reitanqild
Born on May 03, 2014•6914 Karma
Good, calibrated IQ tests measure something, and that something has a positive correlation with work efficiency in at least certain types of work.
That said, there are many types of IQ tests and some of them are in my opinion rather weird, for example anything where your score depends on your knowledge of English language or English history as I hear has traditionally been the case in US.
Around here it seems they try to make the tests as little dependent on language, history and even math as possible and the ones I have taken has largely been about:
- pattern matching (of these 6 squares with various patterns, which one doesn't fit in?)
- sequences (based on these 3 squares with patterns, which is the next one?)
- and that kind of stuff
These skills are things that are very real, very measurable and often linked to work throughput. Yes, I rarely visualize boxes in my head and rotate them and I rarely sift through through black and white squares with alternating patterns at work, but it seems the ability to do so is often linked to the ability to mentally single step code or spot patterns in bug reports.
It doesn't mean that you are good person if your score is high (or low) and it doesn't mean that you will be a good employee and not waste your time on HN.
Different shortcuts from app to app. Back when I used Mac last time it frustrated me to no end that the simple system that works everywhere on Windows and Linux:
- home / end for start / end of line
- arrow left /right to move one character at at time
- ctrl to move one word at a time
- shift combines nicely with all these in case you need to select the text you move across
while on Mac of course home and end doesn't exist (bonus point for there being two keys there that could have been home and end or page up and page down, but that even the most dyed in the wool Mac users I know cannot explain what they are for) and while I think it is rather consistent now, back then it wasn't consistent that CMD - arrow worked like home or end.
There were different shortcuts from app to app and today I have learned that even the one shortcut I thought was consistent from app tp app on Mac, CMD-X, CMD-C and CMD-V aren't consistent as Finder isn't lacking CMD-x, they have just decided to do it differently so you use CMD-shift-V instead to paste by cutting (?), breaking to consistency even of that.
It is like the (effective, not written) building regulations in my area:
Just make sure your house doesn't look similar to any other house in the area and you should be good.
And yet I have asked for a Macbook for my new laptop. After 10 years I just had to try. The last one was fantastic, only the OS was rage inducing even after 3 years.
This time however I have done my homework. I have a Mac mini, I have checked that the fn and ctrl key can now be put in their correct positions and there now exist a way to fix CMD-tab so it does the only logical and sane thing: switches between the last windows.
Still: wish me luck.
FWIW, I used Windows for a LONG time before begrudgingly having to use a Mac for my development work, as I was doing iOS development and no one else was putting up with my I-will-claim-perfectly-reasonable alternative Linux toolchain... and Mac's keyboard shortcuts are so much more consistent that when I went back to using Windows it was the one thing I seriously missed. Hell: Mac OS even has Emacs-style cursor commands available in pretty much all native controls... Linux doesn't even have that (I'm using Linux right now and am still sad it isn't like Mac, and I had also been using Linux since I was a kid).
They most certainly do.
On extended keyboards, Home and End are dedicated keys. Home scrolls to the start of the document; End scrolls to the end.
On laptops and other reduced keyboards, Fn-left arrow gets you the Home key, and Fn-right arrow gets you the End key.
I don't know when you last used Mac, but Cmd-left and Cmd-right have been consistent at least within apps that use Apple's guidelines for many years.
It's important to remember that your expectations for how these things should work are not based on some universal Platonic ideal, but rather on how Windows did things, so when Apple does them differently, that's not some objectively heinous violation, but rather a different decision based on different preferences.
Hahahahah no. Even if you use Kaliber or remap keys natively, and somehow manage to get this to work, it won’t work all the time. And if you switch between external and internal keyboards (like, when you take your laptop to a coffee shop), forget it.
Hello, shift+insert, anyone?
Many apps that I use the most support Ctrl+A to go to start of line, Ctrl+E to go to end of line. On macOS. Try it in a few apps.
Cmd+Shift+Up or Down to select.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201236 for the rest of the shortcut keys.
I have understood and it also observed that meditation can help somewhat, and I wonder what else can help for people otherwise function well who struggle with time?
As someone with ADHD, this wildly misrepresents the actual disorder. ADHD itself has nothing to do with time, it has to do with executive function. Someone with ADHD can try to will themselves into doing something and simply not be able to. They'll try to make a command, and their body or brain will not listen to them. It will completely refuse to do what they tell it to.
This isn't supposed to happen; you're supposed to have control over what you do. You are supposed to be able to decide to do something, get up and simply do it. But with ADHD, it's not that simple. Even things that require no physical action are difficult, because it's not the actual movement that's hard, it's the decision-making itself. Hence "executive dysfunction".
Any "time dyslexia" effect, wrt scheduling and deadlines and etcetara, is just a symptom of it. The reason why people with ADHD procrastinate is not:
- because they don't know what time it is.
- because they don't know when their deadline is.
- because they don't know how much time they have.
- because they don't know how much time they need.
- because they don't know how easy or hard the task is.
It is because their brain wants to do something else more, and it's not urgent yet.
They absolutely cannot work on the task no matter how hard they try. They have not forgotten. They are not slacking off. They literally just can't do it. Their brain refuses to think about it, their body refuses to move for it. They don't have the willpower or the motivation for it. They are trapped. They are completely unable to make any progress because their brain will not let them.
That's what ADHD is.
Not everyone has it this bad, but ADHD is typically characterized by this happening for at least some things. It could be "showering more than once a week", it could be "doing the dishes before 20 of them have piled up in a big stack", it could be "preparing for a road trip days in advance". It doesn't have to be everything, and it doesn't have to be completely insurmountable, but if you have to have a complicated coping mechanism in order to manage to do something that you otherwise can't just decide to do, that's the disorder.
I also totally agree that ADHD-ers know what time is.
That said, ADHD is a thing I have to deal with and for me and a number of those I know who have ADHD, "time dyslexia" is a very good explanation for a subset of the problems we observe.
> They absolutely cannot work on the task no matter how hard they try. They have not forgotten. They are not slacking off. They literally just can't do it. Their brain refuses to think about it, their body refuses to move for it. They don't have the willpower or the motivation for it. They are trapped. They are completely unable to make any progress because their brain will not let them.
Here it is you who are taking agency away from ADHD-ers.
Many can, it just takes a lot more effort than for other students/workers.
Things I have seen working:
- restricting oneself heavily so that the work at hand becomes the only possible thing to do
- conjuring up reasons why something is intersting
- pair programming
- various ways of sneaking up to the subject (start by fixing a few small issues, them improve a unit test, then make a small prototype, then take a look at the actual problem in question)
- gamification
- etc
What do you mean? All the mechanisms you've listed can be ways to help, yes, but you still can't just decide to do those things. You can try to reformat it or place it in some other context where it becomes doable, but these are specific coping mechanisms that shouldn't always be necessary, like they are for someone with severe enough ADHD.
I apologize for implying that all ADHD is that severe, I'll see if I can edit it to be more clear there, but I'm not trying to take agency away; I'm trying to point out how it results in that "time dyslexia", and why it's a disorder (rather than just, say, laziness).
OK, I see, I think we agree very much here.
That's misleading. ADHD does involve executive function issues, as it does other issues, including sensory issues like noise and light sensitivity (that have nothing to do with executive function), issues with body balance/proprioception (also nothing to do with executive function), issues like rejection sensitivity, as well as time issues ("time blindness").
In this case it's important to define what "time dyslexia" even is. I was talking about how the phrase didn't accurately describe ADHD symptoms, but you seem to be talking about a third thing that does have a concrete definition. What definition is that?
Do all of you have ADHD? If not, that would be... Surprisingly I guess but also kind of hopeful.
However, I've been in situations where different identities can do things that I can't (i.e. switch in order to get out of bed in the morning), so I don't think anything is necessarily set in stone...
I am not affected but I am aware of at least one person who seemed to be affected and it was really really interesting to read.
Not mine :)
Another example, I'm not short of motivation. It's just there are so many interesting things to work on.
No, it's not just what mine is. It agrees with the clinical definition of ADHD, with the experiences of all who I have spoken to about it, including many friends, with multiple[0] articles[1] describing[2] the disorder[3], and so on.
Your time defiance is a symptom of a deeper problem. While I can't guarantee it's the exact same problem that I have, your disorder is certainly not just "time defiance", and if it truly is ADHD, the root of it will be executive dysfunction, as that is what defines the disorder.
[0]: https://gekk.info/articles/adhd.html
[1]: https://cohost.org/cathoderaydude/post/862603-when-writing-a...
[2]: https://invisibleup.com/articles/27/
[3]: https://www.autostraddle.com/you-need-help-your-adhd-is-fcki...
> For example, I'm not short of motivation. It's just there are so many interesting things to work on.
I could say the same thing. But I can't choose which thing I work on. I want to draw. I want to code. I have hundreds of unfinished projects I could have finished. I have hundreds of abandoned hobbies I could have stayed with. Sure I have "motivation", but it's motivation to do whatever catches my interest at the moment, not motivation to do any of the things that I actually want to do.
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There are the medical definitions, and there are the things you understand when you have friends and family with ADHD and you hear them describe it.
Yes, executive function is the problem.
Also yes, thanks partially to that and frequent comorbidities ADHD-ers also experience:
- time blindness (maybe because flow is so much more important to ADHD-ers that they have learned to hold to it at all cost?)
- on average fewer slots in short time memory (I don't know it this is in DSM, but it is well known)
- anxiety and depression
- etc
Every doctor I have spoken to is well aware that ADHD has many problems in addition to the ones stated in the diagnostic criterias.
> I guarantee DSM VI will be different.
I sure hope it is. Right now they don't have great coverage of dissociative disorders yet.
As for the rest of your comment, I don't see any point in continuing this discussion.
LoganDark's comment about some people with ADHD being absolutely unable to will themselves to do certain things describes me so well it's scary. It's something I've struggled with for years, and has affected me at work lately.
I've always known I'm not lazy or stupid, and in the last few years I discovered programming and taught myself software development. I fixate on things strongly yet I struggle to do mental work if it just so happens that I find it uninteresting or pointless. It's fucking me up. My therapist even pointed out a few weeks ago that it's a strong sign of ADHD, but I hate the thought of having that... I guess now I really should seriously explore this. I only know that I started feeling like my dev job is pointless even though it's a great job, and my coworkers are fantastic. It's more deep than just pointless but now I can barely will myself do anything related to work...
The brain really is fucked ha
"Have you just tried not having ADHD?" is what I've been told thousands of times. Yeah man, I've tried. I am extremely fit, exercise all the time, have a great Vo2 max, lift weights, sleep 9 hours a night, and don't snore. I'm vegetarian and eat very little sugar (I've even done keto for five years with no change in symptoms).
If I was neurotypical, sleep and exercise would help a lot more. But I'm not. I instead have to use dozens of alarms on my phone, pair programming, hyperfocus training, and deadline panic to get through the work week. Home stuff remains in shambles, still haven't figured out how to do the dishes or put clothes away.
And I've got a pretty mild case.
Some of my friends are much much worse off.
I cannot do those things.
I've been to physical therapy multiple times for things that are caused by a lack of physical activity. Their advice is the same every time: it would take less than 15 seconds every day to do a single stretch. Here are diagrams showing you how to do them. Look how easy it is.
But even that is too much. I don't want it to be too much, I know it's dead simple and any normal person would be able to do it without a second thought, but that is the problem. I'm not a normal person, and my brain doesn't work like a normal person's does. It does not let me do that.
It does not let me know when I should do that. If I set a timer/alarm, then when it goes off, I can't even listen to it. Either I just can't get up, or I want to finish what I'm doing first and then I completely forget.
This isn't something that I control. It's not something that I chose. And it's not something that I can fix by simply being less pathetic. Because as much as I'm aware of these behaviors and now ridiculous they are, I cannot help them. There is no way for me to just make myself do something.
My brain just only lets me do what it wants.
AKA "time blindness", though I think "dyschronia" would be a better term, to match with dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, and dysgraphia.
(I think I also have it, though undiagnosed. Three of my last four web projects have been a clock, another clock, and a timeline. I still have a terrible problem with procrastination.)
When I am in flow state however something more drastic might be needed : )
Got an old tablet on a cheapy plastic arm held above my monitor dedicated to my task list when working. It's set up to get my attention as and when tasks need starting.
Bit of a balancing act between having it make enough noise/vibrate to get my attention and not vibrating itself off its perch and making me jump out of my skin :)
Nice example!
> ... worked for 1984.
Another nice example, but ouch, that hurt.
Hey, even at the customer I work with now (a rather influential directorate), people have the option to choose Mac or Linux.
And: pro-tip, if you are going to work in such a place (public directorate), consider taking the Mac option because unlike with Windows PCs there are limits to how cheap the bean counters can get them and the budgets for hardware is optimised independently of the budget for hiring more people to cover for the fact that they aren't nearly as effective as they could have been and I am afraid - also the hiring budget. (The Linux option is the second best: you get the same hardware but with Linux you make the best out of it.)
That’s like one hour of the person using the machine’s time! To save them tons of frustration and wasted time from their computer thermal throttling while, say, hooked up to multiple monitors, compiling, and running a video call.
Funnily enough I've sometimes had problems with the reverse. I've got a bad back, and lighter laptops are easier for me to deal with than heavier ones especially when I'm on-call. But sometimes the only option available at work has been a 15" MacBook Pro or similarly sized Linux laptop.
I have a strong preference for Linux laptops but I'd really also like it to be small and lightweight!
1. drowsiness around and after lunch time which sounds related to your problems even if mine where just from lunch and onwards and every day of the week
2. a feeling of being jittery (not worried about anything particular but a strong feeling that I should do something, so strong that I have a hard time doing anything). Often related to coffee consumption.
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As for solutions and attempted solutions, here is what I got:
1. (Discovered by chance:) if I skip breakfast I don't get drowsy after lunch. Why? No idea. But it has worked for maybe 8 years or so so it is not just that it feels novel.
Please be careful with this. I am not at doctor or a food expert. This might not be for everyone. There might be good reasons for why everyone tells us to eat breakfast to stay focused during the day, but with my brain, my guts, my work, my habits and my body it is completely the other way around.
Be espescially careful you consider this or consider mentioning it to someone else if you or they have a history with eating disorders. I have recently supported someone through a bout of mild anorexia and it was really scary.
Personally I am somewhere around 180cm and weighs well above 80kg so for me the reduced food intake is a pure bonus.
2. For the jittery feeling I have tried a lot of things:
- replace coffee with energy drinks: works but is expensive and you lose the social aspect of drinking coffee together. But it also means that for me it doesn't seem to be only the caffeine that makes me jittery but the whole composition of the coffeee.
- eat things from my childhood, hoping my brain or guts would make me feel better: didn't work for me
- eat fat or protein rich foods: works for milder cases. Now I just drink half a liter of full fat milk as a meal replacement
- skip chewing gum: works. This one is annoying. Chewing gum has helped me keep my teeth clean after lunch but at one point I realized it seriously wrecks my digestion.
- physical activity: not a food but I think it is worth mentioning still. Hard monotonous exercise (spinning bike in my case) seems to work. On a related note, drowsiness can sometimes be cured by beating the living crap out of a punching bag "for all it tried to do against my family" or something.
- sometimes just disconnecting works: again unrelated to food: I just stop whatever I can't do anyway because of the jittery feeling and read a passage from the Bible or something. Find something that works for you.
If you want to, you could try a small, but protein heavy/carb light breakfast. That can help boost your metabolism.
So small breakfasts doesn't work, it often merely triggers my hunger even if it is just egg and bacon.
So my solution is just to skip it all together. If food isn't on the agenda my body totally accepts that.
The only problem is that these are not pooled up towards fixing environmental issues but used as part of the general budget by whoever holds the government at any time.
Which in turn annoys even people like me who think it is a good idea to tax it because:
1. not enough gets done to combat environmental damage
2. it gives politicians an incentive to keep increasing these taxes to afford other projects they want
I seriously wish it was like water and sewer and waste taxes around here:
the municipality can increase these as needed but are not allowed to make a profit from them so if money is saved then the next years these taxes are lowered. (Or the year after, whenever the calculations are finished.)
Free, up to date and does not send neither money nor data to Mozilla.
But personally I don't care so much about privacy extremism:
The day another more liberal organization forks it again, adds Google search for some easy cash and start fixing the extension API etc I am probably going to recommend that.
I already dial back some extreme measure(s), nuking my sessions whenever I close the browser comes to mind.
Also of course I will not use Google myself, but it seems to be the way for browser developers to make a living so I'll allow whoever takes care of the future of Firefox to do the same.
> It is possible that Apple Silicon users see their recently downloaded LibreWolf flagged as broken or unsafe by the OS. This happens because we do not notarize the macOS version of the browser: we don't have a paid Apple Developer license and we don't want to support this signing mechanism that is put behind a paywall without providing significant gains.
Eeerm... no, thank you.
Will reconsider if it appears in openSUSE Tumbleweed repos after passing a security review from the openSUSE team ;)