I listen to my MP3s (screen off, locked in my pocket, long battery life), I watch movies and anime, I read E-books, do a bit of web-surfing, and play a few games, so I'm really happy with the PSP.
And, right there, you've illustrated why many don't care for the PSP. You have "play a few games" in there as if it were an afterthought. Me, I own a DS for one reason: to play games. Everything else on your list can be done by a better suited special-purpose device, or my PDA. Why would I pay an inflated device for something which replicates functions better served by gear I already own?
Dude... you don't speak for everyone. My specific job may not be an end, but my work certainly is. And don't you think it should be?
Umm... no, I don't.
First off, I never said I didn't like my job. I just said I don't take it home with me. Those are very different statements.
See, the key is this: You spend your entire day at work. Why *wouldn't* you want to be doing something besides that when you have time to? What happened to being a well-rounded person? Don't you have other interests? Or is work all you have?
And, as it happens, one great way of enjoying your wealth when you're young is to... do things with it. Things that aren't work-related.
As to "enjoying the wealth I've aquired," my SO has taken care of that for me for the forseeable future. My time when I'm not at work is spent on figuring out ways to get out of debt. It's not enjoyable.
Sounds to me like *you* need to re-evaluate your priorities.;)
Personally, my life is so full of other things that I'd have no trouble filling my time if work should come to an end... after all, I am far more than just a computer programmer.
Keeping the two seperate is damn near impossible. I'm happier when I don't try, and focus on living my life instead.
Agreed. But if your life is more than just your work, you'll be a "segmentor" more or less automatically, I think. Personally, I have somewhere on the order of a million hobbies. When I get home, I don't have *time* to think about work because I'm busy cultivating other parts of my life that I consider important.
Dude... no one's job is an *end*. It's a way to make money, spend some time being creative, and develop a few skills while putting yourself in a position where you can *enjoy* the wealth you've acquired. Why else would people retire and travel? If your view was the predominant one, people would work until they died, no?
Sorry, but all those perks are designed to do is get people to stay in the office. Personally, I do my best thinking when I'm standing in the shower. Getting *away* from the office is the key to coming up with novel solutions, IMHO. Otherwise, one tends to get locked into a certain mode of thinking... change of setting can alleviate this.
Meanwhile, a proper balance between work and personal life ensures that you don't burn yourself out or get exhausted with what you're doing. After all, people can't work 24/7 and remain creative. The mind really does need rest.
That's actually kinda funny, where I presently work, there's one guy in the office who's a total "segmentor." He gets the job done (as far as I know), he's a nice guy, causes no trouble, but socially he's totally aloof, doesn't even eat lunch with the rest of us.
Yeah, that's not the same at all. Segmenting your life so you don't take your work home with you, and don't drag your personal problems to the office is a very different thing from being aloof and disinterested in your co-workers (or maybe just socially awkward).
No, how they use them is with BitTorrent.:) After all, why watch a low-quality 3" box in your browser when you can just download HD-quality H.264-encoded copies?
I find it very bizarre that you talk about games "people find worth playing", and then include a microsd card reader with the DS price, despite that fact that the *vast* majority of DS owners have probably never heard of those devices, or have any interest in owning one...
That's actually a very good point... I've accidentally turned off my DS on more than one occasion. 'course, this would be easily fixed by, as you say, having to hold the power button down for a few seconds.
However, that's not really related to the flip-shut-to-sleep feature, aside from the fact that PSP owners may need to break their habits, lest they get an unpleasant surprise.:)
What makes that comment especially stupid is that you *don't* cut this material off at it's source. You cut it off where it enters your home: at your PC. And guess what? A parent can do a far better job of this, at home, than the government can by policing the Internet.
It may sound silly, but there really is a certain simplicity in being able to just flip the DS shut, rather than having to track down the power button. Yeah, it's a minor difference, and once you get used to the location of the power button there's probably no difference at all, but the DS just feels... easy. *shrug*
Gotta love slashdot's mod system... disagree, and it's -1 Flamebait...
Anyway, I agree, if you create a useful tool in the course of completing your tasks, go for it. Perhaps it can be useful later. However, if you find yourself idle and just decide to work on some nifty tool you think would be cool, then you're wasting your and the company's time.
"If you come up with a good software development tool, that makes life easier for the developers and they can get their job done quicker, then the first thing the manager says is 'oh you've got free time on your hands. Do this extra thing'."
Uhuh... that sounds about right to me. Unless you work for a company that's in the business of creating and selling development tools, or for a company like Google which allots employees with some percentage of free time to use as they will, by creating such a tool during company time, it seems clear you either have extra time and can be tasked to do something else, or you're slacking off. Either way, you're not doing what you're being paid for.
Then it sounds like a shitty game. Graphics on the Wii don't *have* to look bad, and you admit yourself that the controls suck... so maybe they just did a bad job.
Says the guy who responded to that MSNBC article with "doubtful", despite providing no evidence.
So, let me ask you, what makes you believe that the Bay Area is any different than the rest of the United States, where plate glass accounts for approximately 33% of the 290 million avian deaths per year?
You might wanna do a little research before making claims like this. For example, ignoring the clear sensationalism (it's MSNBC, after all), I have here an article where a researcher claims to have studied skyscrapes which kill 200 birds per day.
Ooooh, so you want a referendum on every national issue. Yeah, go visit California to get a glimpse of how well that works (here's a hint: people are stupid. For example, they want more money in education, and *lower* taxes).
Slashdot Mirror
What I want to see is a mashup between vi and emacs, so we can put the eternal battle behind us once and for all.
I'd prefer to see the term 'mashup' behind us once and for all...
I listen to my MP3s (screen off, locked in my pocket, long battery life), I watch movies and anime, I read E-books, do a bit of web-surfing, and play a few games, so I'm really happy with the PSP.
And, right there, you've illustrated why many don't care for the PSP. You have "play a few games" in there as if it were an afterthought. Me, I own a DS for one reason: to play games. Everything else on your list can be done by a better suited special-purpose device, or my PDA. Why would I pay an inflated device for something which replicates functions better served by gear I already own?
Dude... you don't speak for everyone. My specific job may not be an end, but my work certainly is. And don't you think it should be?
Umm... no, I don't.
First off, I never said I didn't like my job. I just said I don't take it home with me. Those are very different statements.
See, the key is this: You spend your entire day at work. Why *wouldn't* you want to be doing something besides that when you have time to? What happened to being a well-rounded person? Don't you have other interests? Or is work all you have?
And, as it happens, one great way of enjoying your wealth when you're young is to... do things with it. Things that aren't work-related.
As to "enjoying the wealth I've aquired," my SO has taken care of that for me for the forseeable future. My time when I'm not at work is spent on figuring out ways to get out of debt. It's not enjoyable.
;)
Sounds to me like *you* need to re-evaluate your priorities.
Personally, my life is so full of other things that I'd have no trouble filling my time if work should come to an end... after all, I am far more than just a computer programmer.
Keeping the two seperate is damn near impossible. I'm happier when I don't try, and focus on living my life instead.
Agreed. But if your life is more than just your work, you'll be a "segmentor" more or less automatically, I think. Personally, I have somewhere on the order of a million hobbies. When I get home, I don't have *time* to think about work because I'm busy cultivating other parts of my life that I consider important.
Dude... no one's job is an *end*. It's a way to make money, spend some time being creative, and develop a few skills while putting yourself in a position where you can *enjoy* the wealth you've acquired. Why else would people retire and travel? If your view was the predominant one, people would work until they died, no?
Sorry, but all those perks are designed to do is get people to stay in the office. Personally, I do my best thinking when I'm standing in the shower. Getting *away* from the office is the key to coming up with novel solutions, IMHO. Otherwise, one tends to get locked into a certain mode of thinking... change of setting can alleviate this.
Meanwhile, a proper balance between work and personal life ensures that you don't burn yourself out or get exhausted with what you're doing. After all, people can't work 24/7 and remain creative. The mind really does need rest.
Or maybe his life isn't defined by his work? Just another thought...
That's actually kinda funny, where I presently work, there's one guy in the office who's a total "segmentor." He gets the job done (as far as I know), he's a nice guy, causes no trouble, but socially he's totally aloof, doesn't even eat lunch with the rest of us.
Yeah, that's not the same at all. Segmenting your life so you don't take your work home with you, and don't drag your personal problems to the office is a very different thing from being aloof and disinterested in your co-workers (or maybe just socially awkward).
No, how they use them is with BitTorrent. :) After all, why watch a low-quality 3" box in your browser when you can just download HD-quality H.264-encoded copies?
I find it very bizarre that you talk about games "people find worth playing", and then include a microsd card reader with the DS price, despite that fact that the *vast* majority of DS owners have probably never heard of those devices, or have any interest in owning one...
Unfortunately, the firmware cannot be upgraded without closing a contact buried inside the case. The device was not designed to be field-upgradable.
I think it's safe to say you're a member of a very small minority. :)
Meh, if I can't even get a simple MPEG or AVI that I can watch on my HTPC, it's not worth my time...
That's actually a very good point... I've accidentally turned off my DS on more than one occasion. 'course, this would be easily fixed by, as you say, having to hold the power button down for a few seconds.
:)
However, that's not really related to the flip-shut-to-sleep feature, aside from the fact that PSP owners may need to break their habits, lest they get an unpleasant surprise.
What makes that comment especially stupid is that you *don't* cut this material off at it's source. You cut it off where it enters your home: at your PC. And guess what? A parent can do a far better job of this, at home, than the government can by policing the Internet.
It may sound silly, but there really is a certain simplicity in being able to just flip the DS shut, rather than having to track down the power button. Yeah, it's a minor difference, and once you get used to the location of the power button there's probably no difference at all, but the DS just feels... easy. *shrug*
Gotta love slashdot's mod system... disagree, and it's -1 Flamebait...
Anyway, I agree, if you create a useful tool in the course of completing your tasks, go for it. Perhaps it can be useful later. However, if you find yourself idle and just decide to work on some nifty tool you think would be cool, then you're wasting your and the company's time.
"If you come up with a good software development tool, that makes life easier for the developers and they can get their job done quicker, then the first thing the manager says is 'oh you've got free time on your hands. Do this extra thing'."
Uhuh... that sounds about right to me. Unless you work for a company that's in the business of creating and selling development tools, or for a company like Google which allots employees with some percentage of free time to use as they will, by creating such a tool during company time, it seems clear you either have extra time and can be tasked to do something else, or you're slacking off. Either way, you're not doing what you're being paid for.
Then it sounds like a shitty game. Graphics on the Wii don't *have* to look bad, and you admit yourself that the controls suck... so maybe they just did a bad job.
Instead of being petty, come up with stats.
Says the guy who responded to that MSNBC article with "doubtful", despite providing no evidence.
So, let me ask you, what makes you believe that the Bay Area is any different than the rest of the United States, where plate glass accounts for approximately 33% of the 290 million avian deaths per year?
In San Francisco? Doubtful.
Oh, well, if you say so, it must be true.
I doubt that many run into skyscrapers.
You might wanna do a little research before making claims like this. For example, ignoring the clear sensationalism (it's MSNBC, after all), I have here an article where a researcher claims to have studied skyscrapes which kill 200 birds per day .
Ooooh, so you want a referendum on every national issue. Yeah, go visit California to get a glimpse of how well that works (here's a hint: people are stupid. For example, they want more money in education, and *lower* taxes).
I mean it, really hungry.