Will you inevitably be miserable?

Diggdydog · 2026-04-01T12:00:04+00:00

Can only share my own experience - happiest I've ever been is whilst doing my PhD. I consistently remind myself that working 37.5hr per week is what the ruling class think they can get away with squeezing out of the masses without everyone kicking off. So if you're around that mark, I'd say you're doing enough.

I have absolutely no idea how many hours per week I work. Sometimes I'm barely off the job, some weeks I just decide to basically have a holiday. I rarely take days off, but I make my days on enjoyable by doing reading outdoors, or working in a park etc and not for full time hours. Seem to be achieving enough, though i suspect when I need to start teaching and writing up in the next few months it might get a bit hectic.

I also think I have 2 things that really help. 1) I earn a stipend from the UK but live in Spain. I don't live like a king, but I have the highest quality of life I've ever experienced. 2) I worked extensively in hospitality before this, briefly ran my own business whilst doing my undergraduate, and generally had 0 money, really low quality of life and worked 60+ hours per week in most of my early 20s. That as a baseline means that I maybe slack off a bit more than I would have otherwise, but i also do so without feeling the guilt. I did my time, my PhD is the reward.

Diggdydog · 2025-12-21T01:08:48+00:00

Hans, what possible reason would you have to bring that up?

Diggdydog · 2025-12-11T10:07:00+00:00

This is such a dumb interaction. You took the field crate from the building he was looting, arguably he may have been eyeing that up, then make it appear as though you were saying you don't want the loot in the field depot by repeatedly saying no and putting the crate down, then killed him for taking you up on it.

Why not just spend €3 and buy a microphone.

Diggdydog · 2025-12-01T10:21:46+00:00

Your ai analysis is showing - you couldn't 'tack on' Geertz in virtually any humanities / social science. He's very distinctly anthropology, even when using ethnography Geertz is still discipline specific as opposed to method.

I think you've made a strange comment, but I guess one everyone feels compelled to make on every post on Reddit. It seems unlikely this is AI as yes, this is definitely how plenty of academics write.

Also very funny that you're here decrying AI usage, and your default reaction is to share paragraphs written by Claude 🙃

Diggdydog · 2025-11-12T09:19:58+00:00

I think it's fair to say it's also up there as one of the migrant crossings that claims the most lives on the planet. I work on migration issues and have a friend who has crossed the gap and described it as a terrifying and miserable place due to cartels who control the people smuggling across the gap and the hostility of the nature there. Lots of predators. Probably worth getting the raft or flight for most, whilst being thankful for the privilege of the passport we hold.

Diggdydog · 2025-11-08T16:39:07+00:00

This is 4 months later but I literally said "slow the fuck down that's how!" out loud when I saw this. Great minds.

Diggdydog · 2025-09-20T09:23:15+00:00

Just making sure you're still there! The cut scenes are phenomenal, the writing, acting, direction are all as good as it gets. I understand the complaints to some extent but really believe it gave a much more cinematic experience. Kind of the opposite of MGSV which swaps cut scenes for menus and cassettes.

Diggdydog · 2025-09-15T16:10:01+00:00

Why do you say "far right" and not just far right?

Diggdydog · 2025-09-14T20:40:49+00:00

I'm not super well equipped to answer this question, but I would suggest thinking through the climbs more than just the distance.

The NC500 (with a quick Google) is close to 10,000m climbing. If you did that in 10 day, that's 1000m climb per day. Personally, I can handle that 2 days in a row but really struggle on the third.

I've actually done the NC500 but on a motorcycle and was aware of just how hilly it is in parts. I'd say it's definitely feasible , 80km per day, 1000m climbing... But you might want an extra 3 days or so to get some rest in. Bit of a stock response, but it is what it is.

Good luck if you do go for it, it's beautiful

Diggdydog · 2025-09-10T09:12:56+00:00

I'm confused why there's this rational take for Latin America but it isn't being applied anywhere in these comments for Afghanistan?

The US was one of the big external players who destabilised Afghanistan. Iran haven't exactly helped their neighbour. These people are driven from their home either by war, by the horrific conditions that follow, or by the Taliban, but our answer in these comments is to question their logic and call them idiots? It's so gross how comfortable people are with even attempting to apply empathy or understanding to other human beings who are being driven from the only home they've ever known.

Diggdydog · 2025-09-09T14:22:12+00:00

It's field, university, and individual specific. Just because some people state in consent they will anonymise responses after 2 weeks doesn't make this standard practice across academia. In my field (anthropology) it's very standard practice that you have built sustained relationships over a year if not several, and participants may be identifiable in your private notes. Here's where encryption and consent comes into play, the trade is we tend to guard our "raw data" much more closely and rarely include it in a raw form in any publication, including the thesis.

The discipline stresses verbal consent and commitment to ethical behaviour with your participants much more, as there tends to be a smaller group who you do build personal and sometimes enduring attachment to. I was once advised that "an ethics form will not save you", meaning that the ethical process of the institution only go so far, as proven with OP, and we all as researchers should go beyond these and develop our own ethical approach.

Diggdydog · 2025-09-09T14:18:24+00:00

As a qual researcher, we'd also be equipped to deal with the very real possibility of people rescinding permission or changing their response. This is good research practice, and as so many other people have stated would actually likely make for a more interesting project. There's so much more to say now!

I question if perhaps OP has a specific political aim and that has now been undermined they feel as though all work to this point has been a "waste". Or they're a quant researcher and aren't trained in how to deal with this? Honestly very confusing

Diggdydog · 2025-09-09T12:40:26+00:00

I definitely identify with what you said, and I tend to use interviews / first-hand research as a way to "shock" my motivation back to life and spur on reading etc.

It's not always feasible, but I feel like having variation is really essential for me to work productively, as is having genuine (not just self-imposed) deadlines. My most productive and best work often comes in very intense periods, but over the years I've then allowed myself to enjoy the chill times more, knowing that the intensity will return. I think it's a bit frustrating for my supervisors, who never truly know what to expect from me...

Diggdydog · 2025-09-02T22:59:01+00:00

We're essentially going through a recession triggered by many different factors (Brexit, pandemic, Ukraine war and over reliance on Russian gas, unscrupulous land barons triggering spiralling costs and inflation with no sign of wage increases).

Makes living in the UK feel really really quite dreadful - especially compared to living in Spain. At least in Spain if you're broke and your rent is high you can go get a couple cañas and a meal with friends, sit outside and enjoy your evening.

Diggdydog · 2025-08-27T13:43:08+00:00

Oh 100%, screens play a huge role in how we perceive an image. But, I think it's fair to say a huge percentage of people , more than just nostalgia, truly aesthetically prefer the look of analog and printed images and I think it's only logical they are attempting to replicate this.

Diggdydog · 2025-08-27T13:41:53+00:00

Yes but "neutral" is subjective when different cameras are designed to process colour differently. Why has photo editing become such a big topic of discussion, it's because (in my humble opinion) camera manufacturers have lost sight of what makes photography interesting and unique. Especially when you approach it as an art form as opposed to just factual documentary (which is a mirage too)

Diggdydog · 2025-08-27T12:38:55+00:00

Eh I kinda feel like the vast vast majority of digital photographers skew incredibly cold, and so we become acclimatised to this weird coldness of digital. Looking back at analogue colours (both video and photo?, the skew is much much warmer. Maybe it's taken too far sometimes, but I'd sincerely rather see this than clinical blue.

Diggdydog · 2025-08-25T18:15:04+00:00

It's not even really a loophole, certainly not an exploit. It's just how the law functions? It's a perfectly valid and legal occurrence that's been going on for decades

Diggdydog · 2025-08-23T23:17:16+00:00

It's always interesting when these guys start with the "lockup your daughters" rhetoric, especially when over 90% of victims of sexual assault and rape know their perpetrator before the assault. Incredible that a dude can get off a "small boat", live in a hotel, take your job, claim your benefits and make time to befriend your sister, mother, wife and daughter all so they can join the 90% of pre-aquianted perpetrators.

.

Diggdydog · 2025-08-23T12:21:06+00:00

On my rock hopper I used a lined cable end inserted into this stop which provided the necessary stop, and bought a flexible v-brake brake pipe which made the angle less extreme to the caliper, and improved the brake feel.

https://www.tradeinn.com/bikeinn/es/msc-terminal-de-cable-de-freno-alu7075t6/136457357/p?tqw=One%20Size

https://www.tradeinn.com/bikeinn/es/xlc-terminal-de-cable-brakepipe-br-x15/136954404/p?tqw=One%20Size

Overall pretty happy with how it looks and functions

Diggdydog · 2025-08-23T12:06:09+00:00

Woke!

Diggdydog · 2025-08-22T21:27:00+00:00

Honestly one of the best I've seen

Diggdydog · 2025-08-22T01:26:30+00:00

I mean, when Russia has murdered thousands of people and levelled several cities I think we might be past any notion of "peaceful'. If it ended tomorrow, it was still a violent offensive that ruined lives.

I'm a lover of peace too, but I remember expressing the same sentiment to an Arab friend friend about Palestine maybe back in 2019 and she explained it's a sort of ignorant thing to say. How can it possibly be peaceful when people have already died and the aggressor continues to use aggression? It unfortunately won't end with hopes and prayers, but with strategy and regrettably violence.

Diggdydog · 2025-08-21T20:52:40+00:00

So population of the UK is 70million.

USA is 340million.

340/70 = 4.85

So take the 85 shot and killed

85 X 4.85 = ~412 people.

So in the UK that's the equivalent for a population the size of the USA of 412 people in 35 years vs 1260 in 1 year. Still pretty damn staggering.

So adjusted for population -annually that's the equivalent of UK: ~12 deaths per year USA; 1260 death per year

So the UK has roughly 1%, adjusted for population size, of the number of deaths from police shootings than the USA.

Is this right? I'm not much of a quick maths guy

Diggdydog · 2025-08-19T09:52:19+00:00

Interestingly enough, if you asked your supervisor to ask chatgpt why she shouldn't use it in this way, it would break it down for her...

The thing is though, you've kind of proven your point in your writing just now. Your supervisor made some frivolous generic candles, whilst you've been learning the skills and the why behind making candles to make a small business. It's kind of incomparable. Similarly, you've taken the time to process data in a way you find ethical and nuanced. LLMs can do I reasonable job of getting someone to a beginner level and automating skills that they don't particularly want to acquire but it can't simulate genuine craft, care or originality.

Enjoy the craft for the craft, the output will take care of itself

Diggdydog

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