Anyone else here addicted?

[Hero999]

Awhile ago I got made redundant and I'm now unemployed.

The trouble is since then rather than looking for a new job I've been posting here a bit too often.

I was searching for an old post using the Find all posts by Hero999 link when I discovered that it only goes back 500 posts so the earliest I could find was from the 10th August but it's only just turned the 22th so that must mean I've been making an average of over 40 posts a day!

I flicked through the pages and discovered that on some days I've made 70 posts. Then dawned on me that I'm addicted to the place. No one else here seems to be that active, it can't be healthy.

I don't think I'll be posting here as often now, next week I'll try to curb my time here and put more time into looking for a new job

I was planning to do a few projects but I've found that I spend more time now trying to help other's to get their projects working.

Part of the problem is there aren't many jobs around and I'm thinking about leaving engineering anyway. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the designing and making, I just don't like all the technical reports, test specifications, grief from the manager and all that crap. I've considered doing an EE degree, but since I'm not even sure I want to do engineering, it might be a waste of time, that and I've never enjoyed studying.

My social life isn't as good as it used to be since friends have moved away, although I still do Jujitsu and Rotaract so it's not too bad. Still I can see that I'm becoming more geeky every day!

 

[BrownOut]

I've been meaning to write something about what's going on in my life lately. Guess I'll just piggy-back on your thread. I too got downsized about a month ago. For a year or so, I've had some of the same emotions. Do I want to continue in Engineering? The cubicle seems to get smaller and smaller every day. I've thought about something that gets me out of the cube and doing some face to face with people. I'd like to try something in the tourism industry. Maybe I could take excursions on the Amazon or something... The engineering industry sucks lately. It's all about getting as much production as possible, and not so much innovation any more, at least in most of my experience. I've had other thoughts, maybe becomming a contractor, or even starting a one-man design firm. I can do lots of other things, like build an entire system, including custom chassis and enclosures, as I do some metal work on the side. It would be really great if I could contract to deliver complete systems. I just don't know quite how to go about starting something like that. Honestly, my tech competencies are better than my people/business skills.

Just before I got laid off, I suffered a stroke around the end of June. During my recovery, this site was just about my only contact with the outside world. At that time, I was posting much more than I have lately. You all were my life-line. Having this forum got my through a very difficult time in my life. I'll never forget how much this site meant to me at that time.

 

[kchriste]

Awhile ago I got made redundant and I'm now unemployed.

Sorry to hear that. Sign of the times though. Probably not a good time to switch vocations. You need to capitalize on the skills you have.

I flicked through the pages and discovered that on some days I've made 70 posts. Then dawned on me that I'm addicted to the place.

Thank you for that. Now I realize that I, myself, am not addicted.
I tend to go in waves. Sometimes, I'll check in several times a day and then I'll go a week or so without if I need to get things done around the house.

Just before I got laid off, I suffered a stroke around the end of June.

Next time I think my life is starting to suck, I'll try and remember that.
Did your company have a long term disability plan? Or did the #$%&'s boot you before you could collect?
You seem to be doing fine mentally, so I would assume the stroke mostly affected physical mobility. It is amazing the amount of rewiring the brain can do to cover damaged functions. My mother had a stroke a year ago. She could barely talk or walk and now you can barely tell she had a stroke except for a slight change in her speech patterns at times.

 

[tcmtech]

So does having the stoke have any bearing on your chosen screen name being brownout?

And how come I always felt it was some others here that were the stoke victims and not you?

In all seriousness glad we could get you through the hard times.

 

[BrownOut]

Thanks tcmtech. My uname was chosen more to describe the local conditions that occure when I plug in my projects for the first time

 

[colin mac]

I'm sort of in the same boat. Even though I don't post much on this site, I am addicted to the internet. Though I always keep a tab of this site open in Firefox, I browse other sites. Once I am out of home, I am fine but if I am at home I need to be on the internet.
If I go off the computer to clean my room or something, I'll half do it and then go back on the computer. I haven't watched the TV in about 2 years. I've been meaning to build electronic projects but I spend most of my time on the internet reading about electronics instead.
Luckily I haven't lost my job yet, but things are quiet in work lately.

 

[mvs sarma]

I am in after my retirement in dec2005 from the Indian, Telecom . as such I enjoy spending time here. share what I felt I knew, and learn the most of what i didn't learn earlier like micro-controllers and assembly language programming etc

May be you may call me addicted.....

 

[blueroomelectronics]

Who me? When I'm on the road I use my iPhone for the forums.

 

[ericgibbs]

There are a few members who are obviously addicated to these Forums, judging by the number of their posts.

Its as though they are compelled to post stupid 'one liner' replies to virtually every new thread.
Most times their replies have no bearing on the OP's question and just clutter up the thread. ??

I average about 9 posts a day, but some of these guys are posting 20 to 50 a day!!!

 

[Hero999]

Sorry, I probably fall into that category.

My long term posting average is about 9 a day, it's just recently it's sky-rocketed to over 40 and the signal to noise ratio as probably plummeted.

Being addicted is fine if you're retired but not at the age of 27. In some ways there's nothing wrong with it, although I have my gripes with a moderator (not Nigel by the way) and administrator, I really enjoy it here, but not studying, going on holiday, having a job, girlfriend etc. because 95% of my spare time it spent on the Internet is just depressing. It's kind of a viscous cycle because the Internet helps me escape boredom and depression, even though it's a contributing factor to it.

My mum has had two strokes and recovered pretty rapidly after each.

The first was wierd, after getting out of the bath she collapsed and couldn't couldn't walk or talk but didn't loose consciousness. My dad rush here to hospital, they did a scan and a lumber puncture but couldn't find any sign of a stroke apart from an infection in the spinal fluid. She was discharged within a couple of days and made a full recovery after a few weeks.

The second was strange too, my dad found her unconsciousness on the bathroom floor in the night. She was rushed to hospital in an ambulance, they gave her a scan and could see the damage caused by both the first and the second stroke, CAT scanners must have improved a lot in 15 years. After regaining consciousness she was made an almost immediate recovery and was discharged.

She currently takes aspirin and anti-cholesterol drugs everyday. The worrying thing is she lost her mother (who was about 50) to a stroke.

 

[transistor495]

The forum can be too addictive and this is a problem with a number of people around here I guess. Some are students and some are job seekers.

I think a great percent of people who spend >10 hours a day here are not youngsters. Definitely you've to control it I'd say.

 

[Pavius]

I've considered doing an EE degree

From lurking about these forums, you know quite a bit. Do you have any formal education or are you self taught?

 

[Hero999]

I have an HND in electrical and electronic engineering from a collage that passes most people. Most of what I've learnt has been from books, the Internet (mainly this place) and work.

 

[Mikebits]

Sorry, I probably fall into that category.

My long term posting average is about 9 a day, it's just recently it's sky-rocketed to over 40 and the signal to noise ratio as probably plummeted.

Being addicted is fine if you're retired but not at the age of 27. In some ways there's nothing wrong with it, although I have my gripes with a moderator (not Nigel by the way) and administrator, I really enjoy it here, but not studying, going on holiday, having a job, girlfriend etc. because 95% of my spare time it spent on the Internet is just depressing. It's kind of a viscous cycle because the Internet helps me escape boredom and depression, even though it's a contributing factor to it.

I too grew weary of electronics and the industry. I decided to go back to school and study biology. Perhaps you might consider some such action?

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

I too grew weary of electronics and the industry. I decided to go back to school and study biology. Perhaps you might consider some such action?

Did studying Biology help you to find a job?.

In the UK it's certainly worthwhile doing courses, because they are all free if you're unemployed.

 

[Pommie]

I think I posted a lot more in the past. I just checked my 500 last posts and I average 4.5 posts per day. I'm sure that a year ago I was probably nearer 20.

Maybe it is me but I feel that the number of post that require a reply has dropped. Also, there seems to be more people replying to threads who have little knowledge. When you try to correct this you end up getting flamed and if you retaliate you get banned or a infraction (who came up with that word). I posted a thread about this but it just got deleted.

Overall, I think the quality of this forum is dropping. Privately, I think a lot of knowledgeable posters agree with me.

Mike.

 

[dknguyen]

Yup lol. I just noticed i got bad rep on a 3 year old thread about a "malicous" response to student who was neither interested nor dedicated enough to his studies.

 

[Mikebits]

Did studying Biology help you to find a job?.

In the UK it's certainly worthwhile doing courses, because they are all free if you're unemployed.

I am still doing my course work so have not looked for a job yet. I am doing volunteer work for a Pediatric cancer research outfit along with my schoolwork. Time will tell.

In the UK you get free school? What a deal.

 

[Mikebits]

DK, your new avatar looks like a fruit salad. I like the last one much better.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

I am still doing my course work so have not looked for a job yet. I am doing volunteer work for a Pediatric cancer research outfit along with my schoolwork. Time will tell.

In the UK you get free school? What a deal.

School is free for everyone up until 18-19 years of age.

But if you're over 18, and unemployed, you can take free courses at local colleges - the idea been that more qualifications will help you get a job. Unfortunately some lazy, work shy, people do nothing but continually take courses.