Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

I Learned to Read Again

substack.magazinenongrata.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

71–80 of 83 posts

Re: I Learned to Read Again

#71

Post by throw4847285 »

shigawire wrote: post #50
throw4847285 wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just speed ahead, and I always retained more than I thought I did. If I keep going, eventually I can reach a kind of flow. It doesn't matter if I missed bits here or there. Or, you could try the opposite, and slow down. It sounds like torture, but eventually, it will become habitual.

Can you read dense novels with this? I feel like you'd miss subtleties, but grasp the overall story or simpler books.

I read Anna Karenina pretty fast. And the Power Broker. I'm a fast reader in general.

Re: I Learned to Read Again

#72

Post by dontwannahearit »

humanfromearth9 wrote: post #64
buzzwords wrote: post #25

Interesting, I struggle to read. I always have. But I genuinely enjoyed it. Few years back I told a colleague that by the time I reach the end of paragraph I forget how it started. He told me sounds like a learning difficulty. So I did a test, thinking I was dyslexic. It turns out I have ADHD with particularly bad short term memory. Anyways my question for everyone here, how do you read with ADHD? How do you over com…

Fix your ADHD. It certainly comes with constant fatigue. It becomes clear that ADHD, like autism, is related to a lack of energy for the brain, and disappears when enough energy is available. If you feel too tired to focus, if you think you might need to sleep more than others, have the need for naps and so on, go consult a sleep clinic, get tested for all kinds of conditions, and find and fix the root cause. Ritalin…

You seem to have thought about this. Would Creatine help?

Re: I Learned to Read Again

#73

Post by RattlesnakeJake »

keiferski wrote: post #59

A few months ago I spent an entire Saturday reading a long book (Underworld by Don DeLillo) deliberately with my phone off. I walked around, went to a restaurant, sat on a bench in the park, all with just the book. It was one of the most “grounded” days I’ve had in years, and I felt like I noticed dozens of things about the place I live that I hadn’t noticed before. Ironically it was the exact day that the recent Ira…

I dropped Twitter for Lent this year, just in time for the fighting to pick up. Being stuck with slow, oversimplified (and likely propagandistic) news coverage instead of the usual OSINT accounts, (likely fake) firsthand reports, and bad-but-fun hot takes was frustrating for a bit .

(I still haven't gotten back on, and I'm much happier for it)

Re: I Learned to Read Again

#74

Post by infinite8s »

relativeadv wrote: post #41
pseudonymidy wrote: post #7

Is there value in identifying the difference between reading a longer article like this one and an actual book? Reading the news from the AP/Reuters and a book on history? I spend lots of time online, primarily on my phone, reading. I don’t watch videos and I don’t use social media aside from browsing the Reddit front page. I try to justify my online escapes because I’m reading a substack, a bit of news, an interesti…

> "Is there value in identifying the difference between reading a longer article like this one and an actual book?" I know its such a common thing to suggest, but if you haven't, I really would suggest reading Understanding Media by Marshall McLuhan. tl;dr is that every single medium of communication shapes the message it is trying to deliver. This is unavoidable and once you understand that you begin to see it every…

And at a meta level, every medium of communication shapes its receiver as well (think about the dumbing down effect of TV vs a book).

Re: I Learned to Read Again

#75

Post by warshinder »

frgturpwd wrote: post #65
warshinder wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think that can be true and probably is, but it seems like an over simplification. If you spend 14 hours a day reading Wikipedia and studying it, say working math equations, cross referencing sources, etc… is that really going to make you understand less than someone who reads enormously long but low quality romance novels for the same number of hours?

It would only be an oversimplification if they had claimed that every book reader understands more than every online reader, regardless of subject matter. They didn't. Plus, in your example, this hypothetical online reader has already acquired the capacities that books are supposed to help develop, and he might be closer to a book writer.

A more concrete example: SBF infamously said he doesn’t read books. While he was obviously not very bright in many ways, I’m certain there are heavy book readers who are far less bright or informed. I know, because I’ve met them. My only point is that there exists a bias towards books that is sometimes but often not warranted.

Re: I Learned to Read Again

#76

Post by [deleted] »

warshinder wrote: post #75
frgturpwd wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It would only be an oversimplification if they had claimed that every book reader understands more than every online reader, regardless of subject matter. They didn't. Plus, in your example, this hypothetical online reader has already acquired the capacities that books are supposed to help develop, and he might be closer to a book writer.

A more concrete example: SBF infamously said he doesn’t read books. While he was obviously not very bright in many ways, I’m certain there are heavy book readers who are far less bright or informed. I know, because I’ve met them. My only point is that there exists a bias towards books that is sometimes but often not warranted.

[deleted]

Re: I Learned to Read Again

#77

Post by legacynl »

I feel for this author. Not because of his attention span, but rather that his whole life has been lived trying to conform to someone else's ideals. Can't read in middle or high school because of what peers would think. Couldn't read in college for what his dad said that he should be doing. Can't read in your professional life because it's 'childish'. Now he feels 'obligated' to read because it's part of Bourdieauian ideals?

I think the author should take a long hard look at himself, and decide for himself what his ideals are that he wants to live by. Reading even though you don't like it isn't evidence of sophisitication, it is evidence of stupidity.

Re: I Learned to Read Again

#78

Post by legacynl »

buzzwords wrote: post #25

Interesting, I struggle to read. I always have. But I genuinely enjoyed it. Few years back I told a colleague that by the time I reach the end of paragraph I forget how it started. He told me sounds like a learning difficulty. So I did a test, thinking I was dyslexic. It turns out I have ADHD with particularly bad short term memory. Anyways my question for everyone here, how do you read with ADHD? How do you over com…

I think constantly checking if you can recall the last paragraph is a bad habit. It not only requires mental effort, it also breaks your flow.

I have ADHD myself, and I advise you to always keep reading. Don't stop and think about what things meant, don't recall the important events at the end of a paragraph or chapter, none of that. Just keep reading.

If you really feel like you didn't 'get it', go back 3 chapters. But reread it without stopping.

Re: I Learned to Read Again

#79

Post by legacynl »

shigawire wrote: post #50
throw4847285 wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just speed ahead, and I always retained more than I thought I did. If I keep going, eventually I can reach a kind of flow. It doesn't matter if I missed bits here or there. Or, you could try the opposite, and slow down. It sounds like torture, but eventually, it will become habitual.

Can you read dense novels with this? I feel like you'd miss subtleties, but grasp the overall story or simpler books.

I think you can compare it to watching a movie. You won't recall at the end what color jacket the character was wearing, or what the name of the victim was, but you still get the movie. Even though the jacket-color might be significant in someway (like being the same color like the monster the character would become or something). It's normal and expected that a single viewing/reading will not give you all the insights.

Just like a movie, if I really like it, I could decide to read it again, and discover things I didn't get the first time around. But there is no requirement to spot every detail the first time.

Re: I Learned to Read Again

#80

Post by legacynl »

BoingBoomTschak wrote: post #20
JumpCrisscross wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Is reading morally superior? No. Of course not. Someone who can't read due to mental disability isn't morally inferior to someone who can and does.

He obviously meant "is choosing to spend your time reading morally superior" , though.

I hate these discussions on HN. Unless we first agree on what 'good' and 'bad' are, this question is basically nonsense. In any case, what you choose to do on your own in your free time has basically no moral or ethical impact whatsoever.
Post reply on HN