eludwig

I watched the video and the speaker spends a great deal of time making some very elegant (if somewhat obvious) points. But then at the end he comes to the wrong conclusion, Imo. He blames the corporations where millennials work and passes the responsibility for fixing their attention/relationship deficits off to them! This is totally backwards.

Every generation has their dopamine hits. Of course, as society creates more leisure time, the number and (arguably) complexity of these increase. That is the trend. But, as always, the responsibility should be squarely on your own shoulders! You were not "dealt a bad hand." If that's a truth, then everyone ever born was dealt a bad hand. If being born at the time when the length and quality of life (health-wise) is at its longest, then deal me in! There are many, many benefits to being born in this time and as always, it is up to us to find the life we want and the balance we need.

I haven't seen this mentioned yet, but in the spirit of the high-profile failures (or misuse?) of the Tesla autopilot system, could it be that Chris had a fundamental disagreement with Tesla management over the direction and technical grounding of this feature?

All rank speculation, of course, but maybe he didn't like what was "under the hood" of this feature and how it was being developed and marketed?

Just spectator curiosity, but interesting to ponder none the less.

Not a Apple apologist, but I do own a bunch of iThings.

Apple's made a very opinionated choice in choosing what software to allow on the AppStore. On the Mac this isn't a fatal problem for developers due to the ability to side load applications. It’s the fact that apps can't be side loaded on iOS that causes the real damage (imo). But I also think Apple should be able to run their app store as they see fit.

Apple seems to be trying to figure out a way to have it all. They want a vibrant developer community without the all of the hairy cruft that comes with true choice, like viruses and malware. Again, imo, they lose something by forcing this choice down everyone's throat. They create too much friction for developers. There is that bottom-line terror every time a dev thinks about writing an app for iOS: will Apple allow this app to exist? To me, this is a horrible and limiting thing to have to even consider and the reason that in the long run Apple will have to give this idea up or see their platform slowly fade over time.

I'm torn, because I am glad that my Mom can be relatively safe when running her iPad with its limited selection of apps. But the idea that I have to think about whether or not an arbitrary person working at a huge multi-national can terminate my idea for an application is just too much freedom to give up.

Not sure what the answer is, but official app side loading would go a LONG way (for me) towards reducing that friction.

Current commute into Manhattan is about 2 hours one way door-to-door (car/train/walk from Penn station). The commute once the move to NJ is complete will be 15 minutes!

Silicon Turnpike?

disclaimer: I live in NJ and commute to NY, yes - to work for a big financial concern. Lo and behold, I was just informed that my company is moving a ton of staff to a new Jersey "campus." They have likened the new facility to google or Facebook (although, knowing stuffy finance, I have my doubts ;)

Some comments after reading the article and the thread as it stands.

My kids are in their early thirties now and grew up right in the middle of the "self-esteem" boom. We jokingly called the grade school they attended "self-esteem central" and this was back in the late 80s, so we (as parents) were very aware of what was happening at the time.

I think we knew even then that not everything about it felt quite right. My feeling around the absurdity of the 35 trophies for "trying real hard" at the time was that it diminished the very real accomplishment that actually winning something (for real) entailed. AND, the kids were never fooled. They knew exactly who had really won (as others in the thread have mentioned). So like all of these "reactionary" movements (as defined by a sharp deviation from what came before) they tend to pull too far in the other direction.

Most important for me though is the feeling that the movement had the basic idea perfectly right! I think it is hard for non-parents to understand the feeling of helplessness that a parent feels when they send their kids into the mad hopper of public school. You have raised and loved this little being for 5 or so years and now you are sending them to a place where you can mostly only hope that they will not be treated poorly (berated, insulted, hurt physically). So if the self-esteem movement did anything, maybe it raised the bar for the reasonable treatment of kids as fallible human beings that respond better to the carrot than the stick? I think it feels right to me. As parents we are just looking for a safe place for our children to learn stuff. Is it so much to ask that this place actually not suck?

As far as raising children with an eye towards "global competition," the argument can be made that there are diabolical ways involving mind-games, insults and cajoling that will breed more cutthroat competitors and that the adults raised this way are better equipped for the "real world". I say have at it. Parents can make that choice too if they want to. But I didn't want that for my kids, period. Make the "real world" the place you want it to be.

>>it irreparably alters your personality in a completely senseless way

There are many things that fit this description: being a parent, puberty, your first kiss, falling in love, a death in the family. Would you cling to a definition of yourself that has no room for major, perspective-changing, life-altering insights? You can try, but life has a way of changing constantly whether you want it to or not.

Recreational drugs serve no "purpose", as you say (objectively useless). But what purpose is there in being born, eating, making love, making friends, and eventually dying? Purpose is what you decide it is. If some people want to explore their brains using chemicals then what the problem with that? Yes, everything has risks, but so does getting up in the morning.

Live and let live. You may not like the fact that drugs can change personalities in a way that makes you uncomfortable, but this is a big world: I'm sure you will be able to find like minded company. Maybe even here on HN? Who knows.

My take on this is that everyone has their own take on it. Some people like it and want to do it all the time, some hate the idea and could never imagine it as a lifestyle. This makes senses to me. It's a personal preference thing. Different personality styles like different things -- and, as mentioned here already, it can have a lot to do with your personal circumstances and the stage you are in your life and your "career."

What's real nice is to have the ability to find the right balance for yourself, if you have the luxury of a company that's relaxed about such things.

I live in the New Jersey suburbs and have an approximately 2 hour (one way) door-to-door train (includes a 20 minute walk from Penn station) commute to get to my office in Manhattan. For me, I like to be able to work at home 2-3 days a week. I do like to go into the office and see my co-workers and friends. I would feel out of it and lonely if I didn't have that. I just don't want to do it 5 days a week. Thankfully I have that luxury now. Situations change all the time and nothing is forever, but it's great at the moment.

I understand what you are saying, but we need to remember one thing: it was all recreational! Good God, the man wasn't being chased by killers, he was doing this for fun!

The fact is, I don't care who you are, there are limits imposed on the 50 year old body. There just are. If you want to keep active, that's great, but what ever happened to being reasonable? Why is everyone in such a rush all the time to have more fun faster and harder than anyone else?

Maybe this is an artifact of civilization? Since we are no longer being chased by tigers we need to "fun" ourselves to death. Who knows.

To be fair, the article makes it clear that he never felt like he was "pushing" too hard before the incident. It may be he didn't notice his body talking to him, or maybe it just didn't until it was too late, which sucks. Everyone is different. I can tell you that I'm over 50 and have definitely noticed the effort and recovery challenges that accompany my age. I'm active and love to run, bike, etc. But it certainly feels different than it did when I was 15. I have to be reasonable about how much I do how fast.

Be reasonable, people.

Can a computer give us first-person insight on the human condition? That would be one working definition of "art."

I was wondering this as well. I don't have such a cable, but I am thinking it might work. The USB C connector on the dock looks like it just feeds right into the hdmi cable.

There isn't much info online about this. Just old forum posts.

Yes, I hear you. I guess I say that because I assumed it would be much worse? It was understood that they would be hard to come by at launch. There were a set amount produced that had to go to a set number of stores. By scheduling the launch on a Friday (school and work day) I think they were trying to have enough for the die hards.

Just a few quick comments on the Switch after a day of use.

First, a quick digression, Nintendo seems to have gauged the launch demand pretty well. There are some other comments here regarding Target morning waits. I was 2nd on line at 6:40am in a northern NJ Target. The guy in front of me had slept in his car (!), but he seemed to be the only one that did. By 7:45 the line was 20ish people. Our Target had 25 consoles. So everyone that got there by 8 (opening time) got one. Nice.

The hardware seems really good. I was surprised at how nice it all fit together (nice, solid clicks) for a product that costs half as much as an iPad! It's obviously still a "toy," but I don't mean that in a bad way. The finish is below typical Apple HW standards for sure, but I think that's to be expected at $299. It feels rugged enough to take with you, although as some said, a screen protector might be nice for extended away play.

To me, the nicest, most thoughtful thing about the HW of this gen of tech products is (believe it or not) USB C! Can I please shout out my love for this freaking connector!! GO USBC! Seriously, I didn’t realize how much subliminal psychic damage non-symmetrical USB plugs have done to me. This connector is so great. You no longer feel that weird little moment of anxiety where you know it will take you an extra second to look inside the damn connector and re-orient the blasted plug 3 times. If you are an old man like me (58), you will probably need to go find a pair of reading glasses, adding insult to injury.

The new Zelda is breathtaking, but you can tell that it wasn't designed for the small screen. It looks really, really great on my OLED 1080p TV, where I think it is meant to be played. Little things like HUD element size are too small for my eyes on the little screen. The FOV is not quite right for the small screen either. Not deal killers, but also things that could be fixed in a patch.

The Pro controller is a very nice "on the couch" controller. Very solid. No lag time. The analog sticks are fine, although I much prefer a mouse for camera controls, but that is my age talking.

I am totally loving this little thing. It's well put together, the only game I care about is Zelda, so the software is great. I think Nintendo has a potential home run here.

Fair enough. "All" was a poor choice of words. I would be the last (more hyperbole) person to tell anyone how to live their life.

Also, I failed to mention why I replied to the parent post: the mention of moderation. I think if you are listening to how you're feeling, you can (one can) tell when a life strategy isn't working. The important things in life will make their demands known.

Thanks for this. I was hoping someone would cover the obvious: games are fun! Why is that we feel the need to justify fun? Isn't fun (a form of happiness) what we are all striving to be able to have more of?

I was completely surprised by how great home 3d is! And I don’t really like 3d in the theatres at all.

Last year I bought a 55” 1080p LG OLED and on a lark, picked up a 3d blu-ray to see how it looked. Jeez, I was totally blown away! So much better than the movie theatre “Real 3D” while using the same passive glasses. A ridiculously beautiful 3d effect that was easy on the eyes. Just amazing. I started to stockpile whats left of the 3d blu-rays being produced. Thankfully, the 3d blu-ray editions tend to have all of the 2d versions as well, so it’s not the end of the world.

Favorite 3d blu-rays: Avatar (omg, just incredible), Inside Out (hankies required). 3d animated movies are the best.

I will go over and add my name to the petition. Home 3d is great.

When you are hungry, eat. When you are tired, sleep. This is exactly Zen.

>>It's nonsense to say that there's no way to make a perfect representation that's not imbued with personal style.

I apologize for not communicating what I was trying to say better. What I meant was that if you were a classically trained artist that had studied long enough (by which I don't mean that you trace photographs of people or anime characters from the web) to be able to draw freehand renderings that are convincingly accurate, you would have a style already based on your long hours of study and by virtue of the way your hand moves and touches the paper. Where you take your art after this is up to your personal style (in every sense of that word)

The word style is notoriously difficult to define wrt the art world. I was just trying to say that style is another word for "how you do what you do"

For the record, I think that the post-war art world is hugely fascinating. Some of it moves me, some doesn't.

Totally agreed. Actors and artists have to develop a thick skin or else they would whimper daily. :D

Any job where you are sort of putting yourself out there in the form of your work can be quite demoralizing, especially with the wrong people in charge. Programmers can be just as touchy about their work as artists--I've seen it personally. Some of this may have to do with cultural diffs. Some cultures seem (at least to me, with limited exposure) to be more or less amenable to "being nice" about criticism.

Yes, with regard to the respect angle, I can certainly corroborate the experience of the GP. Artists are treated like absolute crap. Not only are you constantly browbeaten by art directors (the people you work for) but you are also ground down by the people they work for--who know even less. It can be a very, very miserable work environment. Freelancers are a little more immune to this, but not completely.

The increase in respect and money that i was earning as even an entry-level developer was mind blowing to me. And since i enjoyed the actually act of coding so much, the choice was such an easy one to make.

I have a BA and MA in Visual Art with a concentration in Intaglio printmaking (etching), painting and illustration.

I got my degrees in the early 80s, just as the microcomputer revolution was heating up. Up until then, I was totally unaware of computers and computing. Math and science didn't really interest me growing up.

After leaving college, I got an entry level job as an artist that was fairly menial: rendering toilet seat covers and drapes for a local department store for local paper B&W advertisements. Left there to work for a now-defunct children's book publisher in 1982 or so. Was illustrating teaching aids as an in-house illustrator. A year or so later, the company started a division to write educational software for the Apple][. This was the first time that I really got to see and interact with computers.

Well damned if i didn't fall in love with the little things! I immediately got friendly with the developers writing the software (one of whom I know and work with to this day!) and asked if they would teach me how to program. This meant learning 6502 assembly language. So after working a second job for six months to save up for an Apple][c, I really hunkered down and learned. As it was, I was burning out on the "art on demand", cranky art director world of in-house art departments and decided that I'd like to get a job as a developer full time. So I basically stretched the truth about my background and landed a job writing Mac software (in 68K assembler) for a printer company in 1985-86. From there I was off and running.

As far as using art in my everyday work, I am certainly drawn to GUI work and can both design and code interfaces if needed. In working with UI and interaction designers, it is often easier for me to see what they are after and to implement the "spirit" of their work, so in that sense, my art background does really come in handy. (this is starting to sound like an interview answer--sorry about that)

Also, I've never completely given up art and still work on illustration (and writing) side projects to this day. It's the only way for me to let off certain creative steam.

>>I can draw anyone's face and produce a perfectly accurate replica.

I think you meant this as "one can", but if it's true, you can do far more than most trained draughtsman can do and you would certainly be considered and "artist", for there is no way to do this that doesn't imbue it with your personal style. Style flows from observation and execution, or at least it should--not the other way around. At least it does in good art schools. Having a "style" is quite frowned upon for beginning students. Style is earned through dumping preconceptions and truly seeing without prejudice.

But to talk to your points, as the sibling reply points out, here drawing is being singled out as glimpse into the exploratory mind of the artist that a finished work cannot give. Its the difference between learning and knowing.

I don't think you were serious about Dali, but you should know that he was a master draughtsman, as was Picasso. These two made conscious choices to twist their hard-earned observation of the real world in ways that made them...happy?...satisfied? But make no mistake. It was all earned on the back of serious study.

This is a normal part of growing up. It sounds like the author is perhaps in his mid-30s? 40ish? Am I close? Actually that doesn't matter at all, because this happens throughout your entire life. It's happened to me several times.

The secret to human interests is that they have an arc. A beginning, a middle and an end. Are you still doing the same things you were doing when you were ten? Maybe, but maybe not. I'm certainly not. There were no computers when I grew up. Well maybe a few ;)

It's natural to be bummed out when your interests (work interests, love, play, etc) change. It feels weird and uncomfortable, like we are losing something. It feels bad. You wonder if you are in a deeper funk...like real depression. Will it return? Is it a phase? You don't know.

The best way I have found to deal with this is just to watch. Observe. Hmm. I'm really not feeling this today and haven't for a while. That sucks. Don't get too caught up in it. Let the feelings rise and fall. Keep noticing. What is it that I do get turned on by? Well, I'd really like to be reading right now. So make time and do it. Let your urges take you where they will. Trust them. Let them lead you towards something that does it for you. The author seems to have that covered. He (she) is aware of things that are interesting. Keep doing these things. Let the things that interest you reveal themselves. Have faith in this cycle. It does eventually resolve itself.

I realize that this whole deal is tough due to responsibilities. Family, etc. People are counting on you. You have bills to pay. Appointments to keep. Keep them. Stick to the routine while you explore. This is important, because learning about yourself is easier when the external drama levels are low.

You will know if this course works, because you will feel better. If you still have angst and it is getting worse, then you may need to talk to a real person (a whole other kettle of fish).

My advice: listen and watch. Do what you need to while exploring what makes you happy.

Understood and thanks for the encouragement.

I haven't completely given up hope. I may still do it yet! :D

This is actually easier said than done. I'm 58 and been a hunt and peck typist (at this point a fairly effective and fast one) all my life. I've been a developer for 30 years. I've tried several times to learn to touch-type. I can do all of the exercises, play all of the games, but I have never been able to make the leap from looking to not looking at the keyboard.

It's the gap where you still have a full-time job to do along with those expectations that I fall down. :( Maybe it's to late for me?

That aside, I have never had any problem with productivity as a developer. As a "typist", yes, but not as an author of software. It just never comes up. Do I feel less "cool" when I am in a room with people looking at me type? Hell yes. But am I actually getting things done slower? Probably some things. Typing commands, yes. I could be faster there. Typing code? Maybe.

Just adding the perspective of a long time 6 fingered typist (occasionally 7).

>> and 75% procrastination.

I laughed at this and it's true. But I would like to champion a bit of procrastination in creative pursuits. I know the way my mind works and the simple truth is that sometimes it pays to wait until my head has worked through what feels like an incessant cycle of building up possible approaches and relentlessly tearing them down.

So lets say I'm given an assignment (or a stand-along idea occurs to me). I immediately start to visualize possible outcomes and the approaches that I would need to take to get there. I throw out 99% of these subconsciously. Some of these ideas don't even make it into a full-blown thought, but they are there lurking below the surface. All of this takes some time. Subjectively, it just doesn't feel like the right time to start yet.

This may look like procrastination, but it isn't. I'm not arguing for always waiting until every detail is mapped out in my mind to begin an effort, but sometimes it pays to let your head work through stuff for a bit.

Of course, moderation in everything (including moderation).

This is truly a beautifully produced/written/acted series.

They are all eminently watchable. My personal favorite episode?

White Bear!

Please don't google it. Just do yourself a favor and watch it.

So good. The series has lots of future tech stuff to noodle over. It's one of those that sticks with you long after you finish.

Warning: the series can be very brutal at times. No holds barred.

I hear you. It feels like the male version of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_lady_doth_protest_too_much...

Movements like this are proof that everything creates its opposite. Mutual arising.

Some would argue that these "reaction formations" are a precursor to eventually meeting in the middle. A sane, loving marriage of equals. Some of us have this, some don't, and some don't want it.

The world is a big place. Plenty of room for everyone (for now).

Agreed, with conditions. It is still possible to live in the moment and still have all of the tools that the higher brain functions give you, i.e. planning, forecasting.

The key is to plan in the present, then do the next thing and the next thing, each time in the present. Living like this requires adult versions of faith, agility and resourcefulness.

Even with planning, there can still be time for: "when you are hungry, eat. When you are tired, sleep". Not everything needs to be planned. Big things do, but not everything does. Know when to deploy the higher functions and when not to.