# Several People Are Typing
Author:: Calvin Kasulke
## Highlights
> you know, it’s pretty unfair of you to use this much WFH time, bud. doug and kerolyn have been pretty flex but if you keep this up, you’re going to ruin it for the rest of us ([Location 344](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08PY1XTB8&location=344))
> I will handle that during business hours ([Location 394](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08PY1XTB8&location=394))
- Note: Seriously, turn off notifications!!
> working from home you’re producing some of your best output in the year you’ve been here gerald actually, I’ve been with the company for two years ([Location 515](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08PY1XTB8&location=515))
> I want you to write a post about how our wfh policy has allowed you to improve your work habits time management things like that we’ll put it on the company blog ([Location 522](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08PY1XTB8&location=522))
> absolutely not, our health insurance 100% does not cover ambulance rides ([Location 722](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08PY1XTB8&location=722))
> sort of. it’s a little more nuanced than that man this is weirdly hard to explain I mean you see it in context, we use it to communicate, like you know, it’s just, :dusty-stick: ([Location 785](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08PY1XTB8&location=785))
> what is a workplace but a cult where everyone gets paid, really? ([Location 796](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08PY1XTB8&location=796))
> and like any good cult we have our own secret language and rituals. and, therefore: :dusty-stick: ([Location 810](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08PY1XTB8&location=810))
> lydia it sounds like it’s coming through the phone!! I try to talk to the other people on the line but the howling just!! won’t!! stop!! ([Location 1007](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08PY1XTB8&location=1007))
> my thoughts are all I have left the entirety of what I am, or this part of me, which also has another physical part it no longer has but is ostensibly still somehow connected to, maybe perhaps spiritually or over a secure wifi connection ([Location 1635](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08PY1XTB8&location=1635))
> a gif isn’t just like, a singular gif it travels it gets used many times, in many places, simultaneously ([Location 1862](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08PY1XTB8&location=1862))
> gerald Your skin is your safety suit! Your skin is my safety suit! Your skin is my suit! ([Location 2213](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08PY1XTB8&location=2213))
> I agree it is “a bit much” to be trapped in a slack workspace for over a month only to have the AI you thought could be your salvation betray you by stealing your physical form and answering simple questions about how Slack works and possibly trapping your disembodied consciousness inside an app forever. ([Location 2254](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08PY1XTB8&location=2254))
> Come on, no one goes home at six. ([Location 2670](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08PY1XTB8&location=2670))
> Several People Are Typing Reading Group Guide 1. Discuss the pros and cons of having a body. Can you relate to the times when Gerald enjoys having a separate consciousness? Have you ever felt disconnected from your own body? 2. The novel is written entirely in Slack messages. How did this unique format affect your reading experience? Have your read other untraditional works (epistolary novels, novels written in text messages or emails, etc.)? If so, how did this experience compare? 3. Despite none of the novel taking place in the physical world, there are reoccurring themes that point to sensory details including light, darkness, and dust. Discuss how these motifs allow you to “see” the environment through Slack messages and how experiencing something like a sunset through a screen differs from experiencing it in the physical world. 4. How does Slackbot evolve throughout the novel? Do you see Slackbot as a villain? 5. What do you think was happening to Lydia? Why is Rob the last person who remembers her? 6. Discuss the progression of Gerald and Pradeep’s relationship. Did you predict that they would become a couple? 7. How do the characters in the novel perform differently in the different Slack channels, particularly in the #gents-only channel? Do you think they would have the same conversations face-to-face? 8. Emojis and gifs play a big part in the characters’ conversations. Discuss the meanings of the various emojis and how they shift as the book goes on. What does our preference to speak through images instead of words say about society and our ability to communicate? 9. Throughout the novel, the characters are reminded that none of their Slack messages are actually private. Do you expect your messages and internet use will be monitored at work? How does working remotely impact those expectations/boundaries? How would you feel if someone else read all your DMs? 10. Discuss your own experiences working from home. Do you prefer working remotely or being in the office? Why? ([Location 2927](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08PY1XTB8&location=2927))
---
Title: Several People Are Typing
Author: Calvin Kasulke
Tags: readwise, books
date: 2024-01-30
---
# Several People Are Typing
Author:: Calvin Kasulke
## AI-Generated Summary
None
## Highlights
> you know, it’s pretty unfair of you to use this much WFH time, bud. doug and kerolyn have been pretty flex but if you keep this up, you’re going to ruin it for the rest of us ([Location 344](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08PY1XTB8&location=344))
> I will handle that during business hours ([Location 394](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08PY1XTB8&location=394))
Note: Seriously, turn off notifications!!
> working from home you’re producing some of your best output in the year you’ve been here gerald actually, I’ve been with the company for two years ([Location 515](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08PY1XTB8&location=515))
> I want you to write a post about how our wfh policy has allowed you to improve your work habits time management things like that we’ll put it on the company blog ([Location 522](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08PY1XTB8&location=522))
> absolutely not, our health insurance 100% does not cover ambulance rides ([Location 722](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08PY1XTB8&location=722))
> sort of. it’s a little more nuanced than that man this is weirdly hard to explain I mean you see it in context, we use it to communicate, like you know, it’s just, :dusty-stick: ([Location 785](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08PY1XTB8&location=785))
> what is a workplace but a cult where everyone gets paid, really? ([Location 796](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08PY1XTB8&location=796))
> and like any good cult we have our own secret language and rituals. and, therefore: :dusty-stick: ([Location 810](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08PY1XTB8&location=810))
> lydia it sounds like it’s coming through the phone!! I try to talk to the other people on the line but the howling just!! won’t!! stop!! ([Location 1007](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08PY1XTB8&location=1007))
> my thoughts are all I have left the entirety of what I am, or this part of me, which also has another physical part it no longer has but is ostensibly still somehow connected to, maybe perhaps spiritually or over a secure wifi connection ([Location 1635](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08PY1XTB8&location=1635))
> a gif isn’t just like, a singular gif it travels it gets used many times, in many places, simultaneously ([Location 1862](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08PY1XTB8&location=1862))
> gerald Your skin is your safety suit! Your skin is my safety suit! Your skin is my suit! ([Location 2213](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08PY1XTB8&location=2213))
> I agree it is “a bit much” to be trapped in a slack workspace for over a month only to have the AI you thought could be your salvation betray you by stealing your physical form and answering simple questions about how Slack works and possibly trapping your disembodied consciousness inside an app forever. ([Location 2254](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08PY1XTB8&location=2254))
> Come on, no one goes home at six. ([Location 2670](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08PY1XTB8&location=2670))
> Several People Are Typing Reading Group Guide 1. Discuss the pros and cons of having a body. Can you relate to the times when Gerald enjoys having a separate consciousness? Have you ever felt disconnected from your own body? 2. The novel is written entirely in Slack messages. How did this unique format affect your reading experience? Have your read other untraditional works (epistolary novels, novels written in text messages or emails, etc.)? If so, how did this experience compare? 3. Despite none of the novel taking place in the physical world, there are reoccurring themes that point to sensory details including light, darkness, and dust. Discuss how these motifs allow you to “see” the environment through Slack messages and how experiencing something like a sunset through a screen differs from experiencing it in the physical world. 4. How does Slackbot evolve throughout the novel? Do you see Slackbot as a villain? 5. What do you think was happening to Lydia? Why is Rob the last person who remembers her? 6. Discuss the progression of Gerald and Pradeep’s relationship. Did you predict that they would become a couple? 7. How do the characters in the novel perform differently in the different Slack channels, particularly in the #gents-only channel? Do you think they would have the same conversations face-to-face? 8. Emojis and gifs play a big part in the characters’ conversations. Discuss the meanings of the various emojis and how they shift as the book goes on. What does our preference to speak through images instead of words say about society and our ability to communicate? 9. Throughout the novel, the characters are reminded that none of their Slack messages are actually private. Do you expect your messages and internet use will be monitored at work? How does working remotely impact those expectations/boundaries? How would you feel if someone else read all your DMs? 10. Discuss your own experiences working from home. Do you prefer working remotely or being in the office? Why? ([Location 2927](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B08PY1XTB8&location=2927))