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I tried reading Cal Newport's books and have found them terrible, even given the quite low standards of the genre. I really wanted to get excited about the conc

by CPLX 6y ago

I tried reading Cal Newport's books and have found them terrible, even given the quite low standards of the genre. I really wanted to get excited about the concept of digital minimalism, but his book of the same name was almost completely devoid of insight. I struggled to find any information in it that wasn't already contained by thinking the two word title seemed not-bad as a prospective lifestyle change. He sells a lot of books, so I guess it's just my opinion, but I keep relearning the same lesson, as the topics he chooses certainly are interesting.

porknubbins 6y ago
I really enjoyed Deep Work because it solidified the idea of something I did sometimes anyway without realizing it so I could be more conscious of it. If you have had a long enough STEM education or career I almost think there has to be some deep work at some point, but maybe its already so ingrained that its nothing new. I don’t think there is an “epidemic shallowness” though, just that most jobs are mostly shallow.
scottlocklin 6y ago
I find it darkly amusing that people need a book to tell them to turn off IM tools, phone, email and other distractions for a while. I also find it darkly amusing that GTD is basically a system for dealing with IM tools, phone and email for people who feel they have no choice (they totally have a choice; it is a bullshit paradigm -even the president has plenty of goof off time). I have no place else to say so, but latency in zoom is annoying as fuck, and it totally didn't happen with twisted pair. Back in 2016 times, I insisted on twisted pair meetings. Even then, dipshits with ipotatos on wifi would find a way to fuck it up. Now a days, even I don't have access to twisted pair, so we're in a new dark age, similar to how old fashioned 7 gallon flush toilet bowls were vastly superior to the atrocities we have now. Most people only dimly aware of what has been taken away from us in the name of "progress."

by CPLX 6y ago

porknubbins 6y ago

I really enjoyed Deep Work because it solidified the idea of something I did sometimes anyway without realizing it so I could be more conscious of it. If you have had a long enough STEM education or career I almost think there has to be some deep work at some point, but maybe its already so ingrained that its nothing new. I don’t think there is an “epidemic shallowness” though, just that most jobs are mostly shallow.

scottlocklin 6y ago

I find it darkly amusing that people need a book to tell them to turn off IM tools, phone, email and other distractions for a while. I also find it darkly amusing that GTD is basically a system for dealing with IM tools, phone and email for people who feel they have no choice (they totally have a choice; it is a bullshit paradigm -even the president has plenty of goof off time). I have no place else to say so, but latency in zoom is annoying as fuck, and it totally didn't happen with twisted pair. Back in 2016 times, I insisted on twisted pair meetings. Even then, dipshits with ipotatos on wifi would find a way to fuck it up. Now a days, even I don't have access to twisted pair, so we're in a new dark age, similar to how old fashioned 7 gallon flush toilet bowls were vastly superior to the atrocities we have now. Most people only dimly aware of what has been taken away from us in the name of "progress."