Rambling

Abstract

It has been quite a while since my last post because I have been incredibly busy with the start of a new study semester, along with me tying up a myriad of loose ends. I am not sure why I pushed this post, but it appears to be an amalgamation of thoughts that have been crowding the top of my mind as of late. Fortunately, I am still relatively unknown so I feel pretty safe posting these thoughts on my blog.¹ It’s akin to thoughts like no one “follows you on Twitter,” “reads your Blog,” or “cares.” Let me apologize in advance since the following piece is pretty raw, uses profanity, and is not very well structured. But I believe it does flow somewhat (less like a babbling brook, or stream of consciousness, but more like a brick trying to swim) and there might even be some meaning buried within. This is your final warning…and now back to our regularly scheduled programming! Enjoy!

Actions

About a year ago I read through the rules of the Recurse Center.² Feigning surprise really resonated with me, since we’re all likely guilty of it at one point in our lives. There’s apparently something to be gained when you look down upon someone. Just NO. Think about what you get out of this: nothing, nada, bupkis. So you get nothing! You lose! Good day sir! Instead be humble, since we’re all in this thing together. Let us work in unison to conquer our habits & contradictions.

Another mistake I’ve seen is people complimenting others as “smart.” What’s that smell? Smells like bs. Smarts are not something one should be praising in people, since doing so usually instills a certain mindset to live up to that: to take the path of caution to avoid any struggle, and to not make mistakes or fail. In my honest and humble opinion (and barring inevitable exceptions), I am beginning to see that smarts are generally a veneer over work ethic, and not just some hereditary trait.³

Work Ethic

This brings me to the topic of procrastination. There’s the good and bad type. Good is avoiding errands to do real work; bad are tasks that let you put off the big stuff.⁴

Anyhoo, why is gaming so popular? Is it the sense of accomplishment? Of community? The immediate feedback?⁵ The relaxation?⁶ Or a sense of control in an otherwise hectic world? Essentially, unless you’ve gone pro (and even then…), these answers are just all arguably symptoms of being trapped in the trap of the bad type of procrastination. Among many things, this all reminds me of consuming comfort foods, and I will probably follow up on all this in another post of mine.⁷

Robustness

Around now, inebriated me usually laments about how everyone’s circumstances are different. People might not be able to bring their A-game, since there’s always circumstances surrounding everyone. They might be working a side job while studying, they might be troubled by personal matters. I usually quell myself by remembering Postel’s law which states “be conservative in what you do, be liberal in what you accept from others.”

Goals

Be inspired by successful people, not jealous or scared. But remember to compare yourself to yourself. What you eat don’t make me shit, and not long ago, I gave so little shit I was probably constipated. This is something I have been working on improving.

Suck less every year. Intelligence is about maximizing your options, so learn and improve. Give a damn and put in time. Get things done (especially regarding programming since it’s love it or leave it).

You’ll need to be eternally vigilant, and own it. Facecheck real life.⁸

Welcome to the world.⁹