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Ask HN: What things do you wish you discovered earlier?

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Re: Ask HN: What things do you wish you discovered earlier?

#161

Post by jfe1234 »

donatj wrote: post #132
ian0 wrote: post #131

Hard Sci-fi. Holy crap it just overdelivers. In addition to entertainment, a way to take my mind off things, it also delivers context to daily life and keeps me focussed on trying to deliver something truly worthwhile.

Any recommendations? I’ve read a ton of Arthur C. Clarke in my teens, I’d love to branch out.

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu, and the other two in the trilogy too. Hard, but accessible. I've never read a series so dense with cool and believable ideas that are unlike much I had come across before.

The Reality Dysfunction by Pete F. Hamilton (and the rest of the series). If you want something a bit more traditional in form. More sex, violence and so on.

Ach, loads of others. Roadside Picnic really stuck with me too. Though might not be what most people would call 'hard sci-fi', not sure.

Re: Ask HN: What things do you wish you discovered earlier?

#162

Post by jfe1234 »

mkl wrote: post #143
donatj wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any recommendations? I’ve read a ton of Arthur C. Clarke in my teens, I’d love to branch out.

Andy Weir - The Martian . Possibly the most well researched science fiction book I've ever read. Well worth reading even if you've seen the movie, since that leaves out about half the things that go wrong and the large majority of the technical details. Andy Weir - Artemis . Weir managed to figure out a way for a city on the moon to make economic sense, while physics makes it almost impossible. Neal Stephenson - Seve…

Seveneves is great as are Snow Crash and Anathem by the same author. Anathem has a lovely epic feel. Tough read though!

Re: Ask HN: What things do you wish you discovered earlier?

#163

Post by dhimes »

bobbean wrote: post #56

No amount of telling yourself you're happy will make you happy. You can't just "make yourself happy", it's a side effect of other things you do in your life.

Just keep in mind that there is a difference between happiness and pleasure. There are unpleasurable things, such as helping at a homeless shelter and such, can bring you happiness. On the other hand, there are pleasurable things that can lead to unhappiness.

The Dalai Lama makes this point.

Re: Ask HN: What things do you wish you discovered earlier?

#164

Post by mkl »

jfe1234 wrote: post #162
mkl wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Andy Weir - The Martian . Possibly the most well researched science fiction book I've ever read. Well worth reading even if you've seen the movie, since that leaves out about half the things that go wrong and the large majority of the technical details. Andy Weir - Artemis . Weir managed to figure out a way for a city on the moon to make economic sense, while physics makes it almost impossible. Neal Stephenson - Seve…

Seveneves is great as are Snow Crash and Anathem by the same author. Anathem has a lovely epic feel. Tough read though!

I haven't read Anathem yet. Stephenson's Cryptonomicon and The Diamond Age are also excellent, but getting away from hard sci fi.

Re: Ask HN: What things do you wish you discovered earlier?

#165

Post by mkl »

jfe1234 wrote: post #161
donatj wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any recommendations? I’ve read a ton of Arthur C. Clarke in my teens, I’d love to branch out.

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu, and the other two in the trilogy too. Hard, but accessible. I've never read a series so dense with cool and believable ideas that are unlike much I had come across before. The Reality Dysfunction by Pete F. Hamilton (and the rest of the series). If you want something a bit more traditional in form. More sex, violence and so on. Ach, loads of others. Roadside Picnic really stuck wi…

Hamilton is great, but more space opera than hard sci fi. The Commonwealth Saga is amazing.

Re: Ask HN: What things do you wish you discovered earlier?

#166

Post by jfe1234 »

mkl wrote: post #165
jfe1234 wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu, and the other two in the trilogy too. Hard, but accessible. I've never read a series so dense with cool and believable ideas that are unlike much I had come across before. The Reality Dysfunction by Pete F. Hamilton (and the rest of the series). If you want something a bit more traditional in form. More sex, violence and so on. Ach, loads of others. Roadside Picnic really stuck wi…

Hamilton is great, but more space opera than hard sci fi. The Commonwealth Saga is amazing.

Yeah I guess that is true. I think in my mind 'hard sci-fi' is more of a trait than a sub genre. Actually now I think about I think maybe purist hard sci-fi fans might not be very big on Peter F. Hamilton. Greg Bear would have probably been a better bet for an extra recommendation!

Re: Ask HN: What things do you wish you discovered earlier?

#167

Post by dcchambers »

My love for "preppy" sports like Golf and Tennis. Growing up I ignored those things because I felt like they were exclusively for boring rich people. I got my first taste of golf after college at a fundraiser that I reluctantly agreed to attend only because a friend was hosting - and I loved it instantly. I started playing Tennis because there is a public park with courts just a few blocks from my house - and I love that too.

Yoga. Another thing that I always assumed was for rich suburban moms and I didn't need to bother with. In my youth that might have been true, but the body ages poorly if you don't take care of it. Yoga is a fantastic way to be mindful/meditate and stretch/exercise.

TL;DR - Don't be so quick to judge that which you have not tried.

I wonder how many other things I have ignored throughout my life because I associated them with some preconvieved belief or stereotype.

Re: Ask HN: What things do you wish you discovered earlier?

#168

Post by AlchemistCamp »

I wish I'd really discovered programming before I did. Though, I'd been reading about it, messing with Excel, WP blogs and nibbling at the edges for my entire adult life, it wasn't until my mid 30s that I really got into programming.

It wasn't an easy mid-career move, but it's greatly improved my life options and can only imagine where I'd be now if I'd spent my 20s learning computer languages instead of human ones.

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