

Rands in Repose: A Hard Thing is Done by Figuring Out How to Start - filament
http://www.randsinrepose.com/archives/2011/04/04/a_hard_thing_is_done_by_figuring_out_how_to_start.html

======
Jacob4u2
I sometimes have a hard time justifying how much time I spend on HN, but this
quote about creativity really put it in perspective for me:

    
    
      "A current favorite is Hacker News. Look, someone is describing how they did the effects for Tron Legacy. They really did go out of their way to make those Unix screens authentic. You know, I have an article about the beauty of the command line. I should write…"
    

I definitely consider it less of a side-track considering the blog posts and
side projects that have been inspired by HN.

~~~
alexqgb
I've always wondered what kind of ambient value HN adds to Y Combinator. As an
advertising tool for PG's operation, it's exceptional. But as a serendipity
generator, it's also pretty remarkable. Curious to know how many people who
have gotten stuck while working on Y Combinator projects managed to get
unstuck thanks to finding the right link at the right time.

Theoretically, any number of filters could do this (RSS, twitter, etc.), but
none of them have quite the same feedback loop as the comments sections here.
Personally, it's becoming rare for me to open a link without simultaneously
opening the discussion link. In terms of that serendipity, I wonder if it
isn't (just) the suitably interesting variety of topic which produces it, but
the way that a particularly astute set of replies prompts thinking from a
variety of angles.

That, more than anything, seems to be the real cause of prompts with regard to
whatever problems you may be struggling with.

------
peregrine
My mornings are similar to Rands. Wake up, shower, read HN/reddit(limited
subreddits), go to class, go to work, and do homework. My already planned day
usually ends around 6pm and for me this is where Rands and I diverge
completely. At this point I am exhausted, bored to death and usually both from
the days activities. This is where I need to make a huge decision, either sit
down and start working on something I care about or Watch TV/read reddit
all/go on facebook. If I even take one minute to do any of the later group my
entire night is finished. I've come with terms that some nights you need to
unwind and just let the brain relax and enjoy some mindless activities. The
nights that I sit down and work I feel amazing, time flies by and the next
thing I know its 3am and I've got class in 5 hours.

Thanks for sharing Rands!

~~~
aaronblohowiak
What about exercise?

~~~
peregrine
I really need to get that back into my schedule, at the end of the day I'm
exhausted and this always seems to be the first thing to go. I need to work on
improving that.

