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Ask HN: What's the most valuable thing you can learn in an hour?

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Re: Ask HN: What's the most valuable thing you can learn in an hour?

#841

Post by supernova87a »

maerF0x0 wrote: post #831

Your true hourly income (something like days worked * average hours - costs of your job) and then automate/outsource anything worth less than that so you can focus on increasing your income/salary. Hypothetical -- 240 days / year , 10hr days ("gotta hustle!") , + 2 hours of commuting, +30 mins of preparation you wouldnt do if it werent for your job ==> 3k hours per year. say you make 90k per year => $30 an hour. * Au…

Sorry, I disagree with many of these, especially if you make the mistake of thinking that the amount you get paid at work applies to your free time. Or at least, these kinds of decisions to outsource a task aren't so clear cut as the above makes it seem.

Also, some (I caveat, some) people who start to think their personal time is "billable" turn into insufferable jerks.

Most people cannot turn a random free hour into extra salary. And if you outsource all the things above, you may end up having learned nothing about how to live or relate and understand normal life.

You're not going to become a billionaire by doing this. Learn to do the things that you should do yourself, and judiciously outsource those that legit save you time and unnecessary mental exhaustion.

Re: Ask HN: What's the most valuable thing you can learn in an hour?

#843

Post by almog »

bfirsh wrote: post #799
unlinked_dll wrote: post #28

How to properly wrap cables. A/V and cable techs are super anal about this and it takes just a few minutes to learn, it will change your life. Cables should never be coiled in the same direction. It creates kinks when unwound and make it extremely likely for knots to form (ever leave your headphones in your pocket?). If a cable isn't being installed permanently it should be "wrapped" using a technique called "over-un…

+1 I did stage work when I was younger and this was one of the most valuable things I took away from it. Over-under is good for long, thick, delicate cables (e.g. mic/guitar cables). For shorter, thinner cables (e.g. USB cables) I use this technique: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXMG917XsvU I have done it so much I can now do it quickly without looking at my hands, so I just automatically do it before putting a ca…

Unless I missed a quick hand maneuver, the storage technique you demonstrate, while result in a neatly coiled cable, doesn't involve a counter clockwise twist for every clockwise one, thus creating tension in the cable. For thin cables (and guylines), the figure 8 coil is a better technique. It is just as fast to perform and each twist in the cable is canceled out by a twist in the other direction thus creating less tension in the sheath, and potentially extend the cable lifetime by introducing less inner breakage points.

Here is an example for how I store guylines attached to my tarp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PicTsgj5lA

Re: Ask HN: What's the most valuable thing you can learn in an hour?

#844

Post by almog »

almog wrote: post #312
unlinked_dll wrote: post #28

How to properly wrap cables. A/V and cable techs are super anal about this and it takes just a few minutes to learn, it will change your life. Cables should never be coiled in the same direction. It creates kinks when unwound and make it extremely likely for knots to form (ever leave your headphones in your pocket?). If a cable isn't being installed permanently it should be "wrapped" using a technique called "over-un…

The principle that induce this technique is that every time you create a loop in one direction of a cable, you twist the cable, the exact same twist that would have occurred if you held a cable with both hands and twisted one side (as if you were squeezing water out of wet cloth. This technique as well as figure 8 with I use on guylines (when hiking with my tarp), create a counter clockwise twist for every clockwise…

An example of that technique: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PicTsgj5lA

Re: Ask HN: What's the most valuable thing you can learn in an hour?

#845

Post by filoleg »

RobertRoberts wrote: post #176

How to cook for yourself, really, really good food. I no longer crave restaurant food, and all of the really important things I learned about cooking take just the time to read it, hear about it and then try it. All without any special hardware. A few examples: 1. Cooking jasmine rice: rinse it first, 1 c. water to 1 c. rice ratio. Bring to boil, turn down heat to lowest setting. Leave lid /the entire time/. Fluff th…

4. tsp = teaspoon or tablespoon?

Re: Ask HN: What's the most valuable thing you can learn in an hour?

#846

Post by reubenswartz »

52-6F-62 wrote: post #780
reubenswartz wrote: post #730

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is so important. I don't know if you can "learn to cook" in an hour, but you can probably drive to the store, buy some vegetables, come home, and make a great salad with an awesome homemade vinaigrette dressing in less than an hour. I try to eat fairly healthy, but having a salad that's easy to make that I actually crave (oh no, I've turned into an old person) most days at lunch is amazing. It's fast, and I have…

I regularly make my own dressing as well! I have a few basic recipes—most are pretty much the same as yours. One I like in the summer especially is a really simple one: + 2 parts olive oil + 1 part honey (try and make it good wildflower or clover honey) + 1 part squeezed lemon juice (add some zest as well if you're feeling energetic—I hate cleaning graters) + Salt & pepper to taste

I actually started with a bit of honey and removed it after some experimentation. Figure any time I can avoid adding sugar and like the taste as much or more, I should take advantage. ;-) I'm with you the cleaning graters-- too lazy for that... Depending on what's in the salad, I'll adjust the proportions, or even throw in some turmeric, paprika, or sautéed garlic.

Re: Ask HN: What's the most valuable thing you can learn in an hour?

#847

Post by glofish »

ryanschneider wrote: post #402
koliber wrote: post #338

Understanding compound interest thoroughly. Compound interest is probably the most powerful "force" governing out lives. It is crucial when borrowing money, especially for longer terms. It is crucial when saving and investing. It is crucial in self-development, where a tiny 5% improvement in some area of your life per year can mean that you are twice as good at something in 15 years. It is important when evaluating a…

I think a seriously overlooked application of this principle is in nutrition and dieting. Over- or under- eating by a small percentage of your required intake might not have a discernible effect immediately but really adds up over time, both for weight loss and gain.

It is not how it works at all.

The fallacy here is that a human body is a machine with well-defined intake and output.

How would one even know what is "exactly" the right amount?

Over a year we consume 1 million calories. If one were just 0.1% off of systematically eating more (or less) than required then according to your model one would end up being 200 pounds fatter or 200 pounds leaner ... do you think that anyone can regulate up to 0.1% accuracy to what they actually need?

eating a little more or less has absolutely not discernible effect the body adapts to it.

Re: Ask HN: What's the most valuable thing you can learn in an hour?

#848

Post by reubenswartz »

sailfast wrote: post #796
reubenswartz wrote: post #730

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is so important. I don't know if you can "learn to cook" in an hour, but you can probably drive to the store, buy some vegetables, come home, and make a great salad with an awesome homemade vinaigrette dressing in less than an hour. I try to eat fairly healthy, but having a salad that's easy to make that I actually crave (oh no, I've turned into an old person) most days at lunch is amazing. It's fast, and I have…

If I only had an hour, i'd focus on a simple intros of really fundamental techniques kinda like the OP indicated, and not necessarily cooking everything in that time. Knife skills. Keep them sharp. Mise en place. The importance of salt and pepper. Searing techniques for cooking meat and how not to do it. Roasting vegetables 101. The basics of finishing pastas and reducing sauces. The fact that you can make your own d…

Love The Food Lab. (And I think my grilled cheese is pretty decent, at least according to my kids, which is saying something.) ;-) Agree with everything you are saying here, but I'll add that salads often have a bad reputation (I avoided them for years), but I can't think of an easier, healthier, more enjoyable thing to eat, assuming you can get good ingredients.

Re: Ask HN: What's the most valuable thing you can learn in an hour?

#849

Post by 0xffff2 »

maccard wrote: post #387
sjapkee wrote: post #292

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Mindfulness meditation Absolutely useless thing which for some reason is shoved into each thread.

Rather than dismissing the parents comment, would you tell us why you find it useless and add to the discussion? Personally I found mindfulness to be helpful in unwinding, and I've found that my concentration levels are generally higher than they were before I started using it. It may not be the most efficient technique, but it's been a benefit for many people, me included.

Not GP, but I sympathize with their sentiment. I think I'm generally pretty "mindful", but I've tried meditation probably half a dozen points in my life (each for a week+) and it has never felt like anything but a waste of time to me. I really don't know how to express it in any more detail, it simply didn't feel like I had accomplished anything of value with that time.

Re: Ask HN: What's the most valuable thing you can learn in an hour?

#850

Post by MarkSweep »

giardini wrote: post #699
MarkSweep wrote: post #223

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree, and it's pretty easy to get started. My pallet is pretty easily amused, so take this with a grain of salt, but there all kinds of fun optimization problems and achievements to unlock with cooking. For example, given the random contents of a refrigerator, make some sort of meal out of what is available. For example, I recently had a cabbage and an onion and some chicken left over. With a little ginger paste a…

Marksweep says: "My pallet is pretty easily amused" I'm fairly certain it is your palate , rather than your pallet , that is amused! (although the visual image conjured by your verbal construction is very amusing.)

I knew I was going to regret not double checking the spelling on that, haha.
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