I have mixed feelings about this. I was a freelance business writer during the end of the DotCom boom. I actually did have some published pieces, and because of that, I didn't have too hard a problem getting into MOST industry events (where I was professional and actually working).
However, those same tech events were even then littered with "faux press" already--guys who showed up with huge empty duffel bags for the sole purpose of hoarding all of the free crap that they could grab, like T-shirts, software samples, etc. It made it almost impossible to get a legit review copy of anything, be it a book or a software title, if you got there past the first open hour, because the grabbers had already been through.
There was a whole sub-tribe of folks who I ran into for years who did nothing at trade shows and industry events other than get drunk, eat as much food as possible in the press room, and take as much free crap as they could carry.
ON THE OTHER HAND.....
I know lots of very good and legit bloggers and photgraphers who were shut out of events precisely due to lack of previous "paper" published work or byline in-hand. It seemed very arbitrary.
The grabbers always made it in, but a lot of honest folks trying to make a start for themselves got shut out.
I don't know what the legality of a two-tier press pass system would be, but it would be nice if there was some kind of intermediate "apprentice" pass available for just-starters. If they get a positive follow-up from an event organizer X number of times, they could "graduate" to a full pass. If they're not grabbers or bullshit artists, then they wouldn't mind giving a real URL and a real name for contact purposes.
Been playing since Beta, and was also frustrated by the initial crashes and lags. However, I stuck with it, and it's been very much worth it. I currently have 3 toons going--a 65 DT, 45ish HoX and a 30-something Ranger. I play on a PvE server, but still interact a lot with my guild. Major bugs to grouping and much of the lagginess seems fixed.
I tried the DX10 but wound up sticking with 9 for now; the graphics are still fantastic and drop-dead gorgeous.
I would urge anyone who dropped this game after the first 3 months to give it another go--it's improved for the better and I can't wait to see whatever else Funcom has in store for us.
Also--re Hellgate London--that was my favorite game before Conan, but that game died for me the second that they started whispering that they would go offline At Any Second...for months. Why level characters when you may never get to finish the game?
Funcom really turned around a rocky launch into something fun, big, and great.
Okay, I have read most of Stephenson's stuff. I absolutely LOVED SnowCrash--to me it had just the right blend of geekery, cultural commentary, science, action, and character development in a shortish package.
Diamond Age was also fun, but I also noticed that the discardable character was more prevelant here--as was quite a bit of ink spilled on sex, consensual and otherwise, than I would have thought.
Cut ahead to Cryptonomicon, which I loved because it managed to keep a brisk pace despite its size-and despite the fact that once again for whatever reason some rape and an unplanned pregnancy, and other random sex had to be thrown in for no particular reason.
(note: at this point, I begin to wonder if we he will ever write a main female character who does NOT get raped, have sex with another main character, get pregnant, or any combo of the above).
Soo...then there's the Baroque cycle. After Cryptonomicon I launched into it full-charge. And then...it dragged on...and on...after the first book I strongly considered not continuing, but in a perverse way I kept reading hoping that at some point the pace would pick up. I LOVED the descriptions of the various cities and attention to detail, but after a while I felt like I was on a forced walking tour where I just wanted to go back to my hotel and drink straight from the bottle and watch cartoons for an hour, you know?
Finally I finished the trilogy (again, which just wouldn't be complete without some rape, sex, and unplanned pregnancy thrown in).
I almost didn't get Anathem, but then I saw the trailer and figured hey, this seems like a departure from the Baroque cycle, maybe it'll be a longer Snow Crash with cooler science and better characters.
Ooops.
I liked the overall idea and storyline, but as per other reviewers, it was just too damn wordy and long. The details and extra bodies added confusion, not clarity after a certain point.
Oh yeah and let's not forget at least one unplanned pregnancy. At least he managed to not include a rape and kept a lot of the sex to a minimum, but still, I almost dare him to write a book without one.
While paying attention to those details, though, he left a lot of really good characters dangling AFAIC. Fraa Jaad? The Inquisitors? One thing that Stephenson seems to do a lot of is either just ignore wrapups for key players, or just kills them off.
OTOH at least Enoch Root didn't make an appearance.
I'll buy his next book as long as he promises to keep it under 500 pages.
It's too bad, because I have a preorder copy but am having trouble with the tutorial also--CANNOT get past the balance beam tutorial. This may be the steepest learning curve that I've seen on a game.
Erm, as someone lucky enough to have a Wii, a PS3, and a gaming rig, I find myself wanting to play more of the shooter-type stuff on the PS3 rather than on my PC. Why?
--bigger screen to play on --controls are easier (no keymapping shit by hand) --Smoother performance (even with a gaming rig, for stuff just runs smoother on a dedicated machine). --
I'm currently waiting for Bioshock for the PS3 to come out, and may do Dead Space also. Mind you, I also still love my PC for more complex gaming (Conan and Hellgate London, may join the WoW cult also)(yeah yeah yeah whatever).
So, I don't think it's a matter of killing PC gaming via the Xbox or whatever; I think that you'll just see a more natural progression of more complex games staying on the PC and anything that CAN be reduced to a controller pad WILL be and will be big on the consoles.
Doing the Beta now, and I have to say...I'm glad that I bought just the beta-code cheap and didn't invest whole hog in the game yet.
The gameplay is weak at best. The combat and targeting systems are sluggish, and the inventory is incomprehensible (no real identifiers on items, so you lug around crap not knowing if your class can use it or not, if you can use it later, etc). Also, having to pay to use new level abilities (via trainers) is also just lame, and only encourages "grinding for gold."
What really made be bow out though was just the general slow game pace. Combat was unexciting, and targeting is a pain (no auto-targeting at all, but you apparently have to use the mouse to target and the number pad to attack...all while using arrow keys to move). Worst of all, there is no "default attack" so it's not like you can just map a mouse key and be done with it. Pre-order bonuses are kind of lame also, and the quest lines are predictable. I can't see myself paying $70+ every six months to have slow-motion combat for lame, predictable quests.
Compare and contrast Conan Age of Empires. FANTASTIC graphics, engaging combat (there's also no real "auto-mash" option either, but combat is much easier to initiate and keep going), good PvP (despite gankers), engaging quests, and fun group quest/chat options. The pre-order/Collector's Edition code items are actually useful and rather cool (how can armored pachyderms NOT be cool?). I can see myself paying for Conan (which I am) but not Warhammer. I'll consider the $$ I spent for the Beta and Early Access code for Warhammer spent and cut my losses.
Hey all. I have to say, I ponied up for a founder's account in Hellgate and I'll be sad to see the game go. I actually really enjoy playing it, and I do hope that they find a way to keep the servers up.
Now if Conan goes tits-up, I'll scream. OTOH I would buy a lifetime sub for that in a heartbeat.
Actually, just caught a special on the Twin Towers as part of a PBS series on NYC...and indeed, you really DO have to go back to the Civil War to beat what is now the #2 ranking casualty day for Americans on their own soil. Didn't catch the name of the battle, but it was stated on the special.
Heh...funny, here in the States, RFID's are being seen as a potential way to track people via purchases...seems to me that bearded terrorists are the last group who would be picking up tagged razors...oh well....:D
Oh you cute kiddies...I've heard of folks doing this sorta thing for almost 20 years now!! *grin* Urban legend has it that the trend was started by a frustrated Exxon customer who kept getting misbilled. He took the reply envelope and used it as postage.....Scotch taped to a box full of rocks and gravel, labled "DO NOT OPEN IN UNCONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT--GEOLOGICAL SAMPLES--FORWARD TO ANALYSIS DEPARTMENT"...it was something well in excess of a hundred dollars postage....
My personal fave, which I have sucessfully suggested to others but not tried yet myself: Washers. If you live in an urban area, go to your nearest demolition/construction site. Good ole discarded washers and flattened bottle caps will be all over the place. They weigh a lot. They keep the envelope flat--you can even scotch tape em to a card so they don't bunch and rip the envelope. They will not hurt the poor minimum-wage slob opening said envelope.
Also good for similar reasons and found at same site: Small bathroom tiles--you know, the tiny 1" ones...
Of course, if you have a junkyard nearby, you have a copious supply of washers and other small flat metal/ceramic things from car corpses also....i imagine that seat belt parts are effective......
Or....got a broken computer case? Cut it up into flat pieces.....
He should remember the famous quote by Audre Lourdes:
"The tools of the master will never dismantle the house of the master."
The Nazis were all for censorship and abuse of power to silence dissent.
Those same tools will never overthrow Nazi ideas or ideology. Remember, the only two places that I've ever heard of where "The Producers" is banned are Germany and Israel!
BTW "The Producers" is a funny movie by Mel Brooks that uses Hitler, Nazism, and the Holocaust as material. It's actually a commentary on the US theater industry. It's as funny as hell, especially if you're Jewish and from the NYC area!
Also Note: For those readers in New York City, or those planning to visit it: At some point in April, "The Producers" will come to BROADWAY as a MUSICAL! Really! Mel Brooks wrote 17 new songs for it! Defy the censors, sit in a comfy chair, and watch a guy in jackboots tapdance to "Springtime for Hitler!!"
Alright, Jon, I normally like/tolerate your stuff...but HOW do you get off saying that the current "Luddites" are (insert negatives here) while the "original Luddites" were the ones who were "heros" and "fighting to preserve a way of life" or somesuch?
The modern Luddites are trying to protect a way of life also...as they always have...they want to keep information that THEY don't like out of the hands of everyone. Whether it's sex ed/AIDS ed for kids, substance abuse information, etc etc etc...the modern Luddites are trying to force their view of the world on everyone NOT by proclaiming their own position but by censoring others'.
Bibliofind.com--the BEST BEST source of used books
on
Hackers
·
· Score: 1
I got my copy of Hackers at http://www.bibliofind.com.
They are GREAT....you can order from multiple used bookstores within the network (ie only one shopping cart) which really simplifies things...I've never had a bad experience or an innacurate book description pop up.
My copy is paperback, is in pristine condition, and cost something on the order of $15.
Sadly, this is simply an online implementation of a VERY old practice....Victoria's Secret has had something like 3 to 5 catalogs out at any one time, broken out according to zip codes and past buying habits. I've actually gotten two different catalogs from them--they look identical but the prices are different.
Ditto for pricing in supermarket chains...same chain, different branch, different prices.
The nature of cookies, buying patterns, and the Web (remember, pixels are cheaper than paper) means that you'll probably see more of this rather than less in the future...it may pay to surf at such places in a non-signed in state and then sign in to purchase....or add stuff to your cart unsigned in and then sign in just to check out...
OTOH I am SOOOO happy I discovered Fatbrain when I did....
Sound like generational envy to me.
on
Selfish Society
·
· Score: 1
First, let me start by echoing a sentiment already posted here...Jon, why spit in the face of the group that made your writing career?
Secondly, and more originally...did anyone out there read "Generation X" when it was originally published, WHILE they were a GenXer, WHILE suffering the effects of the "no it's not really a recession" of the early 90's?
I remember getting out of a grad degree in '93...it seems like all of my pals who had graduated college in 87-89 were getting fatass jobs, and now that I had waited a few years, I was priced out of the market by more fresh-faced kids two weeks younger than me...by whom?
The yuppies who ran the places where I slaved away as a temp. Who had car services drive them from mansions in the 'burbs yet bitched and moaned if I got in 10 minutes late because my commuter bus got stuck in traffic on the way to work. This, btw, acted as a sort of penalty for living in the burbs if you weren't at the top of the financial pyramid.
Watching them uphold stupid drug screening policies when they freely admitted to smoking acres of weed in college. Bitching about how they don't want their kids getting sex ed in school--but then paying for their kid's overnight prom rooms! No sick days. Etc.
Luckilly, I had been online since '86 and had always used different parts of the Net and some *nix shells as part of my hobby...so when I finally landed, I did it on my feet. I was able to capitalize on an unstable yet lucrative job market to ratchet up my salary to where it should be and make up for the lost years I spent as a Coupelandish "boomerang child."
As Coupland put it, there was a time but a few years ago that the ex-Haight-Street turned Wall-Street crowd ran the show and tried as vigorously as possible to make us--the older children from their failed first marriages, in all senses--clean up their messes and deal with their excesses. Now we're on top of an industry that wouldn't be anywhere as near commercially sucessful without us. We have enough real job experience to manage, and actaully expect something of the people working both above and below us....
If a bunch of grumpy boomers who can't be bothered to find the "On" switch on their overpriced laptops are whiny about that, f**k em! I like my paycheck as much as they ever did.
PS--when I mean "ex-hippies" I don't mean any of the REAL techno-hippies out there...the wonderful old men in Birkenstocks who first taught me how to use CUnix back at Cornell, frinstance...btw very few of those guys who I know, at least, live in yuppiehuts or have an SUV....
Hey...how can we have this discussion and NOT mention NYC? I'm a native who's lived abroad and away before, and I still love this place best of all....why?
There's a snapshot of the world here...if you're homesick there are groups from every ethnic group in the world to join/hang out with...24/7 lifestyle, but lots of neat hidden places to rest, chill out, and even enjoy some scenery and greenery (and NOT just Central Park)....
Yes, housing costs a lot more by national standards...BUT...other than that you can live surprisingly cheaply. NYC is the only town I've ever lived in where you can still find tons of FREE arts/entertainment and good food for under $5/plate...
Right now is actually a great time to visit...it's beautiful outside...
Oh, and did I mention that all the coders I know have more bread than they know what to do with?:)
Slashdot Mirror
...who thought WOO FINALLY NO LAGGIES when playing MMORPGs?
I have mixed feelings about this. I was a freelance business writer during the end of the DotCom boom. I actually did have some published pieces, and because of that, I didn't have too hard a problem getting into MOST industry events (where I was professional and actually working).
However, those same tech events were even then littered with "faux press" already--guys who showed up with huge empty duffel bags for the sole purpose of hoarding all of the free crap that they could grab, like T-shirts, software samples, etc. It made it almost impossible to get a legit review copy of anything, be it a book or a software title, if you got there past the first open hour, because the grabbers had already been through.
There was a whole sub-tribe of folks who I ran into for years who did nothing at trade shows and industry events other than get drunk, eat as much food as possible in the press room, and take as much free crap as they could carry.
ON THE OTHER HAND.....
I know lots of very good and legit bloggers and photgraphers who were shut out of events precisely due to lack of previous "paper" published work or byline in-hand. It seemed very arbitrary.
The grabbers always made it in, but a lot of honest folks trying to make a start for themselves got shut out.
I don't know what the legality of a two-tier press pass system would be, but it would be nice if there was some kind of intermediate "apprentice" pass available for just-starters. If they get a positive follow-up from an event organizer X number of times, they could "graduate" to a full pass. If they're not grabbers or bullshit artists, then they wouldn't mind giving a real URL and a real name for contact purposes.
Just a thought and my 2c.
Been playing since Beta, and was also frustrated by the initial crashes and lags. However, I stuck with it, and it's been very much worth it. I currently have 3 toons going--a 65 DT, 45ish HoX and a 30-something Ranger. I play on a PvE server, but still interact a lot with my guild. Major bugs to grouping and much of the lagginess seems fixed.
I tried the DX10 but wound up sticking with 9 for now; the graphics are still fantastic and drop-dead gorgeous.
I would urge anyone who dropped this game after the first 3 months to give it another go--it's improved for the better and I can't wait to see whatever else Funcom has in store for us.
Also--re Hellgate London--that was my favorite game before Conan, but that game died for me the second that they started whispering that they would go offline At Any Second...for months. Why level characters when you may never get to finish the game?
Funcom really turned around a rocky launch into something fun, big, and great.
Or Hitachi (google Hitachi Magic Wand...)
*sound of canned laughter*
He's here all week, folks, don't forget to tip your server! Try the fish!
Seriously, if the Russian thug-ernment is behind these asswipes, what makes you think they'll face any consequences?
Hey, no, I am not bothered by sex in SciFi. I'm bothered by the fact that it's in his books for no particular reason. I EXPECT Heinlien to be naughty.
Okay, I have read most of Stephenson's stuff. I absolutely LOVED SnowCrash--to me it had just the right blend of geekery, cultural commentary, science, action, and character development in a shortish package.
Diamond Age was also fun, but I also noticed that the discardable character was more prevelant here--as was quite a bit of ink spilled on sex, consensual and otherwise, than I would have thought.
Cut ahead to Cryptonomicon, which I loved because it managed to keep a brisk pace despite its size-and despite the fact that once again for whatever reason some rape and an unplanned pregnancy, and other random sex had to be thrown in for no particular reason.
(note: at this point, I begin to wonder if we he will ever write a main female character who does NOT get raped, have sex with another main character, get pregnant, or any combo of the above).
Soo...then there's the Baroque cycle. After Cryptonomicon I launched into it full-charge. And then...it dragged on...and on...after the first book I strongly considered not continuing, but in a perverse way I kept reading hoping that at some point the pace would pick up. I LOVED the descriptions of the various cities and attention to detail, but after a while I felt like I was on a forced walking tour where I just wanted to go back to my hotel and drink straight from the bottle and watch cartoons for an hour, you know?
Finally I finished the trilogy (again, which just wouldn't be complete without some rape, sex, and unplanned pregnancy thrown in).
I almost didn't get Anathem, but then I saw the trailer and figured hey, this seems like a departure from the Baroque cycle, maybe it'll be a longer Snow Crash with cooler science and better characters.
Ooops.
I liked the overall idea and storyline, but as per other reviewers, it was just too damn wordy and long. The details and extra bodies added confusion, not clarity after a certain point.
Oh yeah and let's not forget at least one unplanned pregnancy. At least he managed to not include a rape and kept a lot of the sex to a minimum, but still, I almost dare him to write a book without one.
While paying attention to those details, though, he left a lot of really good characters dangling AFAIC. Fraa Jaad? The Inquisitors? One thing that Stephenson seems to do a lot of is either just ignore wrapups for key players, or just kills them off.
OTOH at least Enoch Root didn't make an appearance.
I'll buy his next book as long as he promises to keep it under 500 pages.
It's too bad, because I have a preorder copy but am having trouble with the tutorial also--CANNOT get past the balance beam tutorial. This may be the steepest learning curve that I've seen on a game.
*speaks up in tiny voice*
Erm, as someone lucky enough to have a Wii, a PS3, and a gaming rig, I find myself wanting to play more of the shooter-type stuff on the PS3 rather than on my PC. Why?
--bigger screen to play on
--controls are easier (no keymapping shit by hand)
--Smoother performance (even with a gaming rig, for stuff just runs smoother on a dedicated machine).
--
I'm currently waiting for Bioshock for the PS3 to come out, and may do Dead Space also. Mind you, I also still love my PC for more complex gaming (Conan and Hellgate London, may join the WoW cult also)(yeah yeah yeah whatever).
So, I don't think it's a matter of killing PC gaming via the Xbox or whatever; I think that you'll just see a more natural progression of more complex games staying on the PC and anything that CAN be reduced to a controller pad WILL be and will be big on the consoles.
I agree with AC above. I bought a beta and early launch code, and I'm letting it lapse. BORING gameplay, klutzy targeting, etc.
I'm sticking with Age of Conan.
Hey, with all due respect, I stand by my evaluation of Warhammer. Love Conan, hate this. It's your nickel.
Doing the Beta now, and I have to say...I'm glad that I bought just the beta-code cheap and didn't invest whole hog in the game yet.
The gameplay is weak at best. The combat and targeting systems are sluggish, and the inventory is incomprehensible (no real identifiers on items, so you lug around crap not knowing if your class can use it or not, if you can use it later, etc). Also, having to pay to use new level abilities (via trainers) is also just lame, and only encourages "grinding for gold."
What really made be bow out though was just the general slow game pace. Combat was unexciting, and targeting is a pain (no auto-targeting at all, but you apparently have to use the mouse to target and the number pad to attack...all while using arrow keys to move). Worst of all, there is no "default attack" so it's not like you can just map a mouse key and be done with it. Pre-order bonuses are kind of lame also, and the quest lines are predictable. I can't see myself paying $70+ every six months to have slow-motion combat for lame, predictable quests.
Compare and contrast Conan Age of Empires. FANTASTIC graphics, engaging combat (there's also no real "auto-mash" option either, but combat is much easier to initiate and keep going), good PvP (despite gankers), engaging quests, and fun group quest/chat options. The pre-order/Collector's Edition code items are actually useful and rather cool (how can armored pachyderms NOT be cool?). I can see myself paying for Conan (which I am) but not Warhammer. I'll consider the $$ I spent for the Beta and Early Access code for Warhammer spent and cut my losses.
Hey all. I have to say, I ponied up for a founder's account in Hellgate and I'll be sad to see the game go. I actually really enjoy playing it, and I do hope that they find a way to keep the servers up.
Now if Conan goes tits-up, I'll scream. OTOH I would buy a lifetime sub for that in a heartbeat.
Um, dude, that is NOT how a Chumby works. YOU pick what goes into each widget.
So...did the original have a mermaid or a unicorn on the cover?
Um, just quoting the official count. Yes, the civilians count. Go to pbs.org and kindly stop shooting the messenger here.
Actually, just caught a special on the Twin Towers as part of a PBS series on NYC...and indeed, you really DO have to go back to the Civil War to beat what is now the #2 ranking casualty day for Americans on their own soil. Didn't catch the name of the battle, but it was stated on the special.
Heh...funny, here in the States, RFID's are being seen as a potential way to track people via purchases...seems to me that bearded terrorists are the last group who would be picking up tagged razors...oh well.... :D
Oh you cute kiddies...I've heard of folks doing this sorta thing for almost 20 years now!! *grin* Urban legend has it that the trend was started by a frustrated Exxon customer who kept getting misbilled. He took the reply envelope and used it as postage.....Scotch taped to a box full of rocks and gravel, labled "DO NOT OPEN IN UNCONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT--GEOLOGICAL SAMPLES--FORWARD TO ANALYSIS DEPARTMENT"...it was something well in excess of a hundred dollars postage....
My personal fave, which I have sucessfully suggested to others but not tried yet myself: Washers. If you live in an urban area, go to your nearest demolition/construction site. Good ole discarded washers and flattened bottle caps will be all over the place. They weigh a lot. They keep the envelope flat--you can even scotch tape em to a card so they don't bunch and rip the envelope. They will not hurt the poor minimum-wage slob opening said envelope.
Also good for similar reasons and found at same site: Small bathroom tiles--you know, the tiny 1" ones...
Of course, if you have a junkyard nearby, you have a copious supply of washers and other small flat metal/ceramic things from car corpses also....i imagine that seat belt parts are effective......
Or....got a broken computer case? Cut it up into flat pieces.....
The list goes on and on....
Hmmmm....a celebrated Nazi-hunter did this....
how sad...
He should remember the famous quote by Audre Lourdes:
"The tools of the master will never dismantle the house of the master."
The Nazis were all for censorship and abuse of power to silence dissent.
Those same tools will never overthrow Nazi ideas or ideology. Remember, the only two places that I've ever heard of where "The Producers" is banned are Germany and Israel!
BTW "The Producers" is a funny movie by Mel Brooks that uses Hitler, Nazism, and the Holocaust as material. It's actually a commentary on the US theater industry. It's as funny as hell, especially if you're Jewish and from the NYC area!
Also Note: For those readers in New York City, or those planning to visit it: At some point in April, "The Producers" will come to BROADWAY as a MUSICAL! Really! Mel Brooks wrote 17 new songs for it! Defy the censors, sit in a comfy chair, and watch a guy in jackboots tapdance to "Springtime for Hitler!!"
Alright, Jon, I normally like/tolerate your stuff...but HOW do you get off saying that the current "Luddites" are (insert negatives here) while the "original Luddites" were the ones who were "heros" and "fighting to preserve a way of life" or somesuch?
The modern Luddites are trying to protect a way of life also...as they always have...they want to keep information that THEY don't like out of the hands of everyone. Whether it's sex ed/AIDS ed for kids, substance abuse information, etc etc etc...the modern Luddites are trying to force their view of the world on everyone NOT by proclaiming their own position but by censoring others'.
I got my copy of Hackers at http://www.bibliofind.com.
:)
They are GREAT....you can order from multiple used bookstores within the network (ie only one shopping cart) which really simplifies things...I've never had a bad experience or an innacurate book description pop up.
My copy is paperback, is in pristine condition, and cost something on the order of $15.
Good luck!
Sadly, this is simply an online implementation of a VERY old practice....Victoria's Secret has had something like 3 to 5 catalogs out at any one time, broken out according to zip codes and past buying habits. I've actually gotten two different catalogs from them--they look identical but the prices are different.
Ditto for pricing in supermarket chains...same chain, different branch, different prices.
The nature of cookies, buying patterns, and the Web (remember, pixels are cheaper than paper) means that you'll probably see more of this rather than less in the future...it may pay to surf at such places in a non-signed in state and then sign in to purchase....or add stuff to your cart unsigned in and then sign in just to check out...
OTOH I am SOOOO happy I discovered Fatbrain when I did....
First, let me start by echoing a sentiment already posted here...Jon, why spit in the face of the group that made your writing career?
Secondly, and more originally...did anyone out there read "Generation X" when it was originally published, WHILE they were a GenXer, WHILE suffering the effects of the "no it's not really a recession" of the early 90's?
I remember getting out of a grad degree in '93...it seems like all of my pals who had graduated college in 87-89 were getting fatass jobs, and now that I had waited a few years, I was priced out of the market by more fresh-faced kids two weeks younger than me...by whom?
The yuppies who ran the places where I slaved away as a temp. Who had car services drive them from mansions in the 'burbs yet bitched and moaned if I got in 10 minutes late because my commuter bus got stuck in traffic on the way to work. This, btw, acted as a sort of penalty for living in the burbs if you weren't at the top of the financial pyramid.
Watching them uphold stupid drug screening policies when they freely admitted to smoking acres of weed in college. Bitching about how they don't want their kids getting sex ed in school--but then paying for their kid's overnight prom rooms! No sick days. Etc.
Luckilly, I had been online since '86 and had always used different parts of the Net and some *nix shells as part of my hobby...so when I finally landed, I did it on my feet. I was able to capitalize on an unstable yet lucrative job market to ratchet up my salary to where it should be and make up for the lost years I spent as a Coupelandish "boomerang child."
As Coupland put it, there was a time but a few years ago that the ex-Haight-Street turned Wall-Street crowd ran the show and tried as vigorously as possible to make us--the older children from their failed first marriages, in all senses--clean up their messes and deal with their excesses. Now we're on top of an industry that wouldn't be anywhere as near commercially sucessful without us. We have enough real job experience to manage, and actaully expect something of the people working both above and below us....
If a bunch of grumpy boomers who can't be bothered to find the "On" switch on their overpriced laptops are whiny about that, f**k em! I like my paycheck as much as they ever did.
PS--when I mean "ex-hippies" I don't mean any of the REAL techno-hippies out there...the wonderful old men in Birkenstocks who first taught me how to use CUnix back at Cornell, frinstance...btw very few of those guys who I know, at least, live in yuppiehuts or have an SUV....
Hey...how can we have this discussion and NOT mention NYC? I'm a native who's lived abroad and away before, and I still love this place best of all....why?
:)
There's a snapshot of the world here...if you're homesick there are groups from every ethnic group in the world to join/hang out with...24/7 lifestyle, but lots of neat hidden places to rest, chill out, and even enjoy some scenery and greenery (and NOT just Central Park)....
Yes, housing costs a lot more by national standards...BUT...other than that you can live surprisingly cheaply. NYC is the only town I've ever lived in where you can still find tons of FREE arts/entertainment and good food for under $5/plate...
Right now is actually a great time to visit...it's beautiful outside...
Oh, and did I mention that all the coders I know have more bread than they know what to do with?