Total reboot

[ToddRyler]

Hello.
I've been stuck in a place from where i thought there was no escape, a place which i did not enjoy, for the last 3 years. But for the past few months, i'm enjoying being in my line of work.
But that required actually sitting down and shutting myself from the rest of the world, focusing on work more than anything else. It was frustrating af, because i had a huge backlog and hardly any time, and come exams i needed to know everything.
So i spent all of my time preparing, and my exams are finally here. They're going fine and will be over in a few days. That being said, i want to get back to 100% and not be limited to just what i'm supposed to be doing. I want to do much more.

I was wondering if you could provide me with any advice on how to get about doing the following:

1. How do i decide which sources of information are reliable on the internet?
2. If i am starting to read a completely new subject, that will probably be of no use to me save the amusement it provides, to what depth should i dive? How much time should i give it and what kind of resources should i use?
3. Just reading completely new things will probably not make it stick in my head, so apart from reading, how do i practice the things i learn?
4. These questions being asked, what new hobbies should i adopt?
5. And if i want to be good at general quizzing, how do i get about it?

Also, advice on how i should manage all the new information that i'm planning to soak in, especially ideas about revising things quickly and not feeling like i've wasted all my time doing it the first time because i dont remember anything now is most welcome.

PS: Efforts no bar.

 

[Ex-User (14663)]

1. I would say you can assume that most online sources, unless they simply provide first-hand information like academic papers etc, are pretty much useless. Go to a university library instead or buy high-quality books.

2. Here I would say you think about it the wrong way. How do you simply decide do dive into something without a goal? Create the purpose first and then whatever depth it requires is the depth you should achieve.

3. Be specific in what your goals are and be specific in how you measure your progress towards your goal. The most effective way of doing this is to have a teacher/mentor because ultimately, they know in advance how you should go through the steps in the most effective way and what the ultimate goal is.

4. That's up to you, my friend.

5. Learn thinking as a craft.

As a general note, the vagueness of your aspirations will be an obstacle in itself, and unless you rectify that you will not achieve anything.

 

[gps]

Hello.
I've been stuck in a place from where i thought there was no escape, a place which i did not enjoy, for the last 3 years.
But for the past few months, i'm enjoying being in my line of work.
But that required actually sitting down and shutting myself from the rest of the world, focusing on work more than anything else.
It was frustrating af, because i had a huge backlog and hardly any time, and come exams i needed to know everything.
So i spent all of my time preparing, and my exams are finally here.
They're going fine and will be over in a few days.
That being said, i want to get back to 100% and not be limited to just what i'm supposed to be doing.
I want to do much more.

I was wondering if you could provide me with any advice on how to get about doing the following:

1. How do i decide which sources of information are reliable on the internet?

As opposed to would-be `information' found elsewhere?
Surely you jest.
Would-be `information' -- including the `mis' and `dys' subspecies -- is a myth;
IMNSHO, we'd all be better off adopting the `stimuli' half of the stimuli-responses pair-up originating with the behaviorist paradigm.
Books present stimuli, academic articles present stimuli, the web crams stimuli into all of our respective Skinner Boxes.
The only `reliable' part of the process upon which one has any influence is a Skeptical & Experimental Mind for responding to said stimuli as if ANY of it were pre-qualified as would-be `reliable' would-be `information'.

2a. If i am starting to read a completely new subject, that will probably be of no use to me save the amusement it provides, to what depth should i dive?

I suspect the paradigm implicate in `reading' a new subject is the Western schizoid one in which ONE accepts the piecemeal compartmentalization and overspecialization of Western Academia with its MBTI J bias.
That you use `depth' and `should' in the same breath leads me to suspect that you prefer closure over open-endedness and are comfortable -- or perhaps just accustomed -- with both others and yourself shoulding all over you.

2b How much time should i give it and what kind of resources should i use?

Fast forward to the end of your life then work backwards.
What post hoc `should' you have emphasized MORE and placed more weight upon?
Meaning ... are you FUCKING NUTS?
It's part and parcel with the Human Condition to NOT have a crystal ball `reliable' enough to answer these sorts of questions.
If any of us had `reliable' foreknowledge of what the hell we'd be called upon to DO/enact/perform between NOW an our own personal extinction I suspect that we'd fail to either operate or qualify as human.
We're all left to ponder such questions while we muddle through, aren't we?

3. Just reading completely new things will probably not make it stick in my head, so apart from reading, how do i practice the things i learn?

You might try reversing the order; try DOING first ... and some DEED or experimental course of activity which MEANS something to you.
Have some skin in the game.
Then notice how what you've already learned both biases how to proceed and how much of the overall DEED you can accomplish without learning additional knowledge, how-to, and such.

Think of what might arise if you don't ground your learning in Real World Operations.
You might you learn something akin to underwater basket weaving and discover over the course of your life that you NEVER found a case for using it.
Pure Mathematicians eschewing `applied' mathematics -- EG Engineering & Science -- can experience this ... drugless mind abuse.

What kind's of occupations and hobbies do you fancy?
You might ground your learning in supporting them.

Have you taken an aptitude test or two lately?
You might want to discover your proclivities as if you work and study along these lines you are less likely to find yourself trapped in either an academic curriculum or job so ill-suited that you hate it, slip into a depression, or possibly live out the rest of your pathetic days enslaved because you're too old to start something better suited to your interests and proclivities ... your aptitude.

4. These questions being asked, what new hobbies should i adopt?

That which interests IS interesting.
As Joeseph Campbell was fond of asserting, "Follow your Bliss!"

5. And if i want to be good at general quizzing, how do i get about it?

Eclecticism and a sticky brain RULE!
Breadth over depth.

`An expert is one who knows more and more about less and less until he knows absolutely everything about nothing.' -- Nicholas Murray Butler
This said, what may we deduce about a generalist?
Someone who knows less and less about more and more until ....

Also, advice on how i should manage all the new information that i'm planning to soak in,
especially ideas about revising things quickly and not feeling like i've wasted all my time doing it the first time because i don't remember anything now is most welcome.

Were we not living in the computer age and in a time when `memory' less fallible than our own can be purchased for less than a GB per $ I'd say try representing it on paper, and good luck with that.
As we DO live in such a time I'd remind you of hypertext and the ways one may craft inter-linked networks of knowledge and know-how.
Not only this, one may represent know-how outside of relational databases via algorithms

; -*- org -*- ; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Org-mode
[[elisp:(insert "\n" (progn (setq sentence-parts '("Not" "only" "this," "one" "may" "represent" "know-how" "outside" "of" "relational" "databases" "via" "algorithms"))(mapconcat 'identity  sentence-parts " ")))][an org-mode link for generating text algorithmically]]

Mindmapping can aid & abet flimsy human Natural Neural Nets too.

Best of luck on your personal quest, Don Quixote.

 

[ToddRyler]

1. I would say you can assume that most online sources, unless they simply provide first-hand information like academic papers etc, are pretty much useless. Go to a university library instead or buy high-quality books.

I do agree with this. I discovered ocw.mit.edu a while back. This looks promising

2. Here I would say you think about it the wrong way. How do you simply decide do dive into something without a goal? Create the purpose first and then whatever depth it requires is the depth you should achieve.


3. Be specific in what your goals are and be specific in how you measure your progress towards your goal. The most effective way of doing this is to have a teacher/mentor because ultimately, they know in advance how you should go through the steps in the most effective way and what the ultimate goal is.

As a general note, the vagueness of your aspirations will be an obstacle in itself, and unless you rectify that you will not achieve anything.

True. I was being very naive, i realise.
There are a few things i am very interested in learning, i think i can start from there.
I will start with learning python, and there are a few goals i have set in accordance with your advice.
I'm very much interested in seeing where this will take me
Thank you Serac

 

[ToddRyler]

As opposed to would-be `information' found elsewhere?
Surely you jest.
Would-be `information' -- including the `mis' and `dys' subspecies -- is a myth;
IMNSHO, we'd all be better off adopting the `stimuli' half of the stimuli-responses pair-up originating with the behaviorist paradigm.
Books present stimuli, academic articles present stimuli, the web crams stimuli into all of our respective Skinner Boxes.
The only `reliable' part of the process upon which one has any influence is a Skeptical & Experimental Mind for responding to said stimuli as if ANY of it were pre-qualified as would-be `reliable' would-be `information'.

`
It took me a while to understand this. I read it a few times, and it does make sense. No matter what i read. unless i have an inquisitive mind i might not gain the most out of it.

That being said, i do believe that some sources are better than some others, the difference being so big, in fact, that one might make you fall in love with the subject at hand while another may actually make you dislike it very much.

You might try reversing the order; try DOING first ... and some DEED or experimental course of activity which MEANS something to you.
Have some skin in the game.
Then notice how what you've already learned both biases how to proceed and how much of the overall DEED you can accomplish without learning additional knowledge, how-to, and such.

Think of what might arise if you don't ground your learning in Real World Operations.
You might you learn something akin to underwater basket weaving and discover over the course of your life that you NEVER found a case for using it.
Pure Mathematicians eschewing `applied' mathematics -- EG Engineering & Science -- can experience this ... drugless mind abuse.

What kind's of occupations and hobbies do you fancy?
You might ground your learning in supporting them.

Well said. gps
i understand now that i cannot treat what i am trying to learn as something distant from myself and expect to attain any level of mastery over it. I will keep this in mind

Best of luck on your personal quest, Don Quixote.

Thanks bro

 

[ToddRyler]

When i posted the questions, i had expected, at best, some passing remarks and, perhaps, some puns about my silly quest. It is really refreshing and humbling to know that you guys gave this so much thought. thanks guys

 

[gps]

Well said. gps
i understand now that i cannot treat what i am trying to learn as something distant from myself and expect to attain any level of mastery over it.
I will keep this in mind

A lot of deep thinkers -- both INTP and INTJ -- routinely manifest that god's eye, dissociated PoV.
Try to get them to suspend vicarious operations vis-a-vis their God's eye Dissociation PoV via a notation which has the DOER inside the domain of activity.
They're taught f(x) promoting the illusion that the doer, f, is on the OUTSIDE acting-up the done-to, x.
Just try to get these folks use lisp notation which entails putting the verb INSIDE the environmental closure along with the done-to: (f x).
You can TELL them that both expressions are semantically equivalent and PROVE IT by feeding equivalent lisp expressions to a REPL, but the surface structure carries the connotation of `the doer' right in there with the unwashed done-to `objects', `operands, or such.

Personally, I've done better with grounding my knowledge and know-how in Personal, subjective experience.

Cheers!

 

[BurnedOut]

I don't know whether I'm in the position to provide some stark advice as such but you may begin with researching. As per hobbies, the best I'll tell you to try the following subjects and then decide whether you are piqued by them or no. I'm assuming that you are analytical by nature.

1. Philosophy, start with analytical ones preferably kant

2. University-level psychology books. The old ones I've read rock. Absolutely. They are filled with good quality info. No bullshit as such. Don't go around searching online for books except for thinking fast and slow

3. Start honing your observation skills and join reddit's science of deductions. It's a good way to practise your brainstorming skills

4. Start with programming languages, get acquainted with Linux. Download kali Linux after checking your lappie's WiFi adapter and learn to crack wpa/wpa 2, learn to use some pentesting tools then proceed to learning shell scripting. It's very interesting

5. Read up on neuroscience. It's very good and strains your brains enough

6. Join sports

7. Learn social engineering.

8. Start with forensics

9. Systems analysis' basics are easy. So you can learn them too. Might help you in the future

10. If you are patient enough, start with advanced mathematics. Preferably learn statistics. If you really interested in people-hacking, combine this learning R. After learning data mining, basic shell scripting and some pentesting shit, you can actually go ahead to being a detective in your area.


I can keep on going on. But take a look at the list. Try something from it, if you like it, well and good or else you can keep on exploring. Good luck.!

Sent from my SM-J730GM using Tapatalk

 

[gps]

Well said. gps
i understand now that i cannot treat what i am trying to learn as something distant from myself and expect to attain any level of mastery over it.
I will keep this in mind

A lot of deep thinkers -- both INTP and INTJ -- routinely manifest that god's eye, dissociated PoV.
Try to get them to suspend vicarious operations vis-a-vis their God's eye Dissociation PoV via a notation which has the DOER inside the domain of activity.
They're taught f(x) promoting the illusion that the doer, f, is on the OUTSIDE acting-upon the done-to, x.
Just try to get these folks to use lisp notation which entails putting the verb INSIDE the environmental closure along with the done-to: (f x).
You can TELL them that both expressions are semantically equivalent and PROVE IT by feeding equivalent lisp expressions to a REPL, but the surface structure carries the connotation of `the doer' right in there with the unwashed done-to `objects', `operands, or such.

Personally, I've done better with grounding my knowledge and know-how in Personal, subjective experience ... sometimes even pursuant to interFacing or interOperating in The Real World

Cheers!

 

[ToddRyler]

Thank you, BurnedOut, there are several items on the list that i find very exciting, but did not know about before. Am doing some research to see which ones i can start soon. And, yes, some exercise for the body also i must include in my plans. Thanks once again

 

[BurnedOut]

Thank you, BurnedOut, there are several items on the list that i find very exciting, but did not know about before. Am doing some research to see which ones i can start soon. And, yes, some exercise for the body also i must include in my plans. Thanks once again

Go ahead, explore! But don't fall in the pit of ridiculously investing time in them and ignore studies. I've to cope with my mental instability by seeking such things.

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