it is too late to learn a new skill

Home of discussion, generally. If it doesn't go in any of the other forums, post it in here.
Post Reply
User avatar
Megatron
Mamma's Gang member
Mamma's Gang member
Posts: 8030
Joined: Fri Apr 19, 2002 1:00 am
Location: The United Kingdoms

it is too late to learn a new skill

Post by Megatron »

or is it?

:eyebrow:
User avatar
Jeff
Mamma's Gang member
Mamma's Gang member
Posts: 5442
Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2002 7:05 pm
Location: The Outernet

Post by Jeff »

Depends on your goals and motivation I guess. If you want to have a bit of fun and be decent at something, then no. I've become acceptably good at several things in the past few years believe it or not. But if you want to be the next silicone valley sex bomb guy then maybe you'll be too old for it by the time you're all enhanced and shit.

It's always easier if it's something you can just pick up and start practicing right now without a lot of effort, then you can just drop it if you decide you don't want to learn it after all. But if it requires special fancy equipment or going to a school and getting a degree then yeah that's a bit of a bother, but everything is in YouTube now, you can just watch Elon Musk live streams from Yale or use a MOOC or what the fuck is it

How much longer are you going to live? It is said that mastery of a skill takes approximately 10,000 hours. If you practiced every day for 8 hours and took weekends off, you would be master in 5 years. That's not so bad. What were you gonna do with that time anyway? Might as well get a master's belt in Unreal Engine or something, you can hang it in your dojo or tie it around your forehead. It might be too late for anyone to care but that is another topic.... for another day ;)

I would recommend this book called "zen in the art of archery" by Darryl da Silva. It will teach you that you can't read a book to learn archery. You must learn archery and then write the book.
User avatar
SenisterDenister
Haha you're still not there yet
Haha you're still not there yet
Posts: 3535
Joined: Mon Apr 23, 2007 3:03 pm
Location: Cackalackyland

Post by SenisterDenister »

Never too late to learn a skill.
User avatar
Megatron
Mamma's Gang member
Mamma's Gang member
Posts: 8030
Joined: Fri Apr 19, 2002 1:00 am
Location: The United Kingdoms

Post by Megatron »

things I would like to learn:

an instrument

advanced computer software, but the fun stuff, not boring stuff

another language

how to deal with nob heads

which makes me think, all of these are mental things, I dont want to shoot a perfect 180 in Basketball or even a triple 000 in golf or whatever the rules are/ OI#ve never been a physical boy, always more of a 'brain ass'
User avatar
Jeff
Mamma's Gang member
Mamma's Gang member
Posts: 5442
Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2002 7:05 pm
Location: The Outernet

Post by Jeff »

instruments are really easy, just get one and start practicing. and maybe take some lessons or something. computer software, there are good online courses to learn many computer software. you can learn word, power point, all of that on-line. another language, just force your german friend to talk nothing but Deutsch in the household, it's called ATGATT (all the german, all the time), immersion is the best way to do it. and use phone apps like duolingo or whatever, and you can watch hitler documentary or some other german thing too. nob heads, master the one inch punch, light up a mamba and then break their faces. nike, the goddess of victory, said it best: just do it, and if it's not your thing then fuhgettaboutit


For me learning anything needs to be an end in itself and not merely the means; it's all about the process. But that's life really isn't it, carpe diem and be here now and all that shit. Anyway if you enjoy learning Javascript or the Sami language then great, otherwise what's the point even if you think you want to learn some shit like that. Maybe you don't actually.
User avatar
Hyacinth
Striding Hero
Striding Hero
Posts: 1493
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2015 7:20 pm
Location: DAK Oracle

Post by Hyacinth »

"Neuroplasticity was once thought by neuroscientists to manifest only during childhood,[7][8] but research in the latter half of the 20th century showed that many aspects of the brain can be altered (or are "plastic") even through adulthood."
User avatar
Hyacinth
Striding Hero
Striding Hero
Posts: 1493
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2015 7:20 pm
Location: DAK Oracle

Post by Hyacinth »

Short for, if you are alive you can learn, life adapts to stimuli.
User avatar
Megatron
Mamma's Gang member
Mamma's Gang member
Posts: 8030
Joined: Fri Apr 19, 2002 1:00 am
Location: The United Kingdoms

Post by Megatron »

I would like to learn new things and can of course, but then do you learn a whole new thing or do you invest all your character points into what you are already good at

that is a metaphor for time, you only have so many hours baby, time flowing away, lost forever, grab at what you can, you know?

Maybe I can play guita and be a skater rocker

I like learning new things

:) :chew:
:chew:
User avatar
Jeff
Mamma's Gang member
Mamma's Gang member
Posts: 5442
Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2002 7:05 pm
Location: The Outernet

Post by Jeff »

Oh I see. Well, the way I see it is that soon I'll be dead and what ever I have done won't matter anyway, so whenever I level up I invest my character points in whatever brings me joy at any given moment. Life is about role-playing, not min-maxing powergaming unless you are a sociopath. I am currently role-playing a centaur, it's not going great.

Besides I don't have the attention span to focus my whole life on the unarmed skill so I do a lot of different shit, and none of my interests have any real utility or remarkable economic value or any of that shit so it doesn't really matter what I do. Maybe you're just super enthusiastic about barter but would like to do other stuff as well in which case I can't relate. Maybe whatever you haven't even started yet is something you will get insanely good at and people will suck your dick when you walk down the street, you never know. Happened to me... not ;)

Maybe this book would do you good, I haven't even read it so maybe it's shit: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/28/book ... range.html

Image

"Life's barely long enough to get good at one thing. So be careful what you get good at." -guy from a tv show who got good at the wrong thing. Maybe you are that guy from that show.
User avatar
Megatron
Mamma's Gang member
Mamma's Gang member
Posts: 8030
Joined: Fri Apr 19, 2002 1:00 am
Location: The United Kingdoms

Post by Megatron »

min max your power broibs. I dunno, on the one hand I hate this aspect of society of constant improvement and micromanaging your time to the minute so you're prepping meals on a sunday to do yoga on a tuesday then swing by for a round of illegal golf at 5am and so on. Its just aspirational bullshit busywork to distract you from a meaningless existence :che:

on the other hand, I sit around doing fuck all most of the time, just imagining things. It'd be nice to use my time a bit more effectively than I do, maybe revisit some of the classic fundamentals of a thing (like observational drawing or body weight exercise or just cookin a big pot of soup) but i

I was thinking about doing a PHD, but I'm not into academia or academics because it seems so self indulgent to just sit and read these esoteric books that are just written for other specialists in an area. However I do like people indulging themselves, but usually if they just like sleeping or boozing or whatever

what am I trying to say? i dunno. dont try too hard, but at the same time, try a bit (me)
User avatar
Jeff
Mamma's Gang member
Mamma's Gang member
Posts: 5442
Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2002 7:05 pm
Location: The Outernet

Post by Jeff »

Yea most everything in life is just a distraction from having to face the chaos. I don't think gazing into the abyss all day long is doing me any favours either but I'd still rather do that than go shopping for some shit and then hit the smoothie bar or make a baby or polish my highwayman or what the fuck ever it is that normal people do. Total chaos, total reality B)

I would like to go to the university but what is the point, I don't care about a degree or a career or any of that, I just want to learn about shit and I can buy a few books to do that and avoid having to deal with all the cunts. That is why I am probably the smartest man alive. But were you to obtain a PhD you could call yourself Doc Hill after that, wouldn't that be something,
naughtpan
Scarf-wearing n00b
Scarf-wearing n00b
Posts: 46
Joined: Mon Nov 27, 2017 12:17 pm

Post by naughtpan »

Seriously, if you don’t go for it now, not only will you always be thinking “what if I did…�, but two years down the line, when you feel like you want to give it a go again, you will be two years older than you are now. And believe me, you will keep wanting to give it a go, some things just don’t go away. Just do it, man.
User avatar
Jeff
Mamma's Gang member
Mamma's Gang member
Posts: 5442
Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2002 7:05 pm
Location: The Outernet

Post by Jeff »

Hey Megatron did you ever get around to mastering the art of the Guitar
too soon? :oops: :lol:
edit: according to my most recent calculations it was, in fact, too soon
Last edited by Jeff on Sat May 01, 2021 3:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Jeff
Mamma's Gang member
Mamma's Gang member
Posts: 5442
Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2002 7:05 pm
Location: The Outernet

Post by Jeff »

what's the point of spending all that time to learn the guitar though when you can just sit around and think about shit. if either of these options sounds preferable to the reader then i should be clear that there is no difference and i don't personally care which one you go with, go with the flo' i should say.

I think it's just your mind going "what if" for a bit, but "what if not" did u ever stop to think about that eh buddy? :wink: ;)

mental note: increase the usage of animated emoticons to 1.4x
:pelvic_thrust:
User avatar
Jeff
Mamma's Gang member
Mamma's Gang member
Posts: 5442
Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2002 7:05 pm
Location: The Outernet

Post by Jeff »

I think you should learn the skill of latvian or what ever the language is that is preventing this web forum from ascending into genus xenforo. Then you could fix the problem with the special characters; that at least would be useful.
User avatar
Megatron
Mamma's Gang member
Mamma's Gang member
Posts: 8030
Joined: Fri Apr 19, 2002 1:00 am
Location: The United Kingdoms

Post by Megatron »

I have decided not to learn anything
:chew:
Post Reply