Hardware Insights Forum

I know this forum isn't exactly focussed on what I'm about to say, but there are not that many people who think on my (our?) level, and my Internet connection now is too crappy for me to bother checking out too many other forums.

Before reading on, please note that the English language is (by nature) not that precise, so some lenience is necessary to fully appreciate discussion of philosophy in particular. There's a longer explanation here.

Some comments:

• I'm getting rather bored, which also seriously increases the temptation to snark… Current leisure facilities include a fair number of printed books (but not all of them that interesting), a number of video games but with a problem [mentioned below] (NOTE: Games with really "dark" themes are not my thing, and nor is first-person view, and I'm not buying Microsoft's or Sony's consoles either because both of those have been caught using crap caps [I've never seen a non-Jap cap in anything Nintendo…yet]), and some movies on DVD (notably Red Dwarf [Just the Shows, series I-VIII]).
• Not exactly enough physical activity. The yard here is not good for running on; I don't like wearing shoes except when there's a specific reason.
• I can't think well in the presence of loud things, or piped music of any description. I already resort to wearing earmuffs in public places to patch up this problem — which will no doubt be taken by some people as "uncool". That said, "cool"-ness is not exactly a priority for me.
• The fear of "stranger danger" is another limitation imposed to some extent on who I can potentially meet with.
• My younger sister has been a major annoyance, having gotten into singing (which, in my view, is not something you should do in the vicinity of anyone who doesn't actively want to either sing together with you/listen to it — and the songs she sings to are nothing I'm interested in, even if we discount that they're in Japanese [which I have zero understanding of]), and she has become very hot-headed, making meaningful conversation with her more-or-less impossible. It's either the expense of an extra, smaller building just for me (yes, that has been considered by my mother) or having to continue putting up with the…OK, I don't really know which word fits there. Plus, she won't let me touch any of the game cartridges/cards she bought (somewhat understandable given that there is usually no protection on the saves, but still…).
• There's a combination of [well in the] past (where it's still powerful enough) and present (for some less precise reasons…) technology. The newest thing so far is a Samsung SR8751 robotic vacuum cleaner that Mum chose (I would have more involvement in these choices if the Internet wasn't so pathetic, but for now I need to retain my sanity), which may actually be worth it given that you can't get even a passable job from a ridiculous proportion of people [cleaners included]. The charger for it does have a ridiculously bright green charging LED, unfortunately; considering that and other goofy annoyances, corporations need to be more tightly regulated — I think I've got the idea: Unlike individuals, corps should have to ask "Is it OK?" before doing anything that could visibly affect the customer.
• I want more discussions with others (in person, not just on forums), but it has to be interesting to be worth doing.

I know you can't exactly meet me from here, but are there still suggestions you can offer? By the way, if you find a good forum about this subject, direct me to it.

Yeah, and I know that wasn't all that detailed or anything, but the language is the limit, and there are only so many things I can think of at a time.

I really don't know what to say here. Boredom just isn't that much of an issue for me, and what keeps me happy may not be possible or may not work for you.

Two more points:

• I get restless pretty often, perhaps as a side-effect of the inactivity.
• That my current PC case has no spare 3.5" bays is partially to blame for the lack of backups leading up to now, and I plan on managing the backups (and trying out Linux) with my older system (though with an alternate HDD) repurposed, and will probably get the UPS (or actually SPS?) demanded together with both that and the new main system (which will stay on Win7 as a stop-gap measure). If I do get another external HDD enclosure, it will be a higher-end unit, as the "budget" ones are already too cheap for their own good.

I have good news, though: I finally have my own Internet connection — from iiNet — and although it only supports 3G, it still runs much smoother than what Hellstra imposed on me (4G capable or otherwise). The downside is that I only get 4GB/month of allowance, but I can deal with that (my sister watches too many videos to make even the 25GB/month provided by the Hellstra plan enough, so she's not going to bother with this). That said, if it gets noticeably worse, I'll switch again in due course; complacency is a dangerous thing indeed. The ultimate purpose of boredom is as a warning of impending complacency.

Ultimately, though, I am sad to say that the only thing that can realistically be done about those of a pushy disposition is to just wait for them to die.