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Ask HN: What's the most life-changing blog post you've ever read?

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Re: Ask HN: What's the most life-changing blog post you've ever read?

#11

Post by jacknews »

iamthemonster wrote: post #2

I don't look back on it that fondly nowadays, but it would probably be Mr Money Mustache's classic "The Simple Math of Early Retirement". I am not on a path to FIRE really, but in my early twenties it was really incredibly eye-opening. At that age, I had very much assumed that the world had to work according to "work hard for 45 years, get the biggest house you can, buy as much stuff as you can, on your 65th birthday…

Honestly I find the whole movement quite dreary if taken too seriously.

Of course, don't spend on frivolous things. Do you really need the designer bag, instead of just a bag? Do you need that road-trip with your friends in your 20s? Do you really need to impress that boy/girl by taking them to a michelin restaurant for a date?

OTOH what is the opportunity, and life cost of being frugal or too frugal? Perhaps the designer bag caught the attention of the boss, and 'earned' their respect, which ultimately translated to a promotion. Perhaps you ended up finding your life parrter in one of your road-trip friends. Perhaps you didn't get the boy/girl because you cheaped out on the date. Etc.

Life is to be lived. Some moderation is required. Not too much though.

Re: Ask HN: What's the most life-changing blog post you've ever read?

#12

Post by thehomestayer »

anm89 wrote: post #8
codingdave wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem I've always had with that story is that most people are struggling just to live on what they make. Saving 50% of your income when you are trying to make rent is a pipe dream. Even making decent money, if you have a family, saving is tough. The idea that we are poor because we buy lattes is over-simplified, and borderline insulting. Life is more complicated than a blog post with some arithmetic.

I could list more than 10 people I personally know who have probably permanently stunted their lives via credit card debt from door dash and uber eats. The the world doesn't owe you a standard of living. If you want to have more money, spend less money. Or don't. It's your choice. Nothing insulting about it.

Your second line really resonated with me. Thanks for sharing.

Re: Ask HN: What's the most life-changing blog post you've ever read?

#14

Post by rado »

Not life changing, but my favourite is "The 100% correct way to do CSS breakpoints" by David Gilbertson, because it clearly and convincingly restores common sense in an industry quick to follow well established nonsense.

https://medium.com/free-code-camp/the-100-correct-way-to-do-...

Re: Ask HN: What's the most life-changing blog post you've ever read?

#15

Post by zschuessler »

Soft skills every dev should know:

* https://neilonsoftware.com/soft-skills-every-dev-should-know...

This next one isn't life-changing. But, it has intriguing ideas in it, summarized from Fooled by Randomness:

* https://jamesclear.com/book-summaries/fooled-by-randomness

The last link has a trove of top-tier content if you go to the articles section. Smart lad!

Re: Ask HN: What's the most life-changing blog post you've ever read?

#17

Post by michaelbuckbee »

anm89 wrote: post #6

Not really life changing but still my favorite blog post of all time https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/09/30/i-can-tolerate-anythin...

Yeah, this is the one that I came here to post. I probably think about it once a week in the context of news/life.

Re: Ask HN: What's the most life-changing blog post you've ever read?

#18

Post by mrob »

http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2014/07/instant-pot-el...

If you see cooking primarily as a means of getting nutrients rather than a hobby, I very strongly recommend getting an electric pressure cooker. It greatly simplifies cooking because it's automated. Just add the ingredients, close the lid, press a button, and wait. You will get a perfectly cooked one-pot meal with minimum effort. You can even mix fresh and frozen ingredients and the timer won't start until the frozen ingredients are thawed. If you don't overfill it the only thing the food touches is the inner stainless steel pot, so it's very easy to clean. I get the majority of my nutrition from food cooked this way. I can't imagine going back to slow traditional methods.

It also makes dried legumes far more practical, because you can skip the pre-soak phase. If you eat a lot of legumes, and you switch from canned to dried, the savings will most likely pay for the cost of the machine within a few years. In addition, energy costs are reduced because cooking at increased pressure is faster, and good electric pressure cookers are insulated. I am happy with an Instant Pot brand one, although I don't guarantee they are the best. If somebody has strong opinions on which is best then please post them.

The one major downside is the texture of the food can become boring, because everything is mixed together and you can't make crispy foods with it, but you can always add things like pickles after you've cooked it.

Re: Ask HN: What's the most life-changing blog post you've ever read?

#19

Post by benjaminwootton »

I devoured all of Joel on Software and Kathy Sierras Creating Passionate Users.

This was my favourite one on avoiding mediocrity. It crosses my mind at least weekly over a decade later!

https://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/2006/...

Re: Ask HN: What's the most life-changing blog post you've ever read?

#20

Post by shaneos »

Aphantasia: How it feels to be blind in your mind

By Blake Ross

https://m.facebook.com/nt/screen/?params=%7B%22note_id%22%3A...

Before reading this post I had no idea I had aphantasia and thought everyone else was the same as me, unable to see anything when they closed their eyes. This helped me understand myself and my relationships so much better than ever before. Thanks Blake!

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