Cyril_HN's comments

Cyril_HN | 4 years ago | on: Can a $310M startup avoid due diligence?

> I might get downvoted for saying this, but rich people aren't necessarily smarter than anyone else. They're just richer.

... ish?

Generally speaking, rich people may not be smarter than anyone else but they probably aren't dumber. In other words, they are likely to be making fewer mistakes and taking more favourable risks, even if they aren't particularly any more likely to spot an extraordinary opportunity.

Cyril_HN | 4 years ago | on: Tell HN: You are not alone this Christmas

Same here but it's a 5 year relationship. Similar feelings... With a persistent, almost frustrating sense of hope for the future that seems more deeply rooted inside of me than any actual plan to build from zero again.

You're not alone in that experience. Which isn't information that has helped me at all. Except that I at least believe that others have been here and scrambled blindly and made it somehow too, so why not us?

Cyril_HN | 4 years ago | on: The Sucker Complex

I won't feel like that. I don't feel like that. I have felt like it licenses lesser moral transgressions though. "They got away with that, so I should be able to get away with [thing that is wrong but also considerably more mild]."

That isn't right, but it is a feeling. It's a feeling I dismiss. But, still, if it's a feeling I feel then I imagine it's a feeling others feel and I imagine that not everybody dismisses it either.

Corruption of that kind happens very, very slowly.

Cyril_HN | 4 years ago | on: Ask HN: What is something important I should start doing in my 20s?

I'd suggest:

1. Work on your cardio and your strength. If you don't like weightlifting, that's OK, you don't need to do all the fancy accessory movements (curls, leg extensions, side raises, etc.). However, increasing your strength in the big 5 is huge boon to your life and your longevity: Some kind of deadlift, a squat, bench, Pull-ups, and an overhead press. Strong, fit, and flexible/mobile is the key to feeling young as you age.

2. Don't bother about "building a personal brand" because you probably have no idea what you want to be or who you really are yet. Instead, actively avoid building a bad brand. Be honest, don't overcommit, don't speak ill of others, don't be an unwarranted pessimist (without a solution), etc. You can use that clean slate to build on later. Plenty of people don't ever get clean slates because they pollute their "brand" with what were ultimately throw away jokes, bad moments, etc.

3. Earn money, invest it, and reduce your spending on material things. Learn your taste in clothing by doing it inexpensively (though not too cheaply, don't skimp on decent quality) and when it's locked in, then buy the nice versions. Don't rush to houses and cars. They'll come when you know where you want to be and who you want to be with.

4. Do spend money on experiences. Sure, ocassional nights out, but mostly whatever will make formative memories.

5. Spend time with your family. They won't be too old yet for quality time and they still are likely to have their health, and you're free enough to not have to squeeze them in around kids, work, etc. Get to know them as adults now you're one.

6. Continue to educate yourself (even informally).

7. Do not neglect your health.

8. Seriously, don't neglect your health.

9. Consider therapy or coaching. Yes, you do have things you can work on. No, they may not be illnesses or significant, but why not improve what can be improved?

Cyril_HN | 4 years ago | on: Ask HN: Can Firefox be revived?

I run multiple browsers, especially across multiple devices. I wonder how many FF users do the same and whether that changes the use stats we see.

Cyril_HN | 4 years ago | on: Impact of circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants on mRNA vaccine-induced immunity

Never getting COVID is best.

Hybrid immunity is next best (natural + vaccine).

Vaccine is second best for most cohorts, because it comes with fewer side effects and the side effects typically aren't as bad.

Natural immunity is strong, but for most cohorts is more likely to have side effects compared to a vaccine.

Furthermore, the risk of side effects from COVID are lower if you are vaccinated. Therefore, given that breakthrough cases are still possible, I would suggest vaccinating first, then if they get it they get it and at least you get hybrid immunity in an order that is less risky than natural immunity followed by a vaccine.

For children, all of this is murkier. Also, if the likelihood of you catching Covid is low enough, there's absolutely no point getting vaccinated.

Cyril_HN | 4 years ago | on: How to Study Effectively

This is the same way I studied philosophy and law. That + immersion (go to bonus lectures if interest, join the academic community if you can) is superior.

Cyril_HN | 4 years ago | on: Little kids burn so much energy, they’re like a different species, study finds

In summers I would bathe in cold water until I was blue and then some. My parents said that they used to be worried by it, but they realised I was totally OK. They would keep an eye on me, but if I was out of the bath, pool, or ocean for a couple of minutes I would be right back to warm.

All I remember as a kid is being unusually warm in almost any cold conditions. Even now the cold doesn't bother me much, certainly less than my peers.

I'm sure metabolism isn't everything there, but it probably helps.

Cyril_HN | 4 years ago | on: Australia is becoming a surveillance state

That's not the point. The point is that it means a government must resort to violence and it may be unwilling to do so. Whereas if people don't have guns, then the government can be incredibly overpowering without having to step over the threshold of violence, which makes it more likely.

Cyril_HN | 4 years ago | on: Billions in 'unknown' funds flowing into Canada's housing market [video]

I believe something like a million kiwis live abroad. It strikes me that one mechanism is:

- Kiwis live and work abroad, sometimes earning much more than they would in NZ.

- Those kiwis buy houses.

And with the pandemic:

- More of those kiwis have decided to buy houses in NZ, because it has been very successful at keeping covid and restrictions minimal so far.

Cyril_HN | 4 years ago | on: Dentist warns why you should never use mouthwash after brushing teeth

I have had two entirely separate dentists tell me to avoid mouthwash, except as something to cleanse the mouth with quickly after a coke or to freshen my breath.

The first dentist suggested that it may make plaque worse, but they never gave me an explanation.

5 years later a different dentist told me to avoid mouthwash and instead to 'mouthwash' with the fluoride foam from brushing my teeth, before spitting that foam out and then not rinsing with water.

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