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It's very much alive and well. I never saw it in my life until our company took over management of the tribe's water and sewer operations. Everything in those businesses is run by relays and programming is documented on ladder diagrams. It's baffling until you learn to view it as a pseudoschematic of a logic circuit.
Will Rogers never met me.
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A company called Steeplechase Systems developed a complete replacement for Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) using a PC as the controller and using a flowchart to describe the operations. The flowchart directly compiles to code.... no need to code in faaaarkking Embedded C or any such crap.
They were based in Ann Arbor, MI and were trying to sell them to automobile manufacturers who have huge assembly lines controlled by hundreds of PLCs.
The sensors and actuators and have to be there but the logic of operating the latter is abstracted into a program. The relays through which signals cascaded were replaced in the 1960s by PLCs and in the late 1990s by software.
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You sound like all my old Maths professors: "The step from there to relay logic and ladder programming is quite simple, after all. The proof is left as an exercise for the reader"
cheers
Chris Maunder
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How do you manage to get any?
I'm very curious as to how you mentally discipline yourself. Put another way, convince yourself...
Charlie Gilley
<italic>You're going to tell me what I want to know, or I'm going to beat you to death in your own house.
"Where liberty dwells, there is my country." B. Franklin, 1783
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759
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When I first started as a contractor back in 1847 I steadfastly refused to take any time off; reasoning that time off == money lost. The most I would do was a week and then only if at least one of the days was a public holiday that I didn't get paid for anyway.
But then I realized that time off == better work. Besides, I got to the point where I had an annual budget which aimed to work at least 44 weeks in any year; more if possible but I would be okay at 44.
So started to take more time off; first 2 weeks, then 3 then 4 at a time and it made no real difference. I still made the money I wanted to and had some great vacations.
Moral of this tale: take time off: it will make you a better worker. 
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair.
Those who seek perfection will only find imperfection
nils illegitimus carborundum
me, me, me
me, in pictures
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I'm there. It's taken a while, and its eerily similar your thought process to mine - 1 week off == expense of paying for the vacation, plus the loss of billing time.
I live near a large lake, and I love to sail. I'm at the point now where I happily dream of taking a week or two or three off and just sail back and forth.
Charlie Gilley
<italic>You're going to tell me what I want to know, or I'm going to beat you to death in your own house.
"Where liberty dwells, there is my country." B. Franklin, 1783
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759
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I'm exactly at that point. Started early February last year. So far I managed to take one week for christmas and new year's celebrations. But I don't see taking another week any time soon.
But I do plant to get where you are, eventually.
To alcohol! The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems - Homer Simpson
----
Our heads are round so our thoughts can change direction - Francis Picabia
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It's pretty easy. I tend to work by front loading my hours so that I ramp up a couple of months before a holiday so that I can clear off my desk and get rid of a lot of the crap work. Then I mark the time in the schedule and make sure that this is down as "Do not disturb time". For instance, I'm off to Tenerife this Friday for a week - I have one more reasonable task to do this week and then that's it - I log off on Thursday at 5PM and any issues can wait until the Monday I get back to work.
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Every hour spent not making money is a wasted hour.
I have my main day job, and run two personal businesses, a stationery company (although it now has 60,000+ lines of products including PPE, Security Equipment, Site Materials, Tooling, Janitorial and Premises Management Supplies and more), and a CCTV and Premises Security Company.
I also have investments and rental properties.
I realise at the moment I cannot take any time off, and it is likely to be that way for at least another couple of years.
Once I get to >£1,000,000 I shall start motioning toward winding down the hard work and taking it easy.
Until then it is Work Work Work.
---------------------------------
Obscurum per obscurius.
Ad astra per alas porci.
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur .
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I used to think more like this. But life is very uncertain. What you put off may never happen. With that in mind I'll be on vacation in Aruba 10 days from now
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Have a great time, Aruba is fantastic.
---------------------------------
Obscurum per obscurius.
Ad astra per alas porci.
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur .
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I work straight for 6 months then take 3 year vacation 
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6 months planning the heist.
3 years in prison when it goes wrong?
---------------------------------
Obscurum per obscurius.
Ad astra per alas porci.
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur .
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I've done something similar a time or two. Course the state called it unemployment.
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You have to be looking for work to be unemployed
and most unemployed are not worth a couple million, and have multiple 1000+ acre properties
I own three companies
My companies are setup so I only need to monitor them
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Colborne_Greg wrote: You have to be looking for work to be unemployed
Well by that definition I was only unemployed for about 2 weeks then.
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That is the definition is which defines the unemployment rate
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Colborne_Greg wrote: You have to be looking for work to be unemployed
and most unemployed are not worth a couple million, and have multiple 1000+ acre properties
I own three companies
My companies are setup so I only need to monitor them
Skite...
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I get a high hourly rate but works at irregular interval. (.NET certified trainer)
So most of my time is free. I also have my economies in front of me so I can refuse work if I don't want to work.
In fact, I forgot what a vacation is, because this is a concept that only people with external time constraint seems to have. (It can be the boss, the business, customers, or social pressure like wife, kids and friends)
Except to go out during summer with friend, I don't have any of those constraint. (On the short term, sometimes, but never on middle and long term)
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When I had a family to support holidays were a very precious luxury, we would try and get 2 weeks away in a year but not always. The time off == lost income is certainly a driving force when the finance is tight but if you get to the point where there is more incoming than expenditure (this happens when the kids leave home) make the time to take all the breaks you can.
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity
RAH
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You take your laptop with you.
Easy Peasy!
cheers
Chris Maunder
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righhhhhtttttt 
Charlie Gilley
<italic>You're going to tell me what I want to know, or I'm going to beat you to death in your own house.
"Where liberty dwells, there is my country." B. Franklin, 1783
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759
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Based on the replies, I have concluded that there are a number of people I would love to interview and understand the business decisions they have made. Some of us became employees and then got a wife / family, and have been trying to bust free financially ever since. The best thing I have ever done is to start my own business.
I appreciate the feedback except for Chris'. I took my laptop on vacation once. I have never eaten so many <****> sandwiches I my life. I can still see my FIL looking at me with concern, telling me I needed to really go on vacation and put the laptop away. I still recall paying for all of them to be at the beach. I think there is something wrong there, but I'm not sure.....  never did figure out how he said that with a straight face.
So, how many of you do working vacations?
Charlie Gilley
<italic>You're going to tell me what I want to know, or I'm going to beat you to death in your own house.
"Where liberty dwells, there is my country." B. Franklin, 1783
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759
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Have a life 
Seriously, I do not force myself to a either-solution. I did in the beginning (home office for the last 25 odd years) but it didn't really worked and I got grumpy  Nowadays, if a idea / thought for solving some work related problem raises it's head I'll deal with it. Often by writing it down on, preferable, a post-it note (my memory haven't gotten any worse but I do not trust it as much these days  ) and returns to vacation.
rgds /Jonas
ps during the dark hours of the moon-less nights the Masked Dark Programer returns ...
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