Ask HN: What else can I do with my burning desire to ask people questions? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: What else can I do with my burning desire to ask people questions?

4 pointssamh7489 comments

Since I can't seem to stop unloading Ask HN's here, I'm starting to wonder if there are perhaps more constructive ways of channeling my burning desire of asking people questions, maybe like podcasts or interviews or something?

Come to think of it, I've always loved to dig professors' brains during their office hours way back in university and just get inspired by their passion for their subject. And whenever there were particularly interesting speakers at conferences, I would dream of introducing myself and talking to them to soak up their wisdom.

But for all these cases, not only was I reluctant to continue the conversations because I was shy and nervous about it all, but also because I didn't actually know what I wanted to ask them. I had no questions in my head for them. I just knew that they are wise people that I would like to learn from.

For the Ask HN questions, most of them are self-serving in that they are questions I personally am curious about, many of which just spawn naturally as I poke around HN and think about my own endeavors.

But with interviews/podcasts, I would think the focus would be different? There would be some theme, I'm sure, but of what? The subjects they are known for, sure, but that seems a bit narrow?

I don't really have much ideas here, because it's always just been a fantasy, so I never got down to figuring out which questions to ask. Or is it the other way around, that because I couldn't think of questions, I could never bring the thought into reality... (drawing blank)

Does anyone know how interviewers and podcasters decide on their questions? How do they go about inviting the interviewees anyway? I've looked into this before but didn't get anything constructive to work with.

And, beyond interviews and podcasts, are there other ways of tapping into this desire to ask people questions?

PS. Another note here, is that I'm completely lost for words or ideas when I talk to people in person. I only come up with good questions when I've had time alone to churn through it. So this constraints stuff for sure.

Do you write? Learning how to use (and modify) the Zettelkasten system has really helped me unload the thoughts on my mind while keeping things in order. I started using Obsidian a year or two ago, and it's been really nice having a place to dump all my thoughts and questions when they crop up. Then later, when I'm bored, I can research and append answers/findings to the notes and flesh out my collected data even more. You're welcome to do an interview/podcast setup if you feel like that would be a better outlet, but I think everyone in this position owes it to themselves to try writing stuff in a way that makes sense to them.

If you're particularly interested in computer science stuff, there's a lot of great outlets for piquing your curiosity. When I was in high school, I spent hundreds of hours in IRC chats reading technical discussions and asking prolific users questions about their craft. There's also Matrix, but I have trouble finding good technical servers on there (and don't have time for this stuff much these days anyways). They're both pretty deep rabbit holes, though.

I think the most important thing, though, is keeping things in perspective. Being an effective learner is a lot like zen gardening, carefully partitioning your attention between everything that requires your care, while staying organized and calm doing it. Zen gardeners also don't spend 7+ hours gardening, either; you probably shouldn't put too much of your time into research either. I wasted so much of my youth reading into things I have no use for, and that time is non-refundable. Reading the Quake 2 source code sure gives you a buzz in the moment, but I missed homecoming to do so. And I still don't have a use for the fast inverse square root function.

I'm sure you've got a good head on your shoulders with this stuff, but my advice is simply to remain organized and vigilant. Asking questions is always good, but there are more things to life than just learning. Keep your focus on moving forwards, and seek knowledge tactically.

Thanks for the thoughtful response!

Yes I do write, in fact it's my main intellectual activity nowadays. Like you said, it's great for making sense of our thoughts.

I know of Zettel but have been worried I'll get carried away with the set up and the atomic note thing which I'm not a fan of. I like the idea but it seems a lot of upkeep??

And thanks for the reminders in your last two paragraphs (I'm not in tech). Good to keep in mind :)

First thing that comes to my mind is a site like https://thegreatdiscontent.com/. It’s fascinating, and honestly pretty simple in concept: they find interesting people—typically artists—and talk to them. Given some of your replies below, that might be your preferred format.

I really like the podcast idea, though. A lot of the podcasts I listen to are more stories than interviews, so I’d be very interested in a podcast that was more about talking with random people. I absolutely understand the limitations of direct dialogue, though. There’s a pressure there—and, for me, other distractions such as body language—that would make it difficult for me to conduct an in-person interview. Personally, I think I communicate far better over text; I just feel like I have more time/space to consider my response.

And yes, I’ve done interviews that were just a series of emails back and forth. If I were doing an interview now, I’d probably choose either that or Slack/Discord.

This is awesome stuff! Thanks for recommending The Great Discontent, looks interesting and a good model to base on.

Interview via email, I'm so glad to know people do this! Slack/Discord makes sense too, prob something I can ask the interviewee.

I always say dumb stuff in person so that's likely my last option.

I'd actually like to see less of podcasts and more blogs or transcripted interviews. However sites like Ask HN and Quora have been good at democratising them. There's always a lot of the emotional junk that trends, especially around work, existentialism and productivity, but for the most part, it gets good questions to those who are interested in them.

I never really liked podcasts to be honest.

Have you got any advice on doing good interviews? Or know of people who do it well?

EDIT: Also, do people do written interviews? As in, they never actually speak to one another, but just pass questions and answers back and forth?

I've done some written interviews in the past. Sometimes it's this "pen pal" format: someone asks a question and the response comes in a couple days later.

An old hobby I used to have was asking questions to interesting people I hear on radio, from talks on YouTube, or books I read. People get on radio to be listened to, so nearly all of them are happy to respond.

You do have to keep a little momentum... they're very likely to respond to something they just did a day ago, less likely after a year. And back and forth can be nice, but there's only so long they'll do it.

Some people used to insist on calls but just agreeing on a time could take days.

This is great! So happy to hear that it's possible to do written interviews, because that's definitely the most comfortable format for me, at least for now. And it's so much easier to execute. No visual audio set up, no editting etc. And it's all there, already transcribed.

Reminds me of the Interrotron: https://telepromptermirror.com/errol-morris-interrotron/

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