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We are born into a system we didn't choose. We can however choose to embrace it, to reject it or to manipulate it to our own ends if we spot inefficiencies to e

by jmkd 5y ago

We are born into a system we didn't choose. We can however choose to embrace it, to reject it or to manipulate it to our own ends if we spot inefficiencies to exploit. This may not seem fair to those who embrace it, but Gavin's point is that the system doesn't present him with a fair choice. We may not agree, but philosophically this seems to be a sound position, especially since the cost of rejecting the system is extremely high.

nickthemagicman 5y ago
Lord knows the rich manipulate the system as they choose.
bko 5y ago
If you go to a store and don't feel the prices are "fair", is it okay to "manipulate" the system by stealing? > We may not agree, but philosophically this seems to be a sound position, especially since the cost of rejecting the system is extremely high. Why doesn't he just work a part time job if he wants more leisure time? He's a software engineer. He could easily make enough to get by with a very light workload without being dishonest with an employer
- throwaway4aday 5y ago
  It seems a lot of people are filling in blanks left in the article. This is an important quote >And his boss? “My boss is happy with the work I’m doing,” he says. “Or more accurately, the work he thinks I’m doing.” This indicates that Gavin is accomplishing all of the tasks that his employer expects him to accomplish. If he's able to do this between the hours of 8:30am and 11am then how is it different from someone who takes from 9am to 5pm to do the same work? It sounds to me like Gavin has already taken an easier, perhaps lower paying position that is not very demanding on his skills and so he is able to complete all of his assigned tasks in a short amount of time and then play hooky for the rest of the day. If he instead were to work the whole day it's likely he could complete 3 times as many tasks, do you think his employer would willingly pay him 3 times as much though?
  - bko 5y ago
    You're still being dishonest. If someone pays you to work 9-5 and you don't work those hours you're being dishonest and in breach of contract. It's especially true since he goes out of his way to pretend he's working by playing a black screen video to keep his computer on. He can try to negotiate something based on output, but what he's doing is a dick move
gus_massa 5y ago
He can opt out of the system and go to the middle of the forest and plow a small field. Most of the good patches are taken, but he can go to another country with less population density. Anyway, I don't expect this solution to consume less time.

by jmkd 5y ago

nickthemagicman 5y ago

Lord knows the rich manipulate the system as they choose.

bko 5y ago

If you go to a store and don't feel the prices are "fair", is it okay to "manipulate" the system by stealing? > We may not agree, but philosophically this seems to be a sound position, especially since the cost of rejecting the system is extremely high. Why doesn't he just work a part time job if he wants more leisure time? He's a software engineer. He could easily make enough to get by with a very light workload without being dishonest with an employer

throwaway4aday 5y ago
It seems a lot of people are filling in blanks left in the article. This is an important quote >And his boss? “My boss is happy with the work I’m doing,” he says. “Or more accurately, the work he thinks I’m doing.” This indicates that Gavin is accomplishing all of the tasks that his employer expects him to accomplish. If he's able to do this between the hours of 8:30am and 11am then how is it different from someone who takes from 9am to 5pm to do the same work? It sounds to me like Gavin has already taken an easier, perhaps lower paying position that is not very demanding on his skills and so he is able to complete all of his assigned tasks in a short amount of time and then play hooky for the rest of the day. If he instead were to work the whole day it's likely he could complete 3 times as many tasks, do you think his employer would willingly pay him 3 times as much though?
- bko 5y ago
  You're still being dishonest. If someone pays you to work 9-5 and you don't work those hours you're being dishonest and in breach of contract. It's especially true since he goes out of his way to pretend he's working by playing a black screen video to keep his computer on. He can try to negotiate something based on output, but what he's doing is a dick move

gus_massa 5y ago

He can opt out of the system and go to the middle of the forest and plow a small field. Most of the good patches are taken, but he can go to another country with less population density. Anyway, I don't expect this solution to consume less time.