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Ask HN: What Skills to Acquire in 2020?

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Re: Ask HN: What Skills to Acquire in 2020?

#71

Post by agumonkey »

yaman12 wrote: post #19

Learn a another human language. You don’t have to be good at it or even able to converse. Languages are systems of thinking as much as they are systems of communication. Some thoughts only make sense in a given language! The process of learning a language builds cognitive skills and perhaps fights cognitive decline. If you have absolutely no “ear” for human language start with Esperanto and work your way to additiona…

I only ever try reading latin. It does massage my brain.. the order of words, the way ideas combine slightly differently at many layers.. it does tickle the brain deeply.

Even knowing alphabet (cyrillic is "fun" one) does stimulate.

Re: Ask HN: What Skills to Acquire in 2020?

#72

Post by agumonkey »

miganga wrote: post #28
kerkeslager wrote: post #9

Starting conversations with strangers. Squat and deadlift. Eating healthier. Doing something kind for someone else every day. Honesty. Listening to people you disagree with. Driving safer (this is the most dangerous thing we do on a regular basis). Meditation.

Learn to accept death and read the myth of sysphus if you haven't read.

Right now I'm spending more time budget on learning about senolytics

Re: Ask HN: What Skills to Acquire in 2020?

#73

Post by aratakareigen »

vasco wrote: post #59

Some less usual things people do that I think are very high value but boring (hence why they're not usually done): - Understanding taxes, the importance of savings and baseline personal finance literacy. - Reading the political programs of a few parties running for elections in you country - Reading a few yearly report / financial statements for a public company, an NGO/non-profit/state agency/local government and tr…

> Reading a few top research papers in a field you're interested in and work through them

Why reading a research paper rather than the more standard approach of reading a textbook?

Re: Ask HN: What Skills to Acquire in 2020?

#75

Post by balfirevic »

vasco wrote: post #59

Some less usual things people do that I think are very high value but boring (hence why they're not usually done): - Understanding taxes, the importance of savings and baseline personal finance literacy. - Reading the political programs of a few parties running for elections in you country - Reading a few yearly report / financial statements for a public company, an NGO/non-profit/state agency/local government and tr…

> Reading the political programs of a few parties running for elections in you country

I too recommend reading more fiction in 2020! (Sorry, I was just a little bit struck with how little this would matter in some countries, mine included).

Re: Ask HN: What Skills to Acquire in 2020?

#78

Post by aratakareigen »

ak39 wrote: post #66
kerkeslager wrote: post #9

Starting conversations with strangers. Squat and deadlift. Eating healthier. Doing something kind for someone else every day. Honesty. Listening to people you disagree with. Driving safer (this is the most dangerous thing we do on a regular basis). Meditation.

“Honesty” a skill?

For many lying is already a deeply ingrained habit, and for them honesty will take practice.

Re: Ask HN: What Skills to Acquire in 2020?

#79

Post by melling »

aczerepinski wrote: post #60
yaman12 wrote: post #19

Learn a another human language. You don’t have to be good at it or even able to converse. Languages are systems of thinking as much as they are systems of communication. Some thoughts only make sense in a given language! The process of learning a language builds cognitive skills and perhaps fights cognitive decline. If you have absolutely no “ear” for human language start with Esperanto and work your way to additiona…

Can anybody recommend a good app to learn another language?

I wrote a couple iOS apps to help learn 100 words in several languages.

Hundred Words: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/hundred-words/id1469449237

Language Pairs: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/language-pairs/id1438817614?...

DuoLingo is probably the most widely used app.

https://www.duolingo.com/

Get somewhat proficient in basic vocabulary then travel. Immersion is the best way to learn but it helps to know some basic vocabulary.

Re: Ask HN: What Skills to Acquire in 2020?

#80

Post by hluska »

phowat wrote: post #62
kerkeslager wrote: post #9

Starting conversations with strangers. Squat and deadlift. Eating healthier. Doing something kind for someone else every day. Honesty. Listening to people you disagree with. Driving safer (this is the most dangerous thing we do on a regular basis). Meditation.

From this list, the thing I struggle most with is conversations with strangers. Any suggestions on how to improve that?

Here’s a neat trick. When you’re at a party, meetup or other social event, don’t approach people standing alone. Instead, approach people in groups of two, say hello (or give a quick little glass tink ‘cheers’) and introduce yourself. A large large amount of the time, one of those two people want OUT of the conversation and you’ll be that out.

That’s a great low risk drill to get started. It’s low risk because it works and you’re in an environment where respectful interruptions like that are acceptable. Good luck and if you get stuck, feel free to reach out.

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