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Tips for a Better Life

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Re: Tips for a Better Life

#201

Post by bertjk »

grecy wrote: post #135
amelius wrote: post #104

> If your work is done on a computer, get a second monitor. Less time navigating between windows means more time for thinking. I don't agree. Use a virtual desktop instead and switch workspaces with a keyboard shortcut. I'm currently using 9 workspaces, and monitors couldn't ever beat that UX.

I'll disagree with you - the value of 2 or more monitors comes when you want to simply have more stuff on screen at the same time so you can compare / check / whatever. I.e. you can have a spreadsheet on one monitor, and the results of a bunch of terminal windows on another, and be typing out an email about those two things on another. You can continue to type the email while reading the spreadsheet and checking the…

I agree with the point about being able to compare two windows, but I feel like the second monitor adds much less value now that affordable 32" 4K monitors are a thing. Now the more useful investment is simply learning your OS's window management hotkeys to immediately snap your window to either the left side or right side of the screen.

Re: Tips for a Better Life

#202

Post by HexagonalKitten »

Jtsummers wrote: post #180
HexagonalKitten wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many conservatives (that's how I'm labelled on here, so...) do not support the police as is. I've specifically witnessed more than one instance of absolutely treasonous behavior by police - threatening to hurt people and make up charges. It's counterproductive to think that only 'the left' is against bad police - nobody wants to pay people to ruin the system. However, those people probably don't think that the police…

Perhaps meditate on #48 from the linked article about keeping your identity small. You may find that you're less likely to assume that a comment that makes no mention of left/right or BLM is an attack on you personally so that you don't feel a need to defend yourself from an imagined attack.

Right, because the issue of calling people 'enablers' of bad policing is generally so bipartisan that I'm coming from nowhere with my group labels... What's the # of the one about psychological projection?

I didn't dwell on my identity (because those aren't the words I'd choose to use if I had to). It was a way of self-disclosure like saying if you work for the company being discussed. It's to say "while I'm probably one of the people you're talking about ...".

> an attack on you personally so that you don't feel a need to defend yourself from an imagined attack.

Oh, no. You're out to left field. I'm explaining, not defending, everyone who tends to be misunderstood. I'm trying to say that people can support a thing without being 'enablers', and that two people who both see the same problems (police violence) can see different solutions.

I'm sharing my personal views to help explain how, regardless of labels, that most of our group hatreds are based on intentional (by others if not us) misstatements about the others, not their own words or actual views.

Re: Tips for a Better Life

#203

Post by [deleted] »

anonymouse71 wrote: post #152

The part about always dying... I have struggled with this concept since I was a child. If anyone has any words of advice on dealing with that that aren’t “just accept it” or religious in nature, that would be helpful.

[deleted]

Re: Tips for a Better Life

#204

Post by PNWChris »

56. Sometimes unsolvable questions like “what is my purpose?” and “why should I exist?” lose their force upon lifestyle fixes. In other words, seeing friends regularly and getting enough sleep can go a long way to solving existentialism.

I really dig this particular one. It reminds me of something similar mentioned in Lex Fridman's interview with Daniel Kahneman:

"When you ask people whether it's very important to have meaning in their life, they say oh yes that's the most important thing...but when you ask people what kind of a day did you have...what were the experiences that you remember? You don't get much meaning, you get social experiences."[0]

I'm a big fan of Man's Search for Meaning, and I have generally enjoyed reading existentialist philosophy. That quote, however, presented an alternative foundation for a happy life in such clear terms, and they were terms I simply hadn't considered using! After thinking about it, it's almost obvious. I'm pretty young, and even now I look back fondly on the best social experiences in my life. It's incredible to be alive, and to have had the experiences I've had with the people I've gotten to share them with.

I still highly value having meaningful pursuits, but above everything else, these days I aim to enjoy the company of good people and to be good company for others. I find it's a nice cure for the existentialist blues if you ever catch them.

[0]: https://youtu.be/UwwBG-MbniY?t=3120

Re: Tips for a Better Life

#205

Post by cuddlybacon »

qntty wrote: post #25

Sorry, but a lot of this advice makes no sense or is pretty bad. 26. Are you on the fence about breaking up or leaving your job? You should probably go ahead and do it. People, on average, end up happier when they take the plunge. Seems illogical. Presumably the reason that people are happier after leaving their job is because, on average, they wait until they are ready. That doesn't mean anyone with the inclination…

I think 27 makes more sense with 97: Liking and wanting things are different.

I'm guess if those usually line up quite well, this advice seems insane. But if they don't, it is solid advice. I wasted years of my life waiting for motivation to show up, and it never did. It amounted to years of my life I simply regret.

Eventually I saw advice to the effect of 27, and it seems like it has mostly worked to help correct course.

Re: Tips for a Better Life

#207

Post by d3nj4l »

grecy wrote: post #135
amelius wrote: post #104

> If your work is done on a computer, get a second monitor. Less time navigating between windows means more time for thinking. I don't agree. Use a virtual desktop instead and switch workspaces with a keyboard shortcut. I'm currently using 9 workspaces, and monitors couldn't ever beat that UX.

I'll disagree with you - the value of 2 or more monitors comes when you want to simply have more stuff on screen at the same time so you can compare / check / whatever. I.e. you can have a spreadsheet on one monitor, and the results of a bunch of terminal windows on another, and be typing out an email about those two things on another. You can continue to type the email while reading the spreadsheet and checking the…

Even if they're not in the same context, it can be easier to switch between contexts by just moving your head, instead of having to press a keyboard shortcut or a button. I use a tiling WM and usually have two contexts side-by-side (half of my 4k 27" display is usually enough for one window to work in) and when I want to switch to something else I can instinctively move to the other one without having to think about it. On the flipside, the lack of friction also means you can get distracted pretty easily, so YMMV.

Re: Tips for a Better Life

#208

Post by coffexx »

> 9. Steeping minutes: Green at 3, black at 4, herbal at 5. Good tea is that simple!

That just sounds incredibly bitter. I highly recommend using more tea to less water, and much, much, much lower steep times. Especially for greens as they're more delicate.

If your tea is bitter or astringent, its a combination of water that might be too hot, and long steep times.

80-90C for most green teas. The hotter you go the lower your steep times should be. 90C+ for blacks.

At the extreme you could try gong fu brewing if you're really into your tea :) steep times as short as ~10 seconds are not uncommon.

Re: Tips for a Better Life

#209

Post by [deleted] »

AnimalMuppet wrote: post #176
closeparen wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

#1 is interesting. Does it imply malicious intent towards a romantic partner, if you would break off the relationship over a lack of sex? Or imply that you might? Seems to me like misaligned desires are more unfortunate than evil.

Misaligned desires are unfortunate. Pressuring the other veers toward evil.

[deleted]

Re: Tips for a Better Life

#210

Post by d3nj4l »

throwaway0a5e wrote: post #76
Gualdrapo wrote: post #18

> If you want to find out about people’s opinions on a product, google reddit. Type " site:reddit.com" instead (without the double quotes). That way Google will only return results it found in reddit.com

Maybe this was good advice in 2015. This is terrible advice in 2020. Reddit is astro-turfed up to it's eyeballs and the parts that aren't are people with little to no experience in niche X giving generally bad and nuance-free advice on niche X. The more niches you develop proficiency in the more you will see this.

TFA talks about arguments, though. Find the threads where people argue about stuff, not where everybody is circlejerking. You'll find lots of small things reviewers won't catch, stuff about durability, long term use, minor UX issues etc. You'll also find a wider range of opinions. Reddit may not be ideal, but it's better than anything else I've found.
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