Ask HN: What did you learn the hard way? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: What did you learn the hard way?

#71

Post by madeuptempacct » Wed, Oct 03, 2018, 6:25 PM UTC

AuthorizedCust wrote: post #54

csours wrote: post #12

There are (at least) 3 sides to exercise: Strength, Cardio, and Stretching. They are each at least as important as the others. Go to the dentist. Even if you have great teeth.

Stretching is probably mostly hype. E.g., https://www.painscience.com/articles/stretching.php

Tell that to gymnasts and martial artists. I have seen the "science" of this over the years, but I have also seen the practical fact that it's absolutely unavoidable.

Re: Ask HN: What did you learn the hard way?

#72

Post by dver » Wed, Oct 03, 2018, 6:26 PM UTC

artificial wrote: post #24

Always make backups. The little bit of time it takes will be a life saver if anything transpires unexpected. Oh and don't deploy on Fridays.

Added corollary, Always test restore your backup, it's the best example of schrodinger's cat.

Re: Ask HN: What did you learn the hard way?

#73

Post by enf » Wed, Oct 03, 2018, 6:27 PM UTC

Never move from a neighborhood you like to one you don't like, because you'll never be able to get back in.

Re: Ask HN: What did you learn the hard way?

#74

Post by xkcd-sucks » Wed, Oct 03, 2018, 6:27 PM UTC

Corporate politics is just as much a thing in startups as it is in large companies, and owners are just as likely to screw over their employees (or more likely, when it comes to equity).

Kind of like politics and petty concerns are a big thing in academia too.

Re: Ask HN: What did you learn the hard way?

#75

Post by fhood » Wed, Oct 03, 2018, 6:30 PM UTC

schen57 wrote: post #18

Documentation is like sex. If it is good, it is good. If it is bad it is good

"Our code is self-documenting. If you need documentation then the code isn't written well enough"

-Assholes who don't know what it is like to work with mature code bases.

Re: Ask HN: What did you learn the hard way?

#76

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Oct 03, 2018, 6:32 PM UTC

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: What did you learn the hard way?

#77

Post by kichik » Wed, Oct 03, 2018, 6:32 PM UTC

A company is a company, not a family. It's about making money, not about relationships. For better or worse, it's never really personal.

Re: Ask HN: What did you learn the hard way?

#78

Post by RickS » Wed, Oct 03, 2018, 6:32 PM UTC

polpenn wrote: post #44

Life, by default, is suffering. The surprise is not the fact that there is suffering around the world, but how we managed to achieve the level of prolonged peaceful co-existence that we have today. We should act in such a way that suffering or chaos is reduced---however small such reduction may be. Suppose you had a choice between watching T.V. and washing the dishes. Watching T.V. means, perhaps, that your spouse wi…

That's a cool example. I totally agree with your underlying premise. It's about playing the long game, and working to build a life enriching enough that it's worthwhile in the face of suffering, rather than playing short games that attempt to weasel away from the places suffering might be.

One of the most interesting things to me in the past few years is that this core idea seems to exist in hundreds of different places and forms, and every culture and person has a slightly different set of abstractions for it. But there's an awesome universality to it.

A lot of times the people I know who live by the bible and the people I know who live by stoic principles are building roads to the same place, each thinking they're on a journey that only their path can provide.

Re: Ask HN: What did you learn the hard way?

#79

Post by stuxnet79 » Wed, Oct 03, 2018, 6:34 PM UTC

winkywooster wrote: post #61

How to run.. After I first started running and losing some weight, I became enthusiastic about it. Then with the notions of 'more is better' and 'no pain, no gain', I cranked up the mileage and pushed through the pain. But I learned a hard lesson when I tore a calf muscle. Since then I've learned that form and technique, consistent and gradually harder practice, and getting expert help are necessary to really learn s…

I have to say the same. Especially when it comes to weight training and running. I've developed some issues with my hip and I suspect it's due to running (badly). Bad weight training pretty much wrecked my upper body. How long did it take you to recover from your torn calf muscle? That sounds intense.

Re: Ask HN: What did you learn the hard way?

#80

Post by Humdeee » Wed, Oct 03, 2018, 6:34 PM UTC

schen57 wrote: post #18

Documentation is like sex. If it is good, it is good. If it is bad it is good

And it extends far beyond comments in source code. Don't be that person who people have to run to because he/she keeps everything in their head. It's not job security. Take some time and write things down for your future self and team members.