
On Going Feral (2009) - hardmaru
https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2009/08/19/on-going-feral/
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Zoo3y
Recently visited home for a week and a half in Texas while working remote from
my job in DC. My dad thought it was strange I was carrying my laptop whenever
we went out for food during business hours, and my mom didn't understand why I
couldn't keep doing chores all day. My younger brothers are more with it, so
they understood. Maybe next time I visit I'll stay at an airbnb!

I still managed to get work done, but he's absolutely right when he says "But
in humans it (going feral) can happen faster, since most of our domestication
is through education and socialization rather than breeding." Being in my
childhood bedroom made me feel like a kid again.

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chasd00
I've been remote for about 5 years now. I work for an eat what you kill
consultancy so the metric is easy. Keep my accounts growing and Sales is
happy. Keep about 75% of my time billable and Delivery is happy. Quit working
at 5 and my wife is happy. That's all there is to it.

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maliker
“I inhabit physical environments where old communities are crumbling, and
people are tentatively groping for social structure through meetups”... “DC
area”. Hey, I recognize that place. Great description of northern virginia in
2009 and somewhat still today. Very transient, inhuman place. But safe and
affordable.

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marcus_holmes
Naps. TFA mentions it in passing, but that's the biggest difference I notice
in working remote or working in an office.

"I'm tired, I think I'll have a nap now" is the greatest single freedom that
remote working has given me.

~~~
Sophistifunk
I also enjoy "this is hard, I'm going to lie in the hammock and think about it
for a while"

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ahartmetz
I do the equivalent at work - go away from the computer and think. Well I'm a
contractor / consultant with many home office hours now, but I did the same as
an employee. In most cases I leave my phone at the desk because a) it helps me
focus (same as leaving the computer behind) and b) it signals that I'm not
wasting time, I'm thinking. No one has ever complained.

From photos of some development offices of companies that "get" software, the
usefulness of hammock-driven development seems well understood there.

~~~
marcus_holmes
When I used to smoke I had the same thing with going outside to stand in the
cold and think.

Also, strangely, I think the "deep breathing" of smoking helped with the
cognitive processes. That and the release from the nicotine cravings ofc.

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vcavallo
I work for myself, from home. I answer to no nobody (except clients, which I
can drop at my own risk if I choose) and I do what I want when I want. it’s
both the single greatest development in my life and the scariest. greatest for
obvious reasons (absolute freedom, my time and output are my own, I can be
extremely productive in ways I can optimize, I can work on my house and
hobbies as appropriate) but scariest because now that I’ve tasted this life I
don’t know how I’ll ever go back. and the limit of what one individual can do
(for humanity, I mean) from his house is unsatisfying in the long run.

~~~
tonyarkles
I'm in the same boat as you, about 10 years in. I've tried going back twice,
and both times has not gone well. These were warm positions too; one had been
a client in the past, and the other was run by an old friend. Both times the
lack of autonomy got me.

I'm in the same place as you too... starting to wonder about overall impact in
the long run, and haven't come up with a plan yet. Glad to hear I'm not the
only one :)

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vcavallo
so far my plan is this (of which i’m currently on step 1):

\- take online classes through Harvard for a certificate that will emulate the
CS background i didn’t get in school

\- apply to grad schools

\- get a graduate degree studying AI and cognitive science

\- afterwards either:

\- get a position so deeply rewarding that i don’t mind loss of autonomy

\- get a position so high-paying that i don’t mind loss of autonomy

\- continue working as i do now but be able to take on much more interesting
projects and potentially try to contribute to the various nonprofits and open
ventures that deal with AI/AI risk in my free time

\- solve the hard problem of consciousness AND the mind-uploading situation
and achieve immortality.

all of those 4 options seem good to me, so i’m ok with this plan (notice how
it conveniently ignores massive student debt :)

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mexus
“Cloudworker lifestyles — mobile, home-based, unshaven, pajama-clad and
Starbucks-swilling — create a psychological transformation that is very
similar to what happens when animals go feral. In animals, it takes a couple
of generations of breeding for the true wild nature to re-emerge. Cats, for
instance, revert to a basic, hardy, stocky, short-haired robustly-interbred
tabby variety. Dogs become mutts. But in humans it can happen faster, since
most of our domestication is through education and socialization rather than
breeding.”

:-)

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seiferteric
hits close... I have not been to the office in over two months. Longest before
that was three months. When I first started to work remote I felt nervous
about being away for more than a week or two, thinking it would cause
problems. As time has gone on though, I started to feel that as long as I have
a project to work on and stay verifiably productive, I don't worry about it as
much anymore.

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maxxxxx
I think it would be good for a lot of us to get away from the "normal" way of
life to discover who we really are.

