Hacker News with Generative AI: Personal Development

Things I learned about software and startups by playing video games (ghost.io)
In 2005, Steve Jobs told the graduating class of Stanford a now-famous story about connecting the dots - a story about the calligraphy courses he took in his college years, which later influenced the industry-leading digital fonts that shipped with the Macintosh.
Ask HN: I feel pessimistic about the future – advice? (ycombinator.com)
I’m having a hard time moving with the new pace and developments in the world.
I Cannot Be Technical (fightforthehuman.com)
With some regularity, kind-hearted Technical people tell me that I Can Be Technical, Too.
Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone? (ycombinator.com)
If you had to recommend just three books to anyone — regardless of their age, background, education level, financial situation, or life circumstances — what would they be?
Strengths Are Your Weaknesses (terriblesoftware.org)
“People are package deals; you take the good with the confused. In most cases, strengths and weaknesses are two sides of the same coin.” — Steve Jobs
Don't try to take care of the world (mleverything.substack.com)
In a recent post by Paul Graham, he ponders the question of “what to do”. It’s a question that has plagued most ambitious people, especially early on in their life where they have energy without much direction.
The blissful Zen of a good side project (joshcollinsworth.com)
Yesterday, like just about every other evening, my wife and I put our kid to bed, and sat down on the couch together. But for the first time in months, I picked up my laptop instead of my Switch.
Ask HN: What's the Most Effective Habit You've Adopted? (ycombinator.com)
Ask HN: What's the Most Effective Habit You've Adopted?
High Agency in 30 Minutes (highagency.com)
Warning: This is not doom scrolling. It’s an idea so simple yet effective it may change how you view reality.
Fuckarounditis (2011) (leangains.com)
Dear readers, it is with troublesome news I break my three months of silence.
Books on Making and Maintaining Friendships (scotthyoung.com)
As I write this, I’m wrapping up the sixth month of my year-long Foundations project. This month’s focus is outreach—making and maintaining friendships. In this post, I’ll share lessons from the eight books I read on this topic. Next week, I’ll share my personal reflections on this month’s work.
The Software Engineering Identity Crisis (annievella.com)
Many of us became software engineers because we found our identity in building things. Not managing things. Not overseeing things. Building things. With our own hands, our own minds, our own code.
Avoiding the Automation of Your Heart (gurwinder.blog)
In an age of automation, how do we maintain our agency?
Knowledge Base as an Across-Time Thinking Tool (wielopolski.substack.com)
A Personal Knowledge Base is an ideal tool for Across-Time Thinking.
A Committed Year (ramijames.com)
Not diving as deep as I could into software development was something that I've always regretted, and a year ago today, I decided that I wanted to do something about it.
Math Academy pulled me out of the Valley of Despair (bearblog.dev)
When it comes to learning a new skill such as how to drive a car, playing a sport, or an academic discipline, there is a unique relationship between a person’s confidence and their level of competence at different points of the journey.
Show HN: I built a 1:1 coaching service to reduce my screen time (zabit.com)
A personal coach to cut down on screen time
Show HN: I made a website where you can create your own "Life in Weeks" timeline (lifeweeks.app)
"Sometimes life seems really short, and other times it seems impossibly long. But this chart helps to emphasize that it’s most certainly finite. Those are your weeks and they’re all you’ve got."
Knitting Your Parachute (macsparky.com)
At a recent MacSparky Labs event, a few folks started asking about career change—how to do it, when to think about it, and what it feels like to make a big shift.
Be Curious, Always (rishikeshs.com)
Johnny.Decimal – A system to organise your life (johnnydecimal.com)
Johnny.Decimal is designed to help you find things quickly, with more confidence, and less stress.
Ask HN: Advice for someone entering their 30s (ycombinator.com)
I conditioned myself to fail (brainbun.com)
Over the years I’ve literally built hundreds of projects. Some with a lof of potential. Others just batshit crazy ideas.
Ask HN: Are there "story-based" and "fact-based" people? (ycombinator.com)
I'm trying to process some conflict I've experienced, both in jobs and in my personal life. One synthesis I'm converging on is the idea that there are "story-based" people, and "fact-based" people. I self-identify as "fact-based", so I'm trying to articulate this while adjusting for my bias towards fact-basis :)
How to know when it's time to go (bitfieldconsulting.com)
I don’t have to tell you things are bad. Everybody knows things are bad. When you hate your job, no matter how much you try to put up with it, there comes a point where you’re mad as hell and you’re just not going to take it anymore. So, maybe this is the right moment to reflect: is it time to go?
'Everything we were taught about success is wrong' (theguardian.com)
Made good life choices yet still feel dissatisfied? A life coach suggests an alternative way to look at our goals and aspirations to find more positive outcomes
I am offering mentoring: In which I help you (dynomight.substack.com)
I am offering to act as a “mentor”, to you, in case that seems like something you’d find useful.
What I Learned (and Unlearned) Reading 10 Books on Nutrition (scotthyoung.com)
As I write this, I’m in the final stretch of the fourth month of my Foundations project.
I hated coding, but I learned to love it again (shilin.ca)
I quit my software job in October, two years ago. I was tired and extremely frustrated. Things that I used to enjoy in the past no longer satisfied me. Those things were mostly related to coding. But like any fire, I started as a slowly burning dumpster until I hit a critical point and exploded. And when it happened, I quit.
It's Not Your Fault You're Behind in Life – A Software Engineer's Struggle [video] (youtube.com)