Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The Animal Is Tired

robinhobb.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 439 posts

Re: The Animal Is Tired

#31

Post by nradov »

maxqin1 wrote: post #15
edoceo wrote: post #4

Oh, and eyesight. Like, I had to up-scale the default font sizes on mobile and now all sites (this one especially) are harder to use. Use responsive design people! You'll need it someday!!

No joke. The font on my mom's phone is so large that buttons were "missing" from her parking app. I told her she had to be wrong, until I saw it myself. And that's also on a newer model galaxy note (big screen). She's in her 50s.

It's a shame that Google doesn't have stricter accessibility requirements on their app store. This should be a basic part of testing any mobile app.

Re: The Animal Is Tired

#32

Post by Swizec »

rubicon33 wrote: post #2

70? My animal is only 33 and is very tired. Writing this as it lays in bed, 3 in the afternoon, because even a standard chair sounds more exhausting to it. It seems to have no motivation or energy to do much besides lay here. If I force it, it will get stuff done but at a huge cost. It will yearn the entire time to just lay back down. It's interest in things seems to be fading quickly. What desire it used to have to…

> My animal is only 33 and is very tired

In life satisfaction surveys, your 30’s are the most miserable stressful part of life. Highest amount of responsibilities, lowest amount of consistent reward, and it keeps getting worse until your 40’s

Apparently it gets better again in your late 40’s and early 50’s. By 60 you’re as happy as you were at 20.

https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/scientists-just-discovered-mi...

(am 33 and also just ... tired)

Re: The Animal Is Tired

#33

Post by autarch »

Robin Hobb is one of my favorite authors. Her masterwork is a series of series (four trilogies and a quadrology) known as The Realm of the Elderlings.

She published the first trilogy, which begins with Assassin's Apprentice, starting in 1995. I saw the books when they first came out and I assumed from the title and the cover that it would be a cheesy fantasy by the numbers, so I never bought it. But I kept hearing about these books from other people who liked SFF, so I finally picked up the first trilogy.

I was completely wrong. It's not at all by the numbers. While it's not trope-free (nothing is), there are all sorts of interesting ideas, from the political to ecological. As you read the later series, the world opens up quite a bit, and it gets even more interesting. The final trilogy brings so many elements together, and the ending is shatteringly powerful.

While this is epic fantasy, it's _not_ at all grimdark. Bad things definitely happen, but it's more hopeful and humane than something like Malazan or Song of Ice and Fire.

I can't recommend these books highly enough. Even if her writing is slowing down, I hope that she's satisfied with what she's done. This series alone is an enormous accomplishment. To build a world across so many books, across so many years, and have it come together so well in the end is massively impressive.

Re: The Animal Is Tired

#34

Post by maxerickson »

smoldesu wrote: post #26

It's a pretty harrowing thought that given my age (barely still a teen) I may not live another 50 years. Between the mass pollution tainting our world, impending global warming and increased civil unrest, I figure the odds that my animal reaches 70 are not very high.

The environment likely has many less free toxins than it did when the author of the link was a teen.

We have things to be concerned about (PFAS and microplastics for instance), but there are a bunch of areas where massive progress has been made in the last 50 years.

Re: The Animal Is Tired

#36

Post by enw »

maxqin1 wrote: post #25
rubicon33 wrote: post #2

70? My animal is only 33 and is very tired. Writing this as it lays in bed, 3 in the afternoon, because even a standard chair sounds more exhausting to it. It seems to have no motivation or energy to do much besides lay here. If I force it, it will get stuff done but at a huge cost. It will yearn the entire time to just lay back down. It's interest in things seems to be fading quickly. What desire it used to have to…

> good food Everyone thinks they eat good food. Food is the number one physical measurable input into our bodies. So it boggles my mind that nutrition isn't the most studied subject, alongside maybe the study of living a fulfilling life. Changing my eating habits has changed my life for the better. It took kidney stones (not recommended) to get me here. But even my most obese and unhealthy friends like to proudly tel…

What kind of good food do you eat?

Re: The Animal Is Tired

#37

Post by gonehome »

randomopining wrote: post #14
podgaj wrote: post #12

I laugh when I see people running for 6 miles are doing marathons or Iron Man’s. How can anyone think that is healthy and good for the long term functioning of the body? Study after study has shown that we are meant to be “lazy”. But no one wants to hear that. So listen to this guy, relax!

6 miles isn’t that long lol. Exercise is good. Otherwise you get weak and shrivel up.

There’s a weird thing in the Midwest where I grew up where people talk about exercise as if it’s unhealthy (and basically nobody exercises).

Then you come to the Bay Area and see just how much people can really exercise. Older people exercising here seem way healthier than where I grew up.

Still when I go home if I say I run 3mi a day people say things like, “that’s bad for your knees” etc. or look at you like you’re crazy. In the Bay Area it’s like I don’t work out at all by comparison.

Re: The Animal Is Tired

#38

Post by kaesar14 »

podgaj wrote: post #19
randomopining wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

6 miles isn’t that long lol. Exercise is good. Otherwise you get weak and shrivel up.

My grandfather lived in 98 never exercised in his life. I know it’s an anecdote, but it’s still data.

I’ll find you a couple tens of millions of people who didnt exercise who died well before 98

Re: The Animal Is Tired

#40

Post by ljhsiung »

podgaj wrote: post #12

I laugh when I see people running for 6 miles are doing marathons or Iron Man’s. How can anyone think that is healthy and good for the long term functioning of the body? Study after study has shown that we are meant to be “lazy”. But no one wants to hear that. So listen to this guy, relax!

Numerous studies show that exercise provides U-shaped benefits to health [1], [2].

Specific to cardiovascular disease, repeat marathon runners [3] have higher calcium buildup than those who do not run in marathons, which as Robin might say, is one of those cases where the animal is driven too hard.

While you have a point for extreme exertion, I'm not sure what you mean by "lazy". Current general recommendations are 150 minutes a week, or As for your grandpa's longevity-- your genetics is just a risk modifier, not a nullifier. Wearing a seatbelt doesn't prevent your death, it just reduces your odds of it during a car crash. So, at least, I hope you still wear your seatbelt, because the time cost of this activity is so miniscule compared to the time reward.

As I like to say, "Run for your life! At a comfortable pace, and not too far" [5]

EDIT: I should add-- I ran competitively a few years ago. My "animal" is no longer as fierce, and thus am a bit more moderate these days. But there is a large emotional aspect and validation to pushing yourself that goes beyond physical health. As with any sport-- running, swimming, football, basketball-- the physical toll is worth it. This, though, is what I would classify under Robin's description of a "tired animal" and is likely what Bolt, MJ, etc. feels. When she says she "wishes she treated her animal better", I don't think she means this, at least when it comes to exercise.

[1] https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Abstract/9000/Endurance_a...

[2] https://themedicalroundtable.com/article/role-physical-fitne...

[3] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21200345/

[4] https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/adults/index.htm

[5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6U728AZnV0

Post reply on HN