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You've Probably Read Enough

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Re: You've Probably Read Enough

#71

Post by Gambit89 »

Hortinstein wrote: post #53

i have a huge problem with this, between HN, /r/programming, /r/netsec, /r/technology, fastcompany, I find myself not really "doing" that much with programming as a hobby. I studied computer science in college, and for the last 3 years have been working in the military outside the field, but my passion still lies with computer science. Unfortunately these days it seems I mostely read into the success of others. I gue…

What about http://rubykoans.com/ for learning Ruby? You'll be following TDD, meaning the code should work if all the tests pass. And you learn incrementally as new test cases pass (or koans, as the case may be). I'll venture to say that once you have a grounding in the fundamentals, it'll be much easier to just read the advanced tutorials and understand it.

Re: You've Probably Read Enough

#72

Post by fleitz »

I find that a read/do cycle works really well, especially with a specific task at hand. Doing is important, but if you can learn from others at the same time I find it works really well.

The task at hand is merely to focus your attention on the specific path and along that path you'll learn what you need to do the other things in the field.

If you're trying to learn accounting it won't work by just reading a book, or just trying to balance your cheque book, but if you have a book and you refer to it while progressing through the balancing of your cheque book you'll learn what you need to know, and a large number of things that you didn't know you didn't know which you can learn later with a specific task in mind.

Re: You've Probably Read Enough

#73

Post by fleitz »

kami8845 wrote: post #52
hrabago wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If mastering English is your goal, then doing includes conversing. I know a lot of children of immigrants who can understand their parents' language, but can't converse in it.

Where does one converse in English while in a foreign country? I basically taught myself English using the Internet and even though my understanding is top-notch due to copious amounts of reading & watching TV shows, my speech & active vocab are severely underdeveloped.

Get a VOIP/Skype account, find something to sell, phone people in English speaking countries, and sell them it. Google for the expat community in your country if you want someone local.

Apply for VISAs or other things at an English speaking foreign embassy.

Go on craigslist and find stuff for sale phone them and ask questions about whatever it is they are selling. Phone recruiters from craigslist or something.

Figure out something to do that involves English and just do it.

Re: You've Probably Read Enough

#75

Post by lusr »

borism wrote: post #22
_delirium wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's hard to say for sure, but I find the difference between "cold" recall and latent recall of facts to be pretty large. Happens most frequently with stuff I learned on Wikipedia: I'll end up in a conversation, find myself knowing a fact that I shouldn't really have known given my background, and then realized that I must've gotten it from Wikipedia. Sometimes after that I can mentally recreate the browsing path I m…

it's called http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associative_memory (yeah, there's plenty of links spanning from that article, I know) I think there's a whole cult that promotes learning all kinds of things by remembering by association, can't remember what it was called. My father was introduced to it when he tried to learn a new language, but it failed miserably at that (not all tools are suitable for everything). Anyway,…

I managed to memorize the forwards and backwards order of half a deck of cards the first time I tried using this book: http://www.amazon.com/How-Develop-Super-Power-Memory/dp/0811...

And then I promptly picked up a new book to half read after life distracted me for a week and I forgot about that one.

Re: You've Probably Read Enough

#76

Post by denzil_correa »

Would this hold true for all "kinds-of" audience? People opting in for a career in research (for example) are asked to read & assimilate more than the norm. The trick though is to remember the good parts and the ability to recall the good parts. Your thoughts?

Re: You've Probably Read Enough

#77

Post by ehsanu1 »

kami8845 wrote: post #52
hrabago wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If mastering English is your goal, then doing includes conversing. I know a lot of children of immigrants who can understand their parents' language, but can't converse in it.

Where does one converse in English while in a foreign country? I basically taught myself English using the Internet and even though my understanding is top-notch due to copious amounts of reading & watching TV shows, my speech & active vocab are severely underdeveloped.

Where does one converse in English while in a foreign country?

Here: http://www.colingo.com/

Colingo is shaping up to be an amazing product for language learning, and luckily for you, they're focusing on English speaking fluency at first. Disclaimer: I've briefly worked with the guys behind Colingo.

Re: You've Probably Read Enough

#78

Post by Tsagadai »

saraid216 wrote: post #49
Tsagadai wrote: post #40

You probably haven't read enough. It really depends on your goals and what you are trying to learn (or whether you are trying to learn at all). Doing is great and it's how you get things done but not everything can be learnt in a few short articles. It also depends on what you are reading too. Reading within a narrow field or an echo chamber can only take you so far. Reading and discovering new ideas can completely t…

I'm curious what constitutes mastery in English for you.

(I think some commenters assumed I was not a native speaker. English is my first language).

Mastery for me would be mastery of English as an art and as a craft. It's about making something people want to consume. Poetry, novels, songs, technical manuals, plays, screenplays, essays, esoteric manuscripts, perfect commentary, and so on. Those are mediums, I want to create something that lives beyond my lifetime. Mastery for me is writing something that becomes truly immortal communication.

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