Comment by supern0va
4 hours ago
Every time something along these lines is posted, comments like this show up.
The thing I don't get is...no one would say this about listening to a podcast or audiobook on a walk.
I'm not sure why people choose to demonize this specific use of time during walks.
> ...no one would say this about listening to a podcast or audiobook on a walk.
I highly recommend simply enjoying the walk. :)
This may not be you, but the people who have said that to me irl walk significantly less than I do. And saying these things to people who don't yet exercise can make them far less likely to start as it's a far bigger step to do so. Podcasts and recorded lectures are what got me exercising in the first place, because I was excited to hear the next part. I now only have headprones on some of my walks, but the gateway drug of entertainment was a very useful stepping stone. And still often better than sitting at a desk.
People can enjoy different things, people can be neurodiverse, different strokes for different things, etc.
It's coming from a place of objecting to burnout/overwork culture.
Recently I witnessed a CTO mention in a public channel that with Claude remote control people can now work while getting a coffee or other breaks during the day.
Tech is actively moving in a direction of destroying all the gains from the labour movement in service of enriching capital out of a combination of FOMO or fear of being replaced.
So yeah, when folks say "hey look now I can even work during leisure activities!" yeah, the reaction is negative.
I'm far more surprised that this surprises you.
Nah.
Workers in 2026, even non-tech workers have an easier life than workers alive at any other point in human history.
Yes ofc there are problems - collectivist land use laws that ban construction near homeowners continue to drive housing costs higher for example. But if you asked any worker today if they would have preferred to be alive 40 or 400 years ago I would be shocked if any said yes.
So I'm clear: as long as our jobs don't devolve to 100 hours a week in a sweat shop or tilling the earth for the lord of our fiefdom, we should just sit back and be happy?
Is that what I should take away from your comment?
I hear you, though I will point out that OP said “projects”. Could be a house remodel, ebike build, any manner of project.
Sure but context matters and given this is Hacker News, a lot of discussion centers around tech as a profession (and that's doubly true for AI adoption). You can forgive folks for jumping to natural conclusions. :D