111–120 of 125 posts
I’d like to know what the modern substitute is for long personal letters like Feynman’s? It’s not just Feynman; look at this list from the featured website: > written correspondence includes letters from: Jane Austen, Richard Burton, Helen Keller, Alan Turing, Albus Dumbledore, Eleanor Roosevelt, Henry James, Sylvia Plath, John Lennon, Gerald Durrell, Janis Joplin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Hunter S. Thompson, C. G. J…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I had a physics professor who liked to point out that Feynman (who we all idolized as college students studying physics) used to solve hundreds and hundreds of classical mechanics problems for fun, in his spare time. These were the same homework problems that we hated doing and always complained about. The professor's point was, being great at something isn't just a matter of having a big powerful brain, it's also a…
> used to solve hundreds and hundreds of classical mechanics problems for fun , in his spare time. [emphasis added] You kind of missed your own (or possibly your professor's) point there: being great at something is a matter (in part) not just of putting in the work, but of having the inclination and motivation to put in so much work. If you think of it as "all the toil that gets you to that level", you're not the ki…
You have to be willing to do the work, yes, but also figure out what you really, really like doing, and then do it -- a lot. Over, and over, and over, for years or even decades.
I’d like to know what the modern substitute is for long personal letters like Feynman’s? It’s not just Feynman; look at this list from the featured website: > written correspondence includes letters from: Jane Austen, Richard Burton, Helen Keller, Alan Turing, Albus Dumbledore, Eleanor Roosevelt, Henry James, Sylvia Plath, John Lennon, Gerald Durrell, Janis Joplin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Hunter S. Thompson, C. G. J…
I've recently started engaging my Facebook friends, Instagram followers, and new Tinder matches with daily installments. Not really a long letter, but the content is somewhere between a long letter and a short memoir. Many people are weirded out and confused but there are a number that really love it so far. I explain the concept in this video: https://youtu.be/zUC2aFkBHiw
I’d like to know what the modern substitute is for long personal letters like Feynman’s? It’s not just Feynman; look at this list from the featured website: > written correspondence includes letters from: Jane Austen, Richard Burton, Helen Keller, Alan Turing, Albus Dumbledore, Eleanor Roosevelt, Henry James, Sylvia Plath, John Lennon, Gerald Durrell, Janis Joplin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Hunter S. Thompson, C. G. J…
Put away your ipotato and use something with a keyboard. Get new friends if you have to. Also, stop texting: use the audio on your phone. That's what it is for.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I had a physics professor who liked to point out that Feynman (who we all idolized as college students studying physics) used to solve hundreds and hundreds of classical mechanics problems for fun, in his spare time. These were the same homework problems that we hated doing and always complained about. The professor's point was, being great at something isn't just a matter of having a big powerful brain, it's also a…
> used to solve hundreds and hundreds of classical mechanics problems for fun , in his spare time. [emphasis added] You kind of missed your own (or possibly your professor's) point there: being great at something is a matter (in part) not just of putting in the work, but of having the inclination and motivation to put in so much work. If you think of it as "all the toil that gets you to that level", you're not the ki…
The people with variable work ethic, but who could be motivated by the subject matter itself, mastered the subject and ended up with the remunerative careers "by accident."
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Problems can be quite humbling. Taking on big stuff isn't necessarily a "big ego" thing, but getting upset that we didn't solve the problem might be. In my experience, big problems get solved by teams. It's important to be a good team member, even if we are "close to the gods." From what I understand, Feynman seemed to work well in teams, but I never worked with him, so I don't know. False humility isn't helpful eith…
> Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. Is this really true? I've always felt that people are more likely to open up and be themselves if I demonstrate that I'm a bit unsure of myself, too. Don't get me wrong, I _hate_ when someone presents their work by saying "here's my poor attempt at X, it isn't very good" (whic…
Like I said, I have seen both extremes. I feel it's best when we are confident, but not cocksure.
There's always someone better. No matter how good I get, there's probably some kid in a Hanoi Internet café that can totally smoke my best.
But I won't hold back from doing my best, anyway.
I’d like to know what the modern substitute is for long personal letters like Feynman’s? It’s not just Feynman; look at this list from the featured website: > written correspondence includes letters from: Jane Austen, Richard Burton, Helen Keller, Alan Turing, Albus Dumbledore, Eleanor Roosevelt, Henry James, Sylvia Plath, John Lennon, Gerald Durrell, Janis Joplin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Hunter S. Thompson, C. G. J…
When I hear people refer to this as a long letter, I weep. Just 20-30 years ago this was merely a letter. Most of my hand written letters were longer.
I've also written really long letters to a writer who has written back. I admire his work a lot. (one letter was 18 pages long, another was 42)
Curiously, I have received long responses from a lot of people, but the chain fizzled out mostly. It's just the two of us who write back and forth. I love writing letters.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Problems can be quite humbling. Taking on big stuff isn't necessarily a "big ego" thing, but getting upset that we didn't solve the problem might be. In my experience, big problems get solved by teams. It's important to be a good team member, even if we are "close to the gods." From what I understand, Feynman seemed to work well in teams, but I never worked with him, so I don't know. False humility isn't helpful eith…
> Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. Is this really true? I've always felt that people are more likely to open up and be themselves if I demonstrate that I'm a bit unsure of myself, too. Don't get me wrong, I _hate_ when someone presents their work by saying "here's my poor attempt at X, it isn't very good" (whic…
I think the key is that you shouldn't need to shrink. You can be competent and still have weaknesses that you openly acknowledge. And you can play with how you present those weaknesses, but that shouldn't require you to think less of yourself or to present yourself as less than what you are capable of.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Long letters are not dead. I have a short list of old friends whom I communicate via the infrequent long email only. These are old acquaintances with whom I have no regular business with, and they have moved far away in life, so short texting conversations are irrelevant. Usually I initiate these "pen pals" by reaching out on Christmas or Eid, several years after we have lost contact, and I make it clear to them that…
I'm curious though, what DO you talk about as general topics?
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That is a powerful quote. Apparently the author (Marianne Williamson, not Mandela) was flabbergasted and honored that her words were being attributed to Mandela. [0] 0 https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/our-deepest-fear/
Ah. Thanks for the correction. I will note that. Yeah, that's why I said "I think." LOTS of misattributed quotes out there. My fave is "Don't believe everything you read on the Internet." -Abraham Lincoln. UPDATED TO ADD: I preface my Medium posts[0] with quotes, and those, I tend to research a bit more exhaustively. One of my entries[1] is prefaced by the quote "A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships a…