4 ms·

For me I have learned that there comes a point when you need to work differently in order to protect your health and family well being. Big salaries are great,

For me I have learned that there comes a point when you need to work differently in order to protect your health and family well being. Big salaries are great, but when the price for that is massive amounts of overtime that takes you away from your family it just isn't worth it. Now I work for myself and I love it. Hobbies are vitally important to keeping you happy and healthy, don't neglect them. When you get a speeding ticket and the GPS co-ordinates in the photo imply the camera van was miles away, the court won't care. My son was diagnosed with ADHD. A relief to know what it was, but also a burden in terms of managing it. Falling down the stairs after slipping on a Nerf gun hurts. It really, really hurts. Family comes first, always.

jakecopp 8y ago
Thanks for writing that. Why does distance from car to camera van matter though? I'm very curious!
- kqr 8y ago
  If the van was in Hereville when concluding that that OP, being in Theretown, was speeding -- how reliable are their reports?
  - DoubleGlazing 8y ago
    Exactly this. I brought in maps from three different mapping sources and loads of research papers on the subject of GPS, but the judge said it was irrelevant and found guilty. This is despite the fact that the prosecuting Garda could not produce the calibration certificate for the van. For challenging and losing my wife got 5 points instead of 3 for just paying the fine without a fuss. This situation hit me hard, made me really doubt the impartiality of the courts.
    - tudelo 8y ago
      Wow, I feel for you man. That's crazy. You should do a write up on the process. Maybe submit it to a paper, local or otherwise?
      - DoubleGlazing 8y ago
        I have tried, but the opinion of everyone I speak to locally about the affair is "what did you expect?" The process for speeding fines is pretty much a production line in the states favour. The law was changed a few years back so that the speed camera data is not the primary evidence in a speeding case, now the Garda swears that he/she believes a driver was speeding using the speed camera data only as advice. This was to stop people demanding the source code for the equipment. A bad law that favours the state IMO since you can cast legitimate doubt on the accuracy of the equipment, but if the Garda insists you were speeding then its up to the judge and whatever mood they are in to decide who wins. When my wife stated her defence the prosecuting Garda sergeant said, under oath, "We don't use that American GPS we have our own GPS!". My wife though she had him at that point, but the judge believed the Garda. I have kept all the documentation in case we can do something about it in the future, but that's unlikely. What is really grating is that the lady before my wife admitted to doing 120kph in an 80kph zone, the judge dismissed the case because of her "honesty and frankness". Currently An Garda Siochana (Irish police) is undergoing huge turmoil and a number of public inquiries due to corruption and bad management. When the police are found to have faked 1 million breath tests in order to hit targets our little issue becomes very low hanging fruit.
        kqr 8y ago
        I am so terribly sorry for you. I have been through a few similar processes myself (although none as severe as yours, by the sounds of it) and it absolutely breaks you. Thank you for writing about it. Even if it does not do much, a sense of commonality is sometimes all the little man needs.
  - jakecopp 8y ago
    Ah okay, I thought maybe he meant a clear line of sight with a long range gun or something.
noxToken 8y ago
> For me I have learned that there comes a point when you need to work differently in order to protect your health and family well being. Big salaries are great, but when the price for that is massive amounts of overtime that takes you away from your family it just isn't worth it. >... >Family comes first, always. I didn't learn this in the past 12 months, but a recent event has definitely reaffirmed this: stick to your 35-45 hours and leave. I start getting pretty useless as the day drags on. After a certain time, there is a sharp decline in my productivity. If I push through it, I just make mistakes that I have to fix later. If you're not in a company that values your personal time[0], then start looking for another job. The burn out just isn't worth it. 6-figure salaries with equity and free breakfast/lunch/dinner just isn't worth it when you realize that your 50s will be filled with a distinct lack of motivation to ever leave the house. [0]: I am with a company that values my personal time, but I voluntarily took on extra work to help another team meet a critical production deadline. I was compensated with quite a bit of extra time off in return. However, the stress and headache of being a duo that saved another team's ass (and possibly their jobs) and their constantly expressed anxiety was barely worth it. I actually snapped on one of those team members during this time period, and I said some things, within earshot of very many people, that definitely was not work place appropriate.
- beat 8y ago
  That's what I love about the companies experimenting with 32 hour four day workweeks. It's not just the depth of the day time that's less productive, it's the depth of the week. Who is as productive on friday as they are on monday? And who isn't more productive on monday after a three day weekend? I figure the cost of those 8 hours is really 10%, not 20%... and much of that 10% is bought back with the increased productivity brought on by long weekends. I would love to work that way.
  - davidjnelson 8y ago
    Let’s try an experiment with companies trying it and others not trying it, measure both with something like gitprime, and see what the results are :-)
- 8y ago
Klathmon 8y ago
As someone who was diagnosed with ADHD at a fairly young age, my parents were extremely relieved, and I'm extremely happy that I was able to learn how to manage it from a young age. There are days where it's really hard, and there are absolutely days that I forget my medicine and basically the entire day is shot, but in all honesty I really truly believe that I owe a good portion of what I have to the fact that I have ADHD. I learned a ton of methods and skills for dealing with depression, forgetfulness, anger, impulsivity, and motivation from a really young age. And those skills have helped me significantly more than my ADHD has ever pulled me down. Going into highschool and college already knowing how to manage myself and how I learn, tricks and ways of working to ensure I stay on task meant that I had a big leg up over a lot of my peers.
- DoubleGlazing 8y ago
  For me it answered so many questions. His lack of attention, impulsiveness and constant wriggling was stressful for us, but also made people think he was just badly behaved. His scout troop threatened to throw him out at one point and he has been sent home from birthday parties and summer camps. We always suspected ADHD and now that we have the confirmation we can deal with it properly. On the flip side his IQ is 140 (SB5 test) which is nice, but also adds an extra burden on to how to manage his condition. Luckily he loves coding and building things - but we have to always be looking for something new and stimulating for him to do. We've been lucky to get him accepted in to a number of schemes to help him manage his condition and harness his abilities. He's only eight so its early days for good quality intervention and help. Of course the bullying is inevitable. Kids at his school call him autistic, plus he has two different coloured eyes which just makes him more of a target. Luckily his younger sister is a bruiser and sticks up for him.
  - 18pfsmt 8y ago
    As someone that was considered hyperactive as a kid, my parents kept me away from sugar and enrolled me in a high-energy activity (which turned out to be swimming an hour before school and two hours after).

jakecopp 8y ago

Thanks for writing that. Why does distance from car to camera van matter though? I'm very curious!

kqr 8y ago
If the van was in Hereville when concluding that that OP, being in Theretown, was speeding -- how reliable are their reports?
- DoubleGlazing 8y ago
  Exactly this. I brought in maps from three different mapping sources and loads of research papers on the subject of GPS, but the judge said it was irrelevant and found guilty. This is despite the fact that the prosecuting Garda could not produce the calibration certificate for the van. For challenging and losing my wife got 5 points instead of 3 for just paying the fine without a fuss. This situation hit me hard, made me really doubt the impartiality of the courts.
  - tudelo 8y ago
    Wow, I feel for you man. That's crazy. You should do a write up on the process. Maybe submit it to a paper, local or otherwise?
    - DoubleGlazing 8y ago
      I have tried, but the opinion of everyone I speak to locally about the affair is "what did you expect?" The process for speeding fines is pretty much a production line in the states favour. The law was changed a few years back so that the speed camera data is not the primary evidence in a speeding case, now the Garda swears that he/she believes a driver was speeding using the speed camera data only as advice. This was to stop people demanding the source code for the equipment. A bad law that favours the state IMO since you can cast legitimate doubt on the accuracy of the equipment, but if the Garda insists you were speeding then its up to the judge and whatever mood they are in to decide who wins. When my wife stated her defence the prosecuting Garda sergeant said, under oath, "We don't use that American GPS we have our own GPS!". My wife though she had him at that point, but the judge believed the Garda. I have kept all the documentation in case we can do something about it in the future, but that's unlikely. What is really grating is that the lady before my wife admitted to doing 120kph in an 80kph zone, the judge dismissed the case because of her "honesty and frankness". Currently An Garda Siochana (Irish police) is undergoing huge turmoil and a number of public inquiries due to corruption and bad management. When the police are found to have faked 1 million breath tests in order to hit targets our little issue becomes very low hanging fruit.
      - kqr 8y ago
        I am so terribly sorry for you. I have been through a few similar processes myself (although none as severe as yours, by the sounds of it) and it absolutely breaks you. Thank you for writing about it. Even if it does not do much, a sense of commonality is sometimes all the little man needs.
- jakecopp 8y ago
  Ah okay, I thought maybe he meant a clear line of sight with a long range gun or something.

noxToken 8y ago

> For me I have learned that there comes a point when you need to work differently in order to protect your health and family well being. Big salaries are great, but when the price for that is massive amounts of overtime that takes you away from your family it just isn't worth it. >... >Family comes first, always. I didn't learn this in the past 12 months, but a recent event has definitely reaffirmed this: stick to your 35-45 hours and leave. I start getting pretty useless as the day drags on. After a certain time, there is a sharp decline in my productivity. If I push through it, I just make mistakes that I have to fix later. If you're not in a company that values your personal time[0], then start looking for another job. The burn out just isn't worth it. 6-figure salaries with equity and free breakfast/lunch/dinner just isn't worth it when you realize that your 50s will be filled with a distinct lack of motivation to ever leave the house. [0]: I am with a company that values my personal time, but I voluntarily took on extra work to help another team meet a critical production deadline. I was compensated with quite a bit of extra time off in return. However, the stress and headache of being a duo that saved another team's ass (and possibly their jobs) and their constantly expressed anxiety was barely worth it. I actually snapped on one of those team members during this time period, and I said some things, within earshot of very many people, that definitely was not work place appropriate.

beat 8y ago
That's what I love about the companies experimenting with 32 hour four day workweeks. It's not just the depth of the day time that's less productive, it's the depth of the week. Who is as productive on friday as they are on monday? And who isn't more productive on monday after a three day weekend? I figure the cost of those 8 hours is really 10%, not 20%... and much of that 10% is bought back with the increased productivity brought on by long weekends. I would love to work that way.
- davidjnelson 8y ago
  Let’s try an experiment with companies trying it and others not trying it, measure both with something like gitprime, and see what the results are :-)
8y ago

Klathmon 8y ago

As someone who was diagnosed with ADHD at a fairly young age, my parents were extremely relieved, and I'm extremely happy that I was able to learn how to manage it from a young age. There are days where it's really hard, and there are absolutely days that I forget my medicine and basically the entire day is shot, but in all honesty I really truly believe that I owe a good portion of what I have to the fact that I have ADHD. I learned a ton of methods and skills for dealing with depression, forgetfulness, anger, impulsivity, and motivation from a really young age. And those skills have helped me significantly more than my ADHD has ever pulled me down. Going into highschool and college already knowing how to manage myself and how I learn, tricks and ways of working to ensure I stay on task meant that I had a big leg up over a lot of my peers.

DoubleGlazing 8y ago
For me it answered so many questions. His lack of attention, impulsiveness and constant wriggling was stressful for us, but also made people think he was just badly behaved. His scout troop threatened to throw him out at one point and he has been sent home from birthday parties and summer camps. We always suspected ADHD and now that we have the confirmation we can deal with it properly. On the flip side his IQ is 140 (SB5 test) which is nice, but also adds an extra burden on to how to manage his condition. Luckily he loves coding and building things - but we have to always be looking for something new and stimulating for him to do. We've been lucky to get him accepted in to a number of schemes to help him manage his condition and harness his abilities. He's only eight so its early days for good quality intervention and help. Of course the bullying is inevitable. Kids at his school call him autistic, plus he has two different coloured eyes which just makes him more of a target. Luckily his younger sister is a bruiser and sticks up for him.
- 18pfsmt 8y ago
  As someone that was considered hyperactive as a kid, my parents kept me away from sugar and enrolled me in a high-energy activity (which turned out to be swimming an hour before school and two hours after).