sharper collection. (Un?)Fortunately since then I got a bigger place, more shelves, and now my collection is over 2x since then. But the day I donated a ton of books sticks out in my mind, I remember the weather, all of my movements, and even what I ate for lunch (chicken sandwich). Few days from…

Books etc. expand to fill the space allotted to them. At some point, I decided that the (considerable) space in my house devoted to books and other media was at a peak. Since then, I've done an annual or so winnowing to keep inflow (though a lot of that has shifted to digital) and outflow approximately matched.

I could still get rid of a lot though if I wanted to.

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