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Tips for a Better Life

ideopunk.com

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Re: Tips for a Better Life

#411

Post by swat535 »

Jtsummers wrote: post #27

> 48. Keep your identity small. “I’m not the kind of person who does things like that” is not an explanation, it’s a trap. It prevents nerds from working out and men from dancing. This is one I've been trying to emphasize with a few friends for a while. The act of labeling yourself is the act of restricting yourself to what you think fits that label. And unless that makes you happy , it's probably not what you really…

I disagree.

I think developing a durable character with strong preferences is what makes you a genuine being. Saying hard NOs to things that don't fit well in your life and not having to come up for excuses for declining.

If you are constantly saying yes to everything and everyone and trying everything then you'll never really be complete.

The key here is to not blatantly reject anything in front of you but rather respond with "Maybe".

Re: Tips for a Better Life

#412

Post by soared »

DanBC wrote: post #353
jodrellblank wrote: post #305

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe this is true, but without any sort of evidence or detail it reads far more like you status signalling how above-it-all you are than a meaningful comment.

I don't use reddit much, so maybe I've got this completely wrong. (But the post doesn't say "use reddit", it says "search reddit".) Look at frying pans. Reddit will tell you that cast iron is the only option. Carbon steel is wrong ("home burners don't get hot enough", stainless steel is wrong ("too hard for you to use"), aluminium non stick is wrong ("only good for beginners who don't know what they're doing"), alumi…

I read reddit while holding the opinion of "reddit is always bitter" and the site gets much much better.

That scotch you liked? Reddit doesn't like it because they're bitter. And if reddit does like it, well then its probably great!

Re: Tips for a Better Life

#413

Post by mcguire »

AnimalMuppet wrote: post #253
ggm wrote: post #216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess because I see secular humanism as being rooted in a rationalist outlook, and the a-social claimed rationality of the Ayn Rand rugged individualists just leaves me cold, as does most libertarian rejections of society and social equity, collectivism to me is the highest form of rationalism.

I note that your rejection of Ayn Rand's philosophy is that it "leaves you cold", rather than a rational refutation of it. Ayn Rand begins with axioms, and logically derives her position from there. (Well, maybe. I suspect that at least to some degree, she already had her position, and derived her axioms from there, then argued for her position from her axioms.) So I attack her position by saying that in her third ax…

Why do you attack her position? Because you fundamentally, a priori, believe her third axiom is wrong, or because the collection of axioms and conclusions "leaves you cold" and the third axiom is a key place you find to disagree with her reasoning?

Re: Tips for a Better Life

#414

Post by mcguire »

0xffff2 wrote: post #261
andreilys wrote: post #251

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some people have spent thousands of hours perfecting their craft. To think you can produce the same output with a few hours of YouTube tutorials is laughable. I’m happy to pay these experts because I know I will get my moneys worth. It’ll also free up my time to explore things I have a higher interest and affinity for

How do you know you're hiring an expert? It's easy to find people claiming to be experts who are willing to take your money. It's virtually impossible to evaluate whether they're any good or not when you're not an expert either. If I do it myself, I might take three times as long, but at least I know what I'm going to get.

Somehow, it feels better if it's screwed up because I screwed it up rather than paying someone else to screw it up.

Re: Tips for a Better Life

#415

Post by rsync »

habryka wrote: post #270
rsync wrote: post #246

Earlier quoted context omitted.

hmm ... I see that this exists: https://github.com/LessWrong2 ... but there is nothing there about the commenting features ...

LessWrong lead developer here: The commenting features are pretty embedded in the codebase, so a bit hard to say something specifically about that. A number of people have asked us whether we could somehow make it a package and support the same commenting systems on other sites, but it would be quite a bit of work and really doesn't factor out very nicely. Glad to hear you find them aesthetic! We put a lot of work in…

Yes, the entire site is very well done and I appreciate the design very much. Great job!

Re: Tips for a Better Life

#416

Post by navait »

Aaargh20318 wrote: post #93

> 25. History remembers those who got to market first. Getting your creation out into the world is more important than getting it perfect. This is why everyone remembers the MPMan F10 and no one has heard of the iPod. Being the first to get it right is more important than being the first to get to market.

I don't remember the ipod being successful until the second generation, with the ipod mini. So i would say you need to get something out that you can improve upon quickly, and make it the thing it needs to be.

Re: Tips for a Better Life

#417

Post by yourapostasy »

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…

> Discipline and motivation are not interchangeable things. They exist in a balance.

Motivation ignites, discipline inflames.

Re: Tips for a Better Life

#418

Post by AnimalMuppet »

mcguire wrote: post #413
AnimalMuppet wrote: post #253

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I note that your rejection of Ayn Rand's philosophy is that it "leaves you cold", rather than a rational refutation of it. Ayn Rand begins with axioms, and logically derives her position from there. (Well, maybe. I suspect that at least to some degree, she already had her position, and derived her axioms from there, then argued for her position from her axioms.) So I attack her position by saying that in her third ax…

Why do you attack her position? Because you fundamentally, a priori, believe her third axiom is wrong, or because the collection of axioms and conclusions "leaves you cold" and the third axiom is a key place you find to disagree with her reasoning?

Because I didn't think her conclusions were right, and because her system is laid out logically enough that I could trace through and find out where I thought it went wrong.

Re: Tips for a Better Life

#419

Post by pyrophane »

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

It isn't though. Water temperature is just as important. Black and herbal teas typically do well with boiling water, but green and white teas need a lower temperature, between 140-175 depending on the tea.

Also, while 3 minutes is a fine general rule for green tea, I've found that some green and white teas taste best steeped for longer at lower temperatures.

Re: Tips for a Better Life

#420

Post by redleggedfrog »

bonoboTP wrote: post #47
redleggedfrog wrote: post #16

"8. When buying things, time and money trade-off against each other. If you’re low on money, take more time to find deals. If you’re low on time, stop looking for great deals and just buy things quickly online." I'm finding, as I've gotten older, that almost every time I've chosen money over time I've made a bad decision. And I see this among my family and friends, too. There's a mentality that emerges when exchangin…

Some people value that they can get stuff done for themselves. I've grown up helping with various renovations around our home (floor tiling, wallpapers, building kitchen furniture etc), and they are fond memories and it makes a difference to how you feel living in a place. I know today mobility and renting is everything, but there is quite a distinct feel of living in actually your own place that you've worked on ove…

I wanted to say great replies - thoughtful and reasoned and polite. I read them all. Thanks HN folks.
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