I am retiring from tech to live offline • Hacker News Board

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#551

Post by andai » Sat, May 30, 2026, 3:10 AM UTC

tclancy wrote: post #245

GaryBluto wrote: post #189

While I admire his commitment to his ideals, I find some of this veers into an uncomfortable fanaticism, especially the remarks praising the savage acts of violence committed by the Sentinelese (which I find particularly odd considering the author's professed religion). I doubt the Amish (who apply technology selectively and intelligently) would appreciate being compared to them either; the Sentinelese are not preser…

>praising the savage acts of violence committed by the Sentinelese (which I find particularly odd considering the author's professed religion). I doubt the Amish (who apply technology selectively and intelligently) would appreciate being compared to them either This feels like a purposeful misreading. The author is using hyperbole to vent about their feelings on where we are right now in tech. The idea being there wi…

My reading was that the calamity is already in progress.

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#552

Post by __mharrison__ » Sat, May 30, 2026, 4:10 AM UTC

generic92034 wrote: post #235

__mharrison__ wrote: post #38

Chad is one of the kindest souls I've ever met. Good luck off the grid! Also, how did he post this if he isn't using the Internet?

If you are that pedantic you could also ask if he is living without a mobile phone, without a car and without any modern electrical appliance phoning home. So, probably him being offline is not to be taken quite so seriously.

I'm pedantic because I'm on a website called hacker news...

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#553

Post by bibimsz » Sat, May 30, 2026, 4:53 AM UTC

im right behind you

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#554

Post by keane » Sat, May 30, 2026, 5:01 AM UTC

mmmgge3 wrote: post #146

While I definitely respect the choice to live an offline life, as someone that grew up orthodox christian in an orthodox country I can't shake off the vibe this dude gives: very LARPy and sounds like an evangelical. Orthodox never tell you that they're sinners and to pray for their sins. That's an americanism.

Have you ever hung out with deacons or seminarians? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_Prayer

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#555

Post by dhosek » Sat, May 30, 2026, 5:23 AM UTC

socalgal2 wrote: post #533

dhosek wrote: post #468

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not to mention that with AI, the pleasure is going out of it, at least for me. I enjoy the crafting of code at least as much if not more than the actual results of the code. For almost 20 years, I’ve been declaring myself ready to leave tech behind and buy a chicken farm, but now I’m pretty much there emotionally and financially. I likely won’t actually raise chickens (maybe a couple backyard chickens for eggs), but…

> I end up having to continue being a cog in the machinery of capitalism until I die. Vs what exactly?

Living off savings/investments and not having to do things because they will generate money.

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#556

Post by Markoff » Sat, May 30, 2026, 5:26 AM UTC

drnick1 wrote: post #427

sph wrote: post #346

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People in tech, especially from US, are so accustomed to spending $5,000/mo just to survive, that they cannot fathom one is able to live without having a tech job in San Francisco. It's a pretty sad state of affairs. I live in a first-world European country where the average salary is about €25,000 per year. My mortgage estimate is less than €300/mo. I'm not that afraid of having to supplement my income if I need to.…

> People in tech, especially from US, are so accustomed to spending $5,000/mo just to survive, that they cannot fathom one is able to live without having a tech job in San Francisco. It's a pretty sad state of affairs. Quality of life in suburban America is incredibly high relative to a "first world" country with such a low average income. From what I have seen, most families in the "European periphery" still live in…

25000€ a year is basically Czech average salary

I would really like to hear how is quality of life in suburban America incredibly higher ROFL

owning a car certainly isn't tied to income, quite the opposite, poorer the person more cars they own in their junkyard

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#557

Post by dhosek » Sat, May 30, 2026, 5:27 AM UTC

hermitcrab wrote: post #496

dhosek wrote: post #468

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not to mention that with AI, the pleasure is going out of it, at least for me. I enjoy the crafting of code at least as much if not more than the actual results of the code. For almost 20 years, I’ve been declaring myself ready to leave tech behind and buy a chicken farm, but now I’m pretty much there emotionally and financially. I likely won’t actually raise chickens (maybe a couple backyard chickens for eggs), but…

Why a chicken farm? The medium to large scale ones I have seen videos of look like terrible places, for both the chickens and the human workers. I expect they smell even worse.

It’s more a rhetorical thing than a reality. The appeal to me of raising chickens for eggs is not having to slaughter them,¹ but reality is much uglier than that, of course.

⸻

1. Back in the 00s, I would buy our weekly supply of eggs from a woman who sold eggs at the Beverly Hills farmer’s market. She had photo albums of the chickens at the farm. One Sunday morning, I overslept and arrived towards the end of the market. The egg lady had no eggs, but was selling whole chickens out of a cooler. I was relieved to discover that she’d just sold out of eggs and the chickens she was selling as meat weren’t the hens who laid the eggs (although still, chickens were slaughtered to make meat). And yes, I’m the kind of urban hypocrite who is happy to eat meat as long as he doesn’t have to think about how it transformed from an animal into a food.

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#558

Post by Markoff » Sat, May 30, 2026, 5:28 AM UTC

sph wrote: post #512

drnick1 wrote: post #427

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> People in tech, especially from US, are so accustomed to spending $5,000/mo just to survive, that they cannot fathom one is able to live without having a tech job in San Francisco. It's a pretty sad state of affairs. Quality of life in suburban America is incredibly high relative to a "first world" country with such a low average income. From what I have seen, most families in the "European periphery" still live in…

First time I heard Northern Italy compared to Soviet Russia, but my fault for discussing this stuff with Americans, trying to pass people as poor because they only have one car. Did you know that life expectancy in US is 5-7 years lower than Western Europe? But sure, do go on about "first world" countries.

plenty of people in Prague living on that income without car, I would really like to see how is suburban America quality of life incredibly higher than Prague LOL

enjoy your museums, hospitals, free schools and playgrounds in walking distance, almost free public transport, tons of supermarkets in walking distance, etc. in suburban America

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#559

Post by Markoff » Sat, May 30, 2026, 5:40 AM UTC

qsxfthnkp2322 wrote: post #292

ern_ave wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's no such thing as a zomboni roomba?

I f*** hope not. People want to drive the Zamboni. It’s one of the coolest jobs out there.

people are expensive compared to robotic Zamboni, good business idea though

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#560

Post by drnick1 » Sat, May 30, 2026, 5:48 AM UTC

Markoff wrote: post #556

drnick1 wrote: post #427

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> People in tech, especially from US, are so accustomed to spending $5,000/mo just to survive, that they cannot fathom one is able to live without having a tech job in San Francisco. It's a pretty sad state of affairs. Quality of life in suburban America is incredibly high relative to a "first world" country with such a low average income. From what I have seen, most families in the "European periphery" still live in…

25000€ a year is basically Czech average salary I would really like to hear how is quality of life in suburban America incredibly higher ROFL owning a car certainly isn't tied to income, quite the opposite, poorer the person more cars they own in their junkyard

It's quite simple really. In a place where $5,000+ monthly incomes are common, people can afford more things, and this generally means a higher quality of life. Granted, many necessities like housing are also more expensive in high income areas, but keep in mind that American homes are generally much larger than in Europe. And things like AC and clothes dryers are taken for granted.