201–210 of 247 posts
That word, which I eventually found in a google books excerpt, is bricolage.
I was very surprised to read this post only a few minutes later.
Very weird coincidence. This morning before I read this post, as I was trying to respond to a comment from a friend about "rubber band, bailing wire and bubblegum solutions," I began searching google for a reference to a related French word I had read about many years ago but couldn't remember. That word, which I eventually found in a google books excerpt, is bricolage. I was very surprised to read this post only a f…
This is amazing. My dad is like this, very resourceful with very less and creative with the limited resources he has as hand, and has lived/survived through life like this. But there is a problem now. As a family, thanks to the incomes of the kids, have enough to survive (and thrive), but he continues with his efficiency-only approach, instead of the just-buy-it approach. - So, we see plastic bottle based plant pots…
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>(Also, while writing this it was very helpful. I think while writing this, I have decided that I will let him continue, as my inconveniences are much slight compared to the damage it will do him and his, I guess its called "agency")
You've distilled some thoughts on living with tinkers in my life, many of them has enough income later in life to just buy it, but finds joy in being resourceful. That said, it is very annoying to live with "ghetto" rigged contraption that means a lot to them but is just unsightly to you. It's an admirable and annoying combination of being resourceful and miserly vs DIYers who are willing to spend a little extra cash to buy new materials to put together a custom solution that both satisfy needs and general aesthetics for everyone. That said, I think the zero-waste repurpose aesthetic is what many fallout scavenger workshoppers enjoy about their handiwork, but don't realize others aren't deriving the same level of joy from living with their creations.
There is something very fulfilling (at least to me) about working this way. Not solving the problem in the best way, but solving it in the way you can _right now_. When I was younger this was how I solved most problems, but in my professional life I can't really do that (and for mostly good reasons). I follow someone on YouTube who moved to a small island in Panama, built his house, many boats, and lots of other item…
When I worked as a bike mechanic in my late teens, we referred to this approach as 'shade tree mechanic work'. I loved it, because of the creativity involved. However, I grew to have a great respect for the work of other mechanics, who were more interested in taking more pains, ordering the right tool or part if it wasn't around, and typically having a somewhat better outcome. I think there is room for both. Definite…
"Have no fear in accruing technical debt before your first major refactor, but when it comes time to 'do things right', you better do just that"
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I may be a bit slow today, but how did the traveler use a formula for chapped hands ointment to persuade the king of Wu to use it in dealing with troublesome neighbor state of Yue?
It's probably a story to move the argument forward. But I can explain as the original Chinese version needs a bit of interpretation. Basically the formula can help soldiers fight during winter so whoever has it has an advantage over the other side. BTW the Chinese version if anyone is interested: 宋人有善为不龟手之药者，世世以洴澼絖为事。客闻之，请买其方百金。聚族而谋曰：『我世世为洴澼絖，不过数金；今一朝而鬻技百金，请与之。』客得之，以说吴王。越有难，吴王使之将，冬与越人水战，大败越人，裂地而封之。 Also to answer the…
> The people of Song Dynasty have good medicines for not tortoises, and they have always used 洴澼絖 as their business. If you hear it, please buy one hundred gold. Gathering together and seeking out the family, said: "My life is a 紴澼絖, but I only count gold; now I have a hundred gold skills, please go with it. "The guest got it, so as to talk about the king of Wu." The more difficult it was, the King Wu made him to fight with the Yueren in winter, defeat the Yueren, and seal the ground.
OK‽
s/genius/resourceful and creative/g That's not a slight. But being resourceful (and creative, of course) is what was displayed. There was no evidence of genius. Being resourceful and creative means using what you have on hand to achieve a goal. For example, I wanted to make a gift for a friend who loves dinosaurs. I used old bicycle parts and various bits of metal I had left over from other projects and made her a 3…
In fact a common definition of (higher) intelligence is the ability to see patterns (abstractions, properties, laws) in an otherwise random looking world.
Think of Darwin looking at birds, animals, vegetation, and being able to come up with something like the Laws of Natural Selection. Even today 99.999% of people would not see those patterns.
Think of Kepler looking at random movement of stars and planets on the sky and being able to come up with the Laws of Planetary Motion. Same thing, today 99.999% of people would not see those patterns.
On a much lower scale, the character in this text displayed a similar ability to see in otherwise random looking objects new properties, arrangements, and applications.
I think you are judging here based on the small scale of his achievement (rolling table, who cares, $50 at Home Depot could make better, right?) but you are failing to consider for the absolute-zero (or close to it) in resources that the guy had at his disposal.
For example an achievement like this: https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2018/09/06/... , in my opinion, has to be amplified in our eyes to compensate for the difference in resources availability in a typical bio-tech-lab in say US, and what was available here.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Thanks for the reply, FarhadG! I do see how you are applying the term. I get it :) I suppose my reply was a bit pedantic (taking the term "genius" literally) but I do have another thought: I think the word 'ingenious' is a better fit. Check it out: ingenious : having or showing an unusual aptitude for discovering, inventing, or contriving an ingenious detective. 2 : marked by originality, resourcefulness, and clevern…
(Author here) Love that point. Never considered the term `ingenious` I'm adding a note (as we speak) in the blog post to reflect this.
On another note, this interaction just made it to my Top 3 Internet Things of The Year :)
(Author here) I am deeply humbled by your engagement, comments, critiques, and insights. Needless to say, this inspires me to write and share more. Thank you Hacker News. You are truly one of a kind.
I'm curious whether they got the deposit on their apartment back, given that apartments in Beijing are usually furnished, so probably the furniture was the landlord's. Could go either way: the landlord might be impressed at the added utility, or upset at the changes.