Comment Re:internet (Score 2) 196
The fact they can be hacked is bad news bears and should be corrected but I think your hostage situation is a bit imaginary.
Comment Re:Get a dog (Score 1) 480
I walk the dog in the park in the morning and there's the same group of people there every morning so it's good socialisation for the pup and myself. During the day, I take a 15 minute break every couple of hours to let the dog outside, make a coffee, etc. I also walk her for 20 or 30 minutes at lunch which is usually the time I figure out most coding problems, then do the same in the evening. As Kirk says, if it wasn't for the dog I'd be glued to my office chair.
Here's a good interview with a chap who talks about how be became a data visualisation freelancer. He talks about some of the challenges of working from home so might be worth a watch: http://fellinlovewithdata.com/interviews/data-visualization-freelancin
George.
Comment Re:Yes (Score 1) 615
The downside is that, despite being a programmer, I'm quite a social creature and will need to find a new hobby where I can be with people to fill the social void left by not working in an office. Plus I'll have to have to try and define clear work/personal boundaries so probably have a dedicated office solely for work.
It's a huge lifestyle change but hopefully it'll pay off. I just love where I live, don't want to commute any more and have a permanent (with sick and holiday pay) job working from home. I'll do whatever I can to make sure it works!
Comment How it works (Score 4, Insightful) 163
Comment Processing (Score 2, Interesting) 331
http://www.processing.org/
Submission + - Help me get my math back 2
Comment One pancreas, please (Score 3, Insightful) 101
One can dream...
Comment The UK isn't a country (Score -1, Offtopic) 194
G.
Comment Re:Get a fast lens (Score 1) 596
Low noise at high ISO is far more helpful. You're still at the mercy of the camera's auto-focus but you'd be able to stop the lens down, increase the ISO without risk of noise, and have a greater margin for error.
I have a 35mm f/2 on my Canon XSi and it's gloriously sharp between f/4 and f/8, all the way to the corners. If the auto-focus is a little off, I've got a greater depth of field and can get usable images. Unless I'm in good light, auto-focus at f/2 is a lottery.
Give me low noise images at ISO 3200 and above on a camera which doesn't cost £2k and I'll be a happy camper.
Comment Re:Quality DVDs, archival storage, repeated backup (Score 1) 669
I can't imagine a guy with 500G of personal files. It must take a month just to read the titles of his various files.
Off-topic but I thought I'd share how easy it is to accumulate 500G of personal data very quickly as I'm well on my way there: Digital photography. If you're a serious amateur and shoot in RAW format with a 14MP or so digital SLR, each photo can be around 15meg.
I can take between 250 and 400 photos on a night out with friends, still having a blast at the time, and these all add up very quickly. Throw in photos of family, holidays and such-like and you're running into hundreds of gigs of photos very quickly; I've got just over 200G of photos after having my camera for around 10 months. Software like Lightroom, iPhoto or Aperture makes organising and searching them very quick and easy, too.
The only things I'd be mortified about losing are my photos. It'd be a pain in the ass but code can be rewritten (probably quicker second time round, too). Mail is stored on the server. I can't ever again recreate the moment I pressed the shutter on the tens of thousands of photos I have, and I still haven't found a reliable way to back them all up frequently either.
G.
Submission + - Fallout 3 Van Buren tech demo released
Feed Maybe You Should Back Up Your Own Email; Google, AOL, Yahoo All Losing Emails (techdirt.com)