I, too, yearn for a simpler time. Who knows why I'm going to Finland though :\

Anyways, on topic, it seems like Rob has a good plan, but there's nothing I can offer to help him.

edit:I'm mean

I gotta say, you're the only one who gives a **** about your simple life. I just re-read the original post and it never mentioned asking Greenboy for his thoughts on homelessness. You seriously derailed the thread, can you please go away so it can get back on topic?

Sorry. But its a Rob thread so I'm guessing he doesn't care so much about derailing. And I need to vent today.

My simple life consists of a backpack and assloads of money.

Problem solved, no reason to remove yourself from society. Just steal some Kuwaiti bullion and live a world traveller life.

I know of a couple people that have moved out into the deep wilderness to live alone. They've built quaint cottages, lived off the land, and lived very peaceful lives that are close to nature.

People get angry, and stress out, and do really stupid things. I can definitely see how some people would want to live a that simpler life, and get away from people.

No, I didn't. I'm still working on that part. My current plan is to just travel around a bit and see the world before deciding exactly what I'm gonna do. Its not like I've set in stone that I'm gonna live off the grid or whatever. Its just an idea. Anyway, I'm done with this awesome awesome derail.

So.. UPS sounds like they offer good opportunities I guess. Depends on how long it takes to make the master mechanic rank or whatever.

So like..

How do I get this **** to tell me what it's doing?

I write a little script, like print "hello world" ; I double click, a command prompt opens and then closes.

I want to see that this **** is doing something. :/

That was why I quit programming before I got anywhere. >_>

If i remember right, you open a cmd prompt, then run the program from there so it doesnt close.

Yeah windows' default behavior is to open a console window when needed, and then close it when the program finishes. Even when it happens immediately.

You will need to run the script from a command prompt, so the console output will end up in that window and when the program ends it returns to the command prompt instead of closing the window.

Or you use a different script command that uses GUI instead of console output (like a simple MessageBox). Since if you make a habit of writing scripts which output to the console, whoever needs to use the scripts next is going to be annoyed when the output disappears before they can read it. But I don't know if Perl can access any Win32 API or not. All I know is it's commonly used in webservers for cgi-bin stuff.

You're right. Back in the day you'd just find a free plot of land and plop down a house. You could build it out of anything - stones, sticks, even a grass burrow. Of course the one catch you seem to be struggling with is that 'back in the day' was in the neolithic period.

Regulations exist for other people, not for you. You need the right sort of foundation and the right sort of design for the plot so it doesn't change the grading and end up flooding your neighbor's basement. Or so your varnished cardboard roof won't catch on fire and take flight, burning down your entire city. But of course if you were actually a homeowner or a carpenter or an architect or an engineer you'd understand why these regulations exist and why they're a very good thing.

Sorta like how if you ever actually had a job, or pay for food, or even start a garden you'd realize how retarded your little pipe dream is. Sorta like how if you actually worked on a farm or even looked into it briefly you'd realize that subsistence farming is an enormous amount of backbreaking labor and unless you're willing to work at a real job for 20-30 years so you can afford to bootstrap yourself with animals and seed then the only subsistence you'll be doing is eating shredded mortgage bills for breakfast.

I already said I realized thats not really viable. However, being self employed is pretty close to what I want anyway. The living on my own option is basically just assuming the world goes to hell and we suddenly don't have food from all corners of the world delivered to us..

You could build one of those cool dung homes. No, really, its made by slabbing together mud, straw and dung. They're small little things for one or two people at most, and are equipped with modern utilities. The stuff hardens and gets plastered and painted.

Saw it on Dirty Jobs.

Log cabin is more my style. Or I could live on a boat, no pesky foundations to worry about. >_>

Actually that's a really good option. I've read about some people whose permanent residences are boats. It seems like a pretty good solution.

Its a pain in the ***. Heat is a HUGE issue around here, with low water temps. Air temps on the water are also lower. Also you end up quite limited in what stuff you can own, due to size constraints. Dock fees are quite expensive. To swing on a mooring buoy is more reasonable, but very inconvenient. Need to go somewhere? Have a fun row to shore in the winter storm. Boats only become a practical thing when you're traveling the world.. And even then, its expensive. Sailboats are much more economical than powerboats for long distance travel.. But it requires some skills and effort to learn stuff like celestial navigation. Anyone who relies on GPS or the like is asking for death. Its a handy tool, but when your power supplies go out a few hundred miles from the nearest landmass you want to be able to figure out where the hell you're going.

Also, boats are bloody expensive to maintain. Fiberglass boats are cheaper than wood to maintain, but any major damage basicly reduces the boat to salvage, unlike wooden boats which can be easily and readily repaired. Steel is also a good material, but its pretty pricey. But yeah, don't live on a boat. Even a 100 foot boat is tiny to live on, and also costs a ****load. >_>