I received this book in the mail as a part of my “Top Writer 2012” package (along with a sweet t-shirt). I only just finished reading it. While the book is not available for sale, all of the answers presented in it can be accessed on Quora.com.
I pretty much love all of it, or at least 90% of it. They’re incredibly thoughtful answers. There’s something awesome about reading something written by somebody who’s thought really long and hard about something. It’s so good, it almost feels like cheating- you get access to a clarity of mind that you didn’t work for. You quickly assimilate ways of effectively thinking about more complex issues.
Here are some of my favourites. Choosing these was really hard, because I had to leave out so many awesome ones.
What is one thing you regret learning in medical school? Jae beautifully lays out everything that’s wrong with the healthcare industry.
What is so great about Jay-Z? This is one of my favourites because it’s very inspiring just to read about Jay-Z’s work ethic. Jay-Z is a man’s man in the best possible sense. I can’t read this without feeling like I ought to get off my ass and do something productive.
When should someone be finished grieving? We don’t talk enough about death, as a species. It’s deeply life-affirming. With regards to grief: you’re never finished. The death of a loved one isn’t something you “get over”. It becomes a part of you that you learn to live with. It changes over time. It can be healthy if you let it be.
What is it like to be the commanding officer of an Aircraft Carrier? This was one of my favourite answers on Quora very early on. Incredible in scope, from a perspective of someone you never expect to be able to hear from. The vastness and complexity of an aircraft carrier is quite mindboggling, and just knowing that there are people out there doing what they do is pretty inspiring.
Does bouncing your leg improve cognition? Nan Waldman points out something that feels almost obvious on hindsight- that kids don’t necessarily learn well when sitting in place, and movement might be necessary or even fundamental to learning- at least for some if not all of us. I’m reminded of how I used to read books as a child, changing my body position over and over again, rolling over in the chair or sofa, lying on the floor, etc. Clearly, the assembly-line method of learning and instruction is sub-optimal. This is a reminder to me to get moving.
What is the neurological basis for curiosity? This is a powerful reminder for me that laypersons don’t understand the brain very well, myself included. “Where is located in the brain?” Curiosity is not a single thing, and it cannot be localized to a single place in the brain. It’s like asking “Where is the video in my computer”?
What does it mean to be Asian-American? I loved this one because it evokes themes about feeling displaced, about having a new culture, about synthesizing all of that and finding yourself and your identity. I’m not American (and I got so jealous the part where he talked about having friends from all over the world), but I enjoyed reading this. I got reminded of a little biological excerpt on bestof Reddit, a little story about kids growing up. Anybody can find that, or got a link to that?
What is some advice every new mother should know? Mothers are important. Motherhood is important. We all need to help each other be better parents for a better world. Alecia’s articulated this beautifully.
Why is NYC so great? It sounds to me like poached eggs or blue cheese or jazz or poetry- wonderful, beautiful complexity that’s not too hot, not too cold. I really want to live there some day.
What is it like to have an understanding of very advanced mathematics? A tantalizing answer by an anonymous Quoran. I found this to be compelling and inspiring, an idea of what it might be like to be awesome at any particular field. It’s a wonderful description of the navigation of abstract ideas in a clear, purposeful way. Total turn-on.
What does it feel like to be CEO of a startup? A reminder that working in a startup is an amazing privilege that I sometimes take for granted. I don’t plan to start anything myself anytime soon- I’m learning so much right where I am- but I find it invigorating to kind of hold these perspectives close as a reminder of how exciting the world is. So much marrow waiting to be sucked.
What is it like to be a woman working in the tech industry? I think feminism is important, I think women are important, and I quite enjoyed reading this. Great insight into personal development, regardless of gender.
How do you know when it’s time to leave your company and move on? Lots of great points, but what I got out of it was the idea of “compounded learning”. Or accelerated learning. Worth reading it jus to get into that.
What’s it like to pay for sex on a regular basis? Anonymous answer that beautifully sinks its teeth into the complexity of authenticity, transaction, reciprocity, acceptance, transparency… this could be a central theme in a pretty great novel.
Not in the book:
Why is it so hard to scale a database, in laymans terms? You may have no idea what a database even is, but this is golden example of how to communicate something effectively. Beautiful use of an extended metaphor. Also, it’s pretty cool what problems people are working on.
What are some good examples of intellectual honesty? Daniel Ellsberg’s excerpt from “Secrets” blew my mind permanently.
What are some important things and advice to know that people generally aren’t told about? Marcus Geduld shines here. He’s a man I respect incredibly, for his personal commitment to being a wonderful human being.
How can one make the most of one’s youth? Here’s an answer by a kid from Stanford. He’s younger than me and he’s kicking ass at life. A little depressing at first, but very inspiring.
How can you overcome your envy of people your age who are far more successful than you? Line 1: Emphatically stop giving a shit. A powerful smack about the face, a la Batman.
Book Review: Best of Quora 2010-2012
I received this book in the mail as a part of my “Top Writer 2012” package (along with a sweet t-shirt). I only just finished reading it. While the book is not available for sale, all of the answers presented in it can be accessed on Quora.com.
I pretty much love all of it, or at least 90% of it. They’re incredibly thoughtful answers. There’s something awesome about reading something written by somebody who’s thought really long and hard about something. It’s so good, it almost feels like cheating- you get access to a clarity of mind that you didn’t work for. You quickly assimilate ways of effectively thinking about more complex issues.
Here are some of my favourites. Choosing these was really hard, because I had to leave out so many awesome ones.
What is one thing you regret learning in medical school? Jae beautifully lays out everything that’s wrong with the healthcare industry.
What is so great about Jay-Z? This is one of my favourites because it’s very inspiring just to read about Jay-Z’s work ethic. Jay-Z is a man’s man in the best possible sense. I can’t read this without feeling like I ought to get off my ass and do something productive.
When should someone be finished grieving? We don’t talk enough about death, as a species. It’s deeply life-affirming. With regards to grief: you’re never finished. The death of a loved one isn’t something you “get over”. It becomes a part of you that you learn to live with. It changes over time. It can be healthy if you let it be.
What is it like to be the commanding officer of an Aircraft Carrier? This was one of my favourite answers on Quora very early on. Incredible in scope, from a perspective of someone you never expect to be able to hear from. The vastness and complexity of an aircraft carrier is quite mindboggling, and just knowing that there are people out there doing what they do is pretty inspiring.
Does bouncing your leg improve cognition? Nan Waldman points out something that feels almost obvious on hindsight- that kids don’t necessarily learn well when sitting in place, and movement might be necessary or even fundamental to learning- at least for some if not all of us. I’m reminded of how I used to read books as a child, changing my body position over and over again, rolling over in the chair or sofa, lying on the floor, etc. Clearly, the assembly-line method of learning and instruction is sub-optimal. This is a reminder to me to get moving.
What is the neurological basis for curiosity? This is a powerful reminder for me that laypersons don’t understand the brain very well, myself included. “Where is located in the brain?” Curiosity is not a single thing, and it cannot be localized to a single place in the brain. It’s like asking “Where is the video in my computer”?
What does it mean to be Asian-American? I loved this one because it evokes themes about feeling displaced, about having a new culture, about synthesizing all of that and finding yourself and your identity. I’m not American (and I got so jealous the part where he talked about having friends from all over the world), but I enjoyed reading this. I got reminded of a little biological excerpt on bestof Reddit, a little story about kids growing up. Anybody can find that, or got a link to that?
What is some advice every new mother should know? Mothers are important. Motherhood is important. We all need to help each other be better parents for a better world. Alecia’s articulated this beautifully.
Why is NYC so great? It sounds to me like poached eggs or blue cheese or jazz or poetry- wonderful, beautiful complexity that’s not too hot, not too cold. I really want to live there some day.
What is it like to have an understanding of very advanced mathematics? A tantalizing answer by an anonymous Quoran. I found this to be compelling and inspiring, an idea of what it might be like to be awesome at any particular field. It’s a wonderful description of the navigation of abstract ideas in a clear, purposeful way. Total turn-on.
What does it feel like to be CEO of a startup? A reminder that working in a startup is an amazing privilege that I sometimes take for granted. I don’t plan to start anything myself anytime soon- I’m learning so much right where I am- but I find it invigorating to kind of hold these perspectives close as a reminder of how exciting the world is. So much marrow waiting to be sucked.
What is it like to be a woman working in the tech industry? I think feminism is important, I think women are important, and I quite enjoyed reading this. Great insight into personal development, regardless of gender.
How do you know when it’s time to leave your company and move on? Lots of great points, but what I got out of it was the idea of “compounded learning”. Or accelerated learning. Worth reading it jus to get into that.
What’s it like to pay for sex on a regular basis? Anonymous answer that beautifully sinks its teeth into the complexity of authenticity, transaction, reciprocity, acceptance, transparency… this could be a central theme in a pretty great novel.
Not in the book:
Why is it so hard to scale a database, in laymans terms? You may have no idea what a database even is, but this is golden example of how to communicate something effectively. Beautiful use of an extended metaphor. Also, it’s pretty cool what problems people are working on.
What are some good examples of intellectual honesty? Daniel Ellsberg’s excerpt from “Secrets” blew my mind permanently.
What are some important things and advice to know that people generally aren’t told about? Marcus Geduld shines here. He’s a man I respect incredibly, for his personal commitment to being a wonderful human being.
How can one make the most of one’s youth? Here’s an answer by a kid from Stanford. He’s younger than me and he’s kicking ass at life. A little depressing at first, but very inspiring.
How can you overcome your envy of people your age who are far more successful than you? Line 1: Emphatically stop giving a shit. A powerful smack about the face, a la Batman.