Donald Knuth on how he became good at math
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Donald Knuth on how he became good at math
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Re: Donald Knuth on how he became good at math
#2Summary: He worked hard. Super fucking hard.
Re: Donald Knuth on how he became good at math
#3Summary: He worked hard. Super fucking hard.
I think what's interesting is that he admits to having had no special inclination towards math before college. Only during college, and out of a fear of failure, did he become really good at math.
Re: Donald Knuth on how he became good at math
#4The worst thing you can do for a kid's intelligence is to let them think they are smart. I was led to believe I was smart as a child. The resulting intellectual cockiness I had... "I'm too smart for this shit." or "I don't need to study for this crap."
In the end, I don't really like to think about how far it set me back.
Re: Donald Knuth on how he became good at math
#5The worst thing you can do for a kid's intelligence is to let them think they are smart. I was led to believe I was smart as a child. The resulting intellectual cockiness I had... "I'm too smart for this shit." or "I don't need to study for this crap." In the end, I don't really like to think about how far it set me back.
I can't help but think the same. Though it wasn't so much hearing it as going to a school that was far too easy. It's not even my grades that have suffered, but how much knowledge I may have let slip by because I just retained it long enough for the grade. On the other hand, the time saved from not studying for some classes has resulted in me picking up a lot of knowledge that I wouldn't have otherwise…
I think what matters most, if you haven't screwed up too bad (and it's hard to mess up that much, for most people on HN, I'd imagine), is that you step back, take a breath, and realize that you still have the potential. Then fucking work.
Re: Donald Knuth on how he became good at math
#6The worst thing you can do for a kid's intelligence is to let them think they are smart. I was led to believe I was smart as a child. The resulting intellectual cockiness I had... "I'm too smart for this shit." or "I don't need to study for this crap." In the end, I don't really like to think about how far it set me back.
Absolutely. My experience was the same: my mother loved to talk to me about my intelligence and curiosity as if they were rare and therefore special.
Maybe it was true, but by telling me that, she accidentally laid the foundation of the rest of my life: I started distancing myself from my classmates, and eventually my peers.
The result? I now have a skillset roughly equivalent to Carmack's, but no chance to capitalize on it. No one believes nor cares. (http://dl.dropbox.com/u/315/portfolio/pre-textured.jpg ; http://dl.dropbox.com/u/315/portfolio/face.png)
By setting myself apart, I likely ruined myself without even realizing it. It turns out that my skills don't matter. A Carmack without a company is no Carmack at all. And now I've no ability with people, as he does.
Re: Donald Knuth on how he became good at math
#7The worst thing you can do for a kid's intelligence is to let them think they are smart. I was led to believe I was smart as a child. The resulting intellectual cockiness I had... "I'm too smart for this shit." or "I don't need to study for this crap." In the end, I don't really like to think about how far it set me back.
Absolutely. My experience was the same: my mother loved to talk to me about my intelligence and curiosity as if they were rare and therefore special. Maybe it was true, but by telling me that, she accidentally laid the foundation of the rest of my life: I started distancing myself from my classmates, and eventually my peers. The result? I now have a skillset roughly equivalent to Carmack's, but no chance to capitaliz…
Bosh. Learn! You totally can.
Re: Donald Knuth on how he became good at math
#8This was my experience too. I just did all the questions in the textbook.
http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2496430
I had a book just filled with proofs. After a while, you will get an intuitive understanding of where to go next after each step.
Re: Donald Knuth on how he became good at math
#9The worst thing you can do for a kid's intelligence is to let them think they are smart. I was led to believe I was smart as a child. The resulting intellectual cockiness I had... "I'm too smart for this shit." or "I don't need to study for this crap." In the end, I don't really like to think about how far it set me back.
Absolutely. My experience was the same: my mother loved to talk to me about my intelligence and curiosity as if they were rare and therefore special. Maybe it was true, but by telling me that, she accidentally laid the foundation of the rest of my life: I started distancing myself from my classmates, and eventually my peers. The result? I now have a skillset roughly equivalent to Carmack's, but no chance to capitaliz…
Ok I can relate to that myself I am kind of curious can you list those skills
Re: Donald Knuth on how he became good at math
#10The worst thing you can do for a kid's intelligence is to let them think they are smart. I was led to believe I was smart as a child. The resulting intellectual cockiness I had... "I'm too smart for this shit." or "I don't need to study for this crap." In the end, I don't really like to think about how far it set me back.
Absolutely. My experience was the same: my mother loved to talk to me about my intelligence and curiosity as if they were rare and therefore special. Maybe it was true, but by telling me that, she accidentally laid the foundation of the rest of my life: I started distancing myself from my classmates, and eventually my peers. The result? I now have a skillset roughly equivalent to Carmack's, but no chance to capitaliz…
Start your own damn company! You don't have to be best friends to hire an employee.