3 ms·
This immediately reminds me of pg's essay on 'Stuff', http://www.paulgraham.com/stuff.html http://www.paulgraham.com/stuff.html "...once you've accumulated a
by Luyt 13y ago
This immediately reminds me of pg's essay on 'Stuff',
http://www.paulgraham.com/stuff.html http://www.paulgraham.com/stuff.html
"...once you've accumulated a certain amount of stuff, it starts to own you rather than the other way around. I know of one couple who couldn't retire to the town they preferred because they couldn't afford a place there big enough for all their stuff. Their house isn't theirs; it's their stuff's."
(I recently translated the essay into dutch; it's at http://www.michielovertoom.com/articles/paul-graham-spullen/ http://www.michielovertoom.com/articles/paul-graham-spullen/)
- 3stripe 13y agoMy parents just built an extension onto their 3 bedroom house (just the 2 of them living there) because the dining table didn't fit comfortably into the kitchen/dining room. A good chunk of the space is used up by a sideboard and a display cabinet full of fancy china which is used once a year at most. I asked them why they didn't just buy a smaller table but they wouldn't answer the question. I have a hunch their relationship has failed and has been for some time and they are using the extension as a distraction. Since I moved house earlier in the year I've had 5 boxes of "stuff" sitting under my desk. I make bravado about selling it but I haven't had the balls to yet. What if some day I need all those CDs of mediocre 90s indie? Instead I read endless blog posts by preachers of minimalism and take comfort in my good intentions to do something about my own shit, some day.
- mapt 13y agoCDs are the low-hanging fruit. Digitize them. All it requires is about three hours per linear shelf foot of ripping... or half an hour of queuing up illegal downloads.