I feel like there's money to be made if someone can make the exact same product, but with a covering for the toes, so they look like regular shoes and don't stand out so much.
If I find myself putting too much work into a comment I think to myself, "How many people are actually going to read this? What effect is it really going to have on anything? Do I really want to do all this work for something that will disappear into the internet ether?"
I really only leave comments if I can fire them off quickly and I'm in the right mood.
I've done this before, but the usual pattern for me is to delete the first two paragraphs after realizing that the third paragraph is really all I wanted to say :)
What's funny is that many online only e-books are sold for much higher prices. I'm talking about the ones with those long infomercial-style sales letters that target niche audiences and promise to solve all their problems.
$40 for a .pdf with large font and only 90 pages of content is not unusual at all. Neither is stuff in the $70 range. The high price is due to the supposed "value" of the information.
I've actually always thought those e-books were totally overpriced, but I guess a lot of people had no problem buying them.
It's weird though how the set point for price is expected to be much lower for more traditional books that have been ported over, even though in many, many cases the real life books offer tons more value than a cheaply thrown together e-guide to parrots or dating or something.
The physical books ported over have the lower price because they're comparable to the physical book. People have expectations about what physical books cost, but people buying the parrot e-books are looking for specific information that's not available in a bookstore. At that point they're buying specific knowledge, not a commoditized product.
For instance, if I want to enter the import/export business, am I better off paying $99 to International Living or spending hours scrounging the internet, trying to sift what's real from what's fake, what's trustworthy from the scams, etc? If you value your time, informational e-books can be a lifesaver, even if their delivery medium (poorly formatted pdf files) is cheap.
My first thought upon reading your problem was, "I have friends who are smart and fun. Why doesn't he get some of those?"
It almost sounds like you have two very black and white social circles: dry, boring 'smart' friends, and shallow, ignorant 'fun' friends. Maybe you are too picky and elitist, I can't say, but I've also hung around genuinely empty-headed party types, and it is a little soul destroying. I feel your pain.
Any way you could find something more in the middle?
I know tons of people who know how to have a good time, but also have a geeky side, if you want to call it that. They're mostly grad students in social sciences / humanities-type subjects. I almost take it for granted most of the people I meet are going to be fairly bright.
> It almost sounds like you have two very black and white social circles
Actually, I have one social circle. Maintaining two (there were 3, in fact) was too much of a strain on my personal life. I have no doubt that if I had chosen another group, I would have had similar problems adjusting my lifestyle (I've been through this before, so I know).
It seems obvious to say "you should find smart AND fun people", but the big question is "how?". In my experience it takes a while to realize that someone meets the criteria. After all, it's not usually one thing that attracts you to/repels you from people over time - it's patterns of behaviour, or emergent behaviour from certain characteristics. And by the time you've recognized these things about them (and the negatives outweigh the positives), you're probably already friends and then you have to work on distancing yourself depending on their their social proximity. This gets complex the feelings aren't mutual (eg. they consider you a closer friend than you do them, or vice versa). I know it sounds complex, but this is based on my own experiences. I'm sure many people out there have had to deal with distancing themselves from people.
Maybe it's a personal thing, but I'm not a fan of the whole, "introverts are oppressed, extroverts are shallow and evil" line of thinking. e.g., from the article:
"This is not something I confess easily. I have long been shamed out of owning my introversion by the extroverts who dominate American culture. Extroversion has long been considered healthier than introversion, and introverts often try to push against our natural tendencies in order to fit in, to seem normal so people will stop scolding us. Extroverts are unintentional bullies, demanding that everyone join their party or be considered queer, sad or stunted."
The 'we're oppressed' thing just comes off as so bitter to me. Maybe I feel this way because I'm a lot more sociable than I used to be and have seen this issue from both sides.
I've noticed introverts who have become more outgoing and those who haven't have very different takes on the issue. Those who are still introverted tend to be a little more bitter and into the victim thing, and say introversion is a core personality trait.
Those who worked on becoming more outgoing will say their desire to socialize is more mutable than they once thought it was, and that a lot of their past so-called introversion was just shyness and not liking being around people because they weren't good at or comfortable with it. They still seek out and enjoy their alone time, but on the whole they say they're glad they got better with people.
* It's possible the ones who changed weren't hardcore or 'real' enough introverts.
* You could also start nitpicking the way I used the term, and start debating what 'introvert' really means, something most discussions on this topic devolve into before long I've found.
My standard definition of introversion is you are primarily an introvert if you find certain social situations like parties draining. Extroverts get energized by social situations like parties.
When it comes to travel, I find that I am more extroverted primarily because traveling alone sucks.
As the old koan goes, "whereever you go, there you are". You may not outrun your shadow, however, travel can help figure out who you are.
True, but not necessarily the case here. I'm an introvert who is getting significantly better at acting outgoing when necessary, but being sociable seems to keep a similar level of effort.
Heh. It isn't the case here, but you have to "act outgoing"? If you had practice, you don't have to act.
Yes, I'm an introvert, too, and I understand exactly what you're talking about. The diff is that how much I'm "drained" depends on the group of people. I have quite a few friends with whom I'm close enough to just be myself, to not "act". They don't drain me at all. I just eventually run out of things to talk about, unlike the extroverts who find more to talk about.
A group of co-workers? That is tiring, because it takes a lot of effort to act that nice.
The article "Caring for Your Introvert," from the March 2003 Atlantic is a good, and more nuanced, discussion of introversion. There are also links to two followup articles.
To echo what some people are already saying, I think it's fine if you're not totally into gadgets or don't want to get overwhelmed with pointless, distracting communication.
Just don't be self-righteous and superior about it.
Don't be like that Stuff White People Like entry: White people like not owning TVs so they can tell people they don't own TVs.
When I'm a regular working stiff, the months seem to fly by because each day is so similar to the last. They all just blend together in your memory, and you find yourself looking back and thinking, "Where did last month go?"
Humdrum days are also forgettable and you don't really think about them as you go through the motions. So at the end of the day, there isn't a lot of substance that your mind holds on to. Looking back, it's like they were over in an instant.
I remember when I was traveling, some weeks seemed to go on forever, because every day was crammed full of new, interesting experiences. But as soon as I got into a routine, time seemed to speed up again and the days started to run into each other.
