Just when you thought the MSM (main stream media) couldn’t get less newsworthy. Obviously, this guy needs to get on expensive medication, stat!
Floridian Larry Fischer has six computers A laptop, a desktop, and a server. A couple are just lying around, unplugged, fallow. He doesn’t like to delete email. His desktop is messy. He doesn’t throw away the old computers, because he doesn’t want to get rid of the files on them. “He’s what you might call,” the horribly concerned voiceover guys laments, “an e-hoarder.” Yes, you might. You might call him Captain Banana Cakes, or Sith Lord Pumpkin Pie. You might call just call him Larry. You might call him whatever you want, news show!
Except really, is Larry that different from us? Sure, he’s got some dusty old computers lying around. And he accumulates crap on them. He has 3,552 emails in his Gmail account! MY GOD. Except, I have 13,835. Am I also mentally ill? Nope! We both just use an email service with huge amounts of free storage—and computers built in the last half decade—which don’t give you any incentive to delete things. I have homework study sheets from 10th grade, history reports from 5th grade, countless stupid GIFs, a giant folder on my desktop of bookmarked articles I haven’t gotten a chance to read yet—do I deserve to have a psychologist question my ability to make decisions, like Larry? No. I rarely empty my trash either—because who cares?
With a few gaps because of blown harddrives, I’ve kept every email I’ve received, every program I’ve written, and every picture I’ve taken since 1991. Hell, I probably have BBS files going back to 1980 on floppy somewhere.
I really do have hoarding tendencies, but the computer makes it much easier to keep from being buried in piles of papers. I scan or download all my monthly statements, and save all my check images. Then all that crap goes into the shredder. I’ve found it so much easier at tax time to pull receipts from a harddrive, or pull copies of deeds or legal papers or the like from my computer than ever to have to look for it in a file cabinet (which I can never keep straight).
My mother was the same as I but she did not have the technology I do. Consequently, when she died she had boxes and boxes full of bank statements, checks, tax returns, credit card bills, greeting cards, recipes, newspaper clippings, and other miscellaneous detritus of everyday life. I would keep paper copies of all this stuff too if I didn’t have data storage.
This guy sounds like most of the people I know. We have to some extent become obsessed with technology. I’ve seen managers spend half a day answering emails and not getting their work done.
People walking into poles, fountains, etc. Crashing cars and trains. Were does it stop?
Saying, “it’s part of my job” is really an excuse, than a reason.
I didn’t realize how addicted I was to technology until I retired, now I’m working hard to break that addiction. It’s a slow and painful process…
I have a friend that collects software, he never deletes anything.
To prove a point I created a 10MB file of random garbage with an executable header. He tried and tried and tried to get it to run and never did delete it.
I never did tell him the file was garbage.
I just don’t feel like lugging my several HP Laserjets (the well made ones from the 90′s) up the stairs to throw them out. Same with the several PCs I have downstairs. I cobbled them together about ten years ago, ran Linux on some, etc.
So what?
Is the network news so pathetic they have to invent disorders to scare the public with?
Yes.
If instead of old, worn out computers, he had, say, a garage full of tools to work on his car, with a couple of old cars lying around, they wouldn’t call him a hoarder, they’d offer him a show on The Discovery Channel.
I guess I’m an ehoarder but I’ve trashed a bunch of older machines.
So in other words this guy is your typical middle age Geek. And if you use Gmail then that automatically makes you an Email-Hoarder!
For sale: 1 rack mounted PDP-8 ca. 1977 with CDC Hawk 10MB hard drive, 5 fixed / 5 removable + Unix & Dec OS. Still works fine. You pay shipping.
I’m just too lazy to throw them away.
Why even post post this stupid crap? Is it merely to prove that the major media conglomerates are retards? We already know this. The whole reason why we internet aficionados visit web-blogs in the first place is to escape the brain-wave melting stupidity of traditional broadcast media. I wish not to see nor hear on my internets the same stupid crap that the mass-media pushes onto broadcast television. If I wanted that I would be looking at an actual television instead of my internet tubes. AUUGH!
This thread has been interesting —
About half of us recognized and admit we hoard.
The other half deny the issue even exists or, if it does, that it’s a problem.
It reminds me of drinking!
Related: “should cursive handwriting, like calligraphy, be relegated to the occasional arts and crafts class?” /// Schools are starting to say yes because there is just so much other stuff to teach.
http://mnn.com/family/family-activities/blogs/is-cursive-handwriting-obsolete
I’m not a hoarder, just a collector, and I can quit anytime I want to.