(Part 2) Best products from r/AskReddit

Yes, I did speedreading. But it's not very suitable for highly technical material like engineering, scientific, or mathematical texts. And way too much work for recreational reading (it takes all the fun out of it). I liked testing my speed and comprehension after runs (because the results looked impressive). But I was in engineering college at the time, and so it wasn't applicable to things like chemistry and physics. I ended up only really getting a tangible benefit out of it just once, when I had to try memorizing a 100+ page instruction manual in an hour (and then pass a test), or possibly go to jail sometime later (long story).


Note that the more you read in general (the more practice you get) the faster you'll get naturally, up to a certain point. And the more you expand your vocabulary will help as well (since you'll understand more without the need to guess definitions from context, or look them up). But of course the speed reading techniques WILL greatly accelerate you-- at least for certain types of material (I'd read at least 2000 books by college, because I was a bespectacled teenage geek with virtually no social life; so I'd had plenty of practice, even before learning speed reading).


In college I actually got more use out of rapid note-taking, using a technique from a book called How to be twice as smart. That book has several items you might like in it (including mnemonic techniques I believe):

http://www.amazon.com/How-Twice-Smart-Brainpower-Unleashing/dp/0134023390

Mnemonics would probably be more useful to many people than speed reading-- but they are similar to speed reading in that it can take considerable work to utilize them. I read a book once about a guy with the best tested memory in the world, and it turned out he used his own geographical mnemonic technique in his head. He kept a whole virtual town in his noggin, and whenever he wanted to remember something, he'd find somewhere to put it in that imaginary town, and after that he could always return to retrieve it again (sorry for the very brief synopsis, but I read that 30+ years ago, and never tried to memorize it in detail at the time: I was reading it for fun and to avoid studying, more than anything else).


Yes, I believe there's mnemonic techniques you can use for general purposes-- but as I've rarely had need for such since college, I no longer have them readily at hand in memory (stuff you don't regularly use gets tougher to recall over decades). The Twice as smart book may list some of those.


I mainly used meditation and yoga to relax. I learned and used self-hypnosis to get myself through some particularly difficult engineering classes. Created a trigger I could use to put myself immediately into a highly receptive state during lectures, and actually visualize almost like a hallucination what the professor was describing in real time (the most vivid image in my recollection now has to do with the inner workings of an electric motor). The first time I took the class, I failed it. I think at least half the class failed with me. I was totally lost. My school used certain classes as filters to weed out big bunches of students, and encourage them to change their majors to something easier. The second time though, using the self-hypnosis, I got a B.

Yeah, it'd be a much better story if I'd gotten an A. But I was personally wildly pleased with the B! Plus the fact that I may have been one of the few students during the finals who wasn't scared out of my mind (some of the teachers did a great job at terrorizing us).

I also invested some time in something called Silva Mind Control, to try beefing up my powers of visualization. Basically it was very similar to self-hypnosis, only with some intriguing tales by the authors about the technique possibly helping you acquire certain superhuman capabilities as well (ha, ha). The superhuman promises stuff really helped me and a friend pursue it for a while. I remember spending a whole xmas vacation (4 weeks) doing visualization exercises from the book (it was mentally very strenuous). Also around that same time I read a sci fi book (maybe by Silverberg? unsure) where the hero himself used techniques like self-hypnosis to gain superhuman abilities. So I was really gung ho on it at the time! Ha, ha.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silva_Method

Adam Smith Powers of Mind was another intriguing book I read around this time-- and seemed to list some major results relating to things like hypnosis and other forms of mental training that science at that time could not explain.

http://www.amazon.com/Powers-Mind-Adam-Smith/dp/0671447971

I've done/tried a LOT of stuff. Many of which might be embaressing to admit now. Like hung out with this hippy dude for a while who was really into Scientology (this was way back like 35 years ago, when Scientology was much less well known-- and more of a tantalyzing mystery-- than today). I actually read Dianetics by Hubbard.

I read all the earliest Carlos Castaneda books. Did acid, mushrooms, speed, pot, etc., etc. Drank to excess quite a few times. Bought a book called How to increase your intelligence (I think the link below is to the same work):


http://www.amazon.com/How-Increase-Your-Intelligence-Wenger/dp/0880471522

This book had some pretty weird exercises to do in it. But I know I did at least some of them (decades back).

There's quite a lot of mind expansion possibilities to be found in various editions of the old Whole Earth Catalog too. The WEC was basically the internet in a book, before the internet existed. Only the WEC pointed almost exclusively just to excellent books on almost every significant topic under the sun.

The WEC was where I found the main two books on self-hypnosis I ended up using (among maybe 100 other tomes).


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whole_Earth_Catalog




This is just a sampling of my own plodding course. But maybe you'll find something useful (or at least entertaining) among it all.

Einstein's books about relativity written by Einstein for the non-expert
-Helps you understand not only his theories well, but piques your interest in science a lot, and improves your way to approach all problems. His essays (in particular The World As I See It, be careful of edited versions on the internet which cut out parts they don't like about God, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Y0_aNvH0Wo) are amazing as well.
http://www.amazon.com/Relativity-The-Special-General-Theory/dp/1619491508/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1347758889&sr=8-3&keywords=einstein+relativity


Middlesex By Jeffrey Eugenides
-A novel, Pulitzer Prize winner in fiction (called the great american epic), will increase your understanding of those with LGBTQ considerations, but mostly an amazing book
http://www.amazon.com/Middlesex-Novel-Oprahs-Book-Club/dp/0312427735/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1347759265&sr=1-1&keywords=middlesex

Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers By Robert Sapolsky
-Entertaining book, will increase your knowledge of a whole lot of things, and increase your interest in psychology and statistics. Also Freakanomics by Levitt/Dubner and Outliers/Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. All good to get your foot in the door to approach the complicated world we live in logically.
http://www.amazon.com/Why-Zebras-Dont-Ulcers-Third/dp/0805073698/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1347759102&sr=1-1&keywords=why+zebras+dont+get+ulcers

Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! by Richard Feynman
--Autobiography of a nobel prize winning physicist, very funny. Will (again) demonstrate how a brilliant person approach the world. Very funny and easy read.
http://www.amazon.com/Surely-Feynman-Adventures-Curious-Character/dp/0393316041/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1347759305&sr=1-1&keywords=Richard+P.+Feynman

You sound like a female version of me.

I've got a few little solutions. These are things I try to do when I want to be in a better mood. They work best if you build habits around them - well, some of them - you'll see what I mean as you're reading. Also, most of them can be mixed, and work well together! :-)

1. Music, music, music! Put on a good tune. Build a playlist with all your favorite, happy, upbeat songs. Listen to the songs that make you feel good, no matter what other people say about the songs or the people who sing them. If Friday by Rebecca Black gets you pumped, then listen to that shit! I myself tend to go through phases when I get bored with the music I've got... Right now I'm on a Coheed and Cambria kick. If you drive a lot, buy or make CDs and listen to them when you drive - the radio just doesn't cut it anymore, not for me. Maybe consider investing in a decent pair of headphones or other gear - I bought some Sony studio monitor headphones like these, and I swear by them. They sound amazing, but I also hate earbuds which is another reason that I really like them. People say they look tacky because they're so big, but fuck 'em. And I'm not a sound buff by any means, but they're leaps and bounds better than just listening through computer speakers. Be careful, though, because it works both ways - you can use music to accentuation your negative emotions as well as the positive ones, so you want to try not to do that... Not too much, at least. There's nothing wrong with a good soul searching song now and then, but every so often I find that I have a tendency to listen to sad songs just because I'm feeling sad. If that happens and you recognize it, try to snap out of it and go back to happy songs.
   
   
2. Exercise and general wellbeing. This is something I really need to work on myself. Try to do things that get your heart going, and try to do them outside when you can. A good jog on a nice day can do wonders. You can even do this while you listen to music if you like... but sometimes soaking in the atmosphere can be helpful, too. Oftentimes I find that I just need to go outside the house and get some fresh air, and it's always nice. I like to drive with the windows down at every chance I get. If you find that you're often couped up, in your house or at work or whatever, make it a point to get some fresh air at some point in your day. Just five minutes will help. Sometimes a walk around the neighborhood can calm your nerves. Any time I find myself annoyed or angry, I almost always go outside to think, or go driving or something. Fresh air is your friend! Also, as others have already mentioned, make some changes in your diet. Eliminating caffeine is a great idea, and something I need to implement, as well. Try to cut down on fast food, and take your vitamins if you don't already.
   
   
3. Do things. That probably sounds vague, but it's pretty straightforward. People tend to be crabby when they're bored out of their minds. My job is boring, and then I come home and be even more bored, and all that boredom piles up until you just want to explode. Try to make plans, even if they're plans with yourself. Set goals to be accomplished, maybe chores around the house or something like that... Go shopping for things you need. And of coarse, making plans with other people is always great. You mentioned a boyfriend... Make it a point to do something with him as often as you can, even if it's just watching a movie. Basically this boils down to keeping yourself busy, but not to the point of stress. Try to have something to put your mind to. If you have a hobby, try to practice it as often as you can. If you don't, consider finding one. Read. Do homework... keep yourself busy!
   
   
4. Alcohol and other drugs. Before I say another word, keep in mind: all things with moderation! And this one's totally up to you, if you don't feel comfortable, but for me it's simply true - but it affects different people in different ways. First, a nice buzz can always be relaxing. I don't like to get drunk much anymore, but having a few drinks or one particularly strong drink does a number on my nerves. I find it easier to interact with people after a drink or two. Alcohol eliminates a lot of those annoying thought processes that cause you to over-analyze everything, like what you say to people and what they say to you. It's a +1 to charisma, if you'll excuse my nerdy video game reference. Again, this is a little alcohol, not shitfaced drunk. Don't look to alcohol as a means to drink your problems away... That's when you run into problems. This is just a method for calming your nerves and culminating your thoughts a little. Also, this might help with your sleeping problem for that very reason... Just a thought. Secondly, there's a certain plant that, when smoked or otherwise ingested, may help you become a more calm individual. Sadly, this plant is not legal in most of the world. So... Just gonna leave that there. And let me be frank - you can't ever rely on drugs or alcohol to fix you. They're simply there to help, should you decide to utilize them, but you ultimately have to initiate the change yourself. Be responsible and everything should work out fine.
   
   Well, that's all I got. Hope there are some helpful nuggets in there for you.

I was in electrical/computer engineering, so I think I can relate. Just graduated 2 months ago.

• The workload seems intimidating, but it's really not that bad. Professors and other students alike will tell you that you guys "are in for a ride" and that you're "sacrificing for the future" - you do have more work than others but that doesn't mean it has to be your life. This kind of notion spreads because 1) it makes the program seem challenging from the outside and inside, and 2) it makes students feel like academic juggernauts. Realize that it's not that bad - tons of people do it every year.
  
  
• Parkinson's Law: "Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion." IE - don't feel bad about procrastinating. Accept it, and spend your time having fun instead of worrying. You'll quickly learn the "bare minimum time needed" to get shit done.
  
  
• Talk to girls. Lots of them. Go to the dining hall, sit down, and just chat. Freshman year is one of the best times to experiment with your social skills; everyone's re-integrating.
  
  
• Don't buy books. I didn't buy any books my last two years in college; chances are you can find an old edition of the text online or just borrow from a friend that has rich parents.
  
  
• Make friends in your classes and learn to help each other. If you realize that university is more of a business than an education, you won't feel so bad about cooperating so that you can spend your time developing as a person, and not as a slave.
  
  
• Exams test you on the basics of the material. I'm not saying you should do this, but I didn't go to many classes at all during my last two years and I did just fine. I talked to the TAs, went to the review sessions, did the homeworks, and studied with friends. Sitting down and listening to someone drone on while you scramble to record everything does nothing for your education; reading books, studying independently, and engaging in one-on-one review is way more effective, for me anyways.
  
  
• Start a business now. Something small and unrelated to your discipline is fine. My current employer didn't even look at my GPA - they saw that I started a business, was involved with extracurriculars, and started a photography club. Extra-academic initiative says way more than following the lockstep of a cookie-cutter curriculum. Worst-case scenario, you spend time developing tons of skills (well, I suppose you could always die). Best-case, you don't need a job.
  
  
  
• Get a motorcycle. It's incredibly fun, not only for you, but for the girls that you meet that have never been on one before. Getting someone else's adrenaline pumping is almost as exhilarating as getting your own pumping :). Of course, take the MSF course before you put anyone on the back.
  
  
• Don't worry about having a super high GPA. I graduated with a 3.0/4.0 yet I had multiple job offers; it's more about the personality and initiative. GPA's a re a convenient way to filter through thousands of online applications; a smile and a solid handshake will pull ahead of a GPA in any personal engagement, at least in my experience.
  
  
• Go to career fairs. Even as a freshman. I noticed that anyone who got an internship freshman year had internships every year, and job offers lined up before everyone else.
  
  
• Work out regularly. Endorphins are a hell of a drug.
  
  
• These books had a HUGE impact on me. Wish I'd read them freshman year:
  
  Don't let school get in the way of your education.
  
  Learn about human sexuality.
  
  Learn how to outsource, but be very skeptical about some of the philosophy in this book.
  
  Travel.
  
  
  
• and finally, don't do any hard drugs
  
  My 2cents. Have fun :)
  

Alright I hope you get this. Sounds like you are a lot like I was growing up. I would read a book a week and listen to two. haha. these were books i had to grow into a lot of times. so don't get discouraged. some of these are tough but they'll help you in the long run. promise.

anyways.. here's my list.

Foreign Policy

-Dying to Win- Science and strategy behind suicide terrorism

-Imperial Hubris- good book by a CIA vet on what to expect because of US foreign policy

-Blowback- Same type of book as above, but better.

-The Looming Tower- a good history and account for Sept 11






Economics and Money

-Freakonomics- Ever wonder about he economics of drug dealing, including the surprisingly low earnings and abject working conditions of crack cocaine dealers? This book is fantastic.

-Outliers- Gladwell is a master of minute detail. This book helps you focus on the future.

-Blink-Great book on intuitive judgement

-The Age of Uncertainty- the best book I've ever read on the fight between Capitalism and Communism

Biology and Science

-Why Do Men Have Nipples- a general Q&A book. Good for info you can use at a party or to impress somebody. really random stuff.

-A Short History of Nearly Everything- Humorous take on some heavy heavy science. Easier to read than people think.

-The Ancestors Tale- It was hard picking just one Dawkins book, so I gave you two.

-The Greatest Show on Earth- Dawkins is the world-standard for books on biology and evolution in layman's terms.

Good Novels

-1984-Hopefully no explanation needed

-A Brave New World- a different type of dystopian universe compared to 1984. read both back to back.

-The Brothers Karamazov- My favorite piece of Russian Literature. It made me think more than any other book on this list honestly. I can't recommend it enough.

-Catch-22- There are so many layers to this book. So much symbolism, so much allusion. You must pay attention to get the full affect of this book. Great satire. Masterfully written.

-Alas Babylon- Yet another dystopian novel. This time about what would happen after a world wide nuclear war.

-Slaughterhouse-5 Vonnegut is a badass. And that's really all there is to know. I read this book in one day. It was that good. Satire on WW2.

Philosophy

-Sophies World- Good intro to a lot of basic principles of the major philosophers

-Beyond Good and Evil- Nietzche can get REALLY depressing because he is a nihilist but this book is extremely quotable and will give fresh perspective on a lot of things.

-Atlas Shrugged- Ayn Rand's masthead. Its a novel, but its also a commentary on her precious objectivism.


So there you have it. My short list of books to read. I can get deeper into certain subjects if you want me to. Just PM me.

The problem when you quit something that was a habit or that was a large part of how you defined yourself, is coming up with something to replace it. The only way to do this is by trying everything and anything, this is the only way to know if you like something or not. No offence to gamers, but it won't bring you long term happiness. Socialising, interacting with people, volunteering, real life experiences, those give you long term happiness. Sharing your life with people, being accepted, and accepting others brings you happiness. The problem online and in video games is the inability to perceive the other people as real people, and will continue to mark the way in which the community interacts with each other.

Many people who have an addictive personality will switch between gaming, the internet, porn, and substance abuse to feed their addiction. When one becomes boring, it's easier to switch to something else you're addicted to instead of examining your addiction or looking at why you are addicted.

Many people who have addictive personalities do so as a means of escapism, so that they don't have to deal with the real life problems or examine what it is about their lives that is leaving them wanting more. The problem with addiction is that it never really fills the void, it's a temporary fix that will always leave you wanting more or looking elsewhere to fill it.


http://zenhabits.net/the-ultimate-guide-to-motivation-how-to-achieve-any-goal/

http://www.positivityblog.com/index.php/2007/06/13/25-simple-ways-to-motivate-yourself/

And here is a self help book that will help motivate yourself, and look at your life from a different angle, as well as give you some tools to break free of the cycle you are in.

The Mindful Way through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness

Here is one for anxiety The Mindful Way through Anxiety

The guided meditation serves to help you focus. It helps you learn self control, discipline. It also helps you learn to be able to stop your internal dialogue at will, so when you start getting into your habitual routine of negative self talk, or rewarding yourself with your addiction, you are equipped better to deal with it. Perception, addiction, it shows the power of the mind. If you can train your mind, you can overcome nearly anything.

Feeling bad and feeling good take the same amount of effort, what matters is what you emphasize. As we grow throughout our lives we tell ourselves we are a certain way, and reinforce this by habitual thinking and acts. Other people develop an idea of who they think we are, and they too will reinforce these ideas on you. It is important to remember that in the same way we developed ideas on the world and who we are, bit by bit, day by day, it is possible in the same way to change these ideas. They aren't static, you are constantly growing and changing. Change is hard, because it's new. Habits are comfortable because we know how they work, we know the outcomes. We need to constantly push ourself out of our boundaries if we ever truly want to discover who we are.

You are an addict. You basically rewire your brain to go back to the same experience over and over again, because you know you will get the same results. The more you train your brain through a repetitive action, the easier it is for you to use it. You have to learn to be able to stop yourself, it isn't easy. Day by day, with enough practice like riding a bike, you can learn to do it. Commit yourself to quitting, as much as you commit yourself to being rewarded with reddit. If it took you 5 years to get to this point, it isn't going to happen in 15 days, a month, or maybe even a year. I'm not sure about you, but some people have replaced reality for a website, and that isn't healthy.

You can do it, if you believe in yourself as much as your parents, people who love you, or even I do, you will be able to overcome your addiction. It may be helpful for you to see someone who specializes in internet addiction, or treatment centers that are expensive like www.netaddictionrecovery.com

May you follow on paths with strength

Edit: Forgot a word. Most of this is applicable to any addict. You are are in a constant battle with yourself. You either use your mind to rise above it, or it will control your mind.

Let me try to get you started

First off, let's start with some Seth Godin, dude's got some stuff figured out subscribe to his blog, but for right now pick up a copy of The Dip, or better yet read this summary or better yet read the whole thing.

That book is about finding something that you can be best in the world in, so do just that. The world needs you to do something, to be a part of something, that is better than everything else. There is too much mediocrity, too much good enough, you need to shoot for great. So yeah, start today.

When you have decided what you are going to be the best in the world at, get a copy of Do The Work. This book will basically walk you through your whatever it is (novel, event, business plan, etc.). The big thought here is that once you start you're going to hit a thing called resistance. Resistance is what is going to pull you back down to normalcy whenever you try to do something great. Expect it, respect it, but don't let it stop you.

If you want more stuff to read check out the Art of Non-Conformity and the Guide to World Domination. Outliers is good for understanding how much failure accompanies success.

Hey man! I was just digging through old comments of mine looking for something and saw a quick exchange we had a week or two ago about your weight loss. How's it going? Keeping on track? :) Have you considered taking and posting weekly progress photos so you can see yourself trimming over time? It may help you quantify your progress and give you a sense of obligation in needing to "check in" ever week, and if you miss a week or have a bad week, no big deal because intaarneet points are not real and there are more weeks ahead of you! :) Just a thought, if you're looking for an extra boost. :)

Also... I saw your post about wishing your wife had more libido... Does she get much/any exercise? Consider trying to fit in taking her for a walk after you get home from work so you can both get in some body moving to get the blood flowing AND have a nice little bit of time to have a conversation about your day. Walk a mile - it'll only take an hour at a slow pace. Less TV, more people time! :D Exercise influences libido significantly!

Also, consider researching in /r/seduction - I know it has a bad rap, but if you can ignore the gorillas pounding on the walls, the core message there is self-improvement, and YES seduction theory is VERY aplicable to a relationship. You already know that getting married is not when the work ends, it's when it begins - so you can carry seduction into it as well. (Truthfully, I guess I'm making an assumption here, but it's the attitude I will bring with me once I DO get married, soo.... :P)

Also, check out this book. It's one of the best purchases I ever made! Not only do I no longer make a mess when I'm flying solo (read it, you'll understand), but my pleasure is even deeper and more fulfilling, and this energy radiates into my partner. I've always been passionate and lively in bed, so being able to grow even further makes it even more exciting! :D

I friended you... I'll be checking in on you, Raymond K. Hessel.

If you need ideas for topics or want to develop an intuitive understanding of the importance of micro-niches, then read The Long Tail.

To learn about the model of stacking multiple passive income generators (such as each ebook), each of which in itself doesn't earn that much, but in aggregate is life-changing, read 4HWW... just ignore Ferris' mildly slimy self-promotion if it bugs you... the book has some very important ideas that were life-changing for my wife and me.

For the nuts and bolts of ebook publishing (your actual question), just pick a couple books from Amazon on the topic. The field is always evolving so you'll want something current, which is why I can't recommend any in particular. All the info is out there if you feel like Googling it, but a book or two might save you some time and missteps.

The main thing is to figure out if you're a one-book author or a multiple-book publishing company. The former means you research, write, and then probably outsource production (and you probably won't quite your day job but you might get a decent return on investment). The latter might mean you learn production yourself to save money and then make meaningful money by cranking out multiple titles (my wife has a dozen or so). It's not rocket science but there is a learning curve, pretty easy for anyone comfortable learning new apps, HTML, etc.

Also, the key to success is picking a topic related to things people are seeking solutions for but that there aren't many books addressing. SEO/PPC keyword research skills are very helpful here, just for research, also all learnable via Google.

Anyways, having looked over my bookshelf, here are some recommendations purely for the sake of recommending. Maybe not spot on what you're looking for, but why not...

Neverwhere. A book I've read about nine times. Because it's awesome.

Time Traveler's Wife. Kind of established/re-ignited my hope and sense of romance. My father isn't much of a reader and usually takes months to go through a single book, but after losing his wife, my stepmother, he went through this in a week and thanked me profusely afterwards.

Island. I'll tell you right off, it's one of those 'intelligent reads'. The end is proclaimed early, it comes as predicted and it's depressing, but the book overall is nice. You read it first, to check :)

Gates of Fire.

Born To Run. Just read this recently. Fun, interesting, quick.

I cured my depression by meditation -- I found a good system that helped create spiritual experiences, and whenever I felt down I could meditate and connect with a higher consciousness and feel uplifted.

Meditation is truly powerful -- it's like weightlifting for the brain. You can take a person who has a sickly body and make them strong and healthy through exercise, and meditation does the same thing for the mind.

This book is what got me started, and the author wrote a 3-year meditation / yoga / spirituality course that really worked, and helped me have higher experiences.

Meditation is scientifically proven to lift your mood and increase the activity in the "feeling good" parts of your brain, reduce stress and anxiety, and lift the immune system, so even if you don't believe in spirituality there is still a scientific basis for why it works. (Like weightlifting for the brain). It also gives your mind the extra strength to fight off negative thoughts and focus on relaxing, happy thoughts.

The Feeling Good Handbook is about "cognitive therapy" -- finding the errors in your thoughts and fixing them so they don't get you down as much. It has helped many people and is worth checking out.

Finally, go exercise -- exercise is proven to increase the brain cell growth in your brain, and one theory about depression is that prolonged stress stops new brain cell growth in important mood areas. Both exercise and anti-depressants (IIRC) help stimulate new brain cell growth, which some scientists think is what helps alleviate the depression. In any case, exercise works to lift moods and lower stress.

So, just some thoughts to hopefully help -- Good Luck!

Wow.

OK, so I'm not used to such reasonable and cogent responses on reddit. Especially since I was being all ass-holey. You'll just have to give me a moment or two.

...

OK, yes I read what you posted. To be honest, it struck me as being a bit defensive (not by you, but by those who have a chip on their shoulder concerning foie gras). I'll be even more honest... I don't like pate, so even if there was a "humane/free-range" variety of foie gras (and in fact, there is ), I still wouldn't eat it. I just listed it because, along with sow-stalls and battery farms, it's considered a poster-child example of the "evils" of modern industrial farming.

I'm an omnivore. I eat meat. I actually often consider going vegetarian for both health reasons (our guts do not handle the huge amount of meat with which we stuff ourselves) and for ethical reasons (I don't really like the idea of killing other creatures). But then I smell the wonderful aroma of a lamb roast, or friend bacon and my resolve crumbles. Therefore, when I do decide to eat meat, I make a personal decision to only eat meat and meat products that I know come from producers that minimize (or at least reduce) the suffering of the animals concerned. I'm sorry, but in all that I have read and heard, foie gras is a product that is produced cruelly. I will concede there is an interesting article here on this argument.

These are the same reasons I don't eat veal (animals forced fed milk; their locomotion reduced; quite often the flesh is dyed etc). It just doesn't appeal to me.

When I eat chicken, I choose free-range. The same for eggs and, most definitely, the same for pork. It's a personal decision and it's not something I crusade about or indeed try to convince other of. As such, I think I'm perfectly entitled to hold such views.

I read The Ethics Of What We Eat and I would recommend it as a reasoned and reasonable approach to this problem. I have heard good things about The Omnivores Dilemma, but haven't gotten around to it yet.

Thank you for restoring my faith in reddit a bit.

Just because they gave you attention and support, it might not have been the attention and support your mind craved.

example: your parents hug you and show up at your games and tell you you're amazing.. but your mind needs motivation.

Sometimes parents are too easy to please, so their kids don't feel the need to please them, and thus crave things/people to please, and usually they aren't positive.

Edit: I'm referring to different "love languages" here. I re read my comment and it doesn't make total sense, but this is a great read for more than just SO relationships.

I agree that we probably are coming from different sets of values, but I believe there is enough of an overlap for us to make headway. But there's only so much I can try to communicate through typed comments on reddit, so this will be my last post.

> but this is still based on a meat-inclusive diet so my point still stands that meat eating has been historically important to humanity.

The fact that it was historically important in no way justifies the continued eating of meat.

If we're talking about people in third world environments, of course I'm not going to deny them a potential food source. If this is about starvation, then it's about food. What you've been reading in my comments has more to do with the ethics of eating meat when there's so much more available to you (i.e. in the first world such as the US).

I think we're on the same page on managed commons. I just wish that the standards they're forced to follow were based on what's ecologically feasible than what the companies controlling food production/catching/distribution think makes a large enough profit. (I'm a capitalist as long as business practices are transparent.) (On another note, you might be interested in Dan Barber's TED talk for an idea on sustainable fishing practices. It's the sort of thing I think we're going to have to move towards.)

Clearly, our views on the nature of both human and animal rights are different. If you'd like to get a better look into the reasoning behind my thinking, these two books really made me change the way I view how humans produce and consume food. Give them a read if you're interested. They'll make much more articulate arguments than I'm capable of making.

Also, if you get a chance, I highly recommend this book if you're interested in global poverty. It blew my mind.

Don't make saving your entire life in your 20s. It's important, sure, but only in balance with everything else, namely travel. It all depends on the lifestyle you want to live when you're old. If you want to be in the millions when you retire, your life will be pretty dull when you're young if you're just making average money, but if you get serious (talk to a financial adviser) about your finances at a reasonable age when say you're 30... you'll have no problem being better off than most who don't. For me, in my late 20s, it's travel, travel, travel. I have a degree in finance, I have a great job right now, but I'm saving up to travel long-term (1+ years) throughout central and south america in just over a year, will possibly teach English abroad elsewhere afterward, namely India. With no real responsibilities I think it's important for Americans (specifically) to live entirely out of a pack on their back for a sustained period of time. No all-inclusive resorts. Go somewhere where your money goes far (most of Europe is expensive). Couchsurf, bring a hammock - no one cares if you set it up between 2 palm trees on the beach - hostels, locals; it forces you to meet people and figure out who you are and what you want to do with your life. You can try to go with a friend, but you will meet so many great people along the way that it's not entirely necessary. It's also extremely cheap to do. Read Vagabonding or The 4-Hour Work Week . But I am one who just can't make up my mind what I want to do in life. Honestly, I just want to climb rocks, but that's not exactly practical since I'm not Chris Sharma . I have some business ideas in the works but I'll probably end up going back to school so I can teach and have 3 months off in the summer, preferrably psychology or the psychology of religion. But I think I could also be content organic farming in my later days... or writing, I write a bunch, and plan to use the trip as the muse for a Karouac-esque tale. See so I have no clue. But that's the fun of it. Just shotgun your interests and figure it out. Love life. Go live it. Don't let anyone tell you you're crazy because your values are different. They will come around. Also, no soda - water, water, and coconut water.

This was an issue for me when I was younger. I have a few tips that work for me.

-Just relax. The more comfortable you feel, the less you're going to be worried about finishing early. Remember, sex should be fun.

-Foreplay might help. Ask your wife for a massage before having sex.

-Sex doesn't have to be a steady in and out movement the whole time. Take breaks. Slow down, change positions, take deep breaths when you feeling yourself getting more excited.

-Sometimes, focusing on your breathing can help you get better control.

-I think there's a point during sex where your penis sort of acclimates to the feeling of a vagina. Once you reach this point, it's much easier to control your climax. Start sex slow and wait until you sort of get used to the feeling before doing anything too fancy.

-Read a book! I found this one helpful.

http://www.amazon.com/Multi-Orgasmic-Man-Sexual-Secrets-Should/dp/0062513362

Hope that helps!

Hopefully you wont miss this (and I don't know if it has already been mentioned) but have you considered a bit of cognitive behavior therapy? From reading over what you wrote, I think it could possibly help you get out of your mindset. I sometimes feel really socially inept and stupid but now I realize a bit of this might be in my head.
I'm currently reading "Feeling good handbook" http://www.amazon.com/Feeling-Good-Handbook-David-Burns/dp/0452281326

And so far it's really kinda helping how I think it situations. Usually I would find that I get in negative mind loops but now my way of thinking is a bit changed. This could possibly help your confidence.

The other reason I suggest this is you seem to doubt yourself when you are with new people. I do this too... however this may be a bit in your head "thinking" its awkward etc...

Anyway, hope my rambling makes sense, and hope this may help you a little.... get you in a better mind set =) Feel free to message me if you have any questions on anything or I could give you a more detailed insight...

Therapy.

Antidepressants such as sertaline (Zoloft) and fluoxetine (Prozac) will help as long as she stays on them, but often times it takes numerous tries to find the right medication for each person. In many cases it helps but will make the patient zombie-like; in some cases it may worsen depression and/or anxiety.

Benzodiazepines such as alprazolam (Xanax), clonazepam (Klonopin), diazepam (Valium), and lorazepam (Ativan) are only a temporary solution. They are also addictive, and benzodiazepine addiction and withdrawal can be worse than recreational drugs such as cocaine and heroin. A psychiatrist may prescribe one of these medications on a use-as-needed basis, but I personally advise against benzodiazepines.

Her best bet is regular therapy. Unlike medication, therapy will help her make progress and deal with her issues as opposed to suppressing them and allowing her to avoid them.

Get this book as well. It may not work for everyone, but a friend of mine who suffers from anxiety recommended it to me, and it's been helping me as well. You'd be surprised as to how much reading a book can help with such issues.

A good psychiatrist will use a combination of medication and therapy to help treat your girlfriend. However, the weight of this rests upon her willingness to be treated and to take the therapy to heart; if she isn't willing to deal and cope with her issues and continues avoiding it, there isn't much that can be done. If she is in the right mindset, however, she needs to find a doctor who knows what they're doing (look up reviews on the web) and make it clear that she seeks therapy and desires to truly recover, and isn't just look for a prescription.

I suffer from a lot of what she seems to suffer, and I am somewhat of an expert on benzodiazepines and GABAnergic medications, along with drug addiction and withdrawal. If you have any questions feel free to shoot me a message.

First, read the book 'The Five Love Languages' (http://amzn.com/0802473156) - it is short, easy and to the point. Then figure out what your BF's love language is. That should tell you what will make him feel appreciated and loved. Everyone is different, and needs to be loved in different ways ( words, acts, touch, gifts, etc.)

Does he like reading? If he does, buy him these books:

Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! Adventures of a Curious Character

What Do You Care What Other People Think?: Further Adventures of a Curious Character

The man who loved only numbers

Those are amusing biographies of two scientists, Richard Feynman and Paul Erdos.

My list:

• Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel - travel, see the world, experience new things
  
• How to Win Friends and Influence People - make friends, enjoy people
  
• Starting Strength - get fit, look good
  
• Esquire The Handbook of Style: A Man's Guide to Looking Good - dress well, look good
  
• The 4-Hour Workweek - work on your own terms

You definitely want to do different things; all kinds of different things. Read, draw, exercise, write; try to pick up new skills; buy a book of different sorts of puzzles (spatial, math, crosswords, whatever) and do a couple puzzles as part of your morning routine; work on things you're not good at and things you are good at.

A few days ago (or thereabouts) a Redditor recommended this book to me because I mentioned that I was having difficulty getting back into drawing - I used to be an art student (high school), and a few bad experiences at school shot my motivation. It's set up to help with things like boosting creativity and problem solving through drawing. Drawing is often seen as something innate, or a rare skill, but the book takes the approach that everyone is able to draw well, it's just a matter of learning how to see things properly. This "new seeing" is really just a different way of understanding the spatial relationships things have with each other via artistic qualities (line, value, colour, etc). Such a process can definitely help with becoming a better thinker because it allows you to understand problems in different ways.

(I spent a little extra time on the book, both because I'm really enjoying it so far, and also because drawing is something that I've found most people disregard because they "can't do it" - I call shenanigans.)

/r/relationships and /r/relationship_advice might be a better place to get useful responses.

Having said that, I'd recommend "The five love languages" by Gary Chapman, it's quite well known, relatively inexpensive (you'll probably find a copy in your local charity shop) and it talks about the different ways in which people perceive, receive and give out love. Read it with your girlfriend and see what works for you both.

Educate yourself first. Don't just throw your hat in the ring. Read some books like:

The Intelligent Investor

Common Sense on Mutual Funds

There are other books out there, but I can't recommend what I haven't read.

I would ask you, what do you wish to accomplish? Do you want to put your money somewhere and forget about it? Do you want to try to make some money?

A guy in your position, I would recommend a Roth IRA. It is a tax free investment (in the US anyway) you can set up for your retirement. If you start contributing now, it will grow over the course of your lifetime.

It is really up to you - but please educate yourself first.

they work I used this product though. I had to use two to really get the effect. Basically you let it dissolve on your tongue. I moved it with finger to didn't spots to get better coverage. Sweet doesn't change much, sour and bitter take super sweet.

• TLDR: Yes, work. Guinness is best choc milkshake, Orange Great, Apple nothing, Strawberry no change, Lime and Lemons confuses the mind.

>it sure doesn't feel good to have your desires ignored.

Leave him.

You will be doing him a favor.

>I bring it up about once a week now,

Do you have any idea what you sound like? Any? Any. Any?

>He just doesn't give a shit because he doesn't see it as important.

It's not. Buy yourself one.

He probably thinks it's enough to be loving and committed. Imagine that!

Someone says:
>I bet the people who called you a materialistic whore own a shit ton of video games.

So, FWIW, I don't own ANY. Zero. A computer is a good that has actual use, which you are comparing with a ring because your idea of utility isn't what most people's idea is of usefulness.

>I'm posting this to remind those of you with girlfriends to be nice to them, because while we will put up with a lot, it sure doesn't feel good to have your desires ignored.

"We!" I love it. Different people have different standards by which they conceive of 'love'. You need things given to you. He doesn't do that, he probably does one of the other 4.

Please read the book and get some fucking perspective.

>I don't think he loves me less, he's just not very good about showing it.

Leave him. Read the book so you understand for the next guy how your conception of love is far removed from your current boyfriends' conception of love, but please do leave him. He deserves better. I feel positively dirty even reading your horrific musings, but no one here is actually setting you straight or giving you some useful reading.

Not sure about series, but Christopher Moore's stuff is really good if you like Satire.

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal - Is an amazing book.

A Dirty Job: A Novel - was pretty good too.

Buy her a bidet toilet attachment. This will give you the chance to talk at great length about how clean it gets you. That will start her thinking along those lines. You may have to get yourself one first then act like it's the second coming of Christ to justify getting her one too. I have one it's awesome you'll feel cleaner than you ever have before and you'll hook your girl up at the same time. They are cheap on Amazon.

First. Buy and read this book before doing anything.

You have no business buying any stock unless you have read that book. It is a classic, it is timeless, and is volume #1 for any investor.

Second, you shouldn't be buying any stock unless you have 6 months of cash living expenses saved as an emergency. Stock is a long term thing, and you need to take care of your short term before your long term.

Third, assuming you have read the book, have 6 months of cash saved, then you'll want at least $5k-$10k to start investing with. Why so much? So that those pesky $5 or $7 trading fees don't bite as hard into your bottom line.

Using the knowledge gained from the book, you can select 2 or 3 stocks to buy into, across different sectors, which will be blue chip value stocks. You'll buy at least $1000 worth of stock in each one, though it's probably better to buy $5000 or so. Why? Again, $5 is .5% of $1000 or .1% of $5000, so the impact of actually making the trade is the smallest.

If you don't have the funds for the above, just save your money in Savings, CD's or Money Market accounts until you do. Otherwise, the trading fees will eat your profits.

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain plus drawing supplies to get started. I went from drawing very crappy to this. But there were a lot of ancillary benefits as well:

• I learned that the ability of the human mind to learn new skills is really incredible
  
• I learned to see things like never before. Everything from my reports at work to my photographs of my kids improved.
  
• As an engineer I can communicate my ideas 10 fold better than before.
  
• Oh yeah, I can draw cool portraits

Drawing is typically seen as something that people are either innately good at or innately bad at. That's crap. Get a good book like this one (which you can probably find from your local library if you want to give it a try without committing any cash; I borrowed it from my library then decided that I needed to own it and found it used for $10), and practise.

This is the best suggestion here. Cheap, you can do it anywhere, rewarding when you make progress, and everyone loves pictures.

Read this:
http://www.amazon.com/Born-Run-Hidden-Superathletes-Greatest/dp/0307266303

Get it now. Read it. If you do nothing else posted in this forum, read that book.

> Is it safe to run with sore legs?

Yes. In fact, I find when I'm sore, the only thing to relieve the pain is to run lightly.

> "Yeah fattie, good luck with that." my embarrassment keeps me from exercising because it's so obvious that I need to. Thoughts?"

OK. Why are you concerned with what other people think? Fix that, it has nothing to do with your running. Anyone that's serious about running will do nothing but encourage you. Anyone who says anything like this is jealous and can't get off the couch.

> Does anyone have any suggestions for alternative forms of cardio or any tips to make running more enjoyable?

If you're running and doing it right, it's not a chore, it's a joy. You'll wake up early and jump out of bed excited because you get to run today. It changes your life.

Running is not about muscles. Running is about converting energy(food) into work. Your muscles are along for the ride and will adapt quickly.

It's not about training, routine, etc. All those things aren't bad - but frankly the human body is more or less made to run a lot. An hour or so into a good run, a serenity/exhaustion comes over you and suddenly everything is clear.

It's highly unlikely you'll really injure yourself while running. If your stride is improper you can have some knee pain, but fix that with some thin/light shoes and focus on your stride and your body will heal quickly. Don't pound your heel on the pavement - let the ball of your foot absorb the hard impact.

> concerning what can be done (or eaten) to become a physically and mentally healthy person!

"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly vegetables." Also, run/jog. Details are not as important as doing this.

There are several books of this type, but the best is called The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. Dr. Chapman is a Christian, but it's solid counsel for anyone in a relationship.

Read this book. Really. I'm a guy and I had that typical 'I don't need to read a stupid book about marriage. I know my wife' mindset. But after reading this book, it made my marriage stronger.

TLDR: everyone feels love differently and this book will help you and your SO identify what makes you feel loved the most, and what doesn't. It then gives you ideas for tailoring your affection to your SO.

EDIT: Also, think about separate bank accounts. My wife and I each have our own bank account, although they're linked so transferring funds from one to the other takes only seconds. We have all the bills divided between the two of us, we each put a percentage into savings, but we don't have access to the other's account. All of our bills get paid and we don't argue over silly things like 'I just checked the account and you spent $73 at Barnes and Noble, what the hell were you thinking?!' As long as everything gets paid, I don't want to see when and where my wife spends her money. It's worked out great for us.

Aeropress. $23 and you can make coffee or incredibly great faux mochas: faux espresso mix with milk and add sugar/cocoa and heavy whipped cream. Incredibly good tasting and quick enough to make every morning.

$400-500 televisions as computer monitors. Everything is 10000x better on the big screen, except crappy low-bitrate video.

Netflix. I don't use them, but when I did they beat every other legal movie solution hands down.

Steam. It's imperfect in several ways, but no other gaming service is even in the same league. Buying 10 great and recent games for under $50 on a Steam sale in five minutes and then having them all automatically downloaded and installed for you? Wow.

Born to Run helped me fall in love with running. I had never been so deeply & passionately drawn to anything... now I'm training to run my first marathon and I'm more excited for this than for when I graduated from college.

Against the Stream was another life-changer - it helped me learn to breathe, relax, focus, and stay in the present moment.

I'm in the exact same position as you. After some searching around, I picked up the highly recommended Drawing With the Right Side of the Brain, and I've made a ton of progress in the span of about a week. It seems like a pretty great starting point.

The miracle fruit, known as Synsepalum dulcificum that temporarily changes the way you perceive sour flavors, essentially making things such as Tabasco sauce taste sweet.

Edit: they're pretty easy to find online, here's the link to a pack available on Amazon.

For $20, the JBuds J3M gets pretty good reviews.

Just under your budget are the Sennheiser CX300 which are a pretty safe bet.

Also, the Klipsch S2 as Aarontj73 recommended. Not sure why he was downvoted.

There's actually a whole book about this here

I haven't read it, but from what I gather, the author asserts that it's about the amount of time you spend at something moreso than actual ability.

If that's the case, than yeah, we can blame it on society. We love instant gratification, and can't stand things that we have to work for. If something doesn't come naturally to us, we tend to give up on it fairly quickly.

This is all generalized, of course.

You say that you want people to use you?

Why do you want people to use you? So you can be accepted?
Your observation has some validity to it, yes, men treat pretty girls exponentially better, but do you see how some pretty girls treat each other?

I suspect that you /haven't/ been truly used, and why? That's because you have some self-esteem.Assuming that you won't be going through surgery or a sex change to become a pretty girl, you'll have to live with accepting yourself. It won't be easy, as everyone has their insecurities, but please, being used is one of the worst feelings I've ever experienced. What about thinking instead of "oh now they can use me" and then resenting them when they take unconditionally, with "I can bring something to the table" that we can all share?

You might find this book helpful.
http://www.amazon.com/Feeling-Good-Handbook-David-Burns/dp/0452281326

Get them from Amazon.

I found they worked really well with sour and sweet things like lemons, but not so well with savory foods. I was able to eat a whole lemon and it tasted like sweet lemonade.

They don't last very long. I'd say maybe 30 minutes.

Edit: Here's the link on Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/The-Multi-Orgasmic-Man-Sexual-Secrets/dp/0062513362

Book did wonders getting my time up. A little spiritualish at times, but has got some pretty great stuff otherwise. You can also probably torrent it somewhere too.

Also, Yoga.

Warren Buffett, richest guy in the world at one point, now probably in second or third believes in smart investing. He went to Columbia University in NYC to learn directly from Benjamin Graham and David Dodd. So, you couldn't go wrong by reading or skimming The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham before you seek a financial investor. See if your local library has a newer edition (it will include a discussion on newer securities, such as Mutual Funds, etc.).

$35 Bidet from Amazon, best anniversary gift lifesaver.

It's pretty regional. I'm sure I saw something about how in India/Pakistan they use a bucket and cup to clean up. I've lived in a place with these installed since before I can remember. Now we've got something like this. Obviously washing well afterwards.

I never thought I'd be discussing intimate hygiene with random people over the internet.

Made, definitely. In Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, he states that there is a 10,000 hour threshold to be considered an expert at something.

If you've never heard of it, I would recommend reading it. Very interesting and easy to read.

I recommend The Multi-Orgasmic Man. It's excellent.

Also, the length of time does not matter so much for me if that's not all there is. Lots of foreplay, oral and hand sex. Lots of build up, and you can lengthen the time you can have sex.

Also, have you tried a cock ring? This was a solution for a partner of mine.

Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! It's "laugh out loud" funny and highly recommended.

The best coffee I've had comes out of an Aeropress. It's very highly rated on Amazon, and I've heard a few coffee-oriented foodies praise it.

Also, my friend Nik is one of the guys over at Tonx Coffee, a company that provides a subscription-based freshly roasted bean delivery service. He's a pretty good guy, but I haven't personally subscribed yet.

Klipsch S4 are pretty much the top rated buds for the money in this segment. Read the Amazon reviews and decide whether they're worth more than 2x the cost of a decent bud like the Sennheiser CX300

Sony MDR-V6

Sounds great, looks great, lasts forever.

There has actually been a lot of research into this topic recently, and a really interesting theory is some what cinematically put forward in the recent book "Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen". I highly recommend this book to anyone even casually interested in running, history, the limits of the human body, etc. The story reads like a combination of "Into Thin Air" and "Gun, Germs, & Steel" (available on audible, if you sign up PM me for a referral).


TDLR of the book is this; current research shows that shoes and more specifically a "heel-strike" may be the cause of many running injuires as they significantly alter the strike pattern (and subsequent stride follow up).


Many modern elite runners, even those sponsored by Nike, such as Stanford's Track and Field team are now including barefoot running as a part of their training. One huge proponent of barefoot running, featured in the book, is Barefoot Ted. Check out his site for an brief overview of the latest science and "science" (Note- Ted is a barefoot dirty hippie :)).


For those who don't run, may barefoot runners don't actually run barefoot- they use thin second skin type products that provide protection from glass/butts/Hepatitis that don't significantly alter your stride. Ted has got a bunch in his store.


I met a ballerina at the gym yesterday barefoot running and we talked about the book and her experience. I wouldn't personally run barefoot at the gym on the treadmill, but what ever. If you're in Cincy and want to go for a job with me, hit me up.



(ps- I suck at running but love it)

Read The 5 Love Languages. It will open your eyes to what makes different people feel loved. Your relationship will never be the same.

I suggest the opposite approach. You know they are going to break, so just go to DealExtreme and buy 10 pairs of those and then no worries.

That said, I bought these Sennheiser CX300-B Earbuds from Amazon and they have been awesome. I've had them for 6 months and the sound quality is good and despite me torturing them (I really treat headphones bad, not just dropping and sleeping on top of but also biting them, etc.) and they still work great.

• The song of the dodo (if I were to recommend a single book that nobody else would recommend you, it would be this one)
  
• Collapse
  
• Guns, germs and steel
  
• Too big to fail
  
• Freakonomics
  
• Surely you're joking, mr. Feynman
  
• Gödel, Escher, Bach - an eternal golden braid
  
• A walk in the woods
  
• A brief history of time
  
  You will notice the absence of A short history of nearly everything, which is a good book, but frankly it didn't speak very much to me. Bryson is almost only interested in geography.

Not surprisingly, I got a bunch of pictures of pies, desserts, and berries. I also got this, which made me google the product (maybe it is just a graphic design student's project) and found it is totally real: mberry.

I've heard of these and feel like this is a sign. I need to have a Miracle Berry potluck party!

The AeroPress is a wonderful single serving coffee press. You can even use it to coldbrew. I love mine.

also agreed; got a pair after a few recommendations, could not regret it more. buying http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-CX300-B-Earbuds-Black/dp/B000E6G9RI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=aht&qid=1253424646&sr=1-1 these soon and hoping for better results!

I have a pair of Sony MDR-V6s that are twenty years old. Until my sister sat on them and broke the hinge on one of the earcups, they worked perfectly. They're still beautiful, sound-wise. They cost $65 new on amazon (be sure to check out the reviews.

Compare to iPod earbuds that are $30 and last three months.

I was thinking "I wonder if anyone will mention Feynman", and bingo!

If anyone finds that post interesting, read Surely you're joking Mr. Feynman, its full of stories about his fascinating life.

I love my coffee so much! I'm so obsessed with it that I roast my own and brew with an Aeropress. It tastes so damn good!

Already I've been limiting myself to one or two mugs a day. But I'm slowly, reluctantly, arriving at the conclusion that I'm going have to give it up completely. It does "give" me energy (that's actually not true, it's just borrowing my own energy from the future). But it also brings anxiety along as part of the package. I find myself vaguely worried at work that I'm not doing well enough, sometimes even as people are praising what I've just done.

Howard Zinn is one of the best writers when it comes to history and if you let him, he'll change your concept of history.

Check out Lies My Teacher Told Me by James Loewen, we used it alongside some of Zinn's material when I was still beginning my college career. :)

This message is going to get buried, but I hope by chance you read it. Two books on food changed my life and helped me eat a very healthy diet and lose weight and keep it off permanently:

http://www.amazon.com/Omnivores-Dilemma-Natural-History-Meals/dp/0143038583/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266444146&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/End-Overeating-Insatiable-American-Appetite/dp/1605297852/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266444075&sr=8-1

Lies My Teacher Told Me

Covers a good portion of things that are falsely taught in American history classes. One of the things I learned from it was that Helen Keller was a communist and wrote love letters to Russia.

As others have mentioned: Guns, Germs, and Steel; G - E - B, Omnivore's Dilemma, Freakonomics. One that I just finished and really enjoyed was a new hardback nonfiction release called "Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen". It was greatness.

http://www.amazon.com/Born-Run-Hidden-Superathletes-Greatest/dp/0307266303

Thanks a lot! That's exactly the kind of answer I was hoping for.

Any chance this is the book? http://www.amazon.com/How-Twice-Smart-Brainpower-Unleashing/dp/0134023390

Tell it like it is, sister!

I got a $27 bidet attachment from Amazon, hooked it up in about 20 minutes with a pair of pliers. Now I never get that "not so fresh feeling". Also good with the poops.

I think this belongs in r/firstworldproblems.

That being said, I would do this: Save the $35. Let your dad buy you shitty $10 headphones while you save up enough money to get some quality, high-end headphones instead of some pretty good midrange ones.

I currently use these, they were recommended to me by an audio engineer that I work with: http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR-V6-Monitor-Headphones-Voice/dp/B00001WRSJ/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1302905167&sr=1-1

The next time I buy headphones, though, I'm going for these:
http://www.amazon.com/Grado-Prestige-SR80i-Stereo-Headphone/dp/B000G3LCQC

Or, if you're really wed to earbuds:
http://www.amazon.com/YUIN-PK2-Yuin-Pk2-Earphones/dp/B001B484D4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1302905422&sr=8-1

You can only teach or curate a museum with a history major but not with an undergraduate degree. You might win the lottery and land a gig with a big older corporation as a historian but not with an undergrad degree and probably not at all in a bad economy.

Having the degree box checked might get you on the waiting list for entry level positions in a corporation or small business but that might take years.

You need to find your inner entrepreneur and create your own opportunity. Start Here

Try miracle berries: http://www.amazon.com/mberry-Miracle-Fruit-Tablets/dp/B001LXYA5Q
They make anything taste sweet.

• Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick
  
• 1491 by Charles C Mann
  
• Omnivore's Dilemma and Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan
  
  I found these books very educational. They definitely have changed my worldview on the history of agriculture, human ecology, and economics.
  They really make you think that if Anglo-Western style capitalism or agriculture were non-existent, the world would be just fine.
  
  
  http://www.amazon.com/Mayflower-Story-Courage-Community-War/dp/0143111973/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321693822&sr=8-1
  
  http://www.amazon.com/1491-Revelations-Americas-Before-Columbus/dp/1400032059/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321693987&sr=1-1
  
  http://www.amazon.com/Omnivores-Dilemma-Natural-History-Meals/dp/0143038583/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321694010&sr=1-1
  
  http://www.amazon.com/Botany-Desire-Plants-Eye-View-World/dp/0375760393/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321694049&sr=1-1

hold it back. big developmental advantage. read this. Not a perfect book, but strongly outlines the reasons why kids who are older compared to their peers do better in life.

No, Biff was his best friend.

It's from a book

http://www.amazon.com/Lies-My-Teacher-Told-Everything/dp/0684818868

I like how this author puts it. He wasn't the first to discover the America's. He was the last. He was the most historically important because of the impact he had on the America's. Also in the book they talk about the many African boats that sailed the ocean and landed on the southern end of the continent. I believe he wasn't even the first European but he did make it profitable and that's what really mattered.

Holy smokes, I'm so glad you mentioned this. When I just began to develop a basic command of market economics (I mean the sort of level that a perusal or /r/personalfinance, The Millionaire Teacher, and The Intelligent Investor would accomplish), I was so floored by all the utter hooey I had heard over the years, I could barely contain myself and wanted to liberate the world from self-imposed ignorance.

99% of the people with whom I share this sort of thing either don't believe the principles, think I'm misguided, or figure it's magic, i.e. well beyond their ability to concretely implement. We need total financial education reform something fierce.

Lies My Teacher Told Me is a fantastic resource for this sort of thing. He explicitly mentions Wilson's resegregation in the opening chapter.

>IMO, he makes G W Bush look like a saint.

Let's not be hasty.

Man, this sounds like a case study out of "The 5 Love Languages".

Her language sounds like Quality Time, which you weren't giving her (not your fault, you didn't know). But that is what it sounds like.

I recently learned from Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! that a very easy way to figure out the square of any number near 50 is to:

1. Subtract your number from 50, e.g. for 47, 50-47 = 3
   
2. Multiply #1 by 100, e.g., 3 * 100 = 300
   
3. Subtract #2 from 2500 (50²), e.g., 2500 - 300 = 2200
   
4. Add #3 to #1 squared, e.g., 3² is 9, 2200 + 9 = 2209
   

Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong might be a good start for you.


Also if you don't get more/better responses here, you might try an xpost to /r/booksuggestions

Edit: Nearly forgot, there's also /r/AskHistorians, /r/askhistory, /r/history, and /r/historyporn which you might find of interest.

• "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared Diamond
  
• "The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals" by Michael Pollan
  
• "The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language" by Steven Pinker
  
  Isaac Asimov wrote quite a few books on physics, some more textbook-y than others.

Surely you're joking, Mr Feynman is a fantastic book and anyone who would like to know that there's still adventure in the world should read it. Hell, everyone else should read it too.

Also, I was really worried about finding a job after college and reading What should I do with my life? was not only enjoyable but uplifting. I felt a lot better about my life after reading it.

Edit: Added links

You might want to look into Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong.

It pretty much details all the wrong that you learned in school. It's pretty surprising.

You should read the book Outliers . It talks about talent being the product of hours of practice. What differentiates between people of different skill levels is their initial talent, and the amount of hours of practice they put into it.

Angels and Demons.

I kid I kid. My favorites are probably:

Lies My Teacher Told Me

or

A peoples history of the United States

Lies My Teacher Told Me has everything you need to know. I'm sure you can find a free copy online.

Congratulations! You suffer from Clinical Depression!!!

The good news is that the little voice often lies. If you want to learn the ways the little inner voice distorts reality cannot recommend this book enough. It looks like a cheesy-ass self-help book, but it is actually extremely useful for analyzing your patterns of thinking.

Hario Minimill

Aeropress

Find a local coffee roaster. You now have the best cup of coffee you have ever had.

For sure. You don't even need fancy equipment like espresso machines or those Nespresso pods to make amazingly good coffee!

Get yourself an Aeropress for $30 and you can make espresso quality coffee for no more than the price of the coffee beans/grounds.

Add to that a small hand grinder for a similar price so you can freshly grind your own beans and you have all you need to make cheap amazing coffee!

I used to spend $4 every work day (AUD prices), on coffee, $8 if I felt like 2 of them. That is a minimum of $80 per month! I now pay $18 for a 500 gram bag of gourmet coffee beans that lasts about the same amount of time.

Instant Coffee is certainly a LOT cheaper again, but also tastes awful by comparison.

I just gave these a try, they are pretty cool:
miracle berries

They're from another thread I saw. They're called miracle berries and they make sour things like lemons taste sweet after you eat them.

Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It's basically a chronicle of the author's adventures to find a Native-American tribe known as the Tarahumara people who can run 12 marathons in a day. Quite interesting.

Christopher Moore has done pretty well with his adaptation: Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal.

I'm an atheist, and still thought it was a spectacular read.

Get this thing and a good thermometer to make the best coffee http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0047BIWSK/ref=asc_df_B0047BIWSK1808081?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395093&creativeASIN=B0047BIWSK It's like a french press but for the 21st century. I just put my water in the microwave and set it for the specific time I figured out.

Sony MDR-V6 Studio Monitors.

Best cans I've ever owned.

It depends on how much you're willing to spend. I just got a pair of these and I love them. They sound incredible and I love the coiled cord because it doesn't get in the way, but it's accommodating if you need to get up and move around your desk.

And the next best thing is

Best 30 bucks I've spent in a long time.

The AeroPress. Cheapest and easiest espresso maker ever. Works very well, and saves unknown amounts of time and money.

Agreed, this is an absolutely hilarious book.

Sennheiser CX300-B Earbuds

I bought it for $27(including shipping) from Amazon an year back.


They are comfortable and the sound is awesome too.

No more hurting the ear when i doze off to sleep wearing them.

depending on how much work and practice you are willing to invest, i would suggest tantra breathing and some light reading. You would be surprised how simple breathing exercises practiced during the day can improve stamina when performing the act. It helps you focus, without distracting from the task at hand (like when you realize you need to piss desperately but are already aroused, and doing a superman over the bowl just isn't going to cut it).

Surely you must be joking Mr. Feynman one of my favorite books of all time.

for anyone who is interested, a lot of the techniques in CBT share a common root in the practice of meditation (in my opinion).

i had serious problems with depression and i came to meditation while learning about CBT and it literally changed my life.

both are great though. i recommend The Mindful Way Through Depression.

Miracle Berry Tablets

http://www.amazon.com/mberry-Miracle-Fruit-Tablets/dp/B001LXYA5Q

The Miracle Berry

You'll trip balls. Inside your mouth.

It's not as gay as it sounds.

EDIT: Link to where you can buy them. Link

That Robert E. Lee was an honorable fellow, and that the South was fighting for states' rights. If you're interested in this stuff, you should really read Lies My Teacher Told Me

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! (Adventures of a Curious Character)

The Autobiography of Bertrand Russell

Thomas Jefferson: Author of America

I hear you, There are the most comfortable things i've ever worn in my life though, and there is some pretty solid evidence behind minimalist footwear.

Also, they're not rock climbing shoes. They actually dont perform nearly as well as actual specialty "rock climbing shoes" do when it comes to rock climbing.

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore. So funny!

Dan Gilbert's Stumbling on Happiness. I recommend this book to everyone I know. It has changed me for the better in so many ways.

It's cliche but, Michael Pollans In Defense of Food.

Lastly, Janet Fitch White Oleander.

Mycelium Running by Paul Stamets. Here's my brief review.

Edit: I also really enjoyed The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan.

I run barefoot whenever possible. It's a WHOLE other experience! Read Born to Run by Chris McDougall (http://www.amazon.com/Born-Run-Hidden-Superathletes-Greatest/dp/0307266303) to get the full scoop, or see Barefoot Ted's blog (http://barefootted.com/) for the hard-core enthusiast community.

It probably has to do with persistence hunts.

Humans have extremely large glutes in comparison with the rest of our physiology, and that of other animals except for those known to be serious runners (horses, canids, cheetahs). The larger the glute, the better the runner, evolutionarily speaking. If this was one of the primary modes of attaining food (which is a growing theory of human evolution), then that would explain your penchant for voluminous gluteus maximi.

For further information, check out the book Born to Run by Christopher McDougall.

Check out "The Four Hour Work Week" by Timothy Ferris, which has some good resources, and Inventing on a Shoestring Budget (for Kindle).

http://www.amazon.de/Multi-Orgasmic-Man-Sexual-Secrets-Should/dp/0062513362

Hard work. Definitely worth it.

Lamb by Christopher Moore portrays him as dark skinned. Pretty good/funny read.

Pretty much everything in this book: Lies My Teacher Told Me.

Get the book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain http://www.amazon.com/The-Drawing-Right-Side-Brain/dp/0874774241

You'll be amazed at yourself.

A bidet. Seriously, go try one. Changed my life. Bought an attachment soon after for my toilet and now have a squeaky clean bunghole 24/7.

*Here is the one I use, since people were asking for an example.

There is short book I read to that effect. "Lies My Teacher Told Me" Good, interesting bits of history that you won't get in high school. Which is where I assume most of us stop studying history.

If you can learn to write, you can learn to draw. Writing is just drawing letters. Like anything else, it boils down to learning a few basics and then practice, practice, practice.

If you are serious about this, Betty Edwards' book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain is an excellent introduction to drawing, especially geared for people who want to learn to draw but think they can't.

Start off by reading The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham.

The intelligent investor, by Benjamin Graham.

That's actually a reasonably funny book:

http://www.amazon.com/Lamb-Gospel-According-Christs-Childhood/dp/0380813815

And even better homemade grind yourself coffee with a $25 Aeropress is anywhere from 50 cents to a dollar.

Before I started my own business I traveled for work constantly. I would leave from my home, ORD, and travel to the client site. From there I would travel to my domestic US vacation spot. At that point the company had paid for all flights and lodging. They pay to get me from home -> client site and client site -> leisure travel destination. I would pay for a way to get home and pay for lodging while there. Normally I would use airline or hotel points from previous stays for both of these things. Company didn't care as long as the flight from client site -> fun spot was about comparable in price to flight client site -> home.

If you want a whole system that explains this stuff, get Tim Ferriss' book The Four Hour Work Week. It has a huge focus on leisure travel and making it work.

Anything by Christopher Moore if you want a fast-reading comedy. Especially this.

I highly recommend you get/acquire/borrow and read a copy of "Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal" by Christopher Moore...

http://www.amazon.com/Lamb-Gospel-According-Christs-Childhood/dp/0380813815

pick up a copy of "the omnivore's dilemma"... you'll dig it and it will help answer a lot of your questions.

http://www.amazon.com/Omnivores-Dilemma-Natural-History-Meals/dp/0143038583/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1292624352&sr=8-1

I think it is everywhere in our food: King Corn and The Omnivore's Dilemma

edited for clarity

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore

Hilarious.

Amazon link.

Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! (Adventures of a Curious Character - Richard P. Feynman

No book has made me want to get more out of life and to experience as much as possible.

I recommend this book for its potential to completely change your life.

If you'd like to know more...

Lamb, by Christopher Moore will answer all your questions.

Buy it now, thank me later.

I recommend these for the same reasons stated in the reviews at the bottom of the page:

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR-V6-Monitor-Series-Headphones/dp/B00001WRSJ/ref=pd_sim_e_2

You NEED totry these:

http://www.amazon.com/mberry-MFT10-Miracle-Fruit-Tablets/dp/B001LXYA5Q/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1347296825&sr=8-3&keywords=miracle+fruit


DO NOT WAIT. Do it. Do it now. Thank me later.

I agree. The future is only 35 dollars.

Jesus OP... get a damn bidet and clean your asshole with water, they're only like $30.. or if your showerhead is near your toilet use it.

http://www.amazon.com/Astor-Non-Electric-Mechanical-Toilet-Attachment/dp/B003TPGPUW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335081075&sr=8-1

This will get the job done. Go read coffeegeek,they'll agree.

You sure you're not thinking of the Gospel according to Biff?

Well I'd suggest talking to the counsellor and before saying anything else, ask if it's confidential.

Another thing that might help is this book: http://www.amazon.ca/Feeling-Good-Handbook-David-Burns/dp/0452281326

This book is the bible when it comes to dealing with anxiety and depression. Hope this is helpful.

Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! by Richard P. Feynman