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> If you look at truly world-changing, creative "big ideas" ... Microsoft ... Google Search ... GMail ... Linux I don't consider any of these things "big ideas

> If you look at truly world-changing, creative "big ideas" ... Microsoft ... Google Search ... GMail ... Linux I don't consider any of these things "big ideas." Major enterprises, yes, but not ideas. Do you consider the Egyptian Pyramids an "idea"? With the exception of Google's search algorithm (a work originally intended as mathematical, I might add) there is not a single whiff of originality in any of them. If you want to understand what I mean by ideas, think of, say, "Green's Theorem." I do not yearn to work on "world-changing products." I am simply looking for a path to actual intellectual freedom. I understand that my chances are cosmically slim, but it bothers me that most people are entirely unwilling to even acknowledge that the problem exists. It is almost like some psychological defense mechanism is at work. Nobody seems willing to admit that they are a servant - and a Porsche-driving and McMansion-occupying servant is still a servant, in that his time is not his own to dispose of and his livelihood is at the mercy of others.

nostrademons 17y ago
It absolutely is a psychological defense mechanism at work. Most people want to be happy, so they choose to think about what they have and not dwell on what they don't have. Anyway, I don't really consider it a problem, because the ability to work on ideas of your own choosing already exists. Simply spend far less money than you make, and bank the rest as time. So if you make $60K/year and live on $20k/year, then for each year you work you get 2 years to do what you want. I did this and used the excess time to start my own company, which failed miserably but was still an excellent experience, one that I'd recommend anyone take. (Plus, it led to getting a job with enough of a raise that I could still save 75-80% of my take-home pay, yet do so without having to live with my parents.) A few of my friends from college have done so as well - that physics Ph.D baker managed to save roughly 40% of his income on a grad school stipend, which I think is pretty impressive. Best of all, you're not a servant to anyone - you're trading your time for time to pursue your own interests, and nobody's forcing you to make the trade if you find it objectionable. You can't get something for nothing, though.
- asciilifeform 17y ago
  > you get 2 years to do what you want. Subtract the time you would spend on the next job search, and also the time you (or at least I) would spend crippled by the anticipation of it. > nobody's forcing you to make the trade if you find it objectionable. I would say that the threat of death by starvation and exposure fits the definition of "force" pretty well. (Assuming the trade you're talking about is employment in general.) > You can't get something for nothing, though. Much of Hacker News consists of people who eventually hope to live their lives getting something for nothing (namely, living off the interest from a princely sum earned from the sale of their start-up.) The entire ruling caste of our society continuously gets "something for nothing."

nostrademons 17y ago

It absolutely is a psychological defense mechanism at work. Most people want to be happy, so they choose to think about what they have and not dwell on what they don't have. Anyway, I don't really consider it a problem, because the ability to work on ideas of your own choosing already exists. Simply spend far less money than you make, and bank the rest as time. So if you make $60K/year and live on $20k/year, then for each year you work you get 2 years to do what you want. I did this and used the excess time to start my own company, which failed miserably but was still an excellent experience, one that I'd recommend anyone take. (Plus, it led to getting a job with enough of a raise that I could still save 75-80% of my take-home pay, yet do so without having to live with my parents.) A few of my friends from college have done so as well - that physics Ph.D baker managed to save roughly 40% of his income on a grad school stipend, which I think is pretty impressive. Best of all, you're not a servant to anyone - you're trading your time for time to pursue your own interests, and nobody's forcing you to make the trade if you find it objectionable. You can't get something for nothing, though.

asciilifeform 17y ago
> you get 2 years to do what you want. Subtract the time you would spend on the next job search, and also the time you (or at least I) would spend crippled by the anticipation of it. > nobody's forcing you to make the trade if you find it objectionable. I would say that the threat of death by starvation and exposure fits the definition of "force" pretty well. (Assuming the trade you're talking about is employment in general.) > You can't get something for nothing, though. Much of Hacker News consists of people who eventually hope to live their lives getting something for nothing (namely, living off the interest from a princely sum earned from the sale of their start-up.) The entire ruling caste of our society continuously gets "something for nothing."