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Tell HN: You are not alone this Christmas

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Re: Tell HN: You are not alone this Christmas

#81

Post by goodpoint »

upstarter wrote: post #53

Nobody in this World has ever been alone. Everybody has their team of guides in the higher dimensions, and they are never on vacation, they are present every second of every day and every night. You just need to learn to perceive them and to connect to them.

> Everybody has their team of guides in the higher dimensions

Citation needed.

I'd rather be reminded that we share the planet with 7.9 billion other humans. A tiny planet all alone in an immense universe.

On this planet we are all alone, together.

Re: Tell HN: You are not alone this Christmas

#82

Post by civilized »

If you're reading this, you're welcome in Christmas spirit to my house with my wife and two little ones and our little Christmas tree and our piano. We'll be doing our best to keep the kids busy as we have been and will be this long holiday break from school :)

Re: Tell HN: You are not alone this Christmas

#83

Post by blip54321 »

sillysaurusx wrote: post #34
abzug wrote: post #20

Thank you for this gesture. I lost almost everything. Job, 7-year relationship, my mental health. Feeling that I'm not only alone but inadequate to have a life like anybody else. I'm still alive, so there's that.

I think if you're posting this to HN, you want to talk to someone about all of this. I happen to like hearing about your life, so please feel free to DM me any time. https://twitter.com/theshawwn Happy to just listen. No advice.

It's a kind offer.

I will mention that I suspect many people going through this won't be comfortable with Twitter as the means of communications....

Re: Tell HN: You are not alone this Christmas

#85

Post by kayodelycaon »

abzug wrote: post #32
gigatexal wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dang! That’s tough! How are you coping? You good?

I'll be lying if I tell that I'm good. In 2022 I'll study to become a programmer. Focus on algorithms, data structures, and try to learn math (I'm very math illiterate, I don't know anything beyond basic arithmetic). So at least by this time next year I'll have more knowledge.

I’m a senior web application programmer in the US and absolutely suck at math. Most of the field doesn’t require much math. Basic geometry and algebra would be enough. Knowing the basics of how to calculate combinations and permutations is useful.

Some people have recommended Kahn Academy. https://www.khanacademy.org/

Don’t be afraid to use a calculator when things get complex. Calculators are not cheating. But try to do as much in your head and on paper as you can. It helps to learn why things work.

You will get frustrated. Be patient and walk away for a bit when you need to. :)

Re: Tell HN: You are not alone this Christmas

#86

Post by acomjean »

precommunicator wrote: post #72
deepersprout wrote: post #42

I think this whole christmas thing makes a lot of people feel alone and depressed. I hate that. Posts like these make me think this even more. I am alone, and I like it. I can play Warzone and code some stuff I wanted to finish. I can do things I like. I know this may sound stupid, but if you feel alone, don't. There is no reason to. It's just a day like many others. There is really nothing to it. And we don't need "…

It's a weird feeling. I like to be alone but I don't know, this Christmas I have the weird feeling of mix of sadness and loneliness. Usually I don't care, but somehow this stuff comes to me. Even that those are not my first, second or even third Christmas alone, I don't celebrate them, and I'm atheist.

People even those that like being alone or have a hard time with others (I have family members like this), sometimes like being social. The short days of winter effect some people (vitamin D?) and I think the pandemic has exacerbated this. I notice a lot of the little interactions I used to have are gone although not really deep I miss them.

Re: Tell HN: You are not alone this Christmas

#87

Post by pixelbreaker »

deepersprout wrote: post #42

I think this whole christmas thing makes a lot of people feel alone and depressed. I hate that. Posts like these make me think this even more. I am alone, and I like it. I can play Warzone and code some stuff I wanted to finish. I can do things I like. I know this may sound stupid, but if you feel alone, don't. There is no reason to. It's just a day like many others. There is really nothing to it. And we don't need "…

Agreed, posts like this exacerbate the feeling of being alone.

I'm alone this Christmas, and it's bloody great, a morning of simracing, followed by pizza and a nap then maybe watch die hard.

A large proportion of people seem to make the assumption that being with family is amazing and everyone should do it. But if your family are largely arseholes, then why waste your time and energy?

Re: Tell HN: You are not alone this Christmas

#88

Post by Chris2048 »

xkbarkar wrote: post #61

I spent christmas alone in a hotel. It was my choice over meeting family who wanted masks, rapid tests etc before meeting for christmas. I have followed every single piece of mandate for two years. Including double dose Moderna that I still have ptsd from. I am done, I had ribs a glass of cognac and witcher marathon alone in a 4 star hotel instead. Best christmas in a long time. Happy holidays to all and wish a wonde…

But why in a hotel?

Re: Tell HN: You are not alone this Christmas

#89

Post by blip54321 »

abzug wrote: post #60
chalcolithic wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm gonna be downvoted to hell but start with linear algebra. All the basics will be immediately useful for graphics programming.

Doesn't linear algebra requires a lot of background/intuition? I have none.

Basic linear algebra can be taught in elementary school. It definitely doesn't require a lot of background.

Most linear algebra courses and textbooks do. Without a lot of background, you'll run into a hard brick well.

A few good starting points

- Project Algebra's Road Coloring curriculum

- 3B1B (on Youtube) has a series on the geometry of linear algebra. You should have the mechanics of adding/multiplying matrices, but not much more

- Game theory is a nice place to explore early

Linear algebra is a many, many year progression. It's quite deep and interesting. But you don't need to start with singular value decompositions and whatnot. Start with those sorts of things, and then apply it in different domains:

- 3D graphics

- Image processing

- Control theory

- Quantum computing

- Data analysis

... and whatever else suits your interests.

After a decade or so, if rather fascinating deep dives, you'll have a deep understanding not just of linear algebra but of some rather interesting domains.

Re: Tell HN: You are not alone this Christmas

#90

Post by technothrasher »

iammjm wrote: post #75

This year I decided to finally stop participating in other people's illusions. I was raised Catholic but stopped believing about 15 years ago. Still, each year I went through the motions. This year I thought: I don't believe, I don't care, so why bother? This feels quite liberating and I'm proud of myself

Good for you! It’s so liberating to realize you don’t have to be pressured into pretending to be somebody you’re not, and there’s nothing wrong with being you.

Of course, you can still enjoy Christmas without being into any of the religious stuff, if you wish. I’ve been an atheist since I realized religion wasn’t for me at about the age of six, and Christmas is actually fun for me because there’s no pressure. It’s just a bullshit holiday like any of the others and an excuse to celebrate, or not. If you don’t like it, you can just ignore parts or all of it.

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