How do you feel about people putting their filthy little hands on your precious desktop machine? :)

Allan and I were discussing this -- we hate if someone uses our machines under our logins, but we're fine if they want to use our machines under their own login, and we're usually glad to make people their own accounts so that they can use our machines.

Um. Rant. How about the extreme amount of hazard warnings you all had to write in the TEDP? I was waiting for "Hazard Number Infinity: Space Robot achieves sentience, takes over vomit comet."

the machine that's actually at my desk at home is semi-public; it's what i put visitors on (and i leave it up and logged in and running useful starter apps like xterms and web browsers all the time). so i'm not too fussy about that, though i still prefer to be asked.

i am MUCH pickier about my work desktop and my laptop, though.then again it is much more rare for people *to* use those without asking, so it hasn't gotten to the point of being funny. repetition is the key to humor :)

I'm pretty territorial about my computer; I don't mind sharing if someone asks first, but I would be very testy if someone used it without asking. When I had a roommate my freshman year of undergrad who didn't have her own computer, the computer became a sort of constant bone of contention -- I didn't mind letting her use it if I didn't need it, but sometimes it came down to "But I had it first!" "But it's my computer!" etc., etc. Nasty.

Trying to come-up with a good rant topic for you. Hey, how about:

Intellectual Property

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I tend to be possessive and territorial in general, except about those people with whom I am not. This clearly a difference with "family/lover/close friend" people who are pretty much welcome to everything and those who are not. Of course, there are those who are not welcome in my house, which is a different case all together.

As promised: Polyamory.

How do you feel about people putting their filthy little hands on your precious desktop machine? :)

Anyone puts their filthy little hands on my precious little laptop with its pristine white keys, they'll need to have someone cut up their food for them! So yeah, i guess i can be a little touchy about it sometimes. ;)

Nobody CAN use my desktop without asking, for two reasons: 1. I set the password, 2. It's currently and inexplicably broken.

Rant about what research you think is underfunded, and (if applicable) what research you think is overfunded.

How do you feel about people putting their filthy little hands on your precious desktop machine? :)

It really depends. If someone is visiting me or Jay overnight or longer, I like them to ask the first time, and then they can use it whenever, without asking, and I don't care. If random person whom I like is over for a few hours, they need to ask Every Single Time.

And anyone who does anything, ANYTHING, under my login will drive me up a wall, if the login is actually identified with me (ie I don't care if they browse amazon as me, but I will get V. Stressed Out about logging in to say, a forum that I have special permissions on).

How do you feel about people putting their filthy little hands on your precious desktop machine?

Hissssss! Filthy little hobbitses, stay away from my precious!

A right-hand configured mouse on the left hand side of your keyboard. Bolt cable to desk if they're not shy about switching sides. It takes a week to get used to, but your roomies will only try it once, regardless of their handedness.

Of course, it doesn't work on other people who do this.

"How do you feel about people putting their filthy little hands on your precious desktop machine?"

Since you have already tried to state my position... I just have to jump in and elaborate. I do like to have people ask first -- but when I give someone blanket permission, that's taken care of. And my machine is generally the best guest machine (until people learn about how to turn off Dvorak on Craig's boxen). There's also a hospitality element involved -- as soon as someone is trusted at the point where they don't need to be supervised, they should be given the means by which to take care of the most basic of essentials on their own. That means knowing where the bathrooms are, at least the basics of how the kitchen works, and internet access.

I have noticed that over the last few years I've gotten much less territorial about most of my possessions. Not so long ago it would have horrified me to have a house cleaner pawing through my intimate possession -- now it doesn't bother me. It's why I'm fairly mellow about most parts of kitchen arrangment. I don't feel a great sense of scarcity, so I'm a lot less uptight about things.