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95%-ile isn't that good (2020)

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Re: 95%-ile isn't that good (2020)

#131

Post by allig256 »

redblacktree wrote: post #105
allig256 wrote: post #76

Are there any good platforms out there that people would recommend where you can have your code reviewed? Either paid for or for free. As this article points out, feedback is an essential part of learning, and open source projects would be a great opportunity to get feedback on something you have sole agency over as opposed to many workplace projects where it's harder to receive feedback for your individual decisions…

Depending on how good you are at programming, LLMs would probably have some good feedback.

Sadly with the limited context sizes on LLMs, you can't ingest a large project at all once to ask for feedback on the more abstract requirements of "good" software practices/design.

That is unless the context sizes have significantly changed in the past months.

Re: 95%-ile isn't that good (2020)

#132

Post by empath-nirvana »

onlyrealcuzzo wrote: post #34
madamelic wrote: post #26

I would have to agree about 95th percentile being not that difficult. A streamer that I occasionally tune into (Asmongold) says that if you are seeking information outside of the game such as watching streams of the game, that makes you a top 10% player automatically. Most people are passive consumers and participants in their activities and that isn't exclusive to the individual. I am a passive consumer & participan…

It's easy to be in the top 99% in a competition nobody cares about. Try being in the top 1% of basketball players if you're under 5'9". Easier said than done.

You're thinking about the _NBA_ when you think of basketball players. You can _easily_ be in the top 5% of _people that play basketball_ just by playing at the gym once or twice a month, even if you're short.

Re: 95%-ile isn't that good (2020)

#133

Post by allig256 »

saagarjha wrote: post #78
allig256 wrote: post #76

Are there any good platforms out there that people would recommend where you can have your code reviewed? Either paid for or for free. As this article points out, feedback is an essential part of learning, and open source projects would be a great opportunity to get feedback on something you have sole agency over as opposed to many workplace projects where it's harder to receive feedback for your individual decisions…

Send PRs to open source projects you’re interested in?

And ask them to review your own projects? That seems a little odd doesn't it? I am wanting feedback specifically for my own work.

Re: 95%-ile isn't that good (2020)

#134

Post by empath-nirvana »

voxl wrote: post #64

This is the kind of claim that needs actual evidence, otherwise it's just a dumb feel-good sentiment about how you _could_ be 2000 ELO on lichess if you cared. I tend to agree that with enough time and _appropriate_ training anyone can become quite competent at anything, but this is a significantly different claim than thinking you can be in the 95th percentile of persons who are engaged in the activity. It becomes e…

> how you _could_ be 2000 ELO on lichess if you cared.

I would argue that being top 2000 ELO is _way_ higher than top 5% of chess players. Most chess players have _never played a competitive game_

Re: 95%-ile isn't that good (2020)

#135

Post by kulahan »

tester756 wrote: post #90
brigadier132 wrote: post #72

I think the way this is phrased is weird. It should probably be rephrased as "becoming 95% percentile at a thing is not that hard". Which I might agree with. Becoming good at a lot of tasks and skills really just comes down to finding the right approach to training and then doing that training. The last 5% is much harder because that's generally filled with truly talented people that also know how to train and are di…

last 5%? I've been top 1% and slightly below 1% at peak in video games that have milions of gamers and I wouldnt say that top 5% is filled with "truly talented people" Top 5% is just decent people, but they are very, very, very far from top 0.1, 0.5%, etc. At 1% I've been faaaaar from 0.5%, 0.1% people.

I'm no good anymore, but in the VERY early days of SC2, I was good enough to occasionally get matched up by the ranking system with players like WhiteRa and Idra.

Shocking how much better they were than me. Technically in the same league, but in terms of skill it wasn't even close. The top .1% really are something special in these types of cases. Pretty neat stuff.

Re: 95%-ile isn't that good (2020)

#136

Post by topaz0 »

6gvONxR4sf7o wrote: post #127

The argument seems like a cheat, because it rules out people who don't participate, but doesn't limit itself to people who practice regularly. For video games, an analogy could be limiting to people who bought the game on steam, but not limiting to people who ever installed and played it. Or maybe a better analogy is website users, limiting to people who visited, but still including all the people who immediately bou…

On the contrary I think that's the main point: that a fairly trivial amount of practice is enough to surpass almost everyone who you'll encounter in the activity. Obviously (tautologically) the average person who practices regularly will be average among the people who practice regularly -- you'd have to practice exceptionally well (or perhaps start out with exceptional talent) for practice to make you exceptional in that group. So I don't think it's a cheat, it's just about putting it into perspective.

Re: 95%-ile isn't that good (2020)

#137

Post by danbrooks »

When I was younger, I used to enjoy competition and climbing leaderboards. Now, parenting always comes first. Reaching the top 5% is possible for most people with sustained effort. Many participants aren't dedicated to reaching the top of the leaderboard.

Re: 95%-ile isn't that good (2020)

#138

Post by ponector »

mkl95 wrote: post #8

It depends. A 95%-ile salary in an average country will buy you a tiny flat in a good area. The equivalent salary in a very rich country will allow you to retire in your 40s.

I assume USA is a rich country. 95-percentile salary is 170k per year. Not sure this salary will allow you to retire in your 40s.

Unless you are living alone in depressed city with low costs of living.

Re: 95%-ile isn't that good (2020)

#139

Post by vanattab »

threatofrain wrote: post #117
tester756 wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

last 5%? I've been top 1% and slightly below 1% at peak in video games that have milions of gamers and I wouldnt say that top 5% is filled with "truly talented people" Top 5% is just decent people, but they are very, very, very far from top 0.1, 0.5%, etc. At 1% I've been faaaaar from 0.5%, 0.1% people.

The world of video games can't be compared with anything else — except sports — in terms of competitiveness. If you're in the top 32 you're in the A-list of celebrities in that niche, and if you're top 64 you're a second-tier celebrity. Anything after that and it's hard to get paid. Imagine a country where only the top 64 surgeons get paid.

No one is talking about getting paid only becoming skilled in some domian.

Re: 95%-ile isn't that good (2020)

#140

Post by aiisjustanif »

ch4s3 wrote: post #125
bitexploder wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can squat 315, DL 425, bench about 230. Done 100-115 strict overhead press. I train Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Plenty of guys stronger than me that I train with. I also go to a gym once in a while. I am solidly middle of the pack, especially considering I weigh 200 lbs. maybe if you are at planet fitness or something. Otherwise these numbers only take a bit of dedicated work to achieve. You would not look at me and think…

> Otherwise these numbers only take a bit of dedicated work to achieve I think you may be underselling that a bit. I got to something like 370-80lb DL while weighing 185 some years ago, and it took nearly 3 years of dedicated work, eating tons of boring chicken, and a lot of lifestyle changes. It was pretty hard work and a of hours in total. I still lift weights, but don't have the focus and dedication to maintain th…

That’s wild to me, many high schools across the country have people that can do 370lb DL at 185lb.

I can understand the struggle at an older age, but age matters a lot here.

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