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Ask HN: I'm interested in so many disciplines, but what can I do with that?

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Re: Ask HN: I'm interested in so many disciplines, but what can I do with that?

#261

Post by egads »

sideshowb wrote: post #92
bckr wrote: post #2

I was going to suggest writing, and I'll go one further: Do write a blog, but don't just write a blog. Write a blog, and then create a video for each blog post, and upload it to YouTube (where the eyeballs willing to consume intellectual material are). Also do livestreams. Start interviewing anyone who will take you seriously. Set a goal for who your dream interviewee is. Do this for a couple years, putting out conte…

> YouTube (where the eyeballs willing to consume intellectual material are). Whyyyyyyyyy?! Seriously I'm curious, what happened? Do intellectuals (whatever that means) really not prefer reading any more? A desire for Podcasts/audiobooks I can understand, as someone who occasionally has to drive places, but video?

I've been reading Stolen Focus by Johann Hari and one of the points he makes is that there actually is a general decline in the ability to focus enough to enjoy reading books, even amongst educated and intellectual people. A lot of the blame gets put on the usual suspects (smartphones, social media, etc.), but there are a lot of factors like the stressful and distracted nature of our work environments, our diets, our sleep patterns, pollution, etc. that may genuinely be contributing to a increased inability to focus enough to disappear into a book.

Re: Ask HN: I'm interested in so many disciplines, but what can I do with that?

#262

Post by forsythe_ »

user_7832 wrote: post #187
elviejo wrote: post #3

Read a couple of books by Barbara sher: Refuse to choose [0] She calls people like us "Scanners" and claims that our diversity of interests is not a weakness, but a strength. Then goes on techniques to make this skill work for us. [0] https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594863032/

I hope OP (and other "scanners") sees this - it might be worth knowing that you may have ADHD, especially if you also heavily procrastinate, are messy/disorganized and always run late. There is much more than I can type in a single comment but if someone wants more info I can try and help.

That's what I suspect is happening too.

ADHD doesn't necessarily present as "hyperactive child" or the other stereotypes to which it often gets associated. Many people receive an ADHD diagnosis in adulthood after years of (more or less) successfully coping by employing organizational strategies, e.g. good list-making, appointment reminders, setting extra alarms, and so on.

In terms of OP's rotating interests, the colloquial term is "hyper-focus" and it occurs because people with ADHD are dopamine deficient and generally crave novelty. That can lead to both regressive behaviors like substance abuse or more progressive behaviors like adopting new hobbies and interests.

For the latter, it's easy to get quick dopamine hits when you first dive into a new subject/hobby. But as time goes on and you dive deeper into it, the novelty you first experienced begins to wear off. The quickest antidote is to find a new fixation and start the process over again.

I've experienced this phenomenon many times myself, and much of what OP described resonates with my experiences.

Re: Ask HN: I'm interested in so many disciplines, but what can I do with that?

#263

Post by TheCowboy »

quanto wrote: post #219
TheCowboy wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If your goal is making money, then that's different. I personally don't encourage people to get into the betting aspect unless you don't mind paying my rent, know what I mean? It's one of those "if it was easy everyone would be doing it" things. The limits on bet sizes only matter once you can demonstrate long-term profitability, IMHO. Since prediction skills are still applicable to basically everything, you're not 1…

which prediction market platform(s) do you use in order to make a living? As noted previously, the breadth of the topics and bet size caps seem to limit potential payouts.

I use all of the above: PI, Kalshi, Poly

It's not so much the caps that are a concern to me than the fact that these platforms haven't been around for a long time. There's no guarantee they will continue to always exist and also be as lucrative. As more money enters I'd expect ROIs to decrease and for it to take more capital to make the same amount of money.

I prefer it more as a side hobby than something I have to do every day. It can be fun, but it's missing the satisfaction of building things or delivering something of value to customers that I'd get if I were still working for a company coding.

Re: Ask HN: I'm interested in so many disciplines, but what can I do with that?

#264

Post by user_7832 »

dghughes wrote: post #191
user_7832 wrote: post #187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hope OP (and other "scanners") sees this - it might be worth knowing that you may have ADHD, especially if you also heavily procrastinate, are messy/disorganized and always run late. There is much more than I can type in a single comment but if someone wants more info I can try and help.

As much as I'd like to be a "Scanner" I think ADHD describes me more accurately. Procrastination is my entire identity but also being interested in ten things at once. But on the flip side I went back to school and for a project of minimum required 3,000 words I wrote 20,000 word. I do know a person with valid diagnosed ADHD and they seem far more erratic than me so I hope I only have a low to mild version. It could…

It can (and often I'd guess) is both! The author of the book also apparently has ADHD (I suspect I have it too). I'd recommend going to a doc and starting out with CBT/DBT therapy and/or meds.

Re: Ask HN: I'm interested in so many disciplines, but what can I do with that?

#265

Post by user_7832 »

forsythe_ wrote: post #262
user_7832 wrote: post #187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hope OP (and other "scanners") sees this - it might be worth knowing that you may have ADHD, especially if you also heavily procrastinate, are messy/disorganized and always run late. There is much more than I can type in a single comment but if someone wants more info I can try and help.

That's what I suspect is happening too. ADHD doesn't necessarily present as "hyperactive child" or the other stereotypes to which it often gets associated. Many people receive an ADHD diagnosis in adulthood after years of (more or less) successfully coping by employing organizational strategies, e.g. good list-making, appointment reminders, setting extra alarms, and so on. In terms of OP's rotating interests, the col…

I totally agree.

> ADHD doesn't necessarily present as "hyperactive child" or the other stereotypes to which it often gets associated. Many people receive an ADHD diagnosis in adulthood after years of (more or less) successfully coping by employing organizational strategies.

That's pretty much been my case so far :') (though yet undiagnosed, only suspected).

It's not necessary to know that you have ADD/ADHD to tackle these issues, but it gives you a good idea of what's going on.

Re: Ask HN: I'm interested in so many disciplines, but what can I do with that?

#266

Post by TheCowboy »

ad wrote: post #260
TheCowboy wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If your goal is making money, then that's different. I personally don't encourage people to get into the betting aspect unless you don't mind paying my rent, know what I mean? It's one of those "if it was easy everyone would be doing it" things. The limits on bet sizes only matter once you can demonstrate long-term profitability, IMHO. Since prediction skills are still applicable to basically everything, you're not 1…

Did you ever get into Augur?

No, there were flaws with the implementation that kept many of us away. We all felt vindicated when Poyo, a sketchy character we all knew about from PredictIt, tried scamming people who bet on the outcome of the 2018 elections.

Re: Ask HN: I'm interested in so many disciplines, but what can I do with that?

#267

Post by prewett »

giantg2 wrote: post #222
risyachka wrote: post #181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> The problem is when extra knowledge is acquired at the expense of deeper focus (knowledge) in another area. How it this a problem? It is just another way.

Just as an example, if you look at tech job postings you'll see that they almost all want someone who is an expert - mostly senior level, have a core tech listed in the title (eg Senior React Engineer at Company X). I rarely see any truly general roles posted. People want "T" or Pi shaped devs, nobody wants a "-" shaped dev. As a dev with 10 years experience and a masters who has not been allowed to specialize due to…

Being a generalist is beneficial in freelancing, since it gives you demonstrated skill in lots of areas. The more areas, the more projects you "qualify" for, since clients want assurance that you can jump right in and be productive. (Also, "getting up to speed quickly in a new language/codebase/whatever" is a useful skill in freelancing, since that is a clear need)

I think people hiring employees frequently don't realize that they need generalists and instead act like they are hiring permanent contractors.

Re: Ask HN: I'm interested in so many disciplines, but what can I do with that?

#268

Post by euroderf »

arisAlexis wrote: post #161
euroderf wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I didn't get married til my early 60s. So far so good! I've seen so so many busted marriages "out there" that I did NOT rush it (obv).

Had children too?

One! 28 months and starting to read! (mostly simple monosyllables)

Re: Ask HN: I'm interested in so many disciplines, but what can I do with that?

#269

Post by themacguffinman »

hansbo wrote: post #139
themacguffinman wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The website lists a breakdown of common reasons given for divorce: - Lack of commitment 73% - Argue too much 56% - Infidelity 55% - Married too young 46% - Unrealistic expectations 45% - Lack of equality in the relationship 44% - Lack of preparation for marriage 41% - Domestic Violence or Abuse 25% (Respondents often cited more that one reason, therefore the percentages add up to much more than 100 percent) All of th…

Yes and no. You can have plenty of commitment for 5 years, and then you feel like doing something else and your commitment decreases. Infidelity doesn't mean the whole relationship has been bad. My point is, there is an expectation that a happy marriage lasts your whole life, and while there is nothing wrong with a marriage like that, it is not the only happy solution. You can have a relationship end without regretti…

Sure, the failure of a relationship doesn't mean the relationship had no value, but the expectation that a happy marriage lasts your whole life is the very foundation of marriage. "I was committed for 5 years and then I wasn't" is as affirming to a marriage as "I honored your warranty for 5 years and then I didn't" is to a lifetime warranty. If you just wanted to be in a relationship with someone that realistically lasts 5 - 10 years, you don't marry them.

Every aspect of marriage hinges on it not ending before death. All religions explicitly spell that out one way or another. Religion aside, legally every government imposes life-changing financial penalties for ending it that way. The main reason governments do this is because culturally it was very common for the wife to stop working or stop pursuing a career in a marriage due to the implied commitment the husband has to the wife, but if the wife knows that the relationship has a 5 year clock then she would behave differently. Married couples have children due to the implied permanence of their relationship, if a 5 year expiration date was known upfront it would change behavior because it's well known that divorce is damaging to children.

If I buy something called the Forever Car that's very expensive but promises in return to never break down, and then it breaks down in the middle of an interstate trip...I guess that doesn't invalidate all the miles the Forever Car got me through, but it certainly calls into question the value proposition of the Forever Car. I may not regret that I bought a car but I certainly wouldn't have gotten a Forever Car. I would definitely say that a Forever Car that doesn't go the distance has something very wrong with it because it doesn't deliver what it promises.

Re: Ask HN: I'm interested in so many disciplines, but what can I do with that?

#270

Post by Grustaf »

ofrancon wrote: post #200
Grustaf wrote: post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So you're working in bio but yearning for IT? I'm almost the opposite. IT pays the bills, but I wish I was in evolutionary biology.

These domains are not mutually exclusive. Have a look at evolutionary algorithms.

The thing is I DON'T want to do anything related to computers, it's just a good way to make money.
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