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contextualon Ask HN: Did you get "never have to work again rich" through software?

I believe the objective in life shouldn't be how much money and success we can acquire, but how good a person we can become.

contextualon Ask HN: Did you get "never have to work again rich" through software?

I'd love to chat with you. I'm dead broke too but I think we could have a productive conversation.

Please email me if this interests you.

contextualon Ask HN: Did you get "never have to work again rich" through software?

Being good looking also helps. Your startup will get more ink if you've got a pretty face.

As for me? I'm out of luck.

contextualon Amazon sues employee for taking Google cloud job, in new test of non-competes

Brilliant reply, thank you. After having read several books on Amazon and many articles, Bezos and co still fascinate me.

contextualon My Treadmill Desk

In the middle of a redwood forest.

Is it because he "loves" nature so much he'll tear down dozens of redwood trees and displace wildlife so he can casually mention it in his blog posts?

Anyone who destroys nature to be close to it does so out of ego, nothing more.

contextualon Songza is Joining Google

Google is uncool and can't even comprehend cool. They will ruin Songza or shut it down.

contextualon My Treadmill Desk

No, disgust. I'm exposing the truth and advocating for wildlife. I'm allowed to do that. It's my planet too.

contextualon My Treadmill Desk

In the middle of a redwood forest.

Is it because he "loves" nature so much he'll tear down dozens of redwood trees and displace wildlife so he can casually mention it in his blog posts?

Anyone who destroys nature to be close to it does so out of ego, nothing more.

contextualon Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?

Is God a Vegetarian? Christianity, Vegetarianism, and Animal Rights by Richard Young[1].

Behold, it was very good[2].

[1] http://www.amazon.com/Is-God-Vegetarian-Christianity-Vegetar...

[2] Gen 1:31

contextualon Things I learned as an engineer that I wish I had known in grad school

I agree with taking on pet projects that have no immediate payoff. And they don't need to be complicated either, only intellectually stimulating or ambitious.

For example, a few summers ago I decided to make a web page for each and every national anthem in the world. A huge website network of national anthems, and later I would add audio.

The story of why I came up with this idea is here: http://ohcanadaanthem.com/story-oh-canada-anthem/

I only managed to do 5-6 anthem pages (Great Britain, USSR, Canada, a few others) before I became completely preoccupied with trying to secure the Star Spangled Banner lyric site. The site was being hacked constantly.

I finally took them all down - except the "Oh Canada" website (my home country) which comes in handy for my own use: http://ohcanadaanthem.com/

contextualon Foursquare, Quora, Path: What Becomes Of The Underachievers?

Scrappy outsiders... best of the best... that's called 'sucking up'.

contextualon To Stop Procrastinating, Look to Science of Mood Repair

Funny how this is the latest research findings. It seems so obvious. I guess we all are so distracted, numb and unconscious we don't even know ourselves anymore.

EDIT: I'm pointing the finger at myself as well.

contextualon Ask HN: Review my startup: seevl.fm (free music discovery)

Doesn't work on my BlackBerry Z30 browser. The site doesn't load.

Consider that many will visit your site on mobile, and design accordingly. Good luck with Seevl!

contextualon Ask HN: Where did you hang out while HN was down?

Looks cool, and I added my handle, but doesn't twitter already have this feature?

contextualon Ask HN: Alternatives to Evernote?

Definitely check out Springpad: https://springpad.com/about

For me, I've been using Basecamp for practically everything. It's so useful and reliable, and the mobile site has the best most functional interface I've ever used.

contextualon Evernote, the bug-ridden elephant

I just reinstalled the app, and it will take awhile before everything is synced again - that is if the app version was the source of the problem. I'm running the leaked OS 10.2.1.1925 for the Z30, but I doubt that had anything to do with it. The OS has been rock solid.

contextualon Evernote, the bug-ridden elephant

The Evernote app for BlackBerry 10 has never synced without producing an error. This wouldn't bother me so much if I wasn't a Premium member.

I'm open to switching to an Evernote alternative, provided this alternative has an Android app. Android apps are becoming as easy to install on BlackBerry 10 as native BlackBerry apps.

Curious, what are the Evernote alternatives?

contextualon BlackBerry sues keyboard company founded by American Idol host Ryan Seacrest

The BlackBerry Q10[1] is the most unique smartphone on the market due to it's touch display and physical keyboard. And although I'm now rocking a Z30, the Q10 is still probably my favorite.

[1]http://us.blackberry.com/smartphones/blackberry-q10.html

contextualon Ask HN: Changing habits

BJ Fogg's 1, 2, 3 step is known as "anchoring", and I agree it can be effective in establishing new habits, especially when there is emotional buy-in beforehand. It's actually an old NLP / hypnosis fix.

Weeding out any friction points while establishing the habit is also important (in my book INDOCTRINATOR, I call it the "secret ceremony").

INDOCTRINATOR isn't finished yet, but it's available at Leanpub for anyone interested: http://indoctrinator.com

contextualon The rise of robots and the future of jobs

Automation and the mass annihilation of jobs will be the biggest story of the next five years.

contextualon Ask HN: What is something you believe that nearly no one agrees with you on?

Morality matters, and the lack of it is destroying the planet, the economy, and our families.

contextualon Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?

Seconded. I listened to the audiobook about a year ago and am ready to listen to it again - and I never do that.

contextualon Ask HN: what to do when you rediscover your stress tendencies?

Here's a technique I use. I call it welcome home. Take a moment to notice your breath. Specifically, feel the air as it enters your nostrils and then exits your nostrils.

Relaxing, isn't it? That's because where your breath is, you are. You are home.

The only home you truly have is you, and it's only a breath away.

contextualon Earthlings

Do you have a problem with animals suffering?

contextualon Anti-ageing compound set for human trials after turning clock back for mice

No one should be holding their breath in anticipation. Billions of dollars in research funds worldwide are wasted on "splashy findings" based on fraud and bad science[1]. In fact, most published research findings are likely false[2] :

[1] http://articles.latimes.com/2013/oct/27/business/la-fi-hiltz...

[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1182327/

contextualon Earthlings

I'm sure slave owners in the South used the same slippery logic: "If we let black people free, what's next? Women with voting rights?! I can't whip my boy when he acts up?!"

Change is hard, but if you're genuinely confused, simply follow what the great mindhacker Gautama Buddha taught: compassion for all and without judgement.

contextualon Developer and Power Users Tool List for Windows

Directory Opus is insane. Best software I've ever purchased.

contextualon Antifragile: Things That Gain From Disorder – Review

In my experience, a salient example of antifragility ("damage" and/or volatility that makes a system stronger) is Rejection Therapy[1]. Continuous rejection can actually make you more confident. Rejection gives you answers faster. It exposes weaknesses and delusional thinking. And getting rejected feels exhilarating because you've disobeyed your fear and accomplished the game's objective.

It works the other way too: the less you get rejected, the more you fear it and the more painful rejection is when it inevitably happens.

[1] http://rejectiontherapy.com

contextualon Letter From A Psychopath

Some of the test questions I've seen aren't really questions. They're scenario based statements designed to uncover the subject's true way of thinking.

I'm sure these tests can be defeated though.

Please keep in mind I'm not a psychologist or expert on the subject.

contextualon Letter From A Psychopath

After 50 years of research, that is the understanding of a psychopath. Pathological lying, lack of remorse or guilt, manipulativeness, superficial charm are what make a psychopath a psychopath.

You wouldn't pass any of the dozens of psychopath tests available if you lacked these traits, and you certainly wouldn't call yourself a psychopath.