Do you miss your computer when you go on holiday?

[roaduck]

I like the sun especially in the Med and North Africa and when I go on holiday I miss my pc and I do occassionally go to an internet cafe like the lovely one below in Lindos, Rhodes Greece in the dodecanese islands ; the ouzo and water was beautiful there and so was the architechture.The medieval streets were so narrow that the main transport in town was donkeys.
 
I don't have a laptop or need portable internet when I travel because I like to 'unplug' and do things slowly in the real world.Also I'm lucky that I don't need constant internet for business trips.
 
Could any of you totally do without pc's and the internet for the full duration of a holiday?
 

FOTO DI LINDIANET
cliccate su una foto per spedirla come cartolina

 

http://www.lindianet.gr/lindianet/italian/

 
 

 
 
http://www.villagalinilindos.com/images/Lindos_Acropolis-map.jpg
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindos
 

[timw4mail]

Considering how capable the Intel chipsets are in laptops...yes I do miss my main computer on vacation.

[itlnstln]

I don't miss my PCs one bit.  I have a Palm Pre that I use to find directions or a restaurant on occasion, but I don't miss e-mail, surfing, or whatever.
 
I certainly don't miss you guys.  I only hang out here to kill time at work when I have to use a PC.  I can't wait for work to be over or the weekend, so I can get away from here.
 
Seriously though, I spend so much of my life in front of a PC at work, that I certainly don't miss it when I'm on vacation, the weekend, or, simply, at home after work.

[roaduck]

I think computers can definately be addictive timw4mail and itlnstln.

[itlnstln]

Sure, just not for me.  I value time with my GF and Disc Golf more.  I use my PC so much during the day at work that I just need to take a break from it when I am not working.

[ironcoder]

I don't miss them at all. Nor the phones! Vacation is vacation, work is work.

[hyperlinked]

Maybe it's that I've been online since the 80's or maybe my brain is just wired differently, but I just don't understand people who cannot kick their addiction to checking their email, Facebook, or whatever.

I get a pit in my stomach everytime I check my email and see how many people are trying to get a hold of me. Most of them for business reasons and a number for personal reasons. It gets so bad at times, I even dread my personal email now because it's just more stuff I have to respond to.

I truly love my tech gear, but I can't get away from them. if I had a chance to go somewhere else and not have to touch a mouse a single time, answer a call on my cell phone, or write an email, I'd do it without a thought. At any given time, I'd rather be running, hiking, at a hockey game, in a canoe, or getting back to form in Kung Fu, but I leave my workstation just often enough to get in moderate exercise to stay in reasonable shape and nothing more.

I used to make it a point to unplug completely a day a month. Being self employed, it's hard to even get one day to unplug now.

[ironcoder]

You have to make it happen yourself bud. Don't get burned out.

[timw4mail]

Maybe it's that I've been online since the 80's or maybe my brain is just wired differently, but I just don't understand people who cannot kick their addiction to checking their email, Facebook, or whatever.

I get a pit in my stomach everytime I check my email and see how many people are trying to get a hold of me. Most of them for business reasons and a number for personal reasons. It gets so bad at times, I even dread my personal email now because it's just more stuff I have to respond to.

I truly love my tech gear, but I can't get away from them. if I had a chance to go somewhere else and not have to touch a mouse a single time, answer a call on my cell phone, or write an email, I'd do it without a thought. At any given time, I'd rather be running, hiking, at a hockey game, in a canoe, or getting back to form in Kung Fu, but I leave my workstation just often enough to get in moderate exercise to stay in reasonable shape and nothing more.

I used to make it a point to unplug completely a day a month. Being self employed, it's hard to even get one day to unplug now.

I guess you people only understand computers as tools. My computer is also my game console.

[itlnstln]

I used to game, but I would rather go outside and play... or play with girls.

[roaduck]

I guess you people only understand computers as tools. My computer is also my game console.

Thank God I don't play any computer games Tim or I'd never be Away From Keyboard and like hyperlinked I work for myself and have little time or opportunity to 'unplug'.

[hyperlinked]

You have to make it happen yourself bud. Don't get burned out.

LOL, workin on it... been working on it and am more of a person again now than a year ago.

Anyway, I didn't mean to come across sounding whiny there. I  was trying to express that burnout cured me of any addiction I had to my tech devices and I wonder if all the people who are said to be addicted to the Internet are truly pathologically addicted or if many of them simply hadn't hit the burnout point yet where you come full circle back to reality.

I remember a story about one of the users of the early online community, The Well... he had a coke habit, but he got so addicted to The Well that he forgot to do his coke.

[roaduck]

You have to make it happen yourself bud. Don't get burned out.

I got so burned out in the late eighties / early nineties ironcoder that I had to retrain and get another profession otherwise I'd have had a serious substance abuse problem or a breakdown.I even went to a retreat to collect myself.

[ironcoder]

Not at all, I can relate. I remember I used to go out to lunch and come back with a stack of messages on my desk that was so high I didn't know how the secretary could write so many notes in an hour or so. I realized nobody can pay you enough to replace your life so I stopped giving it. I do a damn good job but I keep reasonable hours.

[itlnstln]

Anyway, I didn't mean to come across sounding whiny there. I was trying to express that burnout cured me of any addiction I had to my tech devices and I wonder if all the people who are said to be addicted to the Internet are truly pathologically addicted or if many of them simply hadn't hit the burnout point yet where you come full circle back to reality.

This.  To be honest, though, I have never really been the type to stay inside and watch TV, play computer games, etc.  I have always enjoyed physical activity.  I used to play a lot of basketball and baseball.  Now that I'm older and it's harder to particpate in team sports due work and other scheduling issues, I do more individual sports (mainly disc golf).  I still have a hard time staying indoors when I could be doing something active outside.

[ironcoder]

I'm too damn old to switch professions now but I do know a few people who died of strokes and heart attacks in this business and one blew his head off. Lots of other stress-related stuff. You have to stay loose and not let it take over your life.

[ironcoder]

I guess you people only understand computers as tools. My computer is also my game console.

What do you do for a living, game boy?

[itlnstln]

I got so burned out in the late eighties / early nineties ironcoder that I had to retrain and get another profession otherwise I'd have had a serious substance abuse problem or a breakdown.I even went to a retreat to collect myself.

I think I am starting to get like this (maybe not quite as bad). My burnout is a little different, though. I am so good at what I do anymore that not much challenges me, so I get bored (hence, I spend my day at GH). Anymore, I spend more time fixing other people's problems or doing "busy work" than doing anything that I consider particularly productive. Fortunately, other people's perception of my job is completely different.

[ironcoder]

That's a rut you don't want to be in unless you're sure it's pasture time. Stuff moves along quick enough it's easy to get behind. I've been in jobs like that and I was sure I got out, and fast. While you're in there, read up on other stuff of interest and practical value and learn new things if you don't have enough to keep you busy.

[roaduck]

It's all a question of balance between home and work lads and sometimes you can't see the wood for the trees.

[itlnstln]

That's a rut you don't want to be in unless you're sure it's pasture time. Stuff moves along quick enough it's easy to get behind. I've been in jobs like that and I was sure I got out, and fast. While you're in there, read up on other stuff of interest and practical value and learn new things if you don't have enough to keep you busy.

I do this quite frequently.  It's what helps my job stay easy.

[texteur]

I think it's healthier to completely unplug during holidays, simply to radically feel the difference between work/creation and rest. But everytime I stop working, I feel this call of the web; I want to check my emails, my feeds, etc. Bad, very bad. In fact, I experience the same need I have everyday to smoke cigarettes (I stopped some months ago). Exactly the same withdrawal...

The only thing I can't stop during holidays is reading. Without a book on me, I would feel anxious and... sad.

[timw4mail]

What do you do for a living, game boy?

Web Development.

[ch_123]

I don't really miss mine. If I do, it's a sure sign that the holiday is ****.

[ironcoder]

Web Development.

That's surprising. I thought you were going to say something totally unrelated to computers after your previous comment.

[lowpoly]

I always bring a notebook when travelling. Mostly to store all the pics we take. And I can conveniently google directions and places I have seen or I am going to see.

[timw4mail]

That's surprising. I thought you were going to say something totally unrelated to computers after your previous comment.

Well, I like computer to begin with, so maybe I'm just strange like that. I've not had many times that I've been swamped with work, either. I don't consider my job to be high stress, unless I have to deal with IE issues.

[Hak Foo]

Maybe what I need to do is acquire:

A Model M Mini
A 4U Rackmount case
A 7" LCD

and bolt the whole mess together in a modernized version of a Osborne/Kaypro/IBM Portable form factor PC.

[msiegel]

Maybe what I need to do is acquire:

A Model M Mini
A 4U Rackmount case
A 7" LCD

and bolt the whole mess together in a modernized version of a Osborne/Kaypro/IBM Portable form factor PC.

awesome

[megarat]

I totally understand the OP's feeling about this.  When you use your computer for a lot of fun/hobby activities, it's natural to miss it when you're away.

I frequently bring my laptop on vacations, because I enjoy using it for writing (which is something I enjoy tremendously while on vacations, and have actually organized entire vacations around doing).  As such, it comes in handy for secondary tasks like web browsing, checking occasional email, etc.  Once, while on vacation, I hiked my laptop over four miles, on foot, down a dark forest road to an internet cafe, just to go online and play "Return to Castle Wolfenstein" with some friends back home.  It was awesome.

That said, I've recently taken a few vacations where I've left the laptop at home, and I've found that I don't miss it very much.  And now that I've transitioned my writing to an Alphasmart, it's possible for me to write on future vacations without the need of a full-fledged computer at all.

[texteur]

IAnd now that I've transitioned my writing to an Alphasmart, it's possible for me to write on future vacations without the need of a full-fledged computer at all.

Hi Megarat,

It's the first time I hear about Alphasmart. On the official website, they say the autonomy is... 700 hours. Waaaaw! Could you please tell a little bit more about this device? Is it comfortable to write with it? Is the transfer easy to another computer? Do you know if it's possible to type accented characters (like é è à ï)?

Thanks!

[hacfed]

I just don't understand people who cannot kick their addiction to checking their email, Facebook, or whatever. I get a pit in my stomach everytime I check my email and see how many people are trying to get a hold of me.

Likewise. I check my email when I'm expecting something of use. I don't game and I don't [use] Facebook. My cellphone is on silent 24/7 and I will get back to you at my convenience.

One should approach a computer as a very flexible tool and view the internet as a resource, not a raison d'être. I do spend a huge amount of my time at a computer, but only because I have so much fun. When there's nothing left to learn and creativity has run dry, then maybe I will no longer have a use for these wonderful tools, ie: sometime never.

In years gone by I was a sound engineer and video editor and spent as much time playing Doom as I did editing. Now that I'm a 'mature' Comp. Sci. student, in a country teeming with talented grads, I have no time for distractions. In fact, I timetable my down time these days to make sure I'm not overdoing it (as counter-intuitive as that sounds, it works!). A recent accident has meant camping and hiking are off the menu for the timebeing, but I used to spend 3 days out of 7 up a mountain or in the woods with friends.

Facebook can be part of a healthy diet, I suppose. You wouldn't think so at first, given that they work hard to make the site as addictive as possible. I think it's true of sharp and curious minds that the lures of computers and the internet can often lead to unwholesome modes of behaviour.

Before I ramble off into infinity and beyond, I'd like to sum up thusly: You need focus to make good use of your time. Efficiency can be gained through batching tasks together. Cellphones are evil!

Just curious about those of us who tend to overwork: has anyone tried polyphasing as a means to 'get more done'?

[megarat]

Hi Megarat,

It's the first time I hear about Alphasmart. On the official website, they say the autonomy is... 700 hours. Waaaaw! Could you please tell a little bit more about this device? Is it comfortable to write with it? Is the transfer easy to another computer? Do you know if it's possible to type accented characters (like é è à ï)?

Thanks!

There's a previous thread about the Alphasmart Neo (and other models) here.  I would recommend starting there.

IMHO, the Neo surprisingly easy to write with, at least for bulk text generation.  (Editing and fine-tuning is best done on a laptop/computer.)  The keyboard is just a standard laptop low-travel rubber dome, but it's fine.  Much better than on earlier AS models.

By default it can display up to six lines on the screen, but some generous, enterprising guy on the net created some fonts that allow the display of up to 11 lines per screen (available here).  I personally find his eight-line font to be most legible for regular composition, YMMV.  This is a very comfortable amount of text for regular use.  My complaint with prior AS models is that their 4x40 character LCD was too limiting.  The variable-width/height fonts on the Neo are much, much better.

Apart from the unreal battery life, what I love most about the Neo is that it's so small and light, and easy to use (such as the instant-on, and remembering where you left off, and reasonable cursor-control shortcuts for navigation and selecting text), it really asks to be carried around everywhere and used whenever you have available time.  It's the writing equivalent of a sketchpad.

Accented characters:  yes, no problem, done basically the same way as on, say, a Mac.  Depending on the font, however, the display of the characters might suffer slightly.  (E.g., "é" descends a bit lower than a regular "e".)  Also, this is nowhere near to full Unicode representation, but most common characters are available, although a few are absent, for instance the Icelandic "thorn" and "eth".  You can see what's available in the downloadable manual.

Transfer to a computer:  astonishingly easy.  Plugs in via USB and either transfers into a text/word processor file (by pressing "Send", it automatically transmits/auto-types the text into the document; not instantaneous, but trivial), or you can transfer the files via the file-transfer tool provided by the manufacturer.

Mind, the Neo isn't perfect (some of my perceived cons/caveats are listed in the aforementioned thread), but it's great for what it is.

[InSanCen]

No. I use my eeePC for mobile use. I am a Self-Confessed Net Addict.

[majestouch]

I guess I fit into the computers-are-just-tools category.

Does this mean that my computer misses me?

[itlnstln]

Does this mean that my computer misses me?

I'm estranged from my home PC.  We aren't even on speaking terms anymore.

[microsoft windows]

I never really used the Internet for a very long time (over 10 years). I remember when I first touched a computer and realized that ugly old box's potential.