dhnsmakala's comments

dhnsmakala | 6 years ago | on: The mysterious disappearance of Google's click metric

It's about the expected value of a customer. It's probably thousands recurring per year for the wealth management stuff, and people don't switch often.

So the customer acquisition cost can be super high -> lots of commercials even with small market compared to other products/services.

dhnsmakala | 6 years ago | on: How Uber Got Lost

This makes a lot of sense. A large business doesn't rely on the average employee. The employee relies on the business for food, shelter, healthcare...everything.

It's just an inherently large imbalance, and the only way it doesn't exist is if there is a shortage of employees in the sector and the ROI per employee is high. This is a pretty small percentage of jobs.

Unions are one way to try to curb exploitation, but I don't know how effective they are in practice. If retail workers tried to unionize what is to prevent the millions of people who are equally qualified from replacing the entire union?

dhnsmakala | 7 years ago | on: I’m Only 9, and I’m Already in College. Here’s What Life Is Like for Me

From experience, I think you're right with this advice. A ridiculous amount of doors open up if you go to a decent school - he'll get there and be pulled into internships...try a few things...and have lots of options for semi-interesting stuff on his way out.

The worst thing you can do is stay in a mediocre home town and fall into a mediocre job...he will end up depressed if he doesn't get out.

dhnsmakala | 7 years ago | on: Train Your Brain Like a Memory Champion

Yeah, I read that book as well and felt the same way.

I think in many ways working memory is the most important thing - sure I can learn these methods to memorize 1000 random facts - but what 1000 random facts will help me in my daily life?

Maybe it's more useful for people doing medicine or something similar.

dhnsmakala | 7 years ago | on: Mr. Wu

That's it? I was expecting something more at the end.

dhnsmakala | 7 years ago | on: Not exercising worse than smoking, diabetes and heart disease study finds

I think these headlines promoting exercise for long term benefits might do more harm than good, people have a hard time doing things for super delayed gratification.

I exercise because the immediate effects are evident on my mood and wakefulness. It just feels good to exercise. The first couple of weeks/months consistently going to the gym maybe took some more discipline, because everything feels weird at first. The elliptical. These machine contraptions. It's unfamiliar. But once you're used to it, it's smooth sailing. You don't have to be so strict about it...just do it until you're comfortable and then go when you feel like it.

Another note, keep in mind it is MUCH easier to maintain fitness than to build it. When it comes to weight training, I was serious about it for a couple of years following a plan I found online. Since then, I lift weights a few times a month and have mostly maintained the strength/appearance from the time of consistency.

dhnsmakala | 7 years ago | on: Good sleep, good learning, good life (2012)

What do you stay up to do that you enjoy?

I think that for most people who don't get enough sleep it's not because they are busy squeezing every bit of joy out of life. It's because they're using their phone in bed, watching TV, etc.

dhnsmakala | 7 years ago | on: Doctors warn of alarming C-section 'epidemic'

I don't think this suffering is worse than what people lived through back then.

Imagine if your full time job was just finding food to put in your mouth and wake up the next day.

I appreciate the comforts of modern society. I doubt I'd have been a good scavenger...

dhnsmakala | 7 years ago | on: Ask HN: Ex-FAANG developers, where are you now and why?

Previous largeish tasks were found to be of questionable value after they were completed, by other mgrs.

I like my team and manager, I just don't think they have a lot of time for me or time to think about what I'm assigned and whether it's worth doing. Lots of new ppl on the team recently. It's also possible that I'm just not asking enough questions. I think it is a bit of both.

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