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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

#341

Post by logfromblammo »

jessaustin wrote: post #303
logfromblammo wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

If the empathy were there, the zoning board would not be needed. The law is not an effective substitute for morality.

Besides that, have you ever read a zoning law? Be careful what you wish for; you just might get it, good and hard.

Re: Death of a Programmer, Life of a Farmer

#342

Post by jessaustin »

logfromblammo wrote: post #341
jessaustin wrote: post #303

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

If the empathy were there, the zoning board would not be needed. The law is not an effective substitute for morality. Besides that, have you ever read a zoning law? Be careful what you wish for; you just might get it, good and hard.

I have skimmed the regs for several counties in which I've built or managed buildings. Different jurisdictions vary in their rigor, but very few developments escape P&Z entirely. We don't rely on the empathy of real estate developers to ensure that houses don't fall down. I propose that we not rely on it to ensure that pedestrians have a safe corridor for travel.

Re: Death of a Programmer, Life of a Farmer

#343

Post by jerf »

solipsism wrote: post #204
jerf wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As I sit here watching this parent post go grey, it is remarkable to me the degree to which people are bothered by the idea that automatic encouragement may not be a good idea, even when posted to a story about how someone didn't like programming as a career and even as people are singing the praises of the person realizing they don't want to be a programmer and probably should never have been a professional programm…

I didn't vote you down, but I wouldn't be so quick to assume that the people who did voted you down because they failed to think . I don't find your point of view particularly convincing. It's not because I think everyone should be blindly encouraged to do any particular thing. It's not because I didn't think . It's for reasons such as the following: * The grass is always greener on the other side. It's not obvious t…

It's not my first time around this loop... it's about the fourth time, and the first time I spoke up about being hit for the opinion. People really are uncomfortable with the idea that encouragement is not necessarily a good thing, and now I think even more so, it's a subconscious thing that does not survive conscious examination.

Also, I'm not saying to never be encouraging... I'm encouraging honesty. People need to know what a job really is.

Re: Death of a Programmer, Life of a Farmer

#344

Post by crpatino »

jkot wrote: post #207
crpatino wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In a way, he's doing that. Not the company thing, but he still holds a part time job as a programmer. But then, there is the issue of focus. How good can you get at both trades at the same time, if people normally take years to go through only one of the learning curves.

Those two jobs are not mutually exclusive. Programming is mentally demanding, farm work physically (with some sleep deprivation). I think it is manageable with good planning.

Farm work is exclusively physically demanding only if you want to be the village idiot for ever. Machines (or for the matter, mules/oxen) are better suited for this than humans.

While there is a lot of physical work in farming, you need to keep a fair amount of tacit knowledge in your head and recall it almost instantly on an unpredictable basis. This is specially true if you are working with animals (which the OP is). It is not overly taxing to remember it all once you already know it, but when you are a newbie you have to put the effort and learn it in the first place.

More over, if you are learning it the traditional way (aka, following around an old hand and do as told) you are expected to figure out the patterns and learn on your own. This guys are no experts in pedagogy and since they are just mimicking their own mentors, an explanation of what you've just seen/done may or may not follow.

Re: Death of a Programmer, Life of a Farmer

#345

Post by crpatino »

sliverstorm wrote: post #329
crpatino wrote: post #325

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I beg to differ on the monopoly of religion over the power of hierarchies. Take the military by example. They have a remarkably good track record of literally sending men to die, in full knowledge that their chances or survival are negligible. There are many other less dramatic cases: at work in both the private and public sector, at the school's social dynamic, at charitable organizations, and yes in the church.

But militaries don't form hippie communes, at least that I've ever heard of.

And hippies don't go to war either. But how is that relevant to the point of religion being the only way to make people work against their own interest.

Re: Death of a Programmer, Life of a Farmer

#346

Post by sliverstorm »

crpatino wrote: post #345
sliverstorm wrote: post #329

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But militaries don't form hippie communes, at least that I've ever heard of.

And hippies don't go to war either. But how is that relevant to the point of religion being the only way to make people work against their own interest.

You missed what the point was.

The statement was that historically communes only work out when founded on religion.

Re: Death of a Programmer, Life of a Farmer

#347

Post by sliverstorm »

crpatino wrote: post #345
sliverstorm wrote: post #329

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But militaries don't form hippie communes, at least that I've ever heard of.

And hippies don't go to war either. But how is that relevant to the point of religion being the only way to make people work against their own interest.

Ah, I now realize you were objecting to this:

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

I wasn't sufficiently clear. I meant within the context of "things that have been used as a basis for communes", religion stands alone.

Re: Death of a Programmer, Life of a Farmer

#348

Post by jalcazar »

ciupicri wrote: post #298
jalcazar wrote: post #249

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No. Matthew Dillon doesn't need to work but keeps working on DragonFlyBSD. Also it is possible to live and work as in retirement http://www.noogenesis.com/pineapple/fisherman.html

> Matthew Dillon doesn't need to work but keeps working on DragonFlyBSD. Source?

It is known, kind of an axiom.

While I don't have access to Dillon's finances, his personal site http://www.backplane.com gives some hints: BEST Internet was an incredible successs successs [sic] These days most of my attention is focused on the The DragonFly Project

______

He isn't the only one, many open source developers contribute because they want to do it and not expecting any monetary compensation.

Re: Death of a Programmer, Life of a Farmer

#349

Post by abawany »

michaelochurch wrote: post #88

I admire this man for the honesty and courage to do something different. I read the companion post and got to this: Today, however, I sit here writing this post as a 32-year-old man with a head of gray hair, a mind that cannot stop thinking a million miles a minute about a million different things, and eyes that have only been open to the digital world. I am burnt out on writing code. I am burnt out on configuration.…

I caught on to the ticket comment as well - it certainly makes development less joyful and more drudgery to me. I guess any attempt to turn software development from a joyful, creative process into "Modern Times"-like drudgery is saddening to me. Unfortunately, the world seems to be going the way of making developers and their work a commodity.

Re: Death of a Programmer, Life of a Farmer

#350

Post by sedachv »

pnathan wrote: post #157
zrail wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> IMHO, this is also the reason for really bad public transit. This is an undisputed fact, as people in those communities will readily protest the "crime train" coming through their neighborhoods.[1][2] [1]: http://lewwaters.com/2012/05/22/light-rail-likely-to-raise-v... [2]: http://larslarson.com/would-you-trust-your-kid-on-the-crime-...

That's horrifying. 'specially as I thought Portland area had good transit!

If you thought that was nuts, check out this anti-subway video produced by Beverly Hills NIMBYs on behalf of the Beverly Hills High School:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81tihdzaecc

This is the same high school that has a huge active oil derrick in the middle of campus:

http://www.nileguide.com/destination/blog/los-angeles/2010/0...

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