Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Greiger]

Also: am I the only one here who doesn't drink either tea or coffee?

Hate tea, hate coffee.

[mr. macduggan]

Personally, i'll go for some tea every once in a while, but I mostly stick to soda too.

[Komus]

Lovingly written, clearly the author was enamoured by your story! A couple of things rang true for me - not least the sleeping pattern which my programmer friend also follows.

In particular, Tarn's point about "abusive" games design. It is true to say that the mainstream market has all gone a bit reptilian. The bandwagon of "social gaming" has perhaps watered down some experiences, and then there's the systematic wringing of much loved franchises. The Toady One couldn't say it better: “I used to value the ability to turn the user into your slave. I don’t anymore.” DF is to the next WoW what Sundance is to Hollywood. Both are necessary, but only one will be remembered in 5 years time and be an influence to it's peers.

It's not so much the finished product as the process through which DF is being created, that is so valuable. Jonah fully conveyed the resolute dedication that has possessed our heroes. He acknowledges that this is a man's decision to spend a significant part of his life creating a masterpiece. And this magnum opus is not a sculpture or a painted ceiling but a computer game, crafted through code and systems and a mastery of maths. Tarn is the key to what will one day likely be the most complicated computer program in the world [cite].

If all you read was the contents of the fridge or the socks on his floor, you missed the point.

[rangarkash]

Also: am I the only one here who doesn't drink either tea or coffee?

Hate tea, hate coffee.

Heathens...

And, I for one do not wish Tarn to find a woman. Sex would turn energies away from programming. xD

[Graebeard]

I don't judge people for their lifestyles, but in my personal experience a lot of folks are unaware of the consequences of a diet high in sugar sweetened beverages.  The list of diseases daily soda intake increases your risk for is just plain terrifying.

• Obesity
• Diabetus
• Heart disease
• Cancer
• Kidney disease
• Hypertension
• Bone disease
• Gout

Just like smoking, your diet is your personal choice.  But, just like smoking, a diet that includes daily sugar-sweetened drinks increases your risk for serious, life changing health problems.  The only difference is that many more of us just don't know about the danger.

[zwei]

I kind it very cute and heartwarming that many people here are getting all maternal over Toadys lifestyle.

Eat your vegetables, Toady!
No more cola, Toady!
Get some daylight, Toady!
etc...

And, I for one do not wish Tarn to find a woman. Sex would turn energies away from programming. xD

Depends, but getting laid usually does wonders for your focus and serenity.

In same way that not being thirsty or hungry helps or taking piss instead of holding it also helps.

[Johuotar]

This thread is so ridiculously ridiculous. 

[Man In Zero G]

If all you read was the contents of the fridge or the socks on his floor, you missed the point.

This. Exactly this. I am honestly shocked that everybody's fixating on things that not only aren't actually problems, but that so many haven't even paid attention to what was actually said in the article.

Seriously, everybody, take a breath. Stop. He's not starving. He's not sick. So what if his room is messy? So's mine. So are most of yours, I'd bet.
He's doing what he loves and he is content. Stop trying to meddle in his personal life, stop thinking you know better what he needs.

He's FINE.

ANYWAY.
His thoughts on the video game industry are the exact kind of thinking more developers need to adopt. Then maybe we could have more GOOD games in the world, instead of the bleed-you-dry-charging-for-downloadable-content games or the mindless Look-how-pretty-our-graphics-are-oh-wait-you're-finished-already?-that-was-short overpriced trash that the market is flooded with.
That's the problem. There are no more artists out there, nobody doing it for the love of the game. It's only about the money, anymore. It's really sad.

[Nivim]

If all you read was the contents of the fridge or the socks on his floor, you missed the point.

This. Exactly this. I am honestly shocked that everybody's fixating on things that not only aren't actually problems, but that so many haven't even paid attention to what was actually said in the article.

Many of us have been reading the dev log for at least a year; all that other stuff is known to us and we were simply verifying that it matched (or skimming the repetitive stuff), and following to fixate on the things that didn't seem to match. I have trouble understanding why you're shocked, unless it's in some chiving moral sense, but a number of others have already made the rebuts against the behavior.

[Caz]

I liked the article. It's great that Toady is living his dream, and we all get to benefit from it. 

[Siquo]

This. Exactly this. I am honestly shocked that everybody's fixating on things that not only aren't actually problems

He's a hero to a lot of people, and we generally don't like our heroes to have flaws, or bad habits.

Or if they do, let them at least have a narrative purpose

[Man In Zero G]

Many of us have been reading the dev log for at least a year; all that other stuff is known to us and we were simply verifying that it matched (or skimming the repetitive stuff), and following to fixate on the things that didn't seem to match. I have trouble understanding why you're shocked, unless it's in some chiving moral sense, but a number of others have already made the rebuts against the behavior.

Ok.. I don't see how the length of time you've followed the devlog has anything to do with what I'm saying - I've read it daily for years, but I still took the time to actually read the NYT article.
I'm shocked that people who clearly did not actually read the article are making a big deal about his lifestyle and making suggestions on how to change it - especially when it comes to issues that are clearly addressed in the article as not actually a problem - and that so many people who did read the article do not have the reading retention to remember what it actually said before posting here. I'm shocked because the article had plenty of cool stuff in it that we could be talking about, but instead we have a 234 post thread mostly dedicated bitching about his diet and how messy his room is, or telling him how to live his life.
I thought we had a smarter, better educated, more polite population in this forum than the internet average. I honestly thought we were better than this - That's why I'm shocked.

Perhaps disappointed would have been a better choice of words.

[edit] I mean, seriously, I'd have thought there would have AT LEAST been more attention paid to the ascii self-portraits at the top of the article. Come on.

[antymattar]

If all you read was the contents of the fridge or the socks on his floor, you missed the point.

This. Exactly this. I am honestly shocked that everybody's fixating on things that not only aren't actually problems, but that so many haven't even paid attention to what was actually said in the article.

Seriously, everybody, take a breath. Stop. He's not starving. He's not sick. So what if his room is messy? So's mine. So are most of yours, I'd bet.
He's doing what he loves and he is content. Stop trying to meddle in his personal life, stop thinking you know better what he needs.

He's FINE.

ANYWAY.
His thoughts on the video game industry are the exact kind of thinking more developers need to adopt. Then maybe we could have more GOOD games in the world, instead of the bleed-you-dry-charging-for-downloadable-content games or the mindless Look-how-pretty-our-graphics-are-oh-wait-you're-finished-already?-that-was-short overpriced trash that the market is flooded with.
That's the problem. There are no more artists out there, nobody doing it for the love of the game. It's only about the money, anymore. It's really sad.

Mmonetarianist.

[Graebeard]

I'm shocked that people who clearly did not actually read the article are making a big deal about his lifestyle and making suggestions on how to change it - especially when it comes to issues that are clearly addressed in the article as not actually a problem - and that so many people who did read the article do not have the reading retention to remember what it actually said before posting here. I'm shocked because the article had plenty of cool stuff in it that we could be talking about, but instead we have a 234 post thread mostly dedicated bitching about his diet and how messy his room is, or telling him how to live his life.
I thought we had a smarter, better educated, more polite population in this forum than the internet average. I honestly thought we were better than this - That's why I'm shocked.

Perhaps disappointed would have been a better choice of words.

Which people are the ones who didn't read the article?  And where in the article does it conclude that Toady's diet is not actually a problem? Maybe you mean where it said "Tarn consumed 'maybe one glass' of water in the last three months, hydrating with soft drinks instead."

You're disappointed that some people are expressing concern for Toady's well being?  Really?  Maybe you're right.  Maybe only stupid, rude dropouts care about the health and welfare of people they admire and respect.  Perhaps instead of "bitching" about his diet we should just enable destructive habits by ignoring them or perpetuating the fat, lazy slob programmer stereotype.

I'm not going to tell anyone how to live their life, but that doesn't mean I should silently sit by while someone I respect engages in self destructive behavior like that.  We all owe each other at least that much.

[Man In Zero G]

Words

To quote myself, on the specific things I am talking about, because you didn't read that, apparently:

Maybe hook him up with a nice girl, so that they can get married and one day have little Toadlets who can carry on the great works. Should be simple enough, just lock two dwarfs people in the same room, drop in food and booze once a month, and watch them grind their social skills to legendary!

Of course, we don't know his sexuality or possible lack of, whether or not he actually wants any social contact beyond his bro, or whether he wants children or not.

Or, y'know, one could actually read the article all the way through to the part where the author quotes Toady addressing those very issues :

I asked him whether he wanted children. “I don’t mind the idea of never having kids,” he said. “I want to stay focused on the game, and if I had kids, I’d wind up paying attention to them instead.”

He expressed similar ambivalence about finding a romantic partner. “If I were in the supermarket one day and someone came on really strong and it was a mutual thing, I’d probably get pushed along, but it’s not something I’m anticipating,” he said. His interest has dwindled. “It’s easier not to care about that stuff when you’re in your 30s.”

And there's nothing wrong with his nocturnal sleep pattern, tons of people work the third shift. Nothing harmful about it. Frankly it's better for his work - the graveyard shift generates fewer distractions.

Getting to the point where NOT drinking soda gives you a headache is definitely bad news. That's the cold hard truth.

It's caffeine dependency. It's entirely common and not really harmful to one's health in the least. It's no different than somebody who needs that cup of coffee in the morning to get going. As far as the "one-meal-a-day rule" he follows, there's support out there for it being a viable eating pattern with distinct health benefits, especially if you're trying to lose weight.


I mean, frankly, he's living the spartan lifestyle of the artist who devotes everything to his work. And it works for him. Who are we to second-guess his method?

To sum up:
1. Butt out of his love life, it's none of our business. He's clearly not concerned about it. (The main focus of the "people who didn't read it, because it's not really a problem" part of the disappointment)
2. Who cares if he sleeps all day and works all night? There's nothing wrong with that. (The "stop telling him how to live his life" part of the disappointment)
3. His room's messy and he lives spartanly - so what? (Again the "seriously, stop telling him how to live his life" part of the disappointment)
4. He's not starving, he's following a legit, healthy diet plan. Feel free to actually read the links in my previous post. ( Again, "people not actually reading the article, because this IS mentioned" part of the disappointment)
5. Yeah, he drinks a lot of soda. So do lots of other people. As has been pointed out in the thread elsewhere, the health risks are being WAY over-exaggerated. And, most importantly here, the article does quote him stating that he's aware of the problem. (Again "He's a big boy, stop telling him how to live his life, he knows that it's a problem, and you would know that if you had actually read the article" disappointment)

I'm not disappointed that people are concerned, I think it's great people are concerned, but I'm disappointed by people's overreactions to the situation because they failed to actually read the facts presented - The post you quoted is even responding to someone who alluded to only skimming the article.
Feel free to continue putting words in my mouth, but maybe reading comprehension is also a problem along with retention.