Ask HN: Name one idea that changed your life

Post by jiggunjer » Thu, May 07, 2020, 5:14 AM UTC

WalterBright wrote: post #330

I am responsible for what happens to me. (I.e. I am not a victim.) Accepting responsibility is very empowering, as it implies I can do something about it. Being a victim is dis-empowering, as it means you are helpless. (People who read my posts will recognize this as a consistent theme. Being a victim is a choice. I choose not to be.)

Post by hnzix » Thu, May 07, 2020, 5:19 AM UTC

paulcole wrote: post #339

gridlockd wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Worse yet, most people have bad taste and actually can't tell good and bad design work apart, so you're really spending all that effort to please a minority that you're unfortunate enough to be part of. https://xkcd.com/1015/

Even worse is when you think you’re part of the minority but aren’t.

Post by Swizec » Thu, May 07, 2020, 5:21 AM UTC

ken wrote: post #363

aazaa wrote: post #193

Favor interrogative-led questions over leading questions. A leading question attempts to get the listener to agree or disagree with a premise you feed to them. An interrogative-led question often begins with the words: who; where; what; when; why. Imagine the responses to these two questions: - "Did you like the movie?" (Leading) - "What did you think about the movie?" (Interrogative-led) How do each of these questio…

I hear suggestions like this occasionally, and I don't get it. Apparently sentences like "Did you like the movie?", which sound to me like perfectly neutral questions, actually have a slant. Which way is this question leading me to answer? How can I tell? "Yes" and "No" seem equally acceptable answers here. I don't see how either one would "displease the asker", without knowing more about the situation.

Post by jiggunjer » Thu, May 07, 2020, 5:24 AM UTC

tempestn wrote: post #486

Don't worry about remembering facts; instead, seek to understand how and why things are the way they are. By understanding deeper reasons behind things, the facts will make contextual sense, and will be much easier to recall, or if necessary, to deduce. This can apply essentially anywhere, from physics formulas to historical events to programming conventions to political actions.

Post by saltking112 » Thu, May 07, 2020, 5:27 AM UTC

LouisSayers wrote: post #512

My Grandmother once told me: "If you want to work at a company, dress like the people that work there. Because those are the people that the company hires." I've used this general philosophy in my life to pass courses at university, win competitions, and get through job interviews. I don't know if my grandmother meant this in a literal sense, or was hinting at the fact that (as Tony Robbins says) success leaves clues…