Archives for February 2017

Research the airline you want to work for and find out what type of people they hire – what does a Flight Attendant for that airline look like? What do they sound like?

Look at the overall commonalities between all of the Flight Attendants and employees you know of this airline, and when you show up to the interview, be that.

The hiring manager needs to be able to see you in the position, and the easiest way to overcome any barriers is to have them already convinced before you say a word.

Originally Posted: https://www.quora.com/Im-19-years-old-from-morocco-I-speak-arabic-and-english-I-want-to-work-as-a-cabin-crew-what-do-you-advise-me-to-do-to-get-the-job

Originally Posted On: 2015-09-27

I “ve stolen this entirely from Nik Custodio – but its awesome:

We “re sitting on a park bench. It “s a great day.

I have one apple with me. I give it to you.

You now have one apple and I have zero.

That was simple, right?

Let “s look closely at what happened:

My apple was physically put into your hand.

You know it happened. I was there. You were there. You touched it.

We didn “t need a third person there to help us make the transfer. We didn “t need to pull in Uncle Tommy (who “s a famous judge) to sit with us on the bench and confirm that the apple went from me to you.

The apple “s yours! I can “t give you another apple because I don “t have any left. I can “t control it anymore. The apple left my possession completely. You have full control over that apple now. You can give it to your friend if you want, and then that friend can give it to his friend. And so on.

So that “s what an in-person exchange looks like. I guess it “s really the same, whether I “m giving you a banana, a book, or say a quarter, or a dollar bill….

But I “m getting ahead of myself.

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Back to apples!

Now say, I have one digital apple. Here, I “ll give you my digital apple.

Ah! Now it gets interesting.

How do you know that that digital apple that used to be mine, is now yours, and only yours? Think about it for a second.

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It “s more complicated, right? How do you know that I didn “t send that apple to Uncle Tommy as an email attachment first? Or your friend Joe? Or my friend Lisa too?

Maybe I made a couple of copies of that digital apple on my computer. Maybe I put it up on the internet and one million people downloaded it.

As you see, this digital exchange is a bit of a problem. Sending digital apples doesn “t look like sending physical apples.

Some brainy computer scientists actually have a name for this problem: it “s called the double-spending problem. But don “t worry about it. All you need to know is that, it “s confused them for quite some time and they “ve never solved it.

Until now.

But let “s try to think of a solution on our own.

Ledgers

Maybe these digital apples need to be tracked in a ledger. It “s basically a book where you track all transactions — an accounting book.

This ledger, since it “s digital, needs to live in its own world and have someone in charge of it.

Say, just like World of Warcraft. Blizzard, the guys who created the online game, have a “digital ledger” of all the rare flaming fire swords that exist in their system. So, cool, someone like them could keep track of our digital apples. Awesome — we solved it!

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Problems

There “s a bit of a problem though:

1) What if some guy over at Blizzard created more? He could just add a couple of digital apples to his balance whenever he wants!

2) It “s not exactly like when we were on the bench that one day. It was just you and me then. Going through Blizzard is like pulling in Uncle Tommy (a third-party) out of court (did I mention he “s a famous judge?) for all our park bench transactions. How can I just hand over my digital apple to you, like, you know— the usual way?

Is there any way to closely replicate our park bench, just you-and-me, transaction digitally? Seems kinda tough…

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The Solution

What if we gave this ledger — to everybody? Instead of the ledger living on a Blizzard computer, it “ll live in everybody “s computers. All the transactions that have ever happened, from all time, in digital apples will be recorded in it.

You can “t cheat it. I can “t send you digital apples I don “t have, because then it wouldn “t sync up with everybody in the system. It “d be a tough system to beat. Especially if it got really big.

Plus it “s not controlled by one person, so I know there “s no one that can just decide to give himself more digital apples. The rules of the system were already defined at the beginning. And the code and rules are open-source—you know, kinda like the software used in your mom “s Android phone. Or kinda like Wikipedia. It “s there for the smart people to contribute to, maintain, secure, improve on, and check on.

You could participate in this network too and update the ledger and make sure it all checks out. For the trouble, you could get like 25 digital apples as a reward. In fact, that “s the only way to create more digital apples in the system.

I simplified quite a bit

…but that system I explained exists. It “s called the Bitcoin protocol. And those digital apples are the “bitcoins” within the system. Fancy!

So, did you see what happened? What does the public ledger enable?

1) It “s open source remember? The total number of apples was defined in the public ledger at the beginning. I know the exact amount that exists. Within the system, I know they are limited(scarce).

2) When I make an exchange I now know that digital apple certifiably left my possession and is now completely yours. I used to not be able to say that about digital things. It will be updated and verified by the public ledger.

3) Because it “s a public ledger, I didn “t need Uncle Tommy(third-party) to make sure I didn “t cheat, or make extra copies for myself, or send apples twice, or thrice…

Within the system, the exchange of a digital apple is now just like the exchange of a physical one. It “s now as good as seeing a physical apple leave my hand and drop into your pocket. And just like on the park bench, the exchange involved two people only. You and me — we didn “t need Uncle Tommy there to make it valid.

In other words, it behaves like a physical object.

But you know what “s cool? It “s still digital. We can now deal with 1,000 apples, or 1 million apples, or even .0000001 apples. I can send it with a click of a button, and I can still drop it in your digital pocket if I was in Nicaragua and you were all the way in New York.

I can even make other digital things ride on top of these digital apples! It “s digital after-all. Maybe I can attach some text on it — a digital note. Or maybe I can attach more important things; like say a contract, or a stock certificate, or an ID card…

Originally Posted: https://www.quora.com/Whats-the-most-compelling-writing-about-Bitcoin-or-the-blockchain-youve-read-that-a-non-technical-person-can-understand

Originally Posted On: 2017-03-26

A degree in “Liberal Arts” is infinitely more useful than a degree in “Comparative Literature” or “Civil Engineering”, and here’s why:

Imagine a world where your life plan is laid out, and you are going to have a job as an Engineer. Let’s say your specialty is in enhancing and building cathode-ray-tubes. You’re the absolute best at this.

Working backwards, in order to have become that, you’ll have needed a certain level of specialized education to get there, in mechanical engineering (and even some glass blowing.) That’s lots of school, lots of money, but a certain future.

Now, for some reason, suppose the world stopped needing Cathode-Ray-Tubes. The one thing you knew how to do reaaaaaaally well is no longer needed. Suddenly, everything you know is useless because you learned how to do one thing. Sure, you can figure something else out eventually, but everyone knows you as that super-skilled genius Cathode-Ray-Tube guy – they’ll look at you funny for trying to switch things up.

Now, instead, lets try a different path.

Looking further out into the future, see the fall of Cathode Ray Tubes and work backwards – what skills would you need to be able to be successful at that AND to adjust to what comes next?

That’s where Liberal Arts comes in.

When you have a background in engineering, you have the groundwork to be able to build whatever you need to. When you have the additional power of Liberal Arts, you can create a layer of adaptability and communications skills that will allow you to advance beyond the next level and even further.

Originally Posted: https://www.quora.com/Is-liberal-arts-education-inferior-to-science-education-Especially-in-terms-of-employment-and-for-child-from-the-normal-family-or-working-class

Originally Posted On: 2016-03-07

Why are so many questions on Quora unanswerable?

Originally Posted: https://www.quora.com/Why-are-some-of-my-questions-unanswered

Originally Posted On: 2016-07-15

In order to answer this, one needs to first understand the history and landscape of digital media streaming/content delivery services.

For a content provider to succeed, it must first procure content. Ideally it should be content that people want, but when you are just starting out, anything is better than nothing.

As you gain viewership, so do you gain power. With that power comes the ability to gain exclusive content by licensing it from the content producers (or producing it yourself) – and once you have this exclusive content, you can start to draw significant viewership away from any competition.

This is where you start to surface a few issues:

• There’s a lot of new content being produced
• There’s a lot of content already produced
• Every viewer has different preferences
• Content licensing is expensive
• Content production is expensive

If there were one company with enough money to purchase the licensing rights for every amount of content every produced, and take over production for upcoming content, then there would be no room for any competition.

As I don’t see that as a possibility, I can see a place for Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Video, and other services like Spotify to come in and cater to different viewership needs for years to come.

Originally Posted: https://www.quora.com/How-much-of-a-threat-could-Spotify-be-to-Netflix

Originally Posted On: 2016-02-07

This is not a Quora problem.

This is such a common thing on the internet in general that more than one acronym exists to describe it.

They are, in no particular order after the first, which was first used way back in the 1970s🙂

• RTFM – Read The F$*%ing Manual
• RTFA – Read The F$*%ing Article
• WTFV – Watch The F$*%ing Video
• STFW – Search The F$*%ing Web
• GIYF – Google Is Your Friend
• LMGTFY – Let Me Google That For You

From the wording of the acronyms themselves, you can see that people have found this problem of people asking the same question over and over again more than a bit frustrating. Indeed, the initial phrasing was overtly aggressive.[1]

Lest anyone think the last two are polite, they are not. They are merely passive-aggressive epithets. Offering up Google is your Friend or Let me google that for you as responses to questions is somehow worse than not answering at all.

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So, to the original question of why does this phenomenon actually exist in the first place?

Actually, it has a lot to do with how we learn new things.

There are multiple factors that come together to determine what type of information someone needs to understand something (i.e., visual, auditory, experiential, raw data…)

Additionally, there are other, completely different factors that determine how a person is convinced that what they just learned is true.

A person can:[2]

• See or watch something or someone do something (Convinced by Seeing)
• Hear about how good something or someone is (Convinced by Hearing)
• Do something with someone (Convinced by Doing)
• Read about something or someone’s ability (Convinced by Reading)

What’s interesting is that a person who is a visual learner may actually need to be Convinced by Doing, or an experiential learner might need to be Convinced by Reading about someone else’s experience before going out on their own.

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The people who write answers on Quora, message boards, and even those technical manuals going all the way back to the 70’s tend to be of a similar profile in that they both can learn from and are convinced by written information. YouTube Periscope/instructors etc are for visual learners, and so on. These people have already found their home.

The people who come to ask repetitive questions are the ones who are still searching for the place that works for them.

By asking, it’s not merely data they’re seeking, it’s information plus proof that someone else has already verified it (whether or not it is someone they know) that will enable them to perceive it as a “true” answer.

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I always found the easiest path was to be friendly, welcoming and answer the question even if it was for the 100,000th time (and yes, I did have a counter at Evernote.) 🙂

Footnotes

[1] Behavioral communication

[2] What does it take to Convince Someone? Knowing this could Increase your Influence Tenfold.

Originally Posted: https://www.quora.com/Why-do-some-Quorans-not-use-the-search-function-on-Quora-to-check-if-their-question-has-been-asked-before

Originally Posted On: 2016-04-02

I find this question almost as amusing as the fact that I was asked to answer it.

Well, here goes:

I am extremely socially awkward. I was pretty much “raised by wolves”, so I have almost no base understanding of what is acceptable in polite society to say or not to say, to do or not to do. I “ve had to figure these things out mostly on my own through reading, observation, and the occasional other person correcting me. As such, I can be incredibly frustrating to deal with in scenarios that other people consider “common sense” but I just never learned.

I am extremely empathetic, and constantly seeing multiple perspectives. So much that I can “t shut it off. This is also something that can be intolerable to someone close to me if they just want me to see their side and only their side, when I just keep on coming up with other alternatives. Ad nauseum. Forever and ever and ever. I just don “t stop.

And there “s that. I keep coming up with more options, for everything. I don “t give up on anything. Even when you ask me to drop things, my mind is constantly working on ways to fix, to create, to build, to enhance… its on 24/7.

I “ve also been told I don “t answer questions directly and this is “maddening.” As in, when someone asks me a question, I don “t give a Yes or No answer (unless it is actually a true Binary scenario, which is rarely presented to me), but instead will give them examples, proof, diagrams, etc to provide them the full context in which they may come to the conclusion to decide whether it is more Positive or a Negative. This goes back to my seeing multiple perspectives, giving options, providing alternatives…

And with all that, you “d think I “m someone who talks incessantly. I “m not. I speak infrequently, preferring quiet and contemplative research. I actually get frequently confronted about the irony of my ability to speak on stage to crowds and command teams effectively and yet in private I “m relatively quiet and unassuming, often working in the dark without even noticing my surroundings.

I shun makeup and accessories, and prefer fashion that has a classic look and fits well. I “m extremely low maintenance, just shower and go – which I “ve also been told by more than one person is a detriment, as I “ve been begged to “puff out” my hair, or wear some “dark red lipstick”, or something.

I keep my phone on silent, as the noise interrupts me when I “m working. I live by my calendar so if i “m expecting a call I “ll answer it then, but if its not on the calendar I don “t think to look. This is also apparently “impossible” for people to deal with.

Oh, and I “m reaaaaaaaaaally honest. I am an open book. If you ask me a question about me, I “ll answer it. I don “t talk about other people though – surprisingly, this is something that I “ve been lambasted for; not that I talk about myself, but that I keep mum about others. How messed up is that?!

I travel a lot. A lot a lot. I “m barely in one place, so unless you “re someone who loves to travel, you “re not going to see me very much.

So, these are the major pitfalls to being with me.

Originally Posted: https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-pitfalls-of-dating-you

Originally Posted On: 2016-09-18

I’m going to let you in on something that may change your life.

It’s something that everyone (and I don’t say everyone lightly) knows deep down, but rarely do they figure this out – and if they do, would they care to admit it.

The only opinion that matters to you is your own.

What I mean by this is that you can have thousands of people come up and tell you one thing, but unless you already believe a thing internally, you aren’t really going to believe it.

There are different ways you can be influenced externally that something is true – visual evidence, written evidence or “acting it out” yourself, however all that does is change your own personal opinion.

Once that happens, whatever someone else says that is in line with your own thoughts, you will agree with.
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So, as you’ve already stated that your personal opinion is that you do not feel attractive, but do look at least somewhat conventionally so, what I would ask is –

What would attractive feel like to you?
How would you know that you are attractive?
What would your life be like if you felt that way?

As you are the only one that has the power to convince yourself, think about those questions and that will give you a measure to work toward.

Originally Posted: https://www.quora.com/I-dont-know-how-to-deal-with-not-feeling-attractive-I-fit-some-of-the-conventional-standards-but-feel-like-Im-still-lacking-in-other-areas-How-can-I-cope-with-this

Originally Posted On: 2015-11-06

Here is the thought that I have every morning that makes me happy when I wake up:

Today, I have the immense privilege of living, breathing, experiencing, learning, growing, and contributing.

And before I sleep:

Today, I lived and breathed through another day, experiencing new things, met “x” new people, learned “x”, contributed to the world by “x”, and grew as a person.

If you find you need a reminder throughout the day to “think happy thoughts”, just start to frame everything you do as a learning experience that is helping you to grow.

Originally Posted: https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-happy-thoughts

Originally Posted On: 2015-04-02

If you wait to create your culture, you’ll find that you already have one.

You should thoughtfully craft your company values and purpose as early as possible, and then use that to drive the decisions from then on. It is a sure-fire way to attain and maintain the culture you want.

Originally Posted: https://www.quora.com/Does-a-startup-have-its-own-company-culture-in-its-early-stage

Originally Posted On: 2015-03-23