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Smartphones Are Toys First, Tools Second
If you time-traveled to the 1960s, or even the 1980s, and tried to describe smartphones to the people you met, they wouldn’t believe you.
Top posts
Every blog post that took off on Hacker News, ranked by the votes of its best submission. 7,743 posts.
Life, Learning & Writing
Any year
3752
I Regret Quitting Astrophysics
In 2013 I decided to quit my career in astrophysics, move back “home” and become a data scientist. The blog post I wrote about my decision was probably my best read publication as a professional astronomer and it was moving to read all the reactions from people who were struggling with similar decisions. I meant every…
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It is perfectly OK to only code at work, you can have a life too
There is often pressure inside Software development for Software developers to code outside of work hours. Whether you are a Python, Ruby, Java, or any other developer... There is absolutely no need to code outside of work if you don't want too. Coding is considered a passion for some, but others they don't think this…
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Ship Something Every Day
Edit : A better title would've been " commit every day that you work ". I don't mean you should work on weekends or not take time off, and whatever you work on doesn't need to "ship to prod".
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Love after life: Richard Feynman's letter to his departed wife (2017)
Where the hard edge of physics meets the vulnerable metaphysics of the human heart.
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Blogs rot. Wikis wait
blogs rot. wikis wait. 2025-01-01 wiki is my abyss is my wiki is my abyss is my wiki is my abyss is my wiki is my abyss is my wiki is my abyss is my wiki is my abyss is my wiki is my abyss is my wiki is my abyss is my wiki is my abyss is my wiki is my abyss is my wiki is my abyss is my wiki is my abyss is my wiki is…
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A year of vibes
A personal recap of 2025 and a year of a new style of engineering.
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You Don't Need a Mentor–Find a Nemesis Instead
In which the author expostulates on his odd notions about sports, music, and life
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How 30 days without social media changed my life
30 days ago, I made the decision to give up social media for a month. Well, here I am, reporting that I’m still alive and that the past month has been life changing- the most successful month of my existence.
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How To Become Uber Productive While Working For Yourself
Note: I was introduced to this idea somewhere on Hacker News a few weeks back, though I haven't been able to find the exact discussion again [1]. I adapted the original concept to fit my own style, and it's changed the way I approach my work. Uber Productivity - How To…
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Brain, Bytes, Back, Buns - The Programmer's Priorities
I recently said something that ended up making the rounds on Twitter: 'If ...
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The new reading stack
A world beyond Amazon
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The Focus to Say No (2011)
To realize your potential you have to focus on the things that matter. You have to say no to good opportunities so you can pursue great ones.
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Study Tips from Richard Feynman
“Study hard what interests you the most.”
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I electrified my push scooter with a power drill
My blog about my project cars and other contraptions
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How to Explain an Idea
What's an idea? What sorts of ideas are there? And how to explain them once you have them?
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Books and lectures don't work
Designing media to reflect how people think and learn
3773
Epistemic Learned Helplessness (2019)
[This is a slightly edited repost of an essay from my old LiveJournal] A friend recently complained about how many people lack the basic skill of believing arguments. That is, if you have a valid a…
3774
Escaping High School
A guide for fourteen-year-olds and fourteen-year-olds at heart
3775
On Programming Languages: Why My Dad Went from Programming to Driving a Bus
I discuss, with stories, why programming language choice matters and provide guidelines, along with an infographic of popular 2017 languages.
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I continue to no longer attend vintage computer festivals
As should be expected, a number of individuals have come forward with responses to the initial blog post. While I do not expect everyone to take even a passing interest in the rabbit-hole of the si…
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There's more to mathematics than rigour and proofs (2007)
The history of every major galactic civilization tends to pass through three distinct and recognizable phases, those of Survival, Inquiry and Sophistication, otherwise known as the How, Why, and Wh…
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Occasionally USPS sends me pictures of other people's mail
Occasionally USPS sends me pictures of other people's mail.
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