There's no speed limit (2009) • Hacker News Board

Re: There's no speed limit (2009)

#101

Post by invalidOrTaken » Tue, Mar 27, 2012, 3:56 PM UTC

sivers wrote: post #46

krmmalik wrote: post #37

I think there are a whole load of kids out there that could benefit from a "no speed limit" policy. I think the larger problem is that there aren't enough teachers that can set the pace. I remember, as a kid, reading an article in the paper about how two 10 year old kids had completed a computing A level course (i'm from the UK). I was 11 myself at the time and so much wanted to do that course. My parents looked in m…

Great point! Finding an outstanding teacher is HARD! It's never clear where to look. Great performers are usually not great teachers. And great teachers aren't always great performers themselves. Any advice, anyone?

I think this will become a more and more common problem, especially in our field. Things move so fast that if you're just trying to keep up, you'll soon find yourself the most knowledgeable on the subject in your local area. This is great if you want to sound impressive, but not so great if you're trying to learn.

The best option is of course to find a Kimo. Failing that, getting really good at interacting with people online might be the best option; if you're learning something independently, you're probably learning it online, and if you're learning it online, then other learners(however few) are only a click away.

Re: There's no speed limit (2009)

#102

Post by kenrikm » Tue, Mar 27, 2012, 4:00 PM UTC

I skipped the second part of my degree (I have an Associates) instead I went and got a job, I moved from the junior designer to the manager within less than a year (Managing people who had been there for 15+ years) and Art Director within two years where I ended up hiring an employee who had spent those two years in "The same program" that I would have been had I not ignored the "speed limit" to this day that employee is still just "a designer".

Remember, you make your own rules in life. Walls only exist in your head.

Re: There's no speed limit (2009)

#103

Post by sivers » Tue, Mar 27, 2012, 4:00 PM UTC

leilasworld wrote: post #92

sivers wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, honestly I'm learning Rails, Sinatra, Sequel, Nginx, JavaScript, jQuery, and Backbone, all back-to-back from books and test projects, quite intensely, and not really matching those 1,2,3 steps, because I'm often in too deep over my head without a clear vision of what I need to do next. It's discouraging. But I am quite driven to turn my next app/business ideas into reality : http://50pop.com/code Definitely not…

Derek in a strange twist I find myself here for the first time. I don't even know what "hacker news is" but in my "go with the flow" state of mind I thought I'd click through a link. I've read the comments below and in reference to your not wanting to "top cdbaby" I would say that you exude such carefree joy, such an "anything is possible" vibe that I'm sure any business venture you embark on will succeed! I remember…

It's really hard for me to know what was just dumb luck and what was great strategy.

For example, I'm tempted to give this bit of advice:

Think small. Don't think about getting rich. Just think what you can do for someone right now that they'll be happy to pay you for. Then when you've found it, think of how to do it for as many people as possible.

... but is that actually good advice? Or do I just think that's the strategy that made me rich, when actually it's something else entirely, and I somehow got successful despite my stupid approach?

That said, here's something that I know is quite solid:

The biggest change in my attitude towards money came from my girlfriend's hippie parents. She grew up on a commune in Vermont. No TV, no nothing. Her parents just did random odd jobs - like photography and sewing - but kept their cost of living so low that it was enough to sustain them to this day. Then they put their daughter through fancy ivy-league universities on scholarships and such.

By lowering your cost of living so low that you can do just a few hours of work per month to pay your expenses, then it frees you up to turn your attention to doing things that make you happy, or perhaps building things that will make you much more money in the long run. Things that most people don't have the time to do because they're too busy on the rat-race, doing some job they hate, because they need to support their expensive cost of living.

Point being: once you realize how cheaply you can live, you get a real secure feeling of financial abundance.

Then keep improving your hustle, and doing whatever it takes to make money doing what you love, and the security/abundance mixes with fun, for a damn good combination.

(I hope this helps.)

Re: There's no speed limit (2009)

#104

Post by cgag » Tue, Mar 27, 2012, 4:01 PM UTC

sivers wrote: post #45

aclark wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Surely there must be more "cool stuff" to do? Also, how satisfying is helping others achieve their goals, and how much does it motivate you? Trying to "top" yourself doesn't sound right, but trying to find the things that match #1, 2, 3 sounds more like it.

Yeah, honestly I'm learning Rails, Sinatra, Sequel, Nginx, JavaScript, jQuery, and Backbone, all back-to-back from books and test projects, quite intensely, and not really matching those 1,2,3 steps, because I'm often in too deep over my head without a clear vision of what I need to do next. It's discouraging. But I am quite driven to turn my next app/business ideas into reality : http://50pop.com/code Definitely not…

Do you have any recommended books/resources on the last 4? Particularly Nginx though.

I like that you have everything planned out to be multi-lingual from the start on your projects. I remember reading your uses.this interview a while back and you talked about using wendlin/learning chinese. Are you still doing that, if so, how's that going?

Re: There's no speed limit (2009)

#105

Post by Timothee » Tue, Mar 27, 2012, 4:01 PM UTC

sivers wrote: post #57

whyleyc wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Great post - two questions: 1) What occupies your time these days Derek ? 2) Possibly related - what unfulfilled dreams do you still have ?

(1) : I'm spending most of my time learning Rails, Sinatra, Sequel, Nginx, JavaScript, jQuery, and Backbone, all back-to-back from books and test projects, quite intensely. ... because ... (2) : If I die before turning these projects into reality, I'm going to be pissed-off! http://50pop.com/code It's really my main drive these days, to finally launch these ideas I've had spec'd out for a long time. I know I could ju…

I know I could just hire someone else to make them, but the joy (to me) is in the process, not the goal. I want to learn these programming techniques so well that I can quickly create all my future ideas, too.

Very interesting for me to read this now. My wife is pushing me to outsource the development of an idea that I've been talking about raising from a demo to a real site, because I'm taking my sweet time (learning Python, Flask et al). I'm not making efforts to find someone to outsource it, but instead I'm still trying to learn what I need to to get it up the ground. (just don't tell my wife)

"the joy is in the process, not the goal"… I'll have to keep that in mind.

Re: There's no speed limit (2009)

#106

Post by joering2 » Tue, Mar 27, 2012, 4:01 PM UTC

bh42222 wrote: post #70

sivers wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

6 hours has always been enough for me. At Berklee, I'd get a piano room every night at 10pm until midnight, when they closed. Then I'd sleep from 1am to 7am, practice some more, and go to class. I was quite driven. Kind of like someone who really feels if they just work their ass off they can be the next Zuckerberg, 20 years ago, being a successful musician felt more attainable. It felt like if I just practiced my as…

6 hours has always been enough for me. Yep, that's at least one genetic advantage you have on most of us.

> Yep, that's at least one genetic advantage you have on most of us.

I think I kind of have the same problem as you do: not enough/too much sleep that messes up my day. But is this "genetic" like you saying? I don't think so. Can you point to any directions where to read about this, or at least, how to get better on sleeping enough hours?

Thnx.

Re: There's no speed limit (2009)

#107

Post by WA » Tue, Mar 27, 2012, 4:02 PM UTC

jedc wrote: post #99

villagefool wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the second time today that I hear about Askolo, seems more then a quincidence (heavy PR going on?). How are they different from Quora?

I can only imagine they're a YC startup, based on the people I see active there after I registered. (PG, JL, other YC partners) With Demo Day today, things are picking up PR-wise. :)

On a side note regarding askolo:

I'm not so sure if the name is perfectly chosen. You know that olo is ASCII art for a penis and balls?

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=olo

This reminds me of the story when VW advertised their Golf GTI with "Turbo Cojones". Somehow, the marketing department (in Germany?) obviously didn't realize the meaning of "cojones".

edit: typo

Re: There's no speed limit (2009)

#108

Post by kenrikm » Tue, Mar 27, 2012, 4:04 PM UTC

sivers wrote: post #24

narag wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had read this story the first time, and now I've remembered right away the question I couldn't ask then: without a Kimo near, is there any book that explain the same harmony knowledge and allows a no-speed-limit approach?

Closest book I've found on the "no speed limit" approach was Tony Robbins' “Awaken the Giant Within”. It could have just been the timing of when I read it. Tim Ferriss told me the book that changed the way he saw the world was “Maximum Achievement” by Brian Tracy, but when I read it, it seemed like conventional wisdom. So maybe it's just timing. What I liked about Tony Robbins' message was this: * - Change happens in…

I've read "Think and Grow Rich" 5+ times.. in print great book. I make sure to listen to an audio copy at least once every six months to keep it fresh in my mind.

Re: There's no speed limit (2009)

#109

Post by dmd149 » Tue, Mar 27, 2012, 4:06 PM UTC

bkmartin wrote: post #32

dmd149 wrote: post #16

It's definitely helpful to understand that there is no real speed limit. Conversely, I think it's also useful to think that there's no rush. I sometimes get in my head that "if I don't have X millions by the time I'm 30, I'll be a failure." I realized it's too stressful to think that way. It's probably more important to think there are no speed requirements at all. Move as slow or as fast as you need/want. Great post…

I would say that maybe you should refine your metrics? What significance is x millions? Is that how success is defined? Or do you define success by doing something great? Typically when you do something great, in the world of products and business, the money follows. If you can turn out a great product in x months that gains hundreds of thousands or millions of users, would that be a better metric? I'm not saying you…

It's more the mindset I'm concerned with. An extrinsic outcome oriented mindset leads to a lot of stress. Whenever I've set demanding performance goals for myself within a short time frame like write 10 blog posts a month or something similar, I don't enjoy the process and I usually don't end up writing all 10.

On the other hand, if I say my goal is to get in the habit of writing one sentence everyday, the end result is much better and I'm less stressed about it.

I think process oriented goals can actually end up being more productive than outcome oriented goals.

Re: There's no speed limit (2009)

#110

Post by sivers » Tue, Mar 27, 2012, 4:06 PM UTC

kickstart wrote: post #55

Derek, this thread really resonates with me. I've been at a crossroads between 2 distinct paths for several years. Path A is a road I've been on for almost 14 yrs, and I've grown weary of it. W/o going into explanation, things have slowed on that road, and won't move forward w/o considerable effort. But I know exactly what needs to be done, there's little risk, it's very practical, and I will have company in the proc…

ABSOLUTELY WITHOUT A DOUBT, choose Path B.

Life is f'ing short! When you're old and looking back on your life, you'll mostly remember the changes, the big events. These big changes are the hooks you hang your memories on.

You'll always remember that 2012 is the year you chose Plan B. You'll remember this big change in your life, and all the other new experiences it's going to create.

This is part of living a full life! This is crucial!

14 years is plenty of time on Path A. You got the benefits out of it. You learned your lessons. You've been there, done that. Time to go!

I can't emphasize this enough. I think it's SO important.

Every time I've made a major change in my life, it's always turned out for the better. Sometimes I even thought they were failures, in the moment - (divorce, selling my company, etc) - but they always turned out wonderful.