Why Do Other Geeks Leave the House? 262
JG_Elliott asks: "Being a geek getting more and more frustrated with shopping trips, I've turned to the internet to buy things to save time and effort. This made me wonder, other than leaving the house for work/lectures/school, why do other geeks leave the house? What is in the big wide-world that you can't get online (other than real sex)? What do other geeks get up to in their spare time, that they recommend, as something to do out of the house?"
Food, Movies, Darts (Score:2)
Re:Food, Movies, Darts (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Food, Movies, Darts (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Raves (or Clubs if that's all you can find) (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Raves (or Clubs if that's all you can find) (Score:3, Informative)
After marathon keyboard banging sessions, when I absolutely HAD to leave the house, I'd go to this real small hole in the wall bar a
Life (Score:2, Interesting)
The ability to poke at my greens before paying for them.
Oh yeah, and I have WLAN and my are is heavily saturated by unsecured networks.
Re:Life (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Life (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Life (Score:3, Insightful)
Motorcycling.
--If you think you might enjoy it, take a safety course to get your license. It is *definitely* worth the training.
Life (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Life (Score:2)
Leaving the house was the best thing that ever happened to me.
As Geeks, we may be mostly 'in our heads' but by weight and by volume, we're mostly body. We're mostly human. Humans have human needs.
Re:Life (Score:5, Funny)
Leaving the house was the best thing that ever happened to me. ... Humans have human needs.
You do know they make indoor toilets now, right?
Re:Life (Score:2)
Re:Life (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Life (Score:2)
Yet bhuddists are the most well centered and peacefully content people in the world. Why is this?
Because they choose to do what is easiest, what makes them most content.
Life is not "out there". Life is a journey. You decide how you wish to travel it. All you have to keep in mind is that you're on this journey right now. Don't waste it chasing the unattainable.
Wh
Uh.. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Uh.. (Score:4, Funny)
Only one thing (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Only one thing (Score:5, Funny)
Sigh.
eat,sex,shit (Score:5, Funny)
Re:eat,sex,shit (Score:5, Funny)
Re:eat,sex,shit (Score:4, Funny)
Re:eat,sex,shit (Score:2, Funny)
That reminds me of a joke... (Score:3, Funny)
You've heard the expression "Everything is bigger in Texas," right, probably from some obnoxious Texan... Well a lot of Texans are shocked to learn that Alaska is roughly twice the size of Texas...
Hearing this, one especially boisterous Texas went to Alaska to see if it was true.
He showed up at a typical Alaskan lodge in the wilderness, and was awestruck by it's scale. He was hungry from his long journey, so he went into the restaraunt, and sat down. Soon after, a waitress approached and asked him wh
Re:eat,sex,shit (Score:2)
Re:eat,sex,shit (Score:2)
'enlightenment' topic (Score:3, Funny)
although to actually answer the question, it is nice to go for walks outside of the house, and you do need a change of scenery every so often.
Re:'enlightenment' topic (Score:5, Funny)
Change of scenery, huh? Replace your windows with plasma screens. Works wonders, I can tell you.
Re:'enlightenment' topic (Score:2)
I go to school (Uni), so I don't have to replace Women with porn... (or slashdot personnals)
Re:'enlightenment' topic (Score:2)
Actually, I go to an Engineering school... But i was talking about those going in Nursing School.... Just a short distance from where I go...
But as the song [ualberta.ca] says [numachi.com]: 'But they don't even speak to me 'cause I'm an Engineer'
Re:'enlightenment' topic (Score:2)
PS: I'm sorry
Re:'enlightenment' topic (Score:2)
Why I leave my house. (Score:2)
Re:Why I leave my house. (Score:5, Funny)
Right???
Stop looking at me like that!!
Re:Why I leave my house. (Score:3, Funny)
-Cyc
I'm here to save you.... (Score:2, Funny)
By throwing your pc out the window you will be overcome with the need to go out of the house for things like... food... shopping.. CONTACT WITH OTHER PEOPLE.
This might in turn lead to things like... a social life.... friends... things to do.
Remarakbly this actually leads non-internet people to opertunity to do things out of the house as will as get them invited to such events.
Think about it.
Re:I'm here to save you.... (Score:5, Funny)
By throwing your pc out the window you will be overcome with the need to go out of the house for things like... food... shopping..
Your monitor...
Re:I'm here to save you.... (Score:2, Funny)
Another PC
Re:I'm here to save you.... (Score:2, Funny)
I don't think the cord will reach that far.
Besides, what about when I need to put a CD in. I'd have to walk all the way into the house to do that.
Supermarket (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Supermarket (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Supermarket (Score:2)
It's depressing to be in the same place always (Score:4, Insightful)
I find that a bit of human contact, even if it's saying hi to the cheerful checker at Gelson's, leaves me reenergised and ready to take on new items back in the Geek Castle
Besides, how could I check out the latest Apple stuff without visiting the Apple Store?
D
Re:It's depressing to be in the same place always (Score:2)
He's just a nice cheerful fellow.
And I don't do IRC. Can't stand the way people write over there.
D
THX1138 (Score:2)
Re:THX1138 (Score:3, Interesting)
THX is about a bleak futuristic society that lives underground following some unmentioned apocalypse. (The movie doesn't elaborate on this, but the people that still live on the surface- "shell-dwellers"- are short little bearded mutants who grunt instead of talking, so I guess the movie takes place after a nuclear war.) Life underground is highly efficient and regulated, sex i
Re:THX1138 (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:THX1138 (Score:3, Informative)
April First... (Score:2)
I just got back from a walk around the building where I work. Sunny, mild breeze, low 70's (F). Gorgeous day. Too nice to spend all of it sitting in front of a computer screen.
Bye now...
Re:April First... (Score:2)
Happy April Fools day to you too.
Mountain biking (Score:3, Funny)
(btw, is this topic amusing or depressing? insightful or flamebait? not sure.)
Re:Mountain biking (Score:2)
My Car (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:My Car (Score:5, Funny)
Why not? (Score:5, Interesting)
So does the good of outside-activity outweigh the bad, or vice versa? The relationship between obesity and inmobility has already been discussed numerous times [google.com].
In my opinion, there are lots of reasons to leave the house, which outweigh spending time inside. The best answer was already given: Life is out there! Nothing beats the sweet smell/feel/taste of
Re:Why not? (Score:5, Funny)
What's outside the hosue is as boring as the Sims, but it's even slower, the speed-up key can only be used once a day, and it only works at night, when you're at home trying to game, rather than you just pushing fast-forward during the day when nobody's home!
The list of defects goes on. Like, there's no fucking save/restore feature either! Spend six weeks setting up a menage-a-trois with your boss' wife and just one lousy goat, and you might as well pull out the old .45 and reformat.
No way, man. The game outside the house is teh sux. I wouldn't even warez it.
The Monkey on My Back (Score:2)
I've found that by staying home during the week I can get much more done and feel much healthier.
Re:Why not? (Score:3, Interesting)
1. Allergies make 3 of four seasons unpleasant for me. Snow handles the other one. I usually have to wear gloves and a mask to be outside for more than 10 minutes.
2. No social life. In my case, this is a literal truth. Zero. None. I'm severely depressed and suffer from accute social anxiety. Theoretically, the proper treatments for those conditions involve medication and acclimating myself to different conditions, but this has been an entirely negative experience
Lots of stuff... (Score:3, Insightful)
Well, sunshine and fresh air come to mind.
You'll also find there's far more opportunity to expand your horizons out in the "big wide-world" than there will be within your residence.
Re:Lots of stuff... (Score:2)
Two reasons... (Score:3, Insightful)
joy? (Score:3, Insightful)
One Word (Score:2)
Re:One Word (Score:3, Funny)
Obviously, you're not a real geek. All real geeks are hackers.
Well, duh (Score:2)
A job?
SB
Train Spotting (Score:2, Interesting)
Excuse me! (Score:2)
"Train spotting" is now a loaded term, being associated with heroin use.
The politically correct term for someone who does this is "railway enthusiast" or "rail fan". If you wear an anorak, "gunzel" [urbandictionary.com] may also be appropriate.
My Top 3 (Score:3, Interesting)
All non-computer related activities.
All semi-healthy.
All adrenaline pumping.
My reasons (Score:2)
Many others like me also have radio-controlled devices like airplanes to fly. Beside these, I enjoy travel in general, camping, visiting nearby cities and large scientific installations like the Brookhaven National Labs, although I have to visit the Sudbury Neutrino obs. up here. Aircraft museums arent too bad either.
Beside these, I also happen to work. I cant quite debug a crashed firewall from home. I stil
Re: Why Do Other Geeks Leave the House? (Score:4, Funny)
(The cleaning company refused to send their employees inside my house to pick up the garbage bags)
One word : Catapult. (Score:2)
But really, in the whole scheme of things, one trip outside to make your own [trebuchet.com] would save countless other trips.
My other thought was to dig a tunnel to the edge of my property, and installing an elevator there that I can lower, put the trash on, and raise back into position, but I still need something to dispose of all of the dirt that
Leave the House (Score:5, Funny)
It's better than drinking alone alone.
(I'm joking THey Run screaming before they can reject me
Coffee shops (Score:3, Insightful)
1. Feel good about yourself as you observe the fact that you are not like the other complete losers who frequent coffee shops because they have no life, no job, and have nothing but superficial "friends" and juvenile dramas. Then go home and truly appreciate it.
2. Revel in the fact that all your friends are there and enjoy the sense of community and belongingness that comes from being just like everyone else while you enjoy your Starbucks coffee which you think is just the pinnacle of fine coffee enjoyment. Then go home and be patheticaly depressed.
I have a problem (Score:2)
My entire life is now ruled by work and a girl with an unending supply of ballet tickets!
Sun (Score:2, Insightful)
Wind.
Clouds.
Sounds of Nature.
to get away... (Score:2, Funny)
no, not even for that (Score:2)
Many online escort services make house calls. If you promise to tip them nicely, they'll even bring pizza and beer.
to get away from the gear (Score:5, Insightful)
oddly enough, golf (Score:2, Interesting)
currently, tho, I do have to admin the house...which consists of 4 desktops and 3 or 4 laptops...of which I have 2 iBooks, 1 WinXP, 1 Win98, 3 WinME, 1 FreeBSD, and 1 RedHat...plus the collection in the basment..oh, well...
fresh air (Score:3, Informative)
Easy! (Score:5, Funny)
If you don't go out of the house, you can't justify the purchase of your mobile (cell) phone, PDA, portable MP3 player and so on. So clearly, one important reason to go outside is to use your personal gadgetry.
scuba diving (Score:2, Funny)
Playing with GPS (Score:3, Informative)
Beer & Girls (Score:2, Funny)
The usual. (Score:2, Funny)
D & D (Score:3, Interesting)
My list... (Score:3, Insightful)
Seeing my girlfriend in general. Pretty weird for a geek to have a girlfriend, eh?
Radiohead concerts. Concerts in general though.
Hanging out with friends
Besides this, I stay at home programming/hacking/playing video games/talking online/talking on the phone/social engineering/etc.
Work From Home (Score:4, Interesting)
Complete list of Leaving the House:
- I smoke and my cat has fragile respiratory (projectile cat snot sucks) so I smoke outside. 15-ish trips/day tothe side patio
- We just moved a month ago and have a horrendous lawn, so 3 afternoons outside doing yardwork and 1 trip to Lowes for way to expensive equipment
- Food shopping. I eat better than my fiance (I grew up eating fresh food) so I have to be there to do stuff like order the deli meat and pick out fruit and such. Haven't signed up for the Lowes food delivery pogram yet
Food shopping and buying cigarettes are the only reoccurring trips out of the driveway. Sometimes it worries me that I don't leave as much as I used to, but one plus side is that for the first time in 6 years I am putting less than average mileage on my car...and while I do enjoy things that can't be done at my house, there are many more things that I enjoy more at my house. Plus we have pampas grass. It's evil. I cut the 12 foot one down to two feet, I feel the need for a maniacal laugh coming on....
The sun (Score:2, Funny)
You do need to leave the house... (Score:2)
I've bought stuff from Old Navy once or twice. Sometimes I'm a M, others a S, and once I was an XS. And that was in the same visit. Other times, you may like it online, only to find out its junk. The camera does hide a lot.
Then there are things where you care more than a store staff would. Think fruits and vegitables. You pick the best ones, and you expend your measure of "decen
Kids (Score:2)
I spent an hour and a half there yesterday with my little ones, climbing in the jungle jim (or at least the super duper triply safe child exploration environment that has replaced what we grew up with), jumping from the swings, and just generally being a kid again myself.
Now that spring has firmly taken hold here, I plan on at least two trips to the park a week. Knowing me though, it will probably be more like 3-4
If you live Southern California... (Score:2)
Because (Score:2)
Sometimes it's nice to get out of the house and do things, like take a walk, read at a cafe, socialize with people, enjoy a nice spring day, go skiing, vacation, and to live life!
While the world is wired, there still is a world out there to explore and see and experience. [wvu.edu]
ha? outside? (Score:2)
What I do... (Score:2)
When the opportunity arises... Sailing, skiing, walking...
Or just the good old dinner and movie with the wife.
Friends, Frisbee & Firetwirling (Score:2)
Frisbee: Most houses dont let you get that distance
Firetwirling: You really need good ventilation and high ceilings to do this indoors, and the smoke can cause sooting on the walls and ceiling, meaning you lose your bond.
Do you people have any idea... (Score:2)
I'll tell you. This one time, I went outside, and there was this little brown thing, with a long fuzzy protuberance from the posterior quarter of it's torso. It chittered at me, and snapped it's protuberance in the air, and then - I kid you not! - it ran STRAIGHT UP the side of a TREE.
That can't be natural.
Re:you mean.. (Score:3, Funny)
I would also like to know how one acquire sex.
Re:Fixxing the sex part (Score:2)
Re:People (Score:3, Insightful)
This is easier that it sounds. After being emotionally scarred through high