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Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?
421–430 of 785 posts
Re: Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?
#422Podcasts! I was considering jobs on the buy-side and a friend recommended a couple of financial podcasts. Knowing that part of the interview would be about my financial style and what industry leaders I followed / read I had a strong incentive to give them a try. I quickly became hooked. More convenient during my (on-transit) commute than a book and there's such a vast range of topics available to keep you interested…
I got started with podcasts about a year ago. Great while I'm working on things I don't need to really focus on, walking the dog, driving, etc. Listing my financial ones: Marketplace Marketplace weekend Radical Personal Finance Slate Money Freakonomics Planet Money Non-financial ones: Parent Savers Intelligence Squared Intelligence Squared US HBR Ideacast Happier Serial Common Sense with Dan Carlin Dan Carlin's Hardc…
In addition to these,
Value Investing Podcast (John Mihaljevic) would be my top pick. The host can be slow so I tend to listen on 1.5x speed but the interviews are often fascinating.
InvestTalk I find more mixed but generally pretty solid round-up, usually gives me ideas for follow-up reading
Similar with The Investors Podcast, good introduction to some interesting people
LSE has some public lectures, also fairly broad range of topics (http://www.lse.ac.uk/newsAndMedia/videoAndAudio/channels/pub...)
Re: Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?
#423Earlier quoted context omitted.
My biggest problem with planners and to-do lists is I don't consult them. I've tried evernote, I've tried google notes, I used a Palm Pilot 20 years ago. I think technology is better for me because it's always available, but simply having a todo list doesn't cause me to remember to check it. I never think "hey, I'm bored, I wonder what's on the list!" Any advice?
Same problem, I never check any notes I write on a computer or phone. A physical planner for me is the way to go, I'm not sure why I tend to check it more often but I do. I also enjoy writing in it quite a bit more, I can draw diagrams or doodle if I feel like it. I bought a notebook with a dot grid for this reason.
Same here. Digital lists are never reviewed. I carry one or two scrap envelopes in my back pocket (or a skinny notebook) at all times with a list of things to do. In the morning, when I transfer my wallet, keys, and envelopes to the pants that I'll be wearing, I check my list and see what needs doing.
Re: Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?
#424Earlier quoted context omitted.
What about sweating?
It's summer here. Even so, in the morning it's cold. When I get back is hot but I arrive at home and take a shower. Then it depends on how you bike. Most people use a too low speed. This is like driving a car in first gear all the way to work. You will sweat. I use the highest gear comfortable. If it's too high my knees hurt. Another thing is to find a slow constant rhythm. Do no "accelerate" on a bike. You will use…
Interesting! Thank you.
Re: Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?
#4253 things for me: 1) Meditation, I used to think it was something hippies did. I now think its worth 10 IQ points. I honestly can't recommend it enough. 2) Sleep, I'm getting close to 40 and the last 2 times I pulled all nighters I ended up deleting pretty much all the code I wrote from 11pm onward. 3) Occasional Fasts. I normally fast from 6pm until noon the next day but I now do one 3 day fast each month. I think th…
Agree with all three, but #2 for me has now become the very important due an incident last week. I pulled an all nighter and next day rear ended a vehicle near a traffic signal because I dozed off for a second. The impact was minimal and no one was harmed. It was the first accident with my fault in 15 years of driving. I am approaching 40 and have 2 young kids. I cannot get my priorities wrong at this point. Many liv…
I'm glad you're alright and I wish you the best!
Re: Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?
#426Writing programs that people actually use. I was a hobbyist programmer for a long time. Then my father passed away, and I went through his computer and saw all these projects that would never see the light of day. That gave me the motivation to choose one project and see it through until it was good enough to have actual users. Programming is much more satisfying and meaningful now.
Did you finish that project yet? If so, would you mind sharing it?
It took two pivots to find a project I could "finish". I've been a math and science teacher for a long time, so my strongest projects are education-related. I spoke about a project that would allow people to write and maintain education standards on an open platform. People were really interested in that project, and it led to an invitation to write a book for No Starch Press. I outlined an intro Python book, and the proposal was accepted.
I spent two years writing, and Python Crash Course was published last fall. It's been really well received, which is tremendously satisfying. I've enjoyed the steady stream of emails from readers since it was published. Finishing the book has opened a number of doors, and it's fun to be working on a second career at this point. I like the mix of programming and writing.
No Starch Press page: https://www.nostarch.com/pythoncrashcourse
Amazon: amazon.com/Python-Crash-Course-Project-Based-Introduction/dp/1593276036/
Re: Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?
#427Earlier quoted context omitted.
I wish visual studio wasn't a requirement sometimes for writing C# - although it makes make it a decent experience.
Well, it isn't. But you need to have autocomplete for a better experience. There's Xamarin and other IDEs as well (I'm sure there's an Eclipse plugin but I wouldn't go there)
There's Project Rider in the making.
Xamarin Studio - based on my experience from about 4 months ago - is beyond awful at the moment
Re: Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?
#428Leave Texas and go to a real tech hub.
Where did you end up going?
Re: Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?
#4293 things for me: 1) Meditation, I used to think it was something hippies did. I now think its worth 10 IQ points. I honestly can't recommend it enough. 2) Sleep, I'm getting close to 40 and the last 2 times I pulled all nighters I ended up deleting pretty much all the code I wrote from 11pm onward. 3) Occasional Fasts. I normally fast from 6pm until noon the next day but I now do one 3 day fast each month. I think th…
my doctor friends believe that eating less is the secret to increasing life span I've heard this before and it makes some sense. Don't know how to reconcile it against my desire to get out of the 17-18 BMI pit I've been in, and put on some healthy muscle (which requires a lot of food).
BMI means little for an individual. As an example, there are several world class athletes with high BMIs; according to the CDC dedinitions, LeBron James is "overweight" with a BMI of 27.5, and Didier Defago (one of the best downhill skiers) has 29 which is bordering on obese (according to the definition).
Re: Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?
#430Earlier quoted context omitted.
Anecdotal, I was like you, extremely skeptical of meditation. Seriously, try it, it's free! Immediate benefits: * Clear, focused mind. I stop hopping from topic to topic in my mind "oh should I tidy the apartment, work on my website, etc etc" to a far more focused state. What you should do next is there with extreme clarity. You stop reading random junk on the internet too, and get down to it * Much better sleep (thi…
For those who are not familiar, or new to, meditation - I want to offer an alternative to "try not to have any thoughts". The reason why I never started meditating for a long time was because I felt it was too hard, and nearly impossible. Well... because it is very difficult. After years and years of meditating and practicing mindfulness, perhaps this is possible, but IMO not a good starting goal. I prefer to just be…
If you try headspace, (no affiliation) that's pretty much what they say to do.