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Ask HN: Advice that changed your life?

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Re: Ask HN: Advice that changed your life?

#311

Post by Test0129 »

JackOfCrows wrote: post #7

Most people will use time to save money. However, your time on earth is limited unless the Silicon Valley weirdos happen to be right. Money is infinite in that you can earn more or get a second job or get a better paying job or whatever. (Obviously only to a point but stay with me). Also: your time does have value or it should since it is limited. What would you pay for an hour of your life "back"? Or an hour to do w…

> But for me, I am effectively paying some other person $40 to get dirty and bang his knuckles and whatnot while I sit in the AC and watch cable and dick around on my phone (which I enjoy much more) AND a lot of places will check and top up your other fluids and top off your tires and do an inspection to see if anything else will need work, which I don't know how to do and obviously they know what they are looking for.

While I understand the point you're trying to make for people wandering by:

I've done my own oil, brakes, etc for as long as I remember. As long as you're not working on a supercar an oil change should take you less than an hour. Ideally inside of 30 minutes. 99.9% of vehicles are simple: place oil bucket under car, open oil cap on engine, gently loosen the oil pan bolt, drain oil. While the oil is draining you can get a second bucket and undo the filter. Reverse the process being careful to not strip the oil pan bolt, fill it up with the manufacturer recommended amount, and you're done. At least in America most AutoZones, Pep Boys, O'Reilly's, etc will take your used oil off your hands for free. As for tire inspection, fill up, etc you should also be doing this yourself. It's another 10 minute job with a $5 tool. I'm of the opinion every home should own an air compressor. It is one of the most universally useful things a person can have.

Why is this important? Oil shops are rife with fraud. The quality of your oil can dramatically influence the life of your car. I've had quick lube places rip me off so many times, leave parts off, etc. For what? I saved 30 minutes but gained another expense. Most of the time unless the shop is very reputable "premium" oils aren't actually royal purple. It's just the same crap they put in everyone else's car. By not paying dealer/etc premiums I save hundreds of dollars and get far better quality oil and service doing it myself. This is a skill I picked up being extremely broke before I got into tech and I've dedicated a small portion of my life to being able to fix (most of) my own issues. To the point I only show up to a shop when I need work that requires an engine crane or transmission lift (I've done transmission work myself before but its worth it to make it someone else's problem).

Do your own oil. You do it once or twice a year, you understand your vehicle better, and you get better oil and filters for the money. Moreover, the average tech connects an ODB-2 alarm checker to your car and then writes you an invoice. Cars are not difficult. If spending 2-3 hours a year is too time-expensive for you I'm not sure what to tell you. I just hope you don't run into a situation far from home where a tow truck is 6 hours away and understanding your car could get you home safe and fast.

Re: Ask HN: Advice that changed your life?

#312

Post by oneoff786 »

PaulHoule wrote: post #175
jemmyw wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be fair to your mother, this particular advice and view was rampant when I grew up in the 80s/90s. My experience was that this is quite backwards. Physical altercations at school didn't hurt that much, but the name calling, social shunning and constant verbal put down was very painful and has affected my whole life.

I’d agree. I was hurt by bullying enough that if I had ever made it big I would have found the most outrageous bullying case I could find and try to sue a school district out of existence? Maybe if teachers thought they could lose their pension maybe they would put a stop to bullying.

Suing to threaten the pensions of underpaid teachers. Makin’ a difference in the world.

Re: Ask HN: Advice that changed your life?

#313

Post by erybodyknows »

nkrisc wrote: post #215
jemmyw wrote: post #125

After you've been lying or sitting and you get up and go for a wee, once done press up just behind your balls. Oftentimes that pushes out a big drip that was otherwise going to come out later once you had your pants done up. The best abstract advice I've been given is to say "I don't know" when I don't know. No waffle, no bullshit, no trying to save face. Saves a lot of time.

I’m going to go try this. If true, I won’t need my Calico Cut Pants anymore.

You gotta give.

https://getcalicocutpants.com/

Re: Ask HN: Advice that changed your life?

#314

Post by itronitron »

wccrawford wrote: post #76
mablopoule wrote: post #35

I've got a few that definitely had an impact on how I act, or perceive a situation. "Why did you do that?" "I don't know" "Then if you don't know why you're doing something, don't do it." I've heard this convo when I was a teenager, and I believe that it nudged me into having a bit more self-reflection and thoughtfulness than I would have otherwise. "When people say something to you, most of the time it means either…

One of the things that really makes me mad is telling someone not to do something stupid, and them replying, "But something has to be done!" No, it doesn't. Especially if it makes the situation worse.

"there is no situation so bad that it can't be made worse" -NASA

Re: Ask HN: Advice that changed your life?

#315

Post by bombcar »

jart wrote: post #223
javajosh wrote: post #203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ulam picked a strange place to stop zooming out. After all, E=mc^2 will be forgotten, too. Even now it is "forgotten" in the sense of not being understood by most of humanity. There is no static human achievement (scientific, artistic, or political) that survives into Deep Time. Consider that our most durable artifacts are the religious ones - some humans truly believe them to be otherworldly and precious beyond meas…

You talk about E=mc^2 like it was some kind of Mayan idol waiting for Indian Jones to uncover. In a way I guess that's true. But Einstein wasn't the one who placed it there, so if the knowledge is forgotten then that just means someone else will eventually get the thrill of discovery.

It’s less that it gets forgotten and more that it’s not really useful to the vast majority of people. Most people who “know” E=mc² have zero use for it.

But something like geometry has practical applications that continue even if people don’t know it by that name (most builders know the 3-4-5 triangle right angle trick, for example).

Re: Ask HN: Advice that changed your life?

#316

Post by javajosh »

annyeonghada wrote: post #247
chiefalchemist wrote: post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not to nitpick, but the words have no value. The value comes from what you or me assign to them. Certainly there are things in your past (or mine) that we heard and effectively ignored. But if heard again we'd laugh or cry. The point is, the meaning we attach to the words are literally in our heads. We determine the worlds they create. It's not the other way around.

Completely disagree. The "heaviness" of an insult is determined by various factors: how much you value the person holding that opinion, how much you want to be accepted, how many rejections you got through... We are not robots that can automatically choose to not care: in the past I was in the stoic camp, red Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Seneca and so on but now I recognize that that philosophy brought me lots of pain…

The insult is a signal that something is wrong in the world, and may require effort and attention, even if you aren't suffering because of the insult.

But no this isn't particularly useful to actual humans who are still (easily) overwhelmed to madness with reactive pain, and the stoics compassion feels like that shown by the (non-hysterical) passengers in that one Airplane! scene [0].

(It occurs to me that expressing cruelty toward those suffering from hysterics is more than mere sadism; it may be a legitimate coping mechanism with their own fear. Focusing the mind on something, even hatefully, can save the hater from their own fear that the world is completely out-of-control.)

0 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNkpIDBtC2c

Re: Ask HN: Advice that changed your life?

#317

Post by agentultra »

blitz_skull wrote: post #292
agentultra wrote: post #287

The world doesn't need fewer people, it needs smart people. This piece of advice started me on the path to deciding to have children. I was fairly adamant about being childless. This advice was given to me by a friend and it made me slightly less sure. It didn't convince me straight away but it was a start and I've never forgotten it. Completely changed my life in the end and much for the better.

I’d go a step further and say less than it needs smart people, the world needs loving people. You can be smart, selfish, hateful, and in general a negative value-add to society. You can also genuinely care for people, have a sub-par IQ, and not “accomplish much” and make a huge impact on many lives. As a corollary, if “all” you ever do is raise loving, empathetic children you’ve left the world a better place than you…

Totally agree.

I'm not being glib when I say that it was the best decision I ever made and has improved my life immensely.

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