Ask HN: What subject are you learning via MOOCs, books, etc.? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: What subject are you learning via MOOCs, books, etc.?

13 pointsfuzztester16 comments

Thinking to take up some new subject to learn, so asking to get subject ideas, and also out of general interest. Thanks in advance.

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I learned Python and "crypto" (as in cryptography) in one fell swoop:

https://inventwithpython.com/cracking/

Next up is Metasploit:

https://www.offensive-security.com/metasploit-unleashed/

(Which oddly, blocks Tor. Rude!)

I am learning Python with Replit's 100 days of code. Not sure how useful it will be, but so far it has been good.

It should be useful (assuming the course is good) if you want to get a job programming in Python, although other skills are needed too, but you can build those as you go along.

It can be useful in many ways even if you don't want to get a job programming.

For example, writing simple programs related to any aspect of your personal, professional, business, or social life. You could write small software tools to automate or facilitate tasks in these areas, as many people do.

That could be both useful and fun.

Electronics. I took the intro to electronics course on Coursera. It was a good introduction/refresher before discovering amateur radio!

Cool. I'll check that course out, at least for an overview, to start with.

The best book in electronics ever is the ARRL (Radio Amateur's) Handbook.

Does it cover general electronics fundamentals, or only radio electronics topics?

This page seems to indicate the latter:

https://handbook.arrl.org/

It covers all basic electronics.

Thanks.

I have been taking a course on dialectal behaviour therapy which seems to give me a lot more space in my thoughts and actions and how effective I am at getting what I want out of life.

I also have been learning Russian for the last year and a half with a tutor I met on italki who I meet with three hours a week and I also have an equivalent amount of homework.

Interesting.

I googled the therapy, and got this, so I guess you meant "dialectical".

Dialectical behavior therapy:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialectical_behavior_therapy

How are you finding Russian, as a language to learn? I heard or read somewhere, a while ago, that it is a difficult one.

I am learning German via Duolingo. I must check out italki.

Yes that's what I meant. I guess autocorrect was incorrect.

Russian is very difficult. I can write letters, have simple conversations, read some memes, but I'm still quite the beginner compared to where you would imagine I would be studying in class and homework for 1.5 years. But I also really like my teacher and consider her my friend now.

But it's also very rewarding. Understanding the grammar and language and being able to articulate myself very differently is really enjoyable. And Russia has a very rich history and culture that is much more accessible if you can understand Russian. Hopefully I can visit there eventually.

Yes, I understand what you mean about being able to articulate yourself differently. At first I didn't, but after thinking about it a bit, I got it.

I speak both Tamil and Hindi apart from English, and realised that I articulate myself differently in those languages, from how I do it in English. It's a whole different kind of sound and vibe.

And right now, outside my house, many frogs are croaking loudly after a heavy shower of rain. Not all in harmony or rhythm either. And that's yet another different kind of sound and vibe. :)

> I have been taking a course on dialectal behaviour therapy which seems to give me a lot more space in my thoughts and actions and how effective I am at getting what I want out of life.

Is it a MOOC or available online in any way? Would you care to share the name of the course? This seems very interesting.

It's through my therapist. It uses this book:

https://www.guilford.com/books/DBT-Skills-Training-Manual/Ma...

I guess you can find a cheaper version online.

What I like about it is that it asks you to wonder if the way you do things is effective at getting you what you want. And then it shows you many skills that you can simply memorize at first that help you navigate situations either in your mind or with others.

For me, this also has been coupled with the acceptance and commitment therapy book "the happiness trap". And it's really changing my life for the better.

It's not that I have a bad life. I have a great job, a beautiful gf, a nice flat, etc. It's more that these skills help my internal experience. It is teaching me how to cope with reality in a healthy way. Because there's not anything really bad about my life. It's all this dumb internal struggle that would all be much better if I simply put it aside and went for a ride on my bicycle.

this is like THE book for DBT. There are others but this is the one you will find in most programs and grad courses, the de facto, “go to” text

(Actual therapist fwiw)

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