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barbe

48 karma · joined April 29, 2020

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barbe··on Ask HN: Best general-audience science books
Physics for Future Presidents but Richard A. Muller
barbe··on Ask HN: What has been the most impactful resource for your personal growth?
Learning about Stoic/Epicurian philosophy has been the most significant resource for my personal growth as an adult--in a nutshell, it teaches that the purpose of life is to be happy; you accomplish that by living a purposeful life, eliminating the negative(so that your life is filled with tranquility and joy), so you eliminate the things you cannot control--you can get angry about shomething you can do something about--but you must do something pragmatic; savor each moment because life is finite; always be kind whenever you can; and learn to be content with who you are and what you have because fame and fortune in and of themselves will not make you happy. Following this way of life has made me much more ontent--and fulfilled.
barbe··on I've improved myself hard for 10 years and feel lonely now – what should I do?
Volunteer for a group you can help with your skills.
barbe··on I've improved myself hard for 10 years and feel lonely now – what should I do?
If you are as intelligent as you say you are, volunteer to work for a group you can help with your skills.
barbe··on Ask HN: How do I find legit, quality products on Amazon?
I read the reviews but have seen reports that they are sometiems made-up, so I usually look at Wirecutter (a shopping guide sponsored by the NY Times) first. Sometimes the Wirecutter review helps me decide what features I"m looking for and whether I want/need a higher priced product or not. I also do comparison shopping on Google shopping and use the low-to-high price filter on Google and Amazon. So far, everything I've purchased using this combination been a good choice.
barbe··on Ask HN: What are your favourite history books?
any history book by Ben MacIntyre is a terrific read. He has written sseveral about WWII: I've read Agent Zig-Zag and Operation Mincemeat. He also wrote a good book about the spy Kim Phiulby, A Spy Among Friends. Another great book about WWII is Citizens of London by Lynne Olson. One of the best books I've read recently is Peter Frankopan's The Silk Roads that fills in the gaps of history for Westerners. Jaw-dropping details on almost every page--such as the real meaning of the Italian greeting ciao ("I am your slave") because Italian ports were the ceneter of the Roaman slave trade--they had to import 450,000-500,000 per year to keep the empire humming...and the origin of the word slave from the Slavs who were captured by the red-haired Vikings as they moved south...knowns as the Russes, who became known as the Russians..

some others-- The Swerve by Stephen Greenblatt The Food Explorer by Daniel Stone anything by Erik Larson but especially Isaac's Storm (about the Galveston hurricane of 1900) and In the Garden of Beasts (about the American ambassort to 1930s Nazi Germany) Travels with Herodotus and Shah of Shas by Ryszard Kapuscinski The Poisoner’s Handbook by Deborah Blum Parisians by Graham Robb

barbe··on Ask HN: What are the other websites you visit daily?
https://thebrowser.com (by subscription) https://longform.org http://www.openculture.com https://food52.com https://smittenkitchen.com https://www.newyorker.com/cartoons/daily-cartoon https://www.rawstory.com
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