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There's no speed limit (2009)

sivers.org

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Re: There's no speed limit (2009)

#151

Post by jcampbell1 »

sivers wrote: post #145
jcampbell1 wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you still studying foreign languages? Do you have any tips for how to uncap the speed limit?

Still learning Chinese. The best tips for beating the language-learning speed limit are from Benny : http://www.fluentin3months.com/about/

Wow, Benny's Chinese is impressive for 10 weeks. I have seen students that studied for 2-3 years that are less comfortable speaking.

If you are looking to mix up you studies, you should checkout my site. http://chinese.yabla.com/ It is not free, but if you are interested, shoot me an email, and I'll send you an account.

Re: There's no speed limit (2009)

#152

Post by throwaway00111 »

nooneelse wrote: post #149
throwaway00111 wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you talking about strange tingling sensations at the back of your head. If you are check out: http://anti-valentine.hubpages.com/hub/ASMR . I used to get it a lot when I was younger, normally when people were doing me a favour I wasn't expecting or they were going out of their way to help me. I've also had it when getting my hair cut. Throwaway account, as I have also had the crazy look.

I always figured the head-tingling sensation while getting a hair cut was a hold over from our ancestral primates who needed to be groomed by one another and thus needed some pleasant sensory feedback to encourage seeking it out.

For me, it's more than just head tingling, it's a flood of utter joy and elation. It's an awesome experience when it happens. Quite where it originates from no one appears to know, and because it appears to be a good experience, no research is going into figuring out why it occurs (which is reasonable).

Re: There's no speed limit (2009)

#153

Post by tomkin »

throwaway00111 wrote: post #120
tomkin wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Then look into the conditions of "flow" Since I was a kid, I would have these rare moments of intense calmness. Certain things would set it off: the sound of paper brushing together when someone is reading a book. I've also had this happen when listening to certain people talk; their voice or mannerisms trigger it. Other strange things also trigger it, like the sound of secadas in the summer. The older I get the mo…

Are you talking about strange tingling sensations at the back of your head. If you are check out: http://anti-valentine.hubpages.com/hub/ASMR . I used to get it a lot when I was younger, normally when people were doing me a favour I wasn't expecting or they were going out of their way to help me. I've also had it when getting my hair cut. Throwaway account, as I have also had the crazy look.

Wow. Dude. Don't hide behind a throwaway account - this is an incredible find. You have no idea how long I wanted something in hand to explain to others. I genuinely appreciate that.

Re: There's no speed limit (2009)

#155

Post by mikeleeorg »

zumda wrote: post #65
sivers wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know. Any ideas, anyone?

Find driven people. Go to conferences and other such events where the really passionate people are. Now? Just copy them! It might not be a one on one coaching, but seeing how much others do while slacking of on the couch and reading about all their doings on Twitter should make you more productive.

And once you find one, ASK.

I've known people who are perfectly willing and capable mentors, but never got asked. Ironically, they were surrounded by people who were looking for mentors, but were afraid to ask. I happened to know both sides and made the connection, but I'm sure many others fall through the cracks just because they didn't ask someone to be their mentor.

Note: Not everyone has the time, willingness, or ability to be a mentor. But I still don't think it hurts to ask. The worst you can get is no mentor, which is what you started out with anyways.

Re: There's no speed limit (2009)

#156

Post by mtrimpe »

sivers wrote: post #20
aamar wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've seen this post before, but I was glad to reread it. A bit off-topic, but could you tell us about your sleep schedule?

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…

Were there times when you considered giving up 'being the robot?'

And looking back, do you feel that it was all worth it? Or would you make different decisions if you knew then what you know now?

Re: There's no speed limit (2009)

#157

Post by megablast »

andmcgregor wrote: post #121
sivers wrote: post #7

Surprised to see a post of mine here on Hacker News. (First time in a long time. Thanks!) Feel free to ask me absolutely anything here.

Great post Derek! What would be your best advice for someone with no technical skills (except html/css) who is going to start to learn how to code? Since our interview in Singapore I've decided to devote myself 100% to learning to code (Rails to start with) during the second half of the year (I applied the 80/20 principal to my documentary re-interviews and travel). When someone asks: "I really want to learn how to c…

There are so many resources out there for people who want to code. Start doing a project, search for specific problems, you should be able to build something so quickly

Re: There's no speed limit (2009)

#158

Post by jh3 »

tomkin wrote: post #153
throwaway00111 wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you talking about strange tingling sensations at the back of your head. If you are check out: http://anti-valentine.hubpages.com/hub/ASMR . I used to get it a lot when I was younger, normally when people were doing me a favour I wasn't expecting or they were going out of their way to help me. I've also had it when getting my hair cut. Throwaway account, as I have also had the crazy look.

Wow. Dude. Don't hide behind a throwaway account - this is an incredible find. You have no idea how long I wanted something in hand to explain to others. I genuinely appreciate that.

Also, see frission or "cold chill"[1].

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_chill

Re: There's no speed limit (2009)

#159

Post by daspanters »

sivers wrote: post #93
daspanters wrote: post #83

Hi Derek, Loved your book, two quick questions, (1) Up to today, how far did you get in using RoR for your new projects and (2) what is your "Kimo's advise" on speed learning it ? (coming from the Microsoft world).

(1) I'm torn on Rails. It's so so so SO much ecosystem to learn just to make a basic web app. I find that I'm much more attracted to Sinatra. Also I prefer Sequel to ActiveRecord. Also, I really want to try playing with the architecture of a JSON REST API back-end and a JavaScript front-end (like Backbone.js). So for that, it seems Sinatra + Sequel suits me better. I'm trying this way for now, and if it doesn't work…

You have no idea how valuable your responses are to me, I consider it a priviledge that you took the time to answer my questions, thank you very much! I like the idea also of going Sinatra, use Rails functionality if needed but otherwise keeping it simpler, there is always the chance to go with the full-blown version (Rails). Thanks again for sharing and taking the time!

Re: There's no speed limit (2009)

#160

Post by cfinger »

Absolutely love this. When you're really interested, find a teacher that will teach at your own rate. Too often the answer is "Don't worry about that, you'll learn it next semester". A phrase that you should never hear from a teacher!
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