I am on sabbatical at a particular institution of higher learning in Indiana. I have never lived in Indiana before, so I really don’t have any friends here. Since my goal is to get a significant amount of research done, it’s not necessarily a bad thing that I don’t have social distractions, but it is nonetheless a tad lonely out here. When I walk around the town, I sometimes feel a little like a derelict. It’s a good thing that I get to go home once a month or more for that reason alone.
But while I’m in Indiana, it seems as though 90 % of my interactions—social or otherwise—occur on my computer, specifically, the computer I brought with me: my laptop. My laptop has become almost a constant companion.
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When I get up in the morning, I listen to NPR’s Morning Edition on the local affiliate, but that ends at 8:00 AM (which seems way early to me). After that, they play classical music. I prefer to listen to other things, so I pull up a podcast on my computer and listen to that until I’m ready to go to the office.
I carry my laptop in its bag to the bus stop, get on the bus and ride to campus, then walk to my office, where I pull my laptop out of its bag and plug it in. I then proceed to do my research on a cluster using my laptop. When day is done, I pack up my laptop, walk to the bus stop, ride the bus back to my current neighborhood, and then walk home. After dinner, I get on the toobz, sometimes listen to music or a podcast, perhaps do a little more work, and eventually wind up here in the Top Comments diary. Of course, all through the day I’m checking my e-mail and visiting DailyKos to see what’s up.
So, for most of the day, most everything I do involves the computer. And not just any computer, but my laptop. It has become my only reliable friend. I can’t imagine that this is anything but unhealthy. The bad ergonomics has already done a number on my right shoulder, and the damned thing is heavy to carry around. If that weren’t enough, I’m afraid I might forget how to talk to people.
Am I pathetic or what?
Now, on to the comments!
From Mnemosyne:
wu ming's comment examining a possible future Japan is part of a wide-ranging and thoughtful discussion in Pluto's recommended diary On the Move in Japan: Voices of Suspicion, Uncertainty, and Invention. The entire diary discussion is good reading, as well as somewhat calming at a time when we know very little real news from the disaster site, and koNko adds a number of reasoned comments from a close-in perspective
From smileycreek:
Pescadero Bill turns the teabagger view of government on its head (from Verbalpainball's recommended diary I Wish Stupid People Would Understand They're Stupid.
From theKgirls
I love Giles Goat Boy's diaries for both the information about what is happening in WI and all the great comments. Today's recommended diary "We're Really Nice and We Gave to Both Candidates" Is No Excuse was no exception.
2questions said that when you lie down (politically) with dogs, you get fleas. Ken in MN had a great twist on that old refrain.
From Land of Enchantment:
I like Ray Radlein's meta comment in the (surprising!!) return of Reality Bias to Daily Kos after a long absence.
From your humble diarist:
Here are a couple good comments posted in kos' front page diary, Yup, efforts to recall Dems in Wisconsin are flagging, one from bramish, and one from Clarknt67
In Barbara Morrill's Late afternoon/early evening open thread, XajaX provides Sharron Angle with a new script for her youtube announcement.