jansho

Edit: Just to emphasise - I hope they have fun spending their billions.

Meh (time for my socialist side to come out) they could try and do the Bill Gates Foundation thing. Don’t be cynical — it is making some much needed positive change!

Money = Power = Responsibility (with wisdom).

Exponentially true if you are a super billionaire.

Mm, a radical idea these days! :) Lately I have come to realise that searching for the “cultured, polished being” and the “ideal life” actually made me feel even more insecure and trapping myself to my comfort zone. Oh yes doing a marathon is really stretching me. So is trying out new food. Watching a horrific war drama ... from a sofa. They’re all things that _I_ want, that _I_ control. When I get thrown into something totally random, especially when it’s stupid — like why is that kid crying? It’s just a sticker! — it distresses me a lot. Which is silly! Life is meant to be full of all sorts of randomness and silliness! So bizarrely, I am trying to do more normal things now. Like cleaning the house manually, talking to the old man next door, falling in love. All feels uncomfortable, but I feel more alive too!

Hmm you might be readier to start that partner/ family phase than you think ;)

I’m a rambler too so it’s all fair ;)

See, I’ve been focusing on reading this year, more specifically to find out what my style and interests are, and how I can develop them further. For me it’s unrealistic to “just read away” - there are many different types of books and courtesy to our digital world/ genes/ whatever, my brain is definitely re-wired so that it’s very difficult to maintain focus for long. So naturally I’m interested in reading techniques (and other types of acquisition) and what others’ experiences are like.

But the deeper I go into this project, I am also beginning to wonder that perhaps, even self-proclaimed bookworms may not actually be reading as effectively as they think they are. By “effective”, I mean getting the same-ish level of clarity that the author had when writing it. And so I think you’re right about books having layers of meaning. Which this alone has powerful implications: it means a reading list should not be a ticking box exercise, as so many of us think, but a reference library - you have the freedom to read and revisit however you like, depending on your current intellectual needs. And it also means that books are actually very dynamic and so you shouldn’t really take them too seriously - it’s OK to get an understanding to a limited level only.

It’s interesting, let’s see how this reading project goes.

Anyway back to chomping dense technical books. This is definitely a big weakness of mine - no matter how interesting a book is, I just cannot stay motivated for long. But it may be because I’m approaching it the wrong way. I generally like to dip in and out, and be very selective about what to savour in. So I am probably treating technical books wrongly - taking it too lightly when each should be an individual project, really. I think another factor is confidence - it’s easy to get intimidated but I find that the more I become familiar with the concepts and basics, the tome gets easier. Which means it’s necessary to have a “learning pathway” of books e.g. Sal Khan’s circuit videos and “Electronica for Dummies” before the granddaddy “The Art of Electronics”.

Assuming that the student is a complete beginner. Do you think the best way to read a challenging technical book is to speed-read at the start - to pinpoint the essentials and get an overall picture - then read again, this time slower?

At both speeds, it’s still deliberate reading.

Maybe you know more techniques which are better?

I have been thinking about this. Am reading Homo Deus now, it’s great as they say, but also feels like the author has placed the things extremely neatly in one web. Of course, the more authoritative, the more it becomes a personal worldview.

gradually loses the ability to think for himself

If you read a lot of these “worldviewed” writings without actively seeking what you personally think, and if you stay in a bubble as well, then maybe I can agree with Schopenhauer. But the pros outweigh the cons by a massive leap. Reading is a real unfair advantage as there is no way that a single lifetime can discover what has been discovered over millennia.

Having said that, reinventing the wheel (discovering valuable insights on your own) is not wasteful at all - that will always feel more real and precious than the most poignant writing. And I personally dislike speed reading - pace is something that is highly personal and variable, and no one should feel bad about it.

Well, almost all forms of technology start off being ugly.

To be fair, “connecting the globe —> making the world a better place” has always been a bit of a vague vision.

These SaaS stories are scaring me a little. Is there a non-BS guide that addresses these “hidden” issues associated with billing, tax etc?

I want to build a website with a paywall, accessible with annual subscription only. Let’s assume around 5,000 users for the first year. I assume that I can put together a WordPress website with a bunch of payment plugins - sign up, add cart, PayPal, debit card etc - would be enough.

But maybe not? What am I missing here.

I’ve seen them, and still think there’s lots of space for innovation. I’m not just thinking about its ability to fly, but as a dynamic, interactive AI companion. Just how the smartphone now isn’t a purely functional device for communication like a brick phone was.

Edit: maybe a scenario illustrates this best.

Me: “Mimi, what do you think of this? Is it right?”

Mimi peers, no doubt fancy AI tech whirring in the bg.

Mimi: “Looks good! I would also suggest recapping sohcahtoa.”

Ding-dong.

Me: “Mimi, can you get the parcel please.”

with incremental increases in artificial intelligence now taking the spotlight.

Hmm that does nothing for me. I wonder what the next big device is? Augmented reality? (Yes there was Glass but maybe the next generation will be more thoughtful.)

What I personally fancy is a drone-phone with more human-like AI assistant. Yes a talking, flying superphone. Inventors: please credit me, will ya ;)

[cough] Oh dear, Moore’s Law

/edit

Now this is a startup that I would totally be evangelist for.

Agreed. I’ve tried many, many alternatives and paper and pen are still the most convenient and intuitive form for taking notes, sketching, constructing etc. I have a system where these notes get digitalised at some point of time though.

That’s an extremely simplistic way of seeing it though. The Rohingya were simple people, mostly poor, and lived in Myanmar for generations; religion would be a code of life for them, not a political tool. It’s likely the opposite for the monks and their followers though; Buddhism is about peace, fundamentally and (in nearly all cases) in practice.

My patience with Aung San Suu Kyi has run out completely. Too little said, too little done, too late for anything else.

What technology is it exactly? I’ve never heard of interactive screencasts until now .. really cool!

To add to the list, Skype for Business has a whiteboarding option. Easy and free.

His philosophy? That’s a well-known fact to anyone working in education and child development. What irony that his products are actually hijacking those crucial early years; lower attention span, need for instant gratification, potentially unsafe materials, device reliance, overstimulation ... seriously this is cruel.

Maybe it’s also the culture around here. I’ve seen a few casual lololol comments that get downvoted a lot, so it creates an impression that if you’re going to say something, at least do it stylishly. (Of course value is important too..)

I like HN, but can’t see it as a social space like most forums are. (And yes I like HN for that reason too!)

Absolutely! This was my experience too. I’d like to add that it helps you to get out more and focus less on yourself, as often we over-analyse and self-doubt too much.

And no real commitment. No performance trackers, no material gains, just your best shot. Children are really awesome too - it’s amazing how they’re so small and naive, yet super curious and active. Really inspiring. If you’re interested, I recommend checking with your local school, it’s very likely that they’re short of hand. A few hours a week is enough!

It’s entirely possible that you’re misreading the situation. Here’s my anecdote, which is similar to the girl’s:

I used to be really tensed in public, and when I have to take a phone number from someone (networking event etc) I would fumble a lot, make all sorts of silly mistakes while feeling the intense pressure of the other watching me. Sometimes I give up, pretend that I’ve taken the details, and smile, half friendly, half apologetically. Then I’d go away feeling super bad.

Now I understand that it was silly to feel pressured in the first place. But you know, it happens.

You can't really pretend you're interacting with a male

Well yes, with practice. Just how you learnt to overlook skin colour, height, dreadlocks etc, by understanding that we’re all fundamentally humans.

Can’t comment much about humour, I’m an ethnic minority so have the unusual advantage that some banters are forgivable ;)

#53 is interesting!

I assumed that there would be more 20-something founders. But 31-35 year olds account for 23%, and 41-50 year olds account for 30%

But she offered first

I think it’s mild paranoia. Don’t worry about it. As someone else said here, the best way is to pretend that you’re interacting with a male. Without the bro jokes..

Ah okay, I assumed that it would link to the podcasts.

Can I ask why? I’m a little baffled, maybe I’m just brainwashed that everyone loves apps because they use mobile devices more often. Especially for listening.

As kids, we were notorious for wanting all the toys from Argos catalogue then play with the boxes only.

I often fancied the idea of getting dolls. But Lego and papers were my true playmates.

Yeah, kids - shiny outside, scruffy inside.

Though toys from car boot sales were awesome. They were often damaged and you can break and chuck them around without parents getting too mad about it. Shame, these days car boot sales are literally mechanical bits and pieces and chipped crockeries...

There are many shades of feminism. Some women believe that modest clothing such as headscarves are empowering, shifting the focus on character rather than physical appearance, while other feminists will strongly disagree. For me it’s easier to accept that feminism is just an umbrella term for women’s right to do anything as she pleases just as easily as men can.

Plus it’s always in continuous change. Example: currently in the U.K. there’s a hot debate between (some) feminists and trans women [1] but who knows in the future, it would be 100% feminist to accept all self-identifying females as valid females.

Slightly off topic: Feminisim is a bit of a messy subject (imo), I wonder if one can have a clearer picture if it’s expressed in logical terms :o

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/nov/26/transgender-...

Love the battery analogy. Energy gain, energy loss. I’m going to try this out and see if it can switch my mindset about work - at the moment, a lot of it seems to be energy loss!

I think that the way we spend our time is also mostly personality-dependent. Maybe that explains why given ten minutes spare, some people do a bit of MOOC, and others play candy crush or just stare and fidget ... it’s a way of giving the mind a bit of a break!

That’s rather modest of you! Quality output still requires time and effort.

I need to nudge them to take the situation seriously and follow the logical consequences that follow if they are married to a borderline.

No you don’t. It’s clear that the poster is already taking it seriously. Personal advice is ok but the tone should be considered more carefully, especially given that you have had negative experiences before (bias.)

If the wife is the rare borderline who actually cares to get treatment and overcome her BPD...

Sheesh.