Ask HN: 2023 lookback retrospective what are your takeaways from this year?
personal, work, meta (uh, not the corp), relationships, family, technological, scientific, sociological. whatever you're thinking about
56 comments
Starting the year, I looked at where my life was and decided work was good enough for now, but I'd been neglecting romantic relationships. A year later, and to my surprise, in my mid-30's, I have my first mid-term girlfriend.
We get along great, have a lot in common, similar values, and FAANG salaries. She's so thoughtful and caring I'm not sure if I deserve this. I'm still working through feelings on the freedom you lose in a relationship, and how this especially hard after 15 years of flying solo. I've also been seeing a sex therapist. Not that anything is wrong, but this is still new to me, and having this outlet is really helpful.
We get along great, have a lot in common, similar values, and FAANG salaries. She's so thoughtful and caring I'm not sure if I deserve this. I'm still working through feelings on the freedom you lose in a relationship, and how this especially hard after 15 years of flying solo. I've also been seeing a sex therapist. Not that anything is wrong, but this is still new to me, and having this outlet is really helpful.
What is top of mind for me currently, based on observations from my experience: Doubt can be strongly embodied. Meaning, it's not as simple as thinking your way out of it.
As much as I've achieved personally and professionally, when I put myself outside of my comfort zone and into the public arena of judging eyes, I still face doubt.
As much as I can steel myself mentally, remind myself of my accomplishments, analyze my situation, etc. there is a part of me, perhaps as a self-protection mechanism, that creates doubt. That doubt colors my entire experience, influencing my thoughts and actions. Overall it acts as a limiter. I can feel the difference in my body.
I can be aware of all of this, and counteract it to some extent, but it has its own gravity. It's all very impressive in the most literal sense of the word.
So I am learning more about how doubt shows up, and how to work with it beyond simple motivational tricks. For example: Letting go of the need to control it, getting very familiar with the nature of it, and reorienting myself even as I fail to accomplish my goals again and again.
Happy New Year HN. May you find the resilience to overcome whatever doubts are holding you back from living the life you want.
As much as I've achieved personally and professionally, when I put myself outside of my comfort zone and into the public arena of judging eyes, I still face doubt.
As much as I can steel myself mentally, remind myself of my accomplishments, analyze my situation, etc. there is a part of me, perhaps as a self-protection mechanism, that creates doubt. That doubt colors my entire experience, influencing my thoughts and actions. Overall it acts as a limiter. I can feel the difference in my body.
I can be aware of all of this, and counteract it to some extent, but it has its own gravity. It's all very impressive in the most literal sense of the word.
So I am learning more about how doubt shows up, and how to work with it beyond simple motivational tricks. For example: Letting go of the need to control it, getting very familiar with the nature of it, and reorienting myself even as I fail to accomplish my goals again and again.
Happy New Year HN. May you find the resilience to overcome whatever doubts are holding you back from living the life you want.
This is great, thank you! Happy New Year to you! :)
- Static site generation is amazing. It produces super fast websites that run forever on simple infrastructure. The data is files that you can view and edit with the software you love.
- Scripts over systems.
- Relationships and mutual support are incredibly valuable in business. Setting up a group chat for my small industry was a brilliant idea. I can't keep working alone in a bubble.
- I should have better awareness of the correlation between my actions and my well-being. It's crazy how much hydration, sleep and other little things affect my mood. Maybe carbs and fat for lunch, or tea after 2PM are a bad idea.
- Scripts over systems.
- Relationships and mutual support are incredibly valuable in business. Setting up a group chat for my small industry was a brilliant idea. I can't keep working alone in a bubble.
- I should have better awareness of the correlation between my actions and my well-being. It's crazy how much hydration, sleep and other little things affect my mood. Maybe carbs and fat for lunch, or tea after 2PM are a bad idea.
Renewables are on a course that will completely change the world, and no one really understands how transformative it already is
England used 0 coal and 7% natgas last night. Rest of their grid was wind and a bit of nukes.
Not some little Carribean island. England.
England used 0 coal and 7% natgas last night. Rest of their grid was wind and a bit of nukes.
Not some little Carribean island. England.
Yes it's impressive. Of course it will take larger populations like that of the US, China, India, etc. to make the dent we need.
This was the last year before AI, hand in hand with all the other technology of today, turned the modern world upside down. The last year we kinda could trust things we see or hear. I don't want to sound to dystopian but most people don't seem to understand the impact all these technology will and already has on our daily lives.
No, be brave and dystopian :)
Is actually any one working against AI? Are there any protests?
I mean, Isn't that just an expression of how much the progressives have protected themselves against countermeasures? Apparently the claim "for humanity" is enough to allow yourself to do anything...
I mean, Isn't that just an expression of how much the progressives have protected themselves against countermeasures? Apparently the claim "for humanity" is enough to allow yourself to do anything...
I reignited a passion for my car with a few suspension upgrades and maintenance; it turns 20 and is on the way to 25.
Ai is really neat for summarizing, used it most for pre Dr visit diagnosis - less likely than WebMD to feel like you have a severe disease.
Had some quality time with my dad with a fishing trip and car projects, now maybe some house projects.
Ai is really neat for summarizing, used it most for pre Dr visit diagnosis - less likely than WebMD to feel like you have a severe disease.
Had some quality time with my dad with a fishing trip and car projects, now maybe some house projects.
> Ai is really neat for summarizing, used it most for pre Dr visit diagnosis - less likely than WebMD to feel like you have a severe disease.
Interesting. Didn't realize people were already using it for previsit diagnosis. Fwiw, it could completely be hallucinating. I wouldn't use it for anything more than entertainment purposes.
Interesting. Didn't realize people were already using it for previsit diagnosis. Fwiw, it could completely be hallucinating. I wouldn't use it for anything more than entertainment purposes.
the doctor might also be disinterested. Nothing is infallible, but increasing your source count should increase your likelihood of good info.
AI has high source count. I'd trust it, with some grains of salt. It's mostly right, and where it's not, i can pick up the slack. and if i don't, well, it's not like i could trust what's on the internet, or the news, anyway.
i need to live with my own ignorance, ultimately improving that is my responsibility.
you have to make your own judgements. i don't think people should be uncomfortable with that. but it's understandable that after a long era of 'authoritative information programming' people might be. yet, that attitude to me seems decidedly pre-postmodern, anachronistic, tv-era.
not the done thing for the internet age. anywho...merry christmas to you! :)
AI has high source count. I'd trust it, with some grains of salt. It's mostly right, and where it's not, i can pick up the slack. and if i don't, well, it's not like i could trust what's on the internet, or the news, anyway.
i need to live with my own ignorance, ultimately improving that is my responsibility.
you have to make your own judgements. i don't think people should be uncomfortable with that. but it's understandable that after a long era of 'authoritative information programming' people might be. yet, that attitude to me seems decidedly pre-postmodern, anachronistic, tv-era.
not the done thing for the internet age. anywho...merry christmas to you! :)
Cut your list of goals down to 1-2, tops. Focus entirely on those until you achieve them. It's very easy to waste a lot of time doing 10 different things at once, but making real progress on none of them.
One key takeaway is Barcelona is great, going back next summer.
Another is think carefully every time your feet leave the ground. I fell off a ladder and was ok, but I could have broken my neck.
Another is think carefully every time your feet leave the ground. I fell off a ladder and was ok, but I could have broken my neck.
How did you fall? What happened exactly?
I built a shed office in my back garden. My garden is sloped. I was working on the roof trim of the shed up a ladder and it gave way. I hadn't been careful enough that the ground was level. I fell from about shoulder height and landed on my shoulders, from behind.
oh that could have been nasty. if something had been on the ground... you got lucky! well done for surviving :)
I’m ready to retire (not savings-wise though)
People are so desperate they will use artificial intelligence, even though it’s proven to be unreliable (hallucinations).
I don't think hallucinations are necessarily a big deal. A lot of AIs applications can tolerate some inaccuracies. Our world is already full of inaccuracies.
As long as we're aware of the limitations of AI and don't blindly trust it for critical applications, we can benefit greatly from using AI.
As long as we're aware of the limitations of AI and don't blindly trust it for critical applications, we can benefit greatly from using AI.
A man I disagree with strongly (Donald Rumsfeld) said something wise that very much applies here.
It’s about the pesky Unknown Unknowns and systemic failure.
“ Reports that say that something hasn't happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns—the ones we don't know we don't know. And if one looks throughout the history of our country and other free countries, it is the latter category that tends to be the difficult ones.”
It’s about the pesky Unknown Unknowns and systemic failure.
“ Reports that say that something hasn't happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns—the ones we don't know we don't know. And if one looks throughout the history of our country and other free countries, it is the latter category that tends to be the difficult ones.”
> A man I disagree with strongly
"Unknown unknowns" is a bit of a cliche at this point, but people across the political spectrum widely acknowledge it as an insightful aphorism. No need to apologize.
"Unknown unknowns" is a bit of a cliche at this point, but people across the political spectrum widely acknowledge it as an insightful aphorism. No need to apologize.
We rely on uncountably more unreliable people, machines, systems, concepts, etc.
Do you really find no value from LLMs? Consider that real people genuinely do. Consider that the people who do extract value from LLMs may beat you to promotions, business ideas, insights, test-passing-code.
Do you really find no value from LLMs? Consider that real people genuinely do. Consider that the people who do extract value from LLMs may beat you to promotions, business ideas, insights, test-passing-code.
It’s what we don’t know that we don’t know…until we’ve gone too far and can’t rewind…
Nasty surprises, they’re called.
Nasty surprises, they’re called.
But I think that we know. I think, that if you asked the people world wide in a poll, the majority would reject AI and LLMs.
I wouldn't miss it.
Could you provide a example? I am not sure where, in which scenario it isn't either irrelevant or easy to work around.
Can you work around what you had no idea was going to change everything for the worse?
Hindsight is 20/20.
Hindsight is 20/20.
It doesn’t need to be perfect to be useful.
It’s when it goes from Useful to the ever-so-common What Have We Done…short term thinking meets the Law of Unintended Consequences…
What do you mean concretely? What is the “what have we done” and unintended consequences of LLMs having some small % error under some circumstances?
If we don’t know that we don’t know, I’m not qualified to address it…neither are the “experts.”
"AI" is the new crypto pump and dump.
Yes, some of it is impressive. Jamming LLMs into every little thing to pump the stock price is not.
The majority of GPT wrapper startups will be dead by this time next year.
Yes, some of it is impressive. Jamming LLMs into every little thing to pump the stock price is not.
The majority of GPT wrapper startups will be dead by this time next year.
Wrapper startups are a rounding error, what's important is that the big players in the field are releasing genuinely useful tools. Which makes it very different from crypto.
> Yes, some of it is impressive
Something you couldn't say about crypto with a straight face, so it's an improvement.
Something you couldn't say about crypto with a straight face, so it's an improvement.
If you don't find some parts of crypto impressive then you probably don't understand it. Proof of Work, smart contracts, and zero knowledge blockchains are actually very incredible innovations. It's just all the scam bullshit around that people hate.
I would give the original bitcoin white paper a read. It is truly an elegant and impressive idea (and piece of writing.)
Right wing finally figured out social media and is presenting competent pushback to DEI
They figured out how to expend all their political capital on social media, and incorrectly assume it leads to enough votes to win elections.
I'm not very active on social media. What are you referring to?
It's now acceptable to criticize DEI, a major change in the post-2020 world.
See this comment section from earlier this week, no major anger at the idea DEI is flawed: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38726911
See this comment section from earlier this week, no major anger at the idea DEI is flawed: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38726911
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Got it. Yeah flawed. I'm not really prepared to comment beyond that.
Do you really think so? I mean, that's a small success, but everywhere I hang out or whatever I happen to come across has a very left-wing tinge.
Two people can love one another and it can still not work out.
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