audible_obituary

I've been PC gaming for 20 years and always wanted to be able to play them on my TV. Yes, the methods exist, but it feels needlessly complex- right now I have long cables running through my small apartment just to play on my TV... with latency. It feels like to get everything running you need specific dongles, cables, hardware, ports, and then there's compatibility issues on top of that.

I'm not a computer savant who runs a home network and meticulously manages their home tech. I'm also not a total noob- I can troubleshoot issues, setup mods, do some basic tinkering, etc. which puts me ahead of many, many typical users. That said, I have other hobbies and things I want to do, and the amount of work it takes to get this stuff minimally functional just isn't worth the time and frustration for me (inb4 someone replies "just try xyz!").

The Steam Machine is something I've always wanted. A one-stop shop I can plug into my TV, hook up my controller, and boom- steam library at my fingertips. No worries about compatibility, cable runs, or any of that crap. Plus, it could get someone like my partner (a lifelong Mac user who hates computers in general, can't troubleshoot, and loves Nintendo games) into PC gaming.

If someone is profiting, it's a co product

I personally love remote work and I get that it isn't ideal for some people. I need to read more studies to understand, but I do wonder if a lot of the benefit (in some cases) comes from enabling people to do time theft. Letting people work at their own pace, take breaks as needed, do some chores, avoid commuting- all leading to better overall quality of life, happiness, health, and therefore productivity. Could we get a lot of the same benefits by moving to a 5 or 6 hour work day?

I don't think work from home should ever be taken off the table since for myself (and many others, clearly) it helps improve focus, happiness, etc. But I think that if we stand to gain more from working in person with other concessions made them we should explore those.