The Digital Bedouins and the Backpack Office

PetManimal writes "The laptop and wireless revolutions have led to the rise of a new class of digital 'Bedouins' — tech workers who ply their crafts from Starbucks and other locations with WiFi access. Another article describes some strategies and tools for embracing the Bedouin way of life, and even having fun: 'If you have the right kind of job, you can take vacations while you're on the clock. In other words, you can travel for fun and adventure and keep on working. You can travel a lot more without needing more official vacation time. I've done it. In August I took a month long vacation to Central America, backpacking from one Mayan ruin to the next, and I never officially took time off. I submitted my columns, provided reports and other input, participated in conference calls and interacted via e-mail. I used hotel Wi-Fi connections and local cybercafes to communicate and Skype to make business calls. Nobody knew I was sunburned, drinking from a coconut and listening to howler monkeys as I replied to their e-mails.'"

Mayans?

[Paolo DF]

So, mayans had developed wifi technology? ;-)
This explains a lot...

Oh yeah?

[br0d]

Let's see you telecommute from oblivion on 12/23/2012.

Meh

[Stanistani]

>Nobody knew I was sunburned, drinking from a coconut and listening to howler monkeys as I replied to their e-mails.

If I just make myself a mug from a coconut, I'm there. I've got the cube next to the window.

*listens to the howling of middle management*

The Right Kind Of Job

[Tackhead]

> 'If you have the right kind of job, you can take vacations while you're on the clock. [ ... ] Nobody knew I was sunburned, drinking from a coconut and listening to howler monkeys as I replied to their e-mails.'"

If you really have the right kind of job, you can take vacations while you're on the clock without the hassle of air travel, without the pain of the sunburn, with a slightly-modified version of the coconut, and yes, even with the howler monkeys.

I call it "reading Slashdot while sitting in a meeting".

Re:Missing the point...

[Dunbal]

Interrupts cost, both in computing and in social relationships.


      Nah, just push your wife on the stack, clear the registers, and pop her off when you're done and jumping back. Of course the script kiddies won't get ANY of this ;P

You rang?

[bedouin]

Hi.

Re:I think that's pretty rare.

[SydBarrett]

That would sound awesome except for that whole working part. I guess some people can't really enjoy the tropics without a LCD screen in your face or banging away like a crazed badger at your blackberry while shoving fistfulls of Pocky into your eat-hole.

Either work or dont work, stop half-assing it already. You dont travel to someplace nice just to do the same shit you do at the office because it's like going to England just to eat at McDonalds. You updated some dohicky from India just the same as you could from home. That's really fucking impressive. Be sure to tell us all what you DIDN'T do there since you dont have the will power to PUT DOWN THE FUCKING LAPTOP ALREADY.

You are just wasting your time. Even though you are getting paid, you are stuck someplace great that you cant enjoy fully since your bizarre nerd ego demands that you never stop working at all. I bet the grankids will love that story of how you were deep in some jungle when you BRAVELY REPLIED TO THAT IMPORTANT EMAIL. Wow, dad! Tell us again how bad the signal strength was!

McDonalds in England

[Slashdot Parent]

You dont travel to someplace nice just to do the same shit you do at the office because it's like going to England just to eat at McDonalds.

In fairness to McDonalds, the cuisine at your local neighborhood McDonalds is far superior to anything purporting to be British food.

Re:I think that's pretty rare.

[fishbowl]

>The point is that he is in the jungle while you and I are bitching at each other from our desks in the
>middle of a snowstorm!

Not me. I'm bitching from a rooftop in the middle of Balboa Island. My boss thinks I'm in a hotel room in Costa Mesa.

Re:Mayans?

[iminplaya]

Yeah, but they're gonna have big trouble with the Y2K12 bug.

Re:I think that's pretty rare.

[Anomolous Cowturd]

Tell it brother. All these people working in pleasant environments are missing the whole point of work. It's supposed to suck. I personally won't settle for anything more than a cramped cubicle with inadequate air-conditioning, poor lighting, and an extremely uncomfortable chair. I *need* an overbearing control-freak breathing down my neck while I'm working, and lazy colleagues interrupting me to offload things they're too incompetent to handle themselves. At the end of the day, I demand an exhausting commute home of no less than two hours. If I don't collapse with exhaustion before I make it to my bed, I feel sorely disappointed.

These Bedouin jokers are missing out on the good life.