The best advice I have for new nerds: Refuse to pay rent.

[trevorflowers@hachyderm.io]

The best advice I have for new nerds: Refuse to pay rent.

Don't subscribe. Don't lease. Don't use their cloud. Don't slip down the freemium slope. Don't create accounts on their services.

Buy it once. Run it local. Avoid commercial software.

It'll be a huge pain and you'll be an outsider but it'll be endless, interesting, and hard fun that'll pay you back with a curious mind and an understanding of the fabric of our intellectual infrastructure that will make you light-years more capable, useful, and healthy than the "AI" zombies.

[qurlyjoe@mstdn.social]

@trevorflowers
Sage advice, I’d say. As Abraham Lincoln is credited with saying, It is harder to get out [of trouble] than to stay out.

[yrabbit@mastodon.sdf.org]

@trevorflowers (Gloomily) they (whoever it may be in each specific case) will always find a way to compensate for lost income, whether it be a fee for using personal solar panels or rent for living in your own home (eigenwoningforfait).

[michael@social.chrisco.me]

@trevorflowers Its so nice to own instead of rent.

[gcvsa@mstdn.plus]

@trevorflowers It sort of reminds of the rush in the late 1990s for so many people to hitch their wagon to an MCSE certification, when they had no previous interest in computers. Every decent Systems Engineer I've ever known loathed Microslop with the fiery passion of a thousand suns.

[miss_rodent@girlcock.club]

@trevorflowers This might be harder to do now, but, considering I've stuck to this approach since the mid-2000's and continue to - it is still -possible-, at least. In spite of the best efforts of the tech industry & their pet governments.
Creates extra headaches (I spent multiple days to get lineageOS running on a phone they do not support, but I got for free and needed to degoogle, for example), but, those et easier to navigate the more of them you have to navigate.

[dfx4509b@mas.to]

@trevorflowers If you refuse to pay rent as far as your home goes, you're eventually going to be evicted, though, or worse, you could get taken to court by the landlord over it.

[fluffydotorg@sfba.social]

@trevorflowers I'm freaking really annoyed with myself for buying into the "streaming services for music" thing but also it exposes me to so much stuff and I still buy physical media with mp3 downloads or bandcamp so there's also stuff I own. I'm ok with "cloud storage" for files but do have a local physical backup for safety.

[inlovewithpda@chaos.social]

@trevorflowers good words. It is a huge pain, when you finally quit. I always knew, but never realized, that I don't own a single movie I "bought" in iTunes. I have to keep my apple account to watch them.

[the_moep@mastodon.de]

@trevorflowers I'm not sure my land lord is going to like that advice 😅

[trevorflowers@hachyderm.io]

I understand, many reasons exist that make paying rent seem better and you're not wrong, exactly. You are, however, missing my point.

The situations that make us want to pay rent *are* what make us zombies. 🧟 Working the hard fun in order to own our stack *is* what makes us capable and curious.

Notice the reasons why paying rent makes sense and then ask yourself, "Who made that situation? Why is that the convenient path? Does a different choice, no matter how inconvenient, even exist?"

Look around for people living a different way and then modify it for yourself, day after day.

You'll get there. I believe in you.

[javascript@app.wafrn.net]

When AI zombies are your bosses and colleagues at work it paints a really grim and dark picture. Lately people want to make you believe that if you do not hop in you will be lost and forgotten forever. Out of job. Moved, even more, to the margins of society. The fearmongering keeps increasing. I always prided myself in my capacity for curiosity and understanding but I'm starting to be a little bit afraid and a lot more angry and I find myself wondering how much can I keep going

[jzb@hachyderm.io]

@fluffydotorg @trevorflowers streaming for discovery purposes is fine - beats the old model of “I liked this song, I’ll buy the CD” and then find out the one song was the only good one after you’re out $15.

But if you like an artist, buy the album. Get a physical copy that will be yours permanently.

[ben@mastodon.lubar.me]

@trevorflowers the only "rent" I pay is to my ISP (monthly) and IANA (yearly)

good advice

[ambulocetus@mefi.social]

@inlovewithpda @trevorflowers A wise man said, "if buying isn't owning, then piracy isn't theft."

[kentnavalesi@mstdn.social]

@trevorflowers

So glad I never got on the subscription bandwagon in the first place. It immediately rubbed me the wrong way, so I found *ahem* other ways of accessing media.

[venya@musicians.today]

@trevorflowers

Cosign in musician

[shapr@recurse.social]

@trevorflowers landlord free! Cage free!

[quincy@chaos.social]

@trevorflowers

I genuinely don't understand those who'll happily sell their soul despite being under no real, direct pressure to do so.

I have co-workers who do all the things you describe. Happily.

I ask them why. Half of the things they subscribe to are actively trying to harm them (and those close to them). Or have free replacements of better quality.

And - the root cause seems to be mere conformism. Not doing the "normal" thing is simply unthinkable.

Conformism sells :(

[happyborg@fosstodon.org]

@trevorflowers I second this. It will also be a good filter, selecting for those with a good mix of curiosity and love of problem solving, attention to detail and ability to focus, that is being selected against. Qualities which need nurturing and exercise, and which will only grow in value, and in usefulness against life's challenges.