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Resolutions for 2007?
JoeCommodore asks: "It's that time of year where many of us review our last year and look at ourselves in the mirror, checkbook balance, and/or social schedule (EPs, stats, and skills, for those who relate to RPGs) and make resolutions to improve ourselves. One of my resolutions is to stop my increasing diversionary tactics when working on my many projects at home. You know, instead of working on some problem problem I turn to the internet (Slashdot), games, snacks, and so on. Either I need to get better at controlling my diversion habits or turn them them into something positive. So what have you thought of doing for yourself in 2007?"
Spend less time refreshing /. and more time working on my graphic novel.
Gotta go!
http://alternatives.rzero.com/
1024x768!
I resolved many, many years ago to stop making resolutions.
It's the only one I've ever kept.
Yaz.
More anal sex with CowboyNeal!
"It turns out that there may be a very good reason why we fail to keep our New Year's Resolutions other than the obvious abject feebleness of will. It's this. We can't remember what they are. Simple. And if we actually wrote them down, then we probably can't remember where we put the piece of paper, either." -Douglas Adams
Was last years resolution too (if I would have waited, maybe my 2007 resolution would have been 1920x1080...
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
Get an LGM in every trade in DAOC and get the rest of my characters to level 50, CL10, ML10. With my main character reaching RR5.
This year, rather than make specifics, I went with one thing: be more awesome.
Crazy, right? In the last year, I started doing everything I needed to do to have a great life. This year, I want to keep doing those things and stay consistent. And even try a few new things. No point in making concrete goals -- the goal is to be more awesome in everything that I do.
blog |
...shit
So I resolve to pass linear algebra.
For my social education...why is it innappropiate to call it a "Comic Book"?
1920 x 1080
1600x1200 on my new 21" HP flatscreen... hmmm....
Resolutions are meaningless. Oh, I'll get around to installing Linux and configuring X or whatever desktop environment that's flavor of the month and finally abandon Windows. That stack of culturally important books will be consumed by the end of the year. Sure I'll propose to my girlfriend of three years once I have enough money to support us. The check is in the mail. I'll see you in church.
Why not look at what actually got done during the year rather than make unreasonable expectations?
Not a resolution as such, but a general aim I've had for a while now. Time to rationalise and purge a lot of kit.
In our household there's currently a bit of an Apple-fest: MacBook Pro, a MacBook, a Mac Mini, a Power Mac G5 tower, a G3 Blueberry iMac and ye olde SE/30. There's also an Atari STe with SM124 monitor, a C64 with 1541, two SNES consoles (one PAL, one NTSC), a Wii, a Gamecube, a Playstation 1, a Playstation 2, two Gameboy Advance SPs, and an ancient P100 laptop that does duty as a disk drive for the C64. Oh, and currently I have three RAQ 4 servers of varying spec as well. A Series 1 Tivo (I'm in the UK) too, and a work-issued laptop rounds off the collection.
It doesn't take a genius to see that this is a bit much...
However, it's easy to say it's a bit much but actually paring it down is much harder. The MacBook Pro is my main machine, the MacBook is my wife's. The G3 has been handed to my 5 year-old daughter and does good service as a learning machine. The Power Mac...well, that can probably go although I do have one last PPC-only app (QuadraSID, a music plugin so Rosette is out). The Mac Mini? Nope - that's getting an expanded role next year as a DNS/svn/postgres/iPhoto/iTunes server. The SNES? No Streetfighter II Turbo on the Wii's virtual console yet so one at least will probably stay. The RaQs can all go now. The SE/30? Undecided - never used but there for nostalgic reasons rather than use. The STe? Llamatron. The C64? Over my dead body will that go - SID music plus all the great games. Emulators can only do so much - sitting in front of a real C64 is still a different experience to using the excellent Power64 emulator. The Playstation 1? Worms - the PS2 doesn't get the resolution quite right and the game looks better on a PS1. The PS2? Revz, Tekken 5, Grand Tourismo...can't emulate that yet. The GBAs? Maybe one - my three year-old son is getting into that a bit at the moment (mainly Spiro). The ancient P100 laptop - probably yes as I've sorted out a Flash-based interface for the C64 now. The Tivo? EyeTV on the Mac isn't good enough yet, so nope - the Tivo stays.
So I'm left in this daft position of having kit coming out of my ears and yet being unable to get rid of most of it since it all still has a purpose. Still feels like I should do some rationalisation though.
Cheers,
Ian
I resolved to eat less (than an elephant) and exercise more (than a sloth).
So far I'm succeeding.
Tarsnap: Online backups for the truly paranoid
Get a copy of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. Read it, and call us back if you have any further questions.
When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
2 chicks at the same time.
I've resolved to lose weight. And it's going great. I must have lost the same pound at least four times this year.
When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
Unfortunately I wrote the explanation why in Dutch, see: http://tiouw.com/serendipity/index.php?/archives/3 06-Slechte-Goede-Voornemens.html
A while ago, I got annoyed at new years resolutions. I could have said as my resolution, "stop being antisocial in meatspace" or, "stop looking at the internet 24/7." But instead, I broke both of these by saying, "I'm gonna never make a new years resolution again and instead save my december 31st thought-power for random online comments." I'm glad, too. I'm sure that few of you can actually keep yours. Today I continue following it. The moral of the story: Stop swearing to do impossible things and instead do easy things that make no difference. And if you really want a resolution, it is: Post this exact comment on Slashdot every year. Try it. It works.
"Scott Adam's Mission Statement
'Rub my bald spot once a day.'" -Scott Adam's the Dilbert Future
I cannot stress that enough. While money does not buy happiness, a certain amount does go a long way to giving you independence. 18 months ago I was a recent grad who through circumstance and stupidity(credit card debt SUCKS ASS!) found myself with a new job and $37,500 in debt. This month I will finally have a 0 net worth, and it is the best feeling ever. I have had to work a job I hate in a place I loathe simply because my debt dictated I take the best paying job I could find. I have been miserable, but there is light at the end of the tunnel and *fingers crossed* I will be entering grad school next year with a stipend and a positive net worth. I never, ever want to have to work a job simply because I desperately need the money.
Save like hell, invest wisely, and keep an emergency fund of at least 6 months handy at all time. And stay out of all debt besides a mortgage(and pay that off as soon as you can). It feels so good to be able to say "no" to a boss and not have to worry about whether or not you can make next months rent. Beats the hell out of a new plasma screen or any consumer item for that matter. I loathe Wal-Mart because I have come to despise everything it stands for. To quote Tyler Derden, "We work jobs we hate to buy shit we don't need."
Monstar L
It seems that every few months, I'm swayed by all of the Slashdot Linux hype. Every few months, I download the latest versions of Ubuntu, Fedora, SUSE, etc. Every few months, I take a day to install all of them, play with them, and ultimately decide to just go back to Windows 2000 because invariably, something ends up not working and being a royal PITA. In 2007, I'm resolving to ignore the hype, and not waste any more of my precious time dicking around with Linux, only to be disappointed.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460649/Barney Stinson? Is that you?
"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." - Shepard Book Quoting Malcolm Reynolds
1600*1200 So what if it gives low frames per second with games and the text is far too small to read? It's more dots so it must be better. Right?
Finally get round to building a decent PC for myself or buy a mac, which ever I can afford first...
For whose sake, henceforth, may his vowes be such As what he loves may never like too much.
who I really am....
:-)
Says the one posting as AC
I intend to make this my last post as an Anonymous Coward. The user name is now retired. Please stop logging in as me and assuming my identity. Thank you!
1440x900...ya, its a weird one. But in all seriousness, I need to start living a healthier lifestyle, I need to sleep more, eat more (but healthier) and drink more. All while trying to get my grades as high as they have been for the past year and a half (4.0 cumulative, woot) I am known as the guy who doesn't need to eat, sleep, or drink. I need to chance that perception as well. And lastly, put more time into finishing the game me and a few classmates are working on.
Reading through the current comments, I see financial suggestions, 'organise your time' suggestions, 'clear out unwanted stuff' suggestions, and the obligatory 'don't waste time posting to /.' jokes. And in Soviet Russia, resolutions make you!
Well, I have four slightly different resolutions to what has been suggested. They have been on the cards for a while now, but I figured I'd bite the bullet and actually give them a shot in 2007. With no further prelude, here they are:
At the moment I do waste *far* too much time on inconsequential diversions (hi,
I don't need to justify this (I have my own reasons for wanting to learn other languages), but I would strongly recommend taking up a foreign language. Barry Farber has a very good method for teaching yourself (and his words are quite motivating too) in a way that will meet your goals (eg mastery of a single language Vs casual chat in a few).
Again, I have my own reasons for learning to play music (guitar and keyboard); and I would similarly encourage people to try it - no matter what stage of life you are and no matter what experience you have.
In highlighting these resolutions my point is to suggest you do something that serves two purposes: 1) it should tax you - the brain loves a challenge (admittedly I might be preaching to the choir with that one); and 2) it should be quite different from what you do for a living. For example, if you are a software engineer / codemonkey by trade, I don't think you will gain much by making a resolution 'contribute more code to OSS projects' (though of course you should feel free to do so). Take up something more esoteric instead: painting, music, or a language.
Just my 2 bits
If all you have is a grenade, pretty soon every problem looks like a foxhole -- MightyYar
Get laid. Welcome to /.
I'm betting 1080i
I have a few plans for 2007.
1. finish my first college course.
I left school when I was just turning 18. 12 years later, I have finally found a route back into college, and am studying with the Open University, sponsored by my employers.
2. free wifi!
having to pay for communications really irks me. This year, I hope to finally set up the first free wifi station in my area, and convince others to join in.
3. robots!!
I have a project I've been working on for years - a robot that will cut my grass (for starters), and eventually also hoe, sow, and grow vegetables. Last year, I built the first prototype using a Mini-ITX board and some scavenged parts. This year, I hope to use a Gumstix board and bring the robot a bit closer to success.
4. KFM
For years, I've benefited from other people's open source projects. Last year, I started on my own (http://kfm.verens.com/ - an Ajax file browser/manager). This year, I hope to get it to a stage where it Just Works, and I can start pushing it out in earnest.
This is one most of us /.'ers (including me) should do...
Is Capitalism Good for the Poor?
Quit smoking cigarettes. Haven't smoked one in 6 days :)
Good karma sticks to me like velcro on a piece of plexiglass.
Move along, citizen.
Totally awesome post.
I quit!
shag more super-models and such this year!
:)
Yours Truly,
Johnny Opcode
"No matter what you may believe, you *can* live on 10% less than you currently make."
I use to make $3840 gross a year.* Your advice only applies to someone above break-even on their debt/income ratio.
*I don't make anything since the car accident.
not to keep any resolutions.
Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
Ah, the Internet. The cause of, and the solution to, all of our productivity problems.
My resolution for 2006 was to stop procrastinating and simply DO IT (whatever 'IT' happened to be). The poster should read this essay - it sounds like his diversionary tactics result from a lack of focus/attention. The moment you realize you're procrastinating, it's easier to stop it and get that work done.
Otherwise, it's the usual: save more, strive for happiness, learn a new skill, etc.
"Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing." -- Salvador Dali
Over the years I have had tonnes of programs I want to write and many times I half start them and never finish. I have also been largely allergic to scripting languages, which I wish to overcome. (I have done a few thousand lines of PERL now and a few chapters of Ruby tutorials).
I could make a long list of things, but more generally, I need to learn not to pay attention to my crippling low self-esteem which is largely responsible for my lack of achievement. I'm 32 and I've never written my own programming language.
I need to keep my depression in check too. Last year it was horrendous.
I'm going to learn Scheme and Ruby. I'm going to get my personal build system to a stage where I can make it public. I'm going to do some 3D graphics. I'm going to attempt to get Slackware ported to my UltraSPARC workstation.
So it boils down to: concentrate more, be less timid, don't listen to nay-sayers, be more industrious, read more books.
Stick Men
i.e. a new widescreen monitor that doesnt hurt my poor eyes... or is that the porn?
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
Also, I know this doesn't apply to you, but for all the college students and recent grads out there, don't spend what you don't earn. The exceptions to this are your education and home, and for those, be conservative and make sure you can afford the payments down the road.
That wasn't my resolution this year, but maybe 4 or 5 years ago, and I'm still sticking with it. My personal preference was the local Habitat for Humanity chapter. It's educational, a good workout, lots of fun, and you see the people you are helping.
As for my list this year, it's to get a treadmill and put the mythtv in the same room. My workout routine went out the window when it got cold, wet, and dark outside. I also plan to spend some time developing some software in the hopes of building a new line of work for myself. While odds are against me selling it, the returns are high enough to make the risks worth the attempt.
Finally, resolutions shouldn't be left for just the new year. I decide to do things all the time. And it's also important to focus on changing your lifestyle permanently, not going on the infamous diets to lose a few pounds.
That was really good, insightful, interesting, etc. Thanks for the tip!
"Enjoy what you're doing! If it becomes drudgery, you're doing it wrong!" - Jim Butterfield
I've only ever made one New Year's resolution that I ever stuck to.
That was to 'Never make another New Year's resolution again'.
-- main(s){printf(s="main(s){printf(s=%c%s%c,34,s,34