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How to Take a Walk

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Re: How to Take a Walk

#141

Post by kscaldef »

smutticus wrote: post #74
timknauf wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Woah, we've had some 'pack 'em in' zoning here in New Zealand but I've never seen anything where they left out footpaths entirely. Has anyone got a representative Google street view link for SW Portland or something similar? (And is this really quite common across the US?)

This is the American suburbia I know best. Falls Church VA. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&#38... Portland is not a good example of American urban planning gone awry. As it's probably one of the most sensible cities in the US. And yes, unfortunately neighborhoods without sidewalks are all too common in American suburbs.

> Portland is not a good example of American urban planning gone awry. As it's probably one of the most sensible cities in the US.

Mostly, but there's really 2 Portlands. Downtown & the eastside are dense, mostly flat, walkable and with excellent public transit. The west side is hilly, mostly suburban, and generally neither walking nor transit friendly.

Re: How to Take a Walk

#143

Post by petrichor »

kristiandupont wrote: post #142

I am reminded of Steve Pavlina's article "Go for a Presence Walk". I have submitted it here: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1592732 He takes walks with 100% attention to the immediate sensual inputs. It's basically a kind of meditation.

"100% attention to the immediate sensual inputs"! that's the geekiest description of meditation that i have ever heard. in other words: awesome.

walking meditation what it is usually called, but i love the term "presence walk".

Re: How to Take a Walk

#144

Post by briancooley »

reneky wrote: post #67
techiferous wrote: post #27

I took a stand-up comedy course a couple of years ago. I found out that it takes a long time to come up with material. You can't just sit down and start writing jokes. They come when they are ready and you'd better be ready to write them down. When I had some time in the evenings to come up with material I would sit at home without much inspiration. However, I found that when I walked to the convenience store to get…

Turns out it's easier to let your mind wander if you're busy with a simple activity, like walking: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/29/science/29tier.html

My favorite is juggling. I learned how recently after someone on HN posted a link to a Youtube video. At first I found it required a lot of concentration, but now it just takes my mind off coding for a few minutes during a break and it gives my wrists a little stretch away from the keyboard.

Re: How to Take a Walk

#145

Post by dlnovell »

smutticus wrote: post #73
jonsen wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Observe things. ... , look around. Also look up. In city streets there are things to see above the horizontal plane we strongly tend to confine our view to.

No one ever looks up. No really. No one ever looks up. I used to have a balcony over a very crowded alley with constant foot traffic. I would stand there quietly and watch people think they were alone in this alley all the time. Drunk people were the best. One corner of the alley was constantly getting pee'd in so they installed a metal skirt that bounced the pee back on the pee'r. You could watch drunk people pee in…

hahaha, that's hilarious.

1) It doesn't solve the problem at all as the drunks don't even notice the deterrent 2) If the drunks were aware enough to notice, they could simply pee at an angle to avoid backsplash - but I imagine they'd be too drunk to think of that simple solution

Re: How to Take a Walk

#146

Post by mhartl »

simonw wrote: post #51
neilk wrote: post #31

Tangent, on "having a life". I met a woman from New York who was visiting SF. We both had been to Burning Man. She expressed her distaste at how much time San Franciscans spend on their art projects. According to her, New Yorkers "have a life". So, that bar conversation ended pretty quickly. But later on I got to thinking about it. There might be positive senses of "having a life", but I think she meant it in the mor…

I get really infuriated by the phrase "too much time on their hands", when used to dismiss acts of creativity (like building a model of the Eiffel tower out of match sticks). At least they weren't watching TV.

I got this reaction from a few people after the Tau Manifesto came out (http://tauday.com/). The thing is, I don't have too much time on my hands; taking a week off to write and launch the Tau Manifesto was expensive. And yet, it's clearly the awesomest thing I've ever done, and I haven't regretted it for a nanosecond.

P.S. I also, from time to time, enjoy watching TV. Don't judge. ;-)

Re: How to Take a Walk

#147

Post by philwelch »

vgr wrote: post #116
brianpan wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disliked the part where he assumes he can tell where someone is born by looking at them. :( I wonder if he thinks he looks like a native-born or an immigrant?

I am sorry that part offended you, but I usually can, with pretty good accuracy. There are studies (see Robert Levine, "Geography of Time") that use normal walking pace as a very characteristic indicator of geographic origin. The FBI caught Adolf Eichmann in Argentina partly because they noticed his dissonant walking pace :) Venkat

As far as I know the FBI didn't catch Eichmann in Argentina at all--the Mossad did.

Re: How to Take a Walk

#148

Post by enf »

timknauf wrote: post #66
nhebb wrote: post #30

I grew up in a SW Portland neighborhood with no sidewalks. The road shoulders were narrow, unsafe, and often muddy. I never saw people out for leisure walks. It just wasn't enjoyable. Now I live in the outskirts of Portland, in a place with modern suburbs grown up around a quaint old town. Sidewalks are everywhere. I take walks all the time, and I see other people out for walks daily. It's seems like common sense tha…

Woah, we've had some 'pack 'em in' zoning here in New Zealand but I've never seen anything where they left out footpaths entirely. Has anyone got a representative Google street view link for SW Portland or something similar? (And is this really quite common across the US?)

It's not even all that rare to lack sidewalks within traditional city limits. The street where I grew up had sidewalks, but here is Street View of the street a block away, which does not: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&#38...

The area was built up in the 1920s, and apparently at the time it was left to the homeowners on each block whether they wanted to pay for sidewalk construction. Most blocks paid for it but the homeowners on this street did not.

Re: How to Take a Walk

#149

Post by metageek »

prs wrote: post #54

I love the energizing effect a walk can have on my mind. What I also love is to have a smartphone and a notebook with me. This allows me to quickly jot down notes and thoughts once I get kissed by a muse.

A møøse bit my sister once.

Re: How to Take a Walk

#150

Post by vgr »

philwelch wrote: post #147
vgr wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am sorry that part offended you, but I usually can, with pretty good accuracy. There are studies (see Robert Levine, "Geography of Time") that use normal walking pace as a very characteristic indicator of geographic origin. The FBI caught Adolf Eichmann in Argentina partly because they noticed his dissonant walking pace :) Venkat

As far as I know the FBI didn't catch Eichmann in Argentina at all--the Mossad did.

ah, I stand corrected. this is a hazy memory from a Reader's Digest condensed book I read 20 years ago titled "I captured Adolf Eichmann" ... can't seem to find a ref to it anywhere online now.
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