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2x 40 min of train everyday. Best way to spend them?

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Re: 2x 40 min of train everyday. Best way to spend them?

#31
post #6
post #2

Listen to podcasts or audiobooks. Or just think.

Do you have any audiobooks or podcasts that you'd be happy to share?

The infinite monkey cage

http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/timc

In Our Time

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qykl

In Our Time is an excellent radio programme, and every episode is available online. There is plenty of choice.

Re: 2x 40 min of train everyday. Best way to spend them?

#32
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have any audiobooks or podcasts that you'd be happy to share?

i'm also going to be commuting about 40 min by bus. I get motion sickenss if I read or look at a screen on the bus, so some podcasts would be very helpful!

Stumbling upon happiness: Dan Gilbert. It's witty and pretty fascinating, and one of the best books I've heard.

Re: 2x 40 min of train everyday. Best way to spend them?

#36
I have done a 2x 40 minutes train commute for the last year, before I started I bought a Kindle and read a lot of books. I have found it to be very productive, if you are really motivated you can read books which are related to your job. So when you arrive at work you are ready to apply some new things you learnt. Otherwise I sometimes catch some sleep if I am tired.

Re: 2x 40 min of train everyday. Best way to spend them?

#37
post #13

Try talking to one new person each day on your ride. And play your level up until you are able to enter an engaging conversation with anyone on that train. Social skills are having in my opinion the most severe impact on your life.

Please don't. Most people riding commuter trains just want to be left in peace. Developing social skills is absolutely a valuable thing, but it's not fair to make innocents on the train be your tutors. Practice social skills with co-workers, at networking events, or in shared-interest groups (join a book club, an outdoors society, etc.)

I'm sorry to disagree, but I promise you that at least the strong extroverts would be happy to talk to somebody at least. Just by the numbers that should make up and not too small part of a train passengers. Plus it is easy to wander around or pretend to exit on the next stop in case the situation gets too awkward.

In fact I would argue that this is exactly the right social environment for practicing social skills as it takes place outside the typical peer groups and "save" settings. In a setting where people know somebody already a sudden change in social interactions might come across as weird and odd. The same thin a train is totally random and chances are super small to meet these people again.

Re: 2x 40 min of train everyday. Best way to spend them?

#38
post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Please don't. Most people riding commuter trains just want to be left in peace. Developing social skills is absolutely a valuable thing, but it's not fair to make innocents on the train be your tutors. Practice social skills with co-workers, at networking events, or in shared-interest groups (join a book club, an outdoors society, etc.)

I'm sorry to disagree, but I promise you that at least the strong extroverts would be happy to talk to somebody at least. Just by the numbers that should make up and not too small part of a train passengers. Plus it is easy to wander around or pretend to exit on the next stop in case the situation gets too awkward. In fact I would argue that this is exactly the right social environment for practicing social skills as…

> Plus it is easy to wander around or pretend to exit on the next stop in case the situation gets too awkward.

Again, I'm sorry, but I really think this is a bad idea. You're talking about making somebody to get up and move seats or cars to avoid you?

> chances are super small to meet these people again.

Except not if it's a commuter train. If you ride the same train at the same time, you're likely to see mostly the same people going to and from work.

Re: 2x 40 min of train everyday. Best way to spend them?

#39
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have any audiobooks or podcasts that you'd be happy to share?

Finding good stuff is so damn hard. I'm listening to that stuff whenever I do anything that doesn't require too much focus. Time that adds up. Three I can recommend: http://shoptalkshow.com/ - Webdesign and development mostly http://javascriptjabber.com/ - If you're interested in JavaScript development http://www.dancarlin.com//disp.php/hharchive - Free older recordings of history podcasts. He adds a lot of emotion a…

+1 for Dan Carlin. I only listened to the history of the Mongols.

Re: 2x 40 min of train everyday. Best way to spend them?

#40
post #6
post #2

Listen to podcasts or audiobooks. Or just think.

Do you have any audiobooks or podcasts that you'd be happy to share?

I use to ride the train from San Francisco to Sunnyvale and was able to read a lot of books. I had to be careful though because if I got too into the book I would miss my stop.

Audio Books:

Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection by Charles Darwin -- https://librivox.org/the-origin-of-species-by-charles-darwin...

The Art of War by Sun Tzu -- https://archive.org/details/art_of_war_librivox

Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift -- https://archive.org/details/gulliver_ld_librivox

Podcasts:

Ruby Rouges (ruby programming talks/programming in general)-- http://rubyrogues.com/

StarTalk with Neil Degrasse Tyson (Space, comedians, science) -- http://www.startalkradio.net/

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