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I'm having to move again, and I'm in need of money
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I'm having to move again, and I'm in need of money

joepie91joepie91 Member, Patron Provider
edited March 2013 in General

Right. I really don't like making a thread like this, but here goes:

For the past few months, I've been living in a house under a "temporary residence contract" (I'm not quite sure how to translate this). It comes down to temporarily living in an empty place under a contract with the owner, without the usual renting protections, until the building is sold/rented/whatever. Recently, we learned that we had to move out as the house was sold, and I've been arranging a temporary place to live and all that, in the meantime. Many here will probably know that I live off very little money (donations and open-source things, etc.)

Now, I am currently preparing to move everything, and trying to arrange a more permanent and stable place to live/work from (that basically comes down to the same for me anyway :P), and to achieve that I'm looking at renting a tiny place on the cheap, but this means quite a bit of organization... and quite a lot of assorted costs are involved. Think buying boxes for moving (as far as supermarket boxes don't suffice), phone credit to call people and organizations, possible future connection/upfront fees for electricity, and so on - basically, all the small one-time costs that eventually pile up to be quite a bit. I'm currently quite low on financial reserves, and to be quite honest I think I'm going to be running low/out of money in the process.

Thus the point of this thread: I'm in need of (some) money to arrange and organize things, and I'm afraid I'm not going to get there with what I have now. If anyone around here has some 'disposable income' and would like to help, a donation would be very much appreciated: http://cryto.net/~joepie91/donate.html

And while I'm discussing this anyway, I'll also add in the notice that I'm probably not going to be online very often in the next few weeks while I'm moving things and arranging stuff... there's no reliable internet connection at the place I'm going to stay temporarily. If you need to reach me, your best bet is via e-mail :)

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Comments

  • Not to shit on your parade, but why don't you use your skills and get a proper paid job? You have great knowledge and skills, use it to your advantage!

  • Join the clan, we have plenty of space (soon) and money

    Or do you already have a new place to stay?

  • joepie91joepie91 Member, Patron Provider
    edited March 2013

    @blergh_ said: Not to shit on your parade, but why don't you use your skills and get a proper paid job?

    Because I don't feel a "proper" paid job (resulting in keeping the written code locked up, to just name one problem with it) contributes as much to society as open-source and non-profit projects do.

    @blergh_ said: You have great knowledge and skills, use it to your advantage!

    That's exactly why I do not wish to get a job.

  • I'll throw you some coffee money <3
    Good luck Joe, go be one of them fiverr php devs.

  • jevermeisterjevermeister Member
    edited March 2013

    There are a lot of companies who specialice on developing open-source software. Just one search on google listed some dutch ones. Where's the problem?

  • heiskaheiska Member
    edited March 2013

    @jevermeister said: Where's the problem?

    It's a lifestyle choice. Some people choose to live outside the normal society for some reason or another.

  • Seem your projects and im quite amazed with ur skills. As said above, why dont you quit your non profit projects and just find a job?

  • Sure, but he stated that he favours open-source and non-profit projects. So why don't work in that area. There is a common misunderstanding between non-profit and non-revenue....

  • LeeLee Veteran

    Or continue doing what he does but get a non IT related job, conflicts resolved.

  • joepie91joepie91 Member, Patron Provider
    edited March 2013

    Quite honestly, I don't feel like turning this thread into a "just get a job" argument. Getting a job is not an option for me because it involves several compromises of what I stand for. Commercial motives and closed source are only a few of those reasons, and several of the reasons are inherently present in the concept of having a "job", no matter what kind of job.

    I have no problem explaining more about my reasons for not getting a job to someone that is genuinely interested (and not just looking for an argument), but I have no interest in having to "defend" myself towards a pile of assumptions thrown at me (which is pretty much what just happened on IRC). I simply don't have the time for that right now, I have a lot of boxes to pack.

    @W1V_Lee said: Or continue doing what he does but get a non IT related job, conflicts resolved.

    Which eats time that I could otherwise spend on my projects.

    EDIT: Sorry if I come across as an asshole right now, but I have a lot on my mind and the attempts of certain people to start completely non-constructive arguments in a situation like this is working on my nerves.

  • @joepie91 said: I have a lot of boxes to pack.

    These are LowEndBoxes right? :D

  • joepie91joepie91 Member, Patron Provider

    @xBytez said: These are LowEndBoxes right? :D

    They're primarily banana/orange boxes from the supermarket, so I suppose you could say they are LowEndBoxes, yes :)

  • LeeLee Veteran

    Your lifestyle, your choice, no issues with that at all.

    You are asking a group of people to donate money that probably earn it doing things that you are against doing to earn it yourself, so it's kind of ironic really.

    And no, not bashing, just making an observation, good luck with the move.

  • jevermeisterjevermeister Member
    edited March 2013

    Joepie, what's exactly non-constructive if your only reply is "I don't sell out my principles". I haven't blamed you for living this way, you just bring arguments into this discussion which are not true. As i said, you CAN work in a non-profit or open source environment and still have small, but somehow steady income. You don't have to, sure, but i don't think "i don't want to get commercial" is a valid counter argument for all these statements.
    And finally, to add something personal, i think you need your public attention which you never had during school and now get as "the crazy guy that's trying to live off donations". Just as you wrote on your homepage. But then please don't overlook my comments as non-constructive just because they don't fit in your religious view.

  • @joepie91

    I now that you have tried to explain this to me before, but, could you please elaborate as to why it is impossible for you to "get a job" without compromising?

  • joepie91joepie91 Member, Patron Provider

    @W1V_Lee said: You are asking a group of people to donate money that probably earn it doing things that you are against doing to earn it yourself, so it's kind of ironic really.

    I am aware of this. The problem is that at some point in the chain this is always going to be the case, in the current 'system'. That is something I cannot really do anything about. The best I can do is minimize my own contributions to that kind of system.

    I'd be equally fine with people donating the things I need, but that's a bit of a logistical nightmare :(

  • I'm usually very generous when donating to charities from what money I do have. But I will not support people who just does not want to get a job.

    You could get a job in an open source company or not related to it, and still contribute to the open source world. But instead you come here and ask for money.

  • @joepie91 Good luck with your move and hopefully this change will make your projects quite successful and help you earn enough money that you never have to ask for donations like this.

  • jhjh Member
    edited March 2013

    @joepie91 said: I'd be equally fine with people donating the things I need

    The things they bought with their money, they worked to get...

    @joepie91 said: in the current 'system'

    Last time I believed there was a 'system' I was treated for schizophrenia.. But anyway, I really like your trying to do what you're doing and a couple of your projects even look appealing to me but I just don't see how you can win what seems like a crusade with society :/

    I'll think about making a donation but honestly I think you're better off finding a halfway house like working on research projects at a university, or working for an open source company, as others have mentioned.

    I might even be able to offer you some paid work on a non-profit research project if that sounds ok.

  • joepie91joepie91 Member, Patron Provider

    @jhadley said: The things they bought with their money, they worked to get...

    This is quite literally impossible to work around.

    @jhadley said: Last time I believed there was a 'system' I was treated for schizophrenia.

    That's why it's between apostrophes. "System" when used in this context does not mean a massive conspiracy or anything along those lines, I use it as a word to encompass the whole of how society functions. That includes economical system, political system, etc. It's just an abbreviation of sorts.

    @jhadley said: But anyway, I really like your trying to do what you're doing and a couple of your projects even look appealing to me but I just don't see how you can win what seems like a crusade with society :/

    I'm not on a 'crusade with society', I just take issue with certain concepts that currently exist in society. "Jobs" happen to have a relationship to a lot of those concepts. I'll elaborate with a more extensive post later today, when I got some more packing done (also re: the rest of your post).

  • KrisKris Member

    @joepie91 said: That is something I cannot really do anything about. The best I can do is minimize my own contributions to that kind of system.

    Then I'd probably limit what you try to take from this 'system'

    Regardless, might want to check out : http://hackerspaces.org/wiki/List_of_Hacker_Spaces

    Could offer you a place to code / live for free or extremely cheap.

  • BlueVMBlueVM Member
    edited March 2013

    A bit of a back story: When I first came to this community about 2 years ago people were very kind and I appreciated the help and the information they gave. Things have changed a lot as of late and while not everyone has become calloused I feel that a lot of people have, maybe its time to change that...

    People take for-granted the amount of effort joepie91 puts in to help this community. Quite a few of you seem hell bent on seeing him get a job, but the fact is millions of people live off the government and STEAL your hard earned money. Joepie91 is eligible for social benefits (including unemployment), but he chooses not to collect from the government and contributes volumes to the open source community.

    **Take a quick look around everything he's contributed to: ** https://github.com/joepie91?tab=repositories

    Donate $7, the price of a LEB/Coffee and help him out, because unlike most people he actually does something to make the world a better place.

  • Not sure if related, but here is an interesting story of a loosely knit group of hippies called the San Francisco Street Kids.

  • JacobJacob Member

    I know you've had problems in the past about where you live, but in reality why should other people support your lifestyle, we all work to get our money and I know you support open source projects (which we do appreciate for sure) but you have to draw the line somewhere.

    There's a difference between refusing to work for non opensource jobs, and refusing to get a job entirely. (Like someone said above, it doesn't have to be I.T based).

    At the end of the day, the decission is in your hands. I contribute to where I live and under 18. I'm debating donating but I will get back to you later.

  • @BlueVM Well said. I'm new here, but it's easy to see that joepie91 contributes a lot.

  • LeeLee Veteran
    edited March 2013

    @BlueVM said: Donate $7, the price of a LEB/Coffee and help him out, because unlike most people he actually does something to make the world a better place.

    And that earned $7 is freely available from others?

    Millions may well live off the government but that is their choice, just as it is the Governments choice to allow it whilst claiming to fight against it.

    Again not bashing @joepie91, contributing to a few open source projects in my view is the least of world's issues that are needed to make it a better place, he may be a nice, guy, have stand up values and all the rest, but it does not change the fact he is making the choices he does, and good on him. However when doing that you can't expect others to support that 'lifestyle'. He of course is not specifically asking that, if you want to help the guy out then go ahead and do it.

    I personally don't feel his choices in life align to mine from what I have read and can't support him, but I have no doubt he struggled with posting this in the first place knowing the way the wind would blow it however I hope the contributions he gets will make up for it.

    Certainly genuinely interested in your views though @joepie91, if you have time let us know what those values are that prevent you walking "Societies" well trodden path of life.

  • joepie91joepie91 Member, Patron Provider
    edited March 2013

    Okay, I'm trying to be friendly here, but one thing in particular is really starting to bother me. This is aimed at those that try to raise the "we work for our money, so should you" argument (this is the attitude that more than one person appears to hold, and not just in this thread). Others that do not hold this stance, can ignore this because it doesn't apply to them.

    Consider the two following options:

    1. Do a lot of work, make it available to others, and force them to pay for it.
    2. Do a lot of work, make it available to others, and give them the choice to pay for it.

    Can you honestly, genuinely, say that the first option is better for anyone besides myself, and approach me like some kind of 'parasite' because I pick the second option?

    I can understand criticism towards someone that chooses not to do any work whatsoever. But acting offended because of someone doing the same amount of work, just not in the form of a paid 'job'? Really? How on earth can you justify that?

    I'll still write a more in-depth post later, but I just wanted to get this off my chest.

    @Kris said: Then I'd probably limit what you try to take from this 'system'

    I already do that.

    EDIT: I'd also like to thank the people that donated so far.

  • erhwegesrgsrerhwegesrgsr Member
    edited March 2013

    @joepie said: Do a lot of work, make it available to others, and give them the choice to pay for it.

    Can you honestly, genuinely, say that the first option is better for anyone besides myself, and approach me like some kind of 'parasite' because I pick the second option?

    But wait, who says people want the stuff you make? Sure you do make some nice stuff but it's not like you ask us what kind of open source software we want, do you?

    Your attitude is more or less "I don't want to be told what to do", not by a boss, not by a community or anyone else.

    And please don't take this too personal, it's just my observation from what I read here

  • joepie91joepie91 Member, Patron Provider
    edited March 2013

    @BronzeByte said: But wait, who says people want the stuff you make?

    Noone does. I'm not taking issue with someone not wanting to donate because they find no use for what I make, that's fine - hell, donations are a voluntary thing for that exact reason. What I'm taking issue with, is being treated as if I don't contribute anything to society for anyone.

    @BronzeByte said: It's not like you ask us what kind of open source software we want, do you?

    I actually frequently do, but I don't think that's terribly relevant here. In fact, that would be partially how the CVM project got started.

  • Hey Sven

    I know it's not a huge amount but I've sent 15€ in your direction; I sincerely hope you get your situation sorted out with minimal problems.

    Whether people believe in your personal point of view or not, ideally they'll see the value of the material you've produced and made freely available - That alone is worth a magnitude of the nominal amount I've donated.

    Good luck!

This discussion has been closed.