Timeshifting: Cram More Into Life

jimharris writes "The VCR started it - and then the DVR improved it, so now I want to apply the concept of timeshifting in other ways. I've always wanted an audio cassette player that worked like a VCR so I could listen to more radio talk shows. This morning's NY Times stirred my interest with After TiVo, Radio Rewound about a MP3 device that does just that. Better yet, is Replay Radio - software that is more flexible and you can download the results to a portable player. I already use Audible.com to squeeze in more books in my life, by listening, rather than reading. I've completed 8 unabridged books in two months just by carrying around my Otis player when I get dressed in the morning, driving to and from work, doing housework, or when I exercise. Now I'm wondering how I can timeshift even more."

I hope this trend doesn't continue...

[bc90021]

...or else people will be time-shifting sex, and God only knows that that will result in. ;)

forget timeshift.

[The Neck]

Just figure out how to live forever and this will not be and issue.

I wanna watch...

[twisty]

Twenty Four... in only Twelve!

Re:I hope this trend doesn't continue...

[notque]

...or else people will be time-shifting sex, and God only knows that that will result in. ;)

I know... it might actually last longer than a minute, *gasp*

Personally...

[crawdaddy]

I'd like to be able to timeshift my /. posts. Then I can always have "First Post"!

More Yuck

[Anne_Nonymous]

>>so I could listen to more radio talk shows

There is something very, very wrong about this.

Re:College students: timeshifting lectures

[evanbd]

You go to class today, I'll go tomorrow, we'll exchange mp3s tonight.

Whoa. Tell me how you plan to do that! I have a test coming up I could use some advance info on...

Simple:

[LV-427]

Step 1: Obtain DeLorean.
Step 2:: Invent Flux Capacitor.
Step 3: Timeshift.

One word

[burgburgburg]

Crank.

Once you get rid of that annoying sleep habit, you find the possibilities are limitless. I finished the entire "A la recherche du temps perdu" in 18 hours in the original and I don't even speak French. I think. Except for these damn spiders crawling up my arms, this is great. Just great!

Re:Oh boy

[mccalli]

God forbid we sit and do nothing. It may cause us to think about our lives...We must all do our part to keep introspection at bay, lest we realize things are not as perfect as they seem.

Yep. Glad to see you're avoiding this profound philosophical problem by keeping yourself busy posting about it on Slashdot...

Cheers,
Ian

Re:College students: timeshifting lectures

[ianpurton]

This reminds me of a story I heard where students would attend lectures, leave a dictaphone and come back later to pick them up.

Eventually the lecturer came to the lecture, left his dictaphone on play and came back later to pick that up.

Re:Me - cynical?

[cperciva]

So is this like uh... a thinly disguised advert, or what?

No. It isn't disguised.

Re:One word

[Em Emalb]

Reminds me of a damned funny SNL episode with Jim Carrey:

We combine a heat bead suit with the common knowledge of ordinary street junkies to bring you this: Jimmy Tango's Fat Busters!

You wear the patented vibrating heat bead suit and jam gobs of raw crystal meth into your system!

Don't be afraid to RIDE THE SNAKE!!!

Testimonial:
Not only did I lose 140 lbs in two weeks, I also learned I am the devil!

Re:Tivo2

[TopShelf]

Don't forget the useful option to pause the live feed, so you can take that call on the cell phone and still get the scoop on Moldovan dairy farmers on NPR...

Re:Damn, Unplug and take a walk

[Anonymous Coward]

I yank the network cards and modems out of my machines, unplug the controllers on my game systems, take my tv remote, monitor power cord, PDA and cel phone - put it all in a box and drop it off at a friend's house.

I think what you are looking for is the power switch.

Timeshifting dinner

[Atryn]

If you come home late TiVO's new iSpouse product will save your dinner in small plastic containers. This can then be re-heated and eaten at any time! Of course storage capacity (FridgeXT) limits the total amount of meals you can shift in this fashion.

Reply Scheduled

[keshet]

I have 25.6 seconds to write this before the next context switch, takes getting used to but boy DO I GET A LOT OF STUFF DONE, within the next hour I will be writing a novel, flying a plane, learning 3 foreign languages and so many other things I don't have time to write about, you should try this amazing technique, I think its called multitasking or something, I am living at a rate of 15.2 lives in the space of one but my average is getting higher all the time the more I practice, jeez if I had time to breathe I might know if this was worthwhile - hey what's that on the 3rd monitor from the left? I-

Re:Oh boy

[automaticlarynx]

Things seem perfect to you?

Bartender, I'll have what he's having.

OB: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

[laejoh]

"It's, er, really quite fun in it's way," he concluded. "Certainly better than television and a great deal easier to use than a video recorder. If I miss a programme I just pop back in time and watch it. I'm hopeless fiddling with all those buttons."
Dirk reacted to this revelation with horror.
"You have a time machine and you use it for ... watching television?"

Re:Other ways to timeshift (not just audio)

[Anonymous Coward]

Let a woman take you clothes shopping [...]

This phrase doesn't belong within a mile of a topic about saving time. Ever.

Re:why timeshift?

[zoobot]

Hey, somebody finally noticed what I do at work!!

Drugs will let you Cram More into Life

[Anonymous Coward]

There are certain drugs you can take to eliminate the down time usually wasted sleeping each night. I don't know about anything stronger then no-doze myself, but I know there are drugs out there that can help you cram an extra 8 hours a day. Eventually after not sleeping for a week or so, time shifting will begin to happen nauturally, you'll suddenly wonder where you are or what your doing, kind of like skipping commercials on the TiVo. Don't worry though, blackout periods are most likely not important or else you would remember then.

Of course I'm of the rather backward opinion that cramming more into life has to do with how much you can do or give rather then absorb. By spending every waking moment reading/listening/watching new things, you lose the ability to effectively create new things yourself.

Re:Damn, Unplug and take a walk

[WormholeFiend]

"when was the last time you felt grass on your bare feet?"

isnt going to the park one of the advantages of having a laptop?

Re:Time compression

[nicky_d]

Yeah, do this. Speed everything up, chew less and swallow more. When someone is talking, encourage them to talk faster by making a fast winding motion with your hands. Leave cinemas as soon as the first credit appears (and slip the projectionist a sawski to crank the handle faster).

Actually, someone made a nice speed-reading version of Cory Doctorow's Creative Commons-released novel, Eastern Standard Tribe [craphound.com]. The speedreader applet, with adjustable speed, is here. [smith.name] You could use this to gauge your aptitude for the compressed life - and your limits. It's surprising how fast you can comprehend, although at higher speeds you're a bit like a rocket-powered train that's easily derailed...

Re:Oh boy

[Anonymous Coward]

I'd rather enjoy living it than sit back getting depressed thinking about it.

Depressed? Hell. Here's a particularly sick and depraved way to enjoy life: prolong your life as long as possible, run it out to the max, don't smoke or drink, screw prostitutes or shoot dope -- that might make it too easy, too quick. Naw, go for the ultimate slow dive, it's better than a grenade in the headrest I mean your friends can film this long cruel process WITH IMPUNITY and what's more it's COMPLETELY UNSTOPPABLE. Historically this method has had a 100% success rate so you never feel embarassed or stupid hanging out with your arms taped up. Best part is the moralizing buttheads cant stop you.

Life is pointless,
Death is pointless,
only SPAM has meaning.

Re:Time compression

[DjMd]

Wow that's impressive...

Until you concider that not watching it would have saved you, an additional 22 hours.

Re:Other ways to timeshift (not just audio)

[TandCC]

OK. How about: "let five gay guys take you clothes shopping."

Re:Tivo2

[Bombcar]

There's a difference between can't and won't. Won't can be changed to will.

Does that mean "can't" can be changed to "kill?"

Re:Alvin Toffler: Future Shock

[parkrrrr]

Can you link to the audiobook version? I'd find it myself, but I'm so busy.

Time shifting your whole life?

[oneiros27]

Well, the basic concept of time shifting is to put yourself in the control of when you want to do things. So, in that regard, it shouldn't be to difficult to move some of the more restrictive items to times when they're convenient for you.

Work

It's a pain in the ass, we all know it. Ask your supervisor for flex time, or work from home

If that doesn't work, start your own business, so that you can set your own hours

Commute

This is basically related to work, so see above. Alternatively, you can move closer to work, or just start sleeping under your desk.

School

For you, assuming you're an adult, you can attend distance learning classes in place of the regular college curriculum, or you can look to see if there are schools in your area that focus in adult education.

You could start working for a university, as they tend to be flexible in allowing staff members to attend classes, and they're nearby, saving you from the need for seperate travel time. [you'll have to coordinate with your potential manager to make sure it's okay]

For your children, you can use home schooling, so you don't have to worry about when their tests and vacations are when you're planning family trips.

Relationship

Let's face it, dating, marriage, or whatever is another major waste of time. You have two major options -- make enough money so that your SO doesn't have to work, and can be at your every beck and call, or soliciting prostitutes.

Shopping

With Amazon and other online retailers, there's no reason to go out shopping anymore. If you're not in an area supported by Peapod or a similar organization, you're going to have to find some place online that sells MREs.

Food

Between Shwanns, MREs, and a microwave, meal perperation shouldn't take more than a few minutes. Consumption, however, is another waste of time, and so I would suggest only buying mushy foods, to save on chewing. You may wish to switch to a diet high on Ensure, Carnation Instant Breakfast, and/or Slimfast [is there anyone still reading this?]

Bathroom Breaks

MREs prove salt peter which may allow you to time shift your bathroom breaks. You can also try Depends, or other incontience aids. [not quite to the punchline yet]

Sleeping

Doctors may recommend 10 hrs per night, but let's be serious -- 3L of Mt. Dew per day, and you can easily cut that back to 4hrs, so long as you perform relatively sedentary tasks for those 6 hrs that you lose, such as watching TV or playing video games. [are you still reading?]

Friends

Provided that you started your own company, you can then hire your friends to work with you, so you can get all of that companionship crap done while you're still at work, eliminating the need to waste time with extraneous interaction. [It's not that good of a joke]

If you're an extrovert, and still have a need for other interaction, you're their boss, and can pressure them to do whatever you want, and/or hire extra yes-men to replace them. [it's rather dark humor, too]

Life

Unfortunately, I don't have a solution for this one, other than hoping that there really is reincarnation, and when you want a break, killing yourself, so that you can just come back to it later, when you have more time. However, if that one doesn't work, you're pretty much SOL, but the bright side, is you won't really notice that it didn't work, as you'll be dead. [hey, I told you it was dark, damnit]

Now for the real advice -- get a life. Take up a hobby. Quit your job. Do something, but don't try to burn out early. I've already done that -- twice. There are things you can do to remove wasted time, but there are times when we really just need to relax, and do nothing important. [and that's what we have American sitcoms for -- no thought required, and no redeeming qualities]

Re:Time compression

[NanoGator]

"Save more time by using software to strip out the pauses and slightly speed up the audio.. up to about 1.5x..."

He'srightitworksfortexttoo!!! LookatthebandwidthIsaved!

Next...

[jo42]

Next you will be asking what to do about all of the information overload that you got yourself into...

Re:Other ways to timeshift (not just audio)

[randomblast]

11AM on a weekend? :o
You are one early riser.

Re:Other ways to timeshift (not just audio)

[belroth]

Ahem, true BOFHdom is when 'they' are too scared of you to even think of firing you - they remember what happened to the last manager that tried... but his widow is doing alright now.