Slashdot Mirror

Events where your friends are saying "Where is better unix than unix?" and the response is "Oh, Better is not on Facebook."

I don't really think betterunixthanunix would care; I can't speak for him, but I can speak for myself. I don't use Facebook because it's largely a waste of my time. I have a blog, a small message board, and keep in touch with most of my friends via IM, e-mail, or telephone. I think many of the original points betterunixthanunix raised are correct. Most people probably don't bother keeping in touch with various people they have known over the years. I certainly know I'm one of them. Your particular situation is probably more of an exception than a rule.

The other issue is that most Slashdotters are of an MBTI (personality type) called INTJ. I suspect we're alien to you, and here's why:

[I]f I had to call 350 of my closest friends...

I don't understand that. I'm an INTJ, and "closest friends" to me are limited to about three people. It is honestly impossible for me to understand how someone can have 30 close friends much less 350 of them. Likewise, I imagine it is impossible for you to understand the case of the INTJ; how can he possible have only 3 close friends? It's easy when you're of one particular personality type to assume anyone else can be exactly like you (I've certainly fallen into that trap before!). The MBTI exists for a reason, and I think it's an excellent means of quantifying differences and similarities among the various type traits people exhibit.

Back to Slashdot, it is no surprise then that a significant number of posters agree that Facebook is a waste of time. According to Eric Raymond, a majority of "hacker" types tend toward the INTJ and INTP MBTI types. That means we tend to be antisocial (that's not a bad thing, no matter how the media portrays it) and we prefer our own company over that of others. It doesn't mean we're weird. It doesn't mean there's something wrong with us. We'd rather curl up with a good book or sit in front of a screen writing code than goplacesdothingskeepbusy.

Then again, social networking wasn't written for people like us, and that's fine. We don't really care whether someone uses it--most of us won't--but when pressed for an opinion, we'll be more than happy to share. I think that was betterunixthanunix's point. Then there's the obvious point that a majority of people may simply contact old friends and acquaintances for the novelty alone. Once the novelty has evaporated, it's back to the vacuum of normal life. There's nothing wrong with that, either. Most socialites tend to enjoy novelty. It's just that the novelty of rediscovering old friendships seldom lasts. This doesn't mirror your case, of course, but it is a pretty good parallel to what I think is the norm.

He's probably an introvert like many successful scientists -e.g. Einstein.
See http://www.typelogic.com/

Too late for anyone to read this, and I've no doubt there are a load of "Bullshit, just look at me/some famous guy" posts, but... The Myers Briggs personality-type test (so often used in profiling people for managament) identifies the "ENFP" type or "Champion/Advocate" as being exceptionally good with people, while usually also having a curious propensity for maths, due to their intuitive tendency and ability to seek patterns and deeper understanding in all things. Since ENFPs account for about 3% of the population, this would seem to fly in the face of the article. Just a thought. See here for a profile break-down.

Maxtor was recently purchased by Seagate, just FYI.

At least, according to this.

www.typelogic.com
http://www.excel-ability.com/Models/MBTI.html
and of course http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MBTI

Thought Einstein was classified in the INTP; your link agrees.

http://www.typelogic.com/intp.html

Interesting, that those mentioned (Gates, Einstein, Newton), are also classic INTJ personalities...

http://www.typelogic.com/intj.html

I am too, btw, so I can count myself among some good company... but then am I likely to have Asperger's as well? ;)

Don't worry "corganbilly", all your fans have always known that you're an arrogant prick.. ;)

Not that I'm an expert but having dealt with many personalities over the years, I think the fact that you are introspective enough to even think about this and then post it where everyone can see means that you don't have a real problem. If you're really concerned, look up intJ personality types and read a little Venus/Mars and you'll be fine.

The fact that Newton worked with dozens of subjects outside of math and science is not surprising, since he was an INTP. Quite simply put. Once an INTP personality type masters a subject, it very likely they will move on to something else out of boredom.

I scored a 40, which would be consistent with my Myers-Briggs personality type - INTP(introverted, intuitive, thinking, perceiving). It would seem this "tool", if you could even call it that, is biased against particular personality types. I certainly wouldn't consider my personality type to be a disorder. ;) You might actually find more relevance in taking the MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Inventory).

This is a repost to see if I can get the correct HTML in. Note that I picked the stuff below up by using the browser back button...

Or does it seem to others like Alan G. Carter is wandering through some new-age philosophical wasteland? For example 'M0' as a "...previously unsuspected public health problem." Huh? People addicted to boredom? Ritual junkies picking on the 'immune'?

I would think an easier explanation (and better if you apply Occam's Razor) is that most people are either intellectually incapable or intellectually lazy. In other words, some people can learn to actually use their brains and enjoy novelty, but it requires work. Others are born with it and yet others are missing a crucial component. But the author is so in love with this concept of Ritual Junkies that he nearly bursts into song. For example the following passage makes more sense as free verse than it does in context:

"There is an Inner Not at the base of all thinking that ends up as an invisible and unremovable Ghost Not that makes the conclusions invalid. It is because of this generality that the effect is so mathematically elegant."

Then add in some of the other stuff the web site meanders through, like 'Hypertime' and 'Reciprocal Cosmology', and you realize this stuff is straight out of a ketamine dream. I prefer my physics straight, thank you...

I didn't really buy into Carter's 'Programmer's Stone' thing all that much anyway. After all it seemed kinda self-evident. No need to use funny phrases like 'Mappers' and 'Packers' when we already know that some people are capable of seeing the big picture and others cannot (unless they get some major training). Personally I think the Myers Briggs Type Indicator personality test is a better predictor of someones ability than anything else. Basically, the people that Carter describes as 'Mappers' are 'NT' types (iNtuitive Thinking).

Jack (who is an INTP)

Or does it seem to others like Alan G. Carter is wandering through some new-age philosophical problem." Huh? People addicted to boredom? Ritual junkies picking on the 'immune'?

I would think an easier explanation (and better if you apply Occam's Razor) is that most people are either intellectually incapable or intellectually lazy. In other words, some people can learn to actually use their brains and enjoy novelty, but it requires work. Others are born with it and yet others are missing a crucial component. But the author is so in love with this concept of Ritual Junkies that he nearly bursts into song. For example the following passage makes more sense as free verse than it does in context:

"There is an Inner Not at the base of all thinking that ends up as an invisible and unremovable Ghost Not that makes the conclusions invalid. It is because of this generality that the effect is so mathematically elegant."

Then add in some of the other stuff the web site meanders through, like 'Hypertime' and 'Reciprocal Cosmology', and you realize this stuff is straight out of a ketamine dream. I prefer my physics straight, thank you...

I didn't really buy into Carter's 'Programmer's Stone' thing all that much anyway. After all it seemed kinda self-evident. No need to use funny phrases like 'Mappers' and 'Packers' when we already know that some people are capable of seeing the big picture and others cannot (unless they get some major training). Personally I think the Myers Briggs Type Indicator personality test is a better predictor of this ability than anything else. Basically, the people that Carter describes as 'Mappers' are 'NT' types (iNtuitive Thinking).

Jack (who is an INTP, aka 'The Architect')

Consider the demographics. "We" tend to have a significantly higher proportion of the rare personality types. Mine (INTJ), for example, accounts for less than 1% of the general population, but a significant proportion of the geek/slashdot community. However, those same rare personality traits that make us geeks also make us wary of the media (I have more reason to be wary than most -- I work for them, and know how ruthless they are). The sort of people that will go forward for this are going to be the few extroverts among us, and they certainly aren't going to be representative.