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Hmmm-Although I've given up playing hockey, I could not live without NHL Center Ice. Was planning on retiring to BI this spring/summer, but if satelite problems are that bad, I might have to reconsider location. Anyone have input on Center Ice availability? Thanks!
Oh yeah-Go Rangers!
I was a pioneer "remote worker" and have done it more than a dozen years. Here are a couple of things to consider about working from Hawai'i:
The time zone difference: Even after some time here, my phone still starts ringing at 3am. People on the East Coast, especially, just don't get it. On the other hand, it IS easier for me to communicate with people in Asia.
Issues with internet connectivity: The best service you can buy here will be inferior to almost anything else you are used to anywhere else. There are times you simply will not be able to connect, period. And sometimes it lasts for hours. I mean, if NBC and CBS networks can't go more than a few days without "satellite issues," what chance do you think you have?
Out of sight, out of mind: Every company I've worked with that allowed "internet commuting" has come to realize there is simply no substitute for face time to keep working relationships intact. If you do not build in regular trips to keep those personal relationships healthy... at one company we had a standard that all remote employees had to spend at least 3 days a month at HQ... you will soon fall off the radar, no matter how good you are. Don't underestimate this, and plan properly for it.
Physical distance matters: in addition to all of the above, the fact that you are remote puts an automatic discount on your contribution. You can't even get a physical document to the east coast in less than 2 days, and the cutoff time to do so is very early by mainland standards. Everything closes early here, and what you have to do here is subject to "Hawai'i" time. Nobody will care that you are in a hurry to get something done. Nobody.
Assumption that you are goofing off: I'm telling you brah, everyone mainland will assume you are lax, sipping a Blue Hawaii under the palm tree while you talk to them. Any mistakes you make will be amplified, because you obviously aren't being very serious. You'll have to work twice as hard to overcome that perception.
Etc., etc. Don't assume you can just transplant your current working style to the islands, because you can't. It will all look very different once you're here. You'll need to reinvent yourself to succeed.
Congratulations on believing made up nonsense about "laid back" Hawaii. If anything, life is more stressful here for everybody because jobs pay so little, real unemployment/underemployment is so bad, and cost of living is so high. Try going to real neighborhoods. See how many cars are parked in each driveway? See the curtains on the living room windows? People are struggling, and that's just one sign. You can't afford your own place when you work 19 or 0 hours a week. Real Hawaii isn't the resort where everybody is sitting on the beach drinking mai tais.
Issues with internet connectivity: The best service you can buy here will be inferior to almost anything else you are used to anywhere else. There are times you simply will not be able to connect, period. And sometimes it lasts for hours. I mean, if NBC and CBS networks can't go more than a few days without "satellite issues," what chance do you think you have?
My internet access is perfect. I have Hawaiian Telcom DSL
Did it occur to you that I'm trying to provide useful information? You know there is more than one ISP right? If your ISP sucks, how about posting what it IS instead of mimicking the lame defensive attitude? I don't even get it. In one post you guys are praising Hawaii for being paradise on earth where everybody is laid back and happy despite our economy being one of the worst, in the next you're making stuff up about not being able to get anything done, and how bad the internet is, and how TV doesn't work.
Last edited by winkosmosis; 01-17-2011 at 02:51 AM..
Did it occur to you that I'm trying to provide useful information?
So am I. In my opinion, posting information about the KIND of challenges I've experienced, doing exactly what the OP wants to do, is useful info. But your personal experience about your carrier is not particularly useful, because your neighbor across the street could have an entirely different experience, or the entire neighborhood a few blocks away. That's the stark reality of internet connections today in our state. They're not as reliable as most mainland connections. It's the overall experience I'm referring to.
Quote:
Originally Posted by winkosmosis
In one post you guys are praising Hawaii for being paradise on earth where everybody is laid back and happy despite our economy being one of the worst, in the next you're making stuff up about not being able to get anything done, and how bad the internet is, and how TV doesn't work.
The word "paradise" does not mean "perfection." This is from Wikipedia:
"Paradise (Old East Iranian: pairidaeza) is a place in which existence is positive, harmonious and timeless ... Paradise is a place of contentment, but it is not necessarily a land of luxury and idleness."
I'm contented with life in Hawai'i, but I know it takes hard work for most people to make it here. And some things, like the internet and tv and banks, don't work nearly as well here as they do other places.
I've had high speed internet from my Oceanic Cable TV service for about fifteen years in Kailua.
Occasional outages (maybe once a month or less, for an hour or so). Other than that, no problems
As a computer professional for nearly 50 years, I can tell you that the main issue in Hawai'i is that so much of it is served by aging copper wire systems, rather than the second generation fiber optics systems already enjoyed in high tech centers like San Jose, Seattle, and Austin.
This year the biggest solar storms in our lifetime are predicted. The industry is bracing for widespread failures of all kinds of communications systems, including possible permanent loss of some satellites. Cell phones and wireless data systems are most vulnerable down here on earth. So it is prudent to plan for some degradation of the service you've enjoyed until now.
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My Internet service on Oahu:
