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Things I Should Have Known at 20

inoveryourhead.net

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Re: Things I Should Have Known at 20

#121

Post by davidtanner »

shin_lao wrote: post #83

These lists always miss the point. For example, the list is most likely right about sleep. However, if you're not sleeping enough you'll most likely say "It's ok man, it's under control". Only when experiencing personally the damages of sleep deprivation you'll say "I should sleep more". Not because you read it on a list or your friend tells you. As for six packs, yes, it's important, because it will insulate you fro…

Back pain can often be prevented/improved by having a strong back and abs, true. However a "6-pack" is a function of low body fat for the most part. Crunches(especially unweighted) are a terrible way to make your abs stronger.

Good ways to make your back and abs stronger include squats, deadlifts and progressively loaded ab work.

Re: Things I Should Have Known at 20

#122

Post by maked00 »

Another MLM wonder. Check out the totally egregious 'contest' designed to spam the tweet-o-sphere.

Perfect use for a time machine, check-out these know-it-alls later in life, when life has thrown them a few curve balls, and their bodies are falling apart in their 80s.

Re: Things I Should Have Known at 20

#124

Post by jerf »

walterworm wrote: post #109
_pius wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The list is all phrased as commands. I can't stand that. There is no one way through life, and I wish people didn't act like just because it worked for them it will work for everyone. I've heard this sentiment before and I don't get it. If it makes you feel better to have authors qualify every sentence with "In my opinion ...," you ought to simply imagine it there, not force that kind of timid writing on everyone els…

'In my opinion' isn't the only alternative to blank statements. One can explain one's ideas or provide some evidence.

It would not have improved the piece. Short & punchy would become long and meandering, with all sorts of little details and things to nitpick at and complain about.

(Indeed, the cynic in me can't help but read this as a complaint that the essay isn't full of such small things to nitpick about and use to casually dismiss it, as is our mental habit... but perhaps that's too cynical.)

Besides, all attempts at wisdom transfer like this have the problem that if you understood the explanation, you almost certainly didn't need it in the first place. You're better off just spending some time in thought about these sorts of essays, asking yourself how and why someone saw fit to write these things, wondering what experiences they had that led them to these conclusions...

... or, more likely, not, until about 15 years later.

Re: Things I Should Have Known at 20

#125

Post by Dirlewanger »

rimantas wrote: post #60
SkyMarshal wrote: post #2

I thought this was going to be BS, as I do all numbered lists [1], but it's actually pretty good. Here's a TLDR, but the elaborations on each point are worth reading: 1. The world is trying to keep you stupid. 2. Do not have faith in institutions to educate you. 3. Read as much as you can. Learn to speed read with high retention. 4. Connect with everyone, all the time. 5. Don’t waste time being shy. 6. If you feel we…

> 1. The world is trying to keep you stupid. No it doesn't. Quite the opposite. While the idea that less educated are easier to manipulate is true the item on the list says expresses a different idea. > 2. Do not have faith in institutions to educate you. You can only educate yourself. However institutions can help a lot. As for outdated curriculum: guess how old Newtonian physics and calculus is. Now think how many…

Concerning your conservative remark: hands down the best high school class I took was my US government class. It taught one all the shit about the political process...practical stuff (as opposed to the literary significance of Hamlet) every adult should know in order to make informed voting decisions. Stuff that one most likely will not learn anywhere else unless they put effort into doing so (and we all know how motivated the general public is to do that).

One of the things they touched upon in the early chapters was how people, in general, are more liberal in their youth and, as they acquire wealth and other serious assets (mortgage, family, 20 foot boat, etc), they become more set in their ways and thus, conservative. Makes sense when you think about it...

Re: Things I Should Have Known at 20

#126

Post by raldi »

revorad wrote: post #93
pg wrote: post #67

Any book worth reading is worth reading slowly.

That was one of the things I always thought was weird about me. All my friends always showed off how quickly they read books. And it took me ages - I would keep re-reading lines and paragraphs that I liked. Now, I can just say, "Did you know PG does that too?".

There are dozens of us!

(We need a name for it.)

Re: Things I Should Have Known at 20

#127

Post by outworlder »

yelsgib wrote: post #72
pg wrote: post #67

Any book worth reading is worth reading slowly.

What's the slowest book you've read?

There has to be a distinction between technical and non-technical books here. Otherwise (excluding purely academic books), I'd say 'On Lisp' - even though that's probably because I was not ready for it yet. In fact, I've had to read it multiple times. Same goes for SICP.

Re: Things I Should Have Known at 20

#128

Post by raldi »

jarek wrote: post #88
dfc wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

#21(b) X buttons will not save a floating navbar with a "digital clock font."

Fun fact: the technical term is "seven-segment display character representations."

Even when there are clearly more than seven segments?

Re: Things I Should Have Known at 20

#129

Post by raldi »

JonnieCache wrote: post #94
raldi wrote: post #3

#21: Floating navbars are an abomination and make your site incredibly frustrating to read on a mobile device -- especially in landscape mode. At least put an X button on that thing.

Also, if you're going to make a gimmicky website like that, at least have the decency to have something happen when I click on the door or the fan or whatever.

What door / fan?
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