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I don't know exactly why, but reading this made me extremely sad and nostalgic. The very much social world of instant messenger and plain old web pages pre like

I don't know exactly why, but reading this made me extremely sad and nostalgic. The very much social world of instant messenger and plain old web pages pre like-ified and follow-ified social media seems like a quaint anachronism, now. I suppose it really is, if it was 15 years ago. Some of you will correctly point out that those communities are still there on IRC and in the forums right where I left off, ready to be picked up, and you're not wrong. I suppose it is me that has changed and gotten older as well, and the world doesn't feel as magical as it did at that time. My internet, its media, and the people I shared it just seemed to electrify me so much more. Now, everything feels so dull and grey. But, perhaps nothing has changed so much as what and how I consume. What would younger me think of the mindless, lazy way I consume content on social media, and my corporate job? It would be really nice to see slow content and the digital village return again as cultural norms. Until then, I'll just have to make deliberate choices to choose them as I once did. I really wish I could make a time machine and talk to my younger self to knock some sense back into me. It's painful to look at how much fun I used to have with technology and how little I do now.

safog 8y ago
+1 - You've vocalized my thoughts much more beautifully than I ever could have. Aside from the general cultural aspect of it (better content, interesting forum discussions, Adium conversations with friends at 2AM), programming as a profession lost a bit of magic for me as well. Life just became all about getting that next refresher, the next good rating / bonus, the next promo in an almost mindless push towards higher comps. There isn't that sheer fascination / joy in discovering what you can do with technology anymore. Maybe it's because working in a generic big-co is intensely competitive and once you've given so much there, it's hard to come back home and engage in more deep thought. Maybe it's because we just got older, had families and do what normal adults do (reading some linux driver code at 2AM in the morning to get the wifi / trackpad working doesn't sound as fun anymore).
- richardw 8y ago
  I'd urge you to find something to tinker with. I've lost that magic a few times in my career but this last year I've started tinkering with machine learning, a side web app for finding lost pets and in the last week the ESP8266 chip for a few home experiments. Here's why. The apps are a nice distraction. You can forget about the work stresses and just play a bit. You loved this stuff for a reason, I think you can get that back. You also have more control in your own projects. No committee. 46 this month. Not super old but old enough to know what jaded feels like!
coldtea 8y ago
>The very much social world of instant messenger and plain old web pages pre like-ified and follow-ified social media seems like a quaint anachronism, now. It is a lost concept nowadays, but it's very possible a subsequent development to be a regression compared to what was before. Sometimes in every way, sometimes in a few important ways.
brightball 8y ago
For me it boils down to simple time availability to invest. Can’t speak for everybody though.
marcus_holmes 8y ago
this reminded me so much of a post (now lost) about "first MMO games". The gist was that everyone remembers their first MMO game (regardless of how technically crap it was) with huge nostalgia, and regards every game since as sub-standard. Even though they no longer play the original game, and actually play the newer, sub-standard games. I had this exact experience with DAoC and WoW - DAoC was a total grind, while WoW was a much better experience, but I still feel nostalgic for the experience of DAoC. I even tried going back to DAoC, but the grind was too much and the magic was gone. I guess what we miss about "the old days" is not so much the technology, but the experience of being new at this, and the excitement of having this whole world open up to us. I'd be interested to see if going back to before-Facebook tech will keep the magic alive? I somehow doubt it, but it's definitely a worthwhile experiment.
- michaelcampbell 8y ago
  DAOC, but without all the suck, has been incorporated into a newish freeshard; playphoenix.online. It has a healthy population (2-3k pretty steady), and has eliminated most of the grind, but retains PvE funtimes.
ekanes 8y ago
While everything you say is true, there are other forces at play as well -- many people have much more time at younger ages. 15 years in, many of us have kids/responsibilities which are another non-tech reason for "greying out" (ironically perfect name!). It's easy to conflate these two forces, which are different but both contribute to this effect.

safog 8y ago

+1 - You've vocalized my thoughts much more beautifully than I ever could have. Aside from the general cultural aspect of it (better content, interesting forum discussions, Adium conversations with friends at 2AM), programming as a profession lost a bit of magic for me as well. Life just became all about getting that next refresher, the next good rating / bonus, the next promo in an almost mindless push towards higher comps. There isn't that sheer fascination / joy in discovering what you can do with technology anymore. Maybe it's because working in a generic big-co is intensely competitive and once you've given so much there, it's hard to come back home and engage in more deep thought. Maybe it's because we just got older, had families and do what normal adults do (reading some linux driver code at 2AM in the morning to get the wifi / trackpad working doesn't sound as fun anymore).

richardw 8y ago
I'd urge you to find something to tinker with. I've lost that magic a few times in my career but this last year I've started tinkering with machine learning, a side web app for finding lost pets and in the last week the ESP8266 chip for a few home experiments. Here's why. The apps are a nice distraction. You can forget about the work stresses and just play a bit. You loved this stuff for a reason, I think you can get that back. You also have more control in your own projects. No committee. 46 this month. Not super old but old enough to know what jaded feels like!

coldtea 8y ago

>The very much social world of instant messenger and plain old web pages pre like-ified and follow-ified social media seems like a quaint anachronism, now. It is a lost concept nowadays, but it's very possible a subsequent development to be a regression compared to what was before. Sometimes in every way, sometimes in a few important ways.

brightball 8y ago

For me it boils down to simple time availability to invest. Can’t speak for everybody though.

marcus_holmes 8y ago

this reminded me so much of a post (now lost) about "first MMO games". The gist was that everyone remembers their first MMO game (regardless of how technically crap it was) with huge nostalgia, and regards every game since as sub-standard. Even though they no longer play the original game, and actually play the newer, sub-standard games. I had this exact experience with DAoC and WoW - DAoC was a total grind, while WoW was a much better experience, but I still feel nostalgic for the experience of DAoC. I even tried going back to DAoC, but the grind was too much and the magic was gone. I guess what we miss about "the old days" is not so much the technology, but the experience of being new at this, and the excitement of having this whole world open up to us. I'd be interested to see if going back to before-Facebook tech will keep the magic alive? I somehow doubt it, but it's definitely a worthwhile experiment.

michaelcampbell 8y ago
DAOC, but without all the suck, has been incorporated into a newish freeshard; playphoenix.online. It has a healthy population (2-3k pretty steady), and has eliminated most of the grind, but retains PvE funtimes.

ekanes 8y ago

While everything you say is true, there are other forces at play as well -- many people have much more time at younger ages. 15 years in, many of us have kids/responsibilities which are another non-tech reason for "greying out" (ironically perfect name!). It's easy to conflate these two forces, which are different but both contribute to this effect.