Ask HN: What things have richly rewarded the time invested in mastering them? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: What things have richly rewarded the time invested in mastering them?

#411

Post by dolguldur » Sat, Sep 29, 2018, 9:15 PM UTC

refurb wrote: post #276

petra wrote: post #204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How long did it take you to learn ? And can you really beat the index funds, as a layman investor, and how big is the difference ?

Probably a couple months by reading a few key books and following up to understand the specifics. And no, I went with an index investment strategy, not trying to beat the market. But it really helps to understand why index investing is a good choice.

I wonder what to read to understand how the fact that so much money is invested in index funds these days could eventually become a problem in a crisis situation and how to profit if that happens.

Re: Ask HN: What things have richly rewarded the time invested in mastering them?

#412

Post by defterGoose » Sat, Sep 29, 2018, 9:17 PM UTC

neya wrote: post #160

nicoburns wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oo, this is something I'm pretty interested in getting into (I love good sound systems, and enjoy building physical things). Do you have any pointers on where to find information on how to design speakers / pick sensible component combinations?

Sure. Books: There are many technical books, some are so complex in their wordings that you'd feel like giving up even before you start. The best book I've found that's short and sweet (but requires a little bit of math background) is this one: https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Building-Testing-Speaker-Pr... Courses: Coursera has an Audio Engineering course which the professor explains in really crisp detail. It's fro…

I'll piggyback on this comment to recommend (no affiliation) twistedpearaudio.com

Awesome little company with great kits for people into building HiFi gear

Re: Ask HN: What things have richly rewarded the time invested in mastering them?

#413

Post by WalterBright » Sat, Sep 29, 2018, 9:18 PM UTC

Learning to touch type properly. A short course I took in the summer pays off every time I use a keyboard, which is all day.

The other one was a summer course in basic accounting that taught the basics of double-entry bookkeeping, balance sheets, and income statements. That has paid off literally, ongoing, and well. Very good investment of time.

Re: Ask HN: What things have richly rewarded the time invested in mastering them?

#414

Post by skyisblue » Sat, Sep 29, 2018, 9:18 PM UTC

Mediatation.

I’ve been meditating daily using the app Headspace for the past 3 months and have seen improvements in my focus and a reduction in anxiety.

My mind would previously wonder off in meetings and I would miss a lot of the discussion, but with meditation I’ve noticed that I’m alot more focused and my mind doesn’t wander off as much.

I’ve also felt alot happier and less anxious, as meditation has allowed me to notice my thoughts and feelings and let go of those that are negative.

Re: Ask HN: What things have richly rewarded the time invested in mastering them?

#415

Post by cstanton » Sat, Sep 29, 2018, 9:21 PM UTC

My marriage.

No one else in my life has my back, protects my confidence, and shares this wild adventure like my wife does. We have invested a LOT of time and money into getting better at overcoming disagreements, digging deeper into what is actually causing a rift between us, defining the company we want to keep, etc.

We are both athiests, so we didn’t have access to church or religious marital counciling (probably for the best). We took it upon ourselves to study all we can, to treat our marriage as a foundation to improve our self-awareness and help each other see their blind spots.

Some education that has been helpful: - Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg. Great foundational book. His other book “Speaking Peace” is a how-to manual for conflict resolution between warring communities/tribes/nations. Both are VERY powerful and cheap. Both have audiobooks.

- Wired for Love by Stan Tatkin. Great book about building a foundation in a partnership.

- “Deep Psychology of Intimate Relationships” course (DPIR) from RelationshipSchool.net and the free “Smart Couple Podcast.” DPIR is a “masters degree” in building a rock solid partnership, and the podcast offers some great ongoing commentary. What secular relationship books or courses or events do you recommend?

Re: Ask HN: What things have richly rewarded the time invested in mastering them?

#416

Post by dang » Sat, Sep 29, 2018, 9:22 PM UTC

mmirate wrote: post #386

noblethrasher wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because doing so desensitizes you to the pain and suffering of others. Maybe a society full of sociopaths can get along just fine, but I'd rather not run that experiment.

Why not? Afraid they'll actually get things done instead of faffing about with thefts and handouts and bureaucracy?

At this point you're trolling. Please stop.

Please review https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and follow the rules when posting here.

Re: Ask HN: What things have richly rewarded the time invested in mastering them?

#417

Post by dang » Sat, Sep 29, 2018, 9:23 PM UTC

mmirate wrote: post #84

Why is it necessary to truly avoid exploiting the other party, instead of merely maintaining for them an illusion that they're not being exploited?

We detached this subthread from https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18099434 and marked it off-topic.

Re: Ask HN: What things have richly rewarded the time invested in mastering them?

#418

Post by alexcnwy » Sat, Sep 29, 2018, 9:26 PM UTC

beamatronic wrote: post #117

mmirate wrote: post #84

Why is it necessary to truly avoid exploiting the other party, instead of merely maintaining for them an illusion that they're not being exploited?

That’s a really interesting question to consider. If a business uses your skills to make a profit are you being exploited? Does it make a difference if you get free lunch, massages, $300k salary, RSUs? Are you still being exploited? Where’s the line...

Also remember businesses are taking risk - they may fail in making a profit but your income is (barring them going bankrupt) risk-free.

Profit is the risk premium.

Re: Ask HN: What things have richly rewarded the time invested in mastering them?

#419

Post by jarekdziedzic » Sat, Sep 29, 2018, 9:26 PM UTC

galfarragem wrote: post #113

monster_group wrote: post #55

Learning Sanskrit. I have spent the last few years learning it and it's been tremendously rewarding. Sanskrit is a beautiful language. Learning it is a great mental challenge and gives great satisfaction (to me). Before learning Sanskrit I had never really pursued a hobby this seriously. Since I have been doing this I no longer feel like a machine who just goes to work, eats and sleeps. Before this, I used to feel gr…

I would say, knowing any foreign language, is a very rewarding skill. I'm not a 'natural' regarding language learning - I've to push it - but it definitely pays. In my case is Slavic languages with emphasis on Polish. It's a long-term hobby.

As a native, this is the first time I hear of someone learning Polish as a foreign language as a hobby, as opposed to having a partner or a job in Poland. This must be hard work. I am happy it works for you as a hobby :-)

Re: Ask HN: What things have richly rewarded the time invested in mastering them?

#420

Post by observr9 » Sat, Sep 29, 2018, 9:26 PM UTC

Software Development interview questions. My skills, experience and education don't seem to matter as much in the industry. Those questions were the single factor that got me better jobs and increased my salary several times, the effects of which extend to myself and my family.

I don't even like the questions. They're mostly puzzles, which I'm not good at, in the guise of programming questions.