Live data from Hacker News

68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice

kk.org

31–40 of 286 posts

Re: 68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice

#31

This page really is a goldmine. In the spirit of not being afraid to ask stupid questions, I don't understand a couple of them - anyone care to explain? > When you die you take absolutely nothing with you except your reputation. Is this saying that your reputation dies with you? I don't get this, surely people will remember how you acted when you were alive. I'm probably taking it too literally. > Don’t ever respond…

>> Don’t ever respond to a solicitation or a proposal on the phone. The urgency is a disguise.

> A disguise for what?

I think:

Something not quite right or something worse.

It's easier to get away with things when they aren't face to face. People often know when they are trying to get away with something and leak the truth or information about the truth in body language.

Also it is quicker to communicate over the phone. If they are desperate they can deliver a proposal( ask for stuff?) over the phone within a quicker time frame.

Re: 68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice

#32

> Learn how to take a 20-minute power nap without embarrassment I've found the lockdown great for trying this - a run, lunch then 15 minutes on the sofa. It's like rebooting the day.

Another unsolicited advice, from a 40yo this time: do not use alarm clocks to wake up. The pressure shifts to the evening because you have to go to sleep early if you want to wake up early.

And then it magically happens that you sleep as much as you need. Being a long time supporter of naps I find myself not doing them at all.

Of course this applies only if you have flexible hours to work, don't have appointments, etc.

Re: 68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice

#33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why? Are you American? The European powers have won many land wars in Asia over the centuries.

Nothing in recent history; you're probably thinking of the colonizers, there was a much bigger power and technology skew back then. And I'm mainly thinking of India there; they only really managed to colonize Hong Kong in China for example. disclaimer: not a history buff

In China you have Macau, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tianjin and Kunming were all either explicitly or implicitly under the control of European Powers and those are just the one's off the top of my head, then you have Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Borneo, Myanmar, Singapore (the list goes on and we are only in East Asia) that were all under Western control until the 20th century

Re: 68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice

#34

This page really is a goldmine. In the spirit of not being afraid to ask stupid questions, I don't understand a couple of them - anyone care to explain? > When you die you take absolutely nothing with you except your reputation. Is this saying that your reputation dies with you? I don't get this, surely people will remember how you acted when you were alive. I'm probably taking it too literally. > Don’t ever respond…

> When you die you take absolutely nothing with you except your reputation.

The opposite. When you die, you don't take anything material with you. No money, no assets, nothing. Your own personal experience dies with you as well.

The only thing that doesn't die is how people will remember you.

It's also a hidden paradox. You might aim for widespread fame and acclaim, yet totally forget about the people closest to you who might end up not having a high opinion of how you acted towards your goals.

In a sense, a better way of approaching reputation is as a by-product or a secondary goal to what you pursue. Your primary goal would be: how do I make a positive impact on the world around me? First and foremost, my own community?

> A disguise for what?

It's a bait and switch: them trying to make their priorities, your priorities. The urgency itself is the bait: it's an appeal towards your empathy as well as your desire to act from your gut/instincts (we are bad at instinctively guestimating opportunity cost) rather then sit back and figuring out the bigger picture.

Context matters, and so this gets sometimes obscured by a lot of tangential circumstances. For instance, it's easier to see this one through if the caller is a stranger rather then a friend or acquaintance, or even someone who comes at you from a point of authority such as a business partner, your boss or someone who is either wealthy or owns an experience you desire yourself.

After all, it's a proposal. An invitation. Not an order or a command made from a place of authority.

Re: 68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice

#35

I can confirm that one shouldn't trust all-purpose glue. Bought a tube of it a year ago, and out of about 10 times I've tried to use it, I don't remember a single one not needing re-gluing with something else later. All except your fingers of course - glue them, and they're sticky for weeks.

Thought about Kafka... Hahaha

Re: 68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice

#36
post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Like what? This is one of the few bits that I honestly didn't understand because it felt so specific and without further explanation. Can you elaborate?

It's a quotation from "The Princess Bride" so mostly a joke. The land war the movie is referring to is Vietnam, not generally considered an American success story. In the movie the humour comes from the incongruity of the fantasy setting with the knowing political aside.

>The land war the movie is referring to is Vietnam

From Hansard: https://bit.ly/2V7BgbK

> The next war on land will be very different from the last one, in that we shall have to fight it in a different way. In reaching a decision on that matter, we must first be clear about certain rules of war. Rule 1, on page I of the book of war, is: "Do not march on Moscow". Various people have tried it, Napoleon and Hitler, and it is no good. That is the first rule. I do not know whether your Lordships will know Rule 2 of war. It is: "Do not go fighting with your land armies in China". It is a vast country, with no clearly defined objectives, and an army fighting there would be engulfed by what is known as the Ming Bing, the people's insurgents.

Re: 68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice

#37
post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Like what? This is one of the few bits that I honestly didn't understand because it felt so specific and without further explanation. Can you elaborate?

It's a quotation from "The Princess Bride" so mostly a joke. The land war the movie is referring to is Vietnam, not generally considered an American success story. In the movie the humour comes from the incongruity of the fantasy setting with the knowing political aside.

Vietnam plus the myriad of European leaders who have tried to march East.

Re: 68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice

#38
> When an object is lost, 95% of the time it is hiding within arm’s reach of where it was last seen. Search in all possible locations in that radius and you’ll find it.

Yup, look closely in the place you expected it to be. Something may be on top of it, or it may have fallen off.

Re: 68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice

#39
> Optimize your generosity. No one on their deathbed has ever regretted giving too much away.

Not sure if I agree completely. I've seen people regret giving their life to the service of others and not noticing they were not living their own life until too late.

Re: 68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice

#40

> Optimize your generosity. No one on their deathbed has ever regretted giving too much away. Not sure if I agree completely. I've seen people regret giving their life to the service of others and not noticing they were not living their own life until too late.

You don't have to take it in as black or white. It does not mean "give away everything you have and be miserable".

The way I read it was: don't hoard, make others happy.

It does not mean I should live a miserable life in hope that someone, whom I'm giving to, will recognize it.

The wisdom can escape you if you take what's written literally letter for letter, as if you're a computer.

Post reply on HN