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Ask HN: What are you currently learning in your spare time?

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Re: Ask HN: What are you currently learning in your spare time?

#52
post #7

I'm learning German. I've never learnt a non-machine language before and having just moved to Berlin I thought I'd try not being that jerk foreigner that only speaks english, even after living here for 2 years. So far it's been quite fun. Last week I finally cracked the level where I understood a conversation of a Couple passing me on the street.

An old bilingual hacker mate once commented to me, on learning German, that it's a stack based languages, as all the verbs are at the end of the sentence...

Re: Ask HN: What are you currently learning in your spare time?

#53
post #7

I'm learning German. I've never learnt a non-machine language before and having just moved to Berlin I thought I'd try not being that jerk foreigner that only speaks english, even after living here for 2 years. So far it's been quite fun. Last week I finally cracked the level where I understood a conversation of a Couple passing me on the street.

An old bilingual hacker mate once commented to me, on learning German, that it's a stack based languages, as all the verbs are at the end of the sentence...

That's excellent. I'll remember that.

Re: Ask HN: What are you currently learning in your spare time?

#54
post #7

I'm learning German. I've never learnt a non-machine language before and having just moved to Berlin I thought I'd try not being that jerk foreigner that only speaks english, even after living here for 2 years. So far it's been quite fun. Last week I finally cracked the level where I understood a conversation of a Couple passing me on the street.

Nice! I am also learning German. I've just moved to Heidelberg about 10 months ago. It is a difficult language... :/ Did you take classes?

So far no. I've been using Duo Lingo, which has been surprisingly good to get the basics, plus a bunch of learn German audio files I found. I'll probably sign up for classes soon when I find some good ones. A friend of mine took classes aimed at tourists and said she didn't get much from it.

Re: Ask HN: What are you currently learning in your spare time?

#55
post #7

I'm learning German. I've never learnt a non-machine language before and having just moved to Berlin I thought I'd try not being that jerk foreigner that only speaks english, even after living here for 2 years. So far it's been quite fun. Last week I finally cracked the level where I understood a conversation of a Couple passing me on the street.

Nice! I am also learning German. I've just moved to Heidelberg about 10 months ago. It is a difficult language... :/ Did you take classes?

Also listening to German heavy metal while coding, not sure if it helps, but there's a genre called "new german hardness".

Re: Ask HN: What are you currently learning in your spare time?

#56
post #7

I'm learning German. I've never learnt a non-machine language before and having just moved to Berlin I thought I'd try not being that jerk foreigner that only speaks english, even after living here for 2 years. So far it's been quite fun. Last week I finally cracked the level where I understood a conversation of a Couple passing me on the street.

Nice! I am also learning German. I've just moved to Heidelberg about 10 months ago. It is a difficult language... :/ Did you take classes?

Hey, I'm also located in Heidelberg, born here, if you ever want to get a coffee and practice a bit let me know.

Re: Ask HN: What are you currently learning in your spare time?

#57
I've been learning more about lease-option contracts. My goal is to understand how to determine interest rates for lessee's who lack a formal credit history. But have a year or more of lease payment history.

Also, studying the growth of suburbs in Santa Clara and Alameda Counties during the post war period. It really helps in understanding some recent urban planning policies.

Re: Ask HN: What are you currently learning in your spare time?

#58

Nice thread. Gotta say, listing all this makes me feel a hell of a lot less lazy! (In southwest China...) 1. Classical Chinese, by translating old texts on Wikisource: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Translation:Manshu 2. Just brushed up on technical drawing and woodworking to get new office furniture built. 3. Fatherhood. 4. Event planning. I'm trying to set up a community event to take ~40 party people down to a nea…

Cool. Kunming? I am in south Taiwan =)

Yep. Kunming. I cycled down the Taiwanese coast years ago - http://pratyeka.org/bike/eastern-taiwan.html ... very interesting country, I've been back maybe 5 times, but not enough wilderness for my liking. Almost forgot - starting a maker space http://cave.pratyeka.org/

Re: Ask HN: What are you currently learning in your spare time?

#60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cool. Kunming? I am in south Taiwan =)

Yep. Kunming. I cycled down the Taiwanese coast years ago - http://pratyeka.org/bike/eastern-taiwan.html ... very interesting country, I've been back maybe 5 times, but not enough wilderness for my liking. Almost forgot - starting a maker space http://cave.pratyeka.org/

Ah, I think you missed the mountains in the middle =). I spent a month in Yunnan a couple years ago and hope to revisit. Not enough freedom of speech for my liking.

Your maker space looks awesome! I have the same idea to open a shared hacking space in Kaohsiung

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