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Vlad!
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« on: August 10, 2010, 02:56:53 PM » |
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I really hate it when people say "you must have a lot of time on your hands" when looking at something intricate or large-scale a person has done. I remember reading an article semi-recently about a guy who created a miniature replica of some foreign city's train system, completely to scale, and even ran the trains according to the same timetable. This article had a bunch of comments on it saying "wow, this guy must have too much spare time".
It makes me want to respond with "yes, he should be more like you, sitting on your couch and spending your spare time watching TV" (working on the assumption that the commenter, like the average American, watches several hours of TV a week). I think that the phrase should be turned on its head; we should support people who make something with their hands or create something--even something that doesn't contribute to society as a whole--and say "wow, he has too much spare time" when someone arrives home from work and immediately flops down on the couch, remote in hand, to watch whatever NBC has on offer that night.
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If you don’t have freedom as a principle, you can never see a reason not to make an exception. There are constantly going to be times when for one reason or another there’s some practical convenience in making an exception.
rms
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murlough23
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« Reply #1 on: August 10, 2010, 03:04:15 PM » |
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When I point out that people have a lot of spare time, I'm usually doing it to applaud the way they've spent it, rather than just sitting around watching TV (though that presumes you can't both watch TV and get something productive done at the same time). Actually, while a lot of people are lazy, we also have a culture in which a lot of people are workaholics, and could never even dream of having the free time to pursue a hobby, so squeezing in a little bit of TV or web surfing before bed is about all they can manage. I find this to be a problem, so I salute the people who are able to establish boundaries between their careers and their personal/family lives, and find time to pursue interesting hobbies. When people comment on how much free time such a person has, I figure they're probably thinking, "Gee, wish I could take enough time away from the rat race to do something cool like that." Or it's the bitter/jealous flipside of that sentiment.
Though there are cases where people waste a lot of their free time on some truly pointless and trivial pursuits. Building a replica of a train system is not one of those things - it's a labor of love, and people derive enjoyment from looking at it. Making the biggest ball of twine in Minnesota, on the other hand...
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Vlad!
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« Reply #2 on: August 10, 2010, 03:14:05 PM » |
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Honestly, I'd rather see someone devote time to creating the biggest ball of twine in Minnesota than to observing the fictional hijinks of one teledrama character or another. Why? Because I think that the type of mind that says "I want to do something unique and different, even if it's useless" is more interesting and valuable than the type of mind which just wants to be passively entertained.
I watch an hour of TV a week, so I'm not saying that there's no place for that (or for video games, or for watching movies, or for pleasure reading), but I still respect some person who gets out and does something, even if it's something silly.
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If you don’t have freedom as a principle, you can never see a reason not to make an exception. There are constantly going to be times when for one reason or another there’s some practical convenience in making an exception.
rms
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murlough23
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« Reply #3 on: August 10, 2010, 03:18:00 PM » |
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Honestly, I'd rather see someone devote time to creating the biggest ball of twine in Minnesota than to observing the fictional hijinks of one teledrama character or another. Why? Because I think that the type of mind that says "I want to do something unique and different, even if it's useless" is more interesting and valuable than the type of mind which just wants to be passively entertained. Fair enough. But I've actually forged a few deep friendships from more personal conversations that sprung out of talking about the latest Battlestar Galactica or whatever. Of course, there's a big difference between using media as a communal experience (which I try to do as much as I can) and just sitting on your ass and being fed information. And I'd say the same thing for hobbies. Is it trying to express something meaningful to people or bring people together or whatever, or is it just wankery - "Hey, lookie what I can do"? The intent may be more important than the physical accomplishment. |
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Vlad!
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« Reply #4 on: August 10, 2010, 05:02:51 PM » |
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In reference to the previous thing I wrote, I found something by none other than the redoubtable Cory Doctrow, basically agreeing with me entirely. Success. |
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If you don’t have freedom as a principle, you can never see a reason not to make an exception. There are constantly going to be times when for one reason or another there’s some practical convenience in making an exception.
rms
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murlough23
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« Reply #5 on: August 10, 2010, 05:10:19 PM » |
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In reference to the previous thing I wrote, I found something by none other than the redoubtable Cory Doctrow, basically agreeing with me entirely. Success. So I guess the Wright Brothers had a lot of time on their hands. Back when I used to try my hand at songwriting, I had this fragment which never found its way into a finished lyric: "I've got time on my hands/And now I'm killing time/And now I've got blood on my hands." |
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enemy anemone
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« Reply #6 on: August 10, 2010, 05:12:21 PM » |
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I like that article. the "too much time on their/your hands" comment annoys me so much.
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Vlad!
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« Reply #7 on: August 10, 2010, 05:35:33 PM » |
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(I split this off because two conversations in one thread gets annoying).
I'm still smiling from how Cory Doctrow wrote about this topic back when I was in high school. I realize I should have said that I agreed with him rather than he with me, but I wouldn't put it past him to read this thread and then go back in time and write about it.
If you're reading this, Cory Doctrow From The Future, greetings.
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If you don’t have freedom as a principle, you can never see a reason not to make an exception. There are constantly going to be times when for one reason or another there’s some practical convenience in making an exception.
rms
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murlough23
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« Reply #8 on: August 10, 2010, 05:41:06 PM » |
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If you're reading this, Cory Doctrow From The Future, greetings.
Wouldn't he be either from the present (read this and then went back in time) or the past (went forward from his home time, read this, and then returned) in such a scenario? |
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Vlad!
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« Reply #9 on: August 10, 2010, 07:07:04 PM » |
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Wouldn't he be either from the present (read this and then went back in time) or the past (went forward from his home time, read this, and then returned) in such a scenario?
From the future as of when I wrote my original post. |
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If you don’t have freedom as a principle, you can never see a reason not to make an exception. There are constantly going to be times when for one reason or another there’s some practical convenience in making an exception.
rms
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murlough23
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« Reply #10 on: August 10, 2010, 07:08:23 PM » |
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From the future as of when I wrote my original post.
Oh, I see. because he would have to read it after you posted it. I hate temporal mechanics! |
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enemy anemone
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« Reply #11 on: August 10, 2010, 07:12:44 PM » |
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if he could travel in time, he would have time in his hands!
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murlough23
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« Reply #12 on: August 10, 2010, 07:15:42 PM » |
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if he could travel in time, he would have time in his hands!
I wonder if I could buy some time from him, second-hand. |
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enemy anemone
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« Reply #13 on: August 10, 2010, 07:19:09 PM » |
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I have a second hand on an second-hand clock I could sell you. cheap.
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murlough23
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« Reply #14 on: August 10, 2010, 07:19:56 PM » |
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I have a second hand on an second-hand clock I could sell you. cheap.
I can't be bothered with such minutiae. |
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enemy anemone
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« Reply #15 on: August 10, 2010, 07:36:44 PM » |
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well fine. next time you need a second, I'll be like, "no".
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murlough23
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« Reply #16 on: August 10, 2010, 07:37:52 PM » |
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If someone suggested we get this thread back on topic, I'd say "It's about time."
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enemy anemone
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« Reply #17 on: August 10, 2010, 07:50:53 PM » |
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it's a waste of time.
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