What are the unique electronics project using simple IC’S?

What are the unique electronics project using simple IC'S? by @hhkamat

Answer by Hrishikesh Kamat:

Among the jargon of Technical buzz words. We have lost knowledge of one of the most basic elements of electronics the 555 Timer IC

One of my dads classmate, had his entire B.Tech project thesis on use of 555 timer IC and after reading more about it , I was completely bummed after looking at the number of applications.

There are certain circuits that are like the building blocks of the DNA of electronics. And in all this hustle bustle we have lost total knowledge. As an electronics it is a must to know the fundamentals of electronics.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. I can name 100 more circuits that can be designed around the 555 timer IC, including construction of logic GATES ! Let me know if someone can contribute more on this…

What are the unique electronics project using simple IC'S?

What do people of other nations do very easily that Indians can’t?

What do people of other nations do very easily that Indians can't? by @Dreamm_Gal

Answer by Sapna Roy:

Bringing kid to Assembly for signing a serious international commitment.

The other day, I was researching over daunting impacts of climate change. The very serious topic currently brewing up. How world is gonna face extreme climate change and the impacts over the world wide economy. I ended up reading the Paris agreement news and found this above picture.

For a moment I thought, I have clicked on some irrelevant page and discarded it quickly.

I reopened the tab and looked again.

I could not believe my eyes that Secretary of State, John Kerry brought his  granddaughter along with him to the United Nations General Assembly Hall, as he signed an international commitment to curb the pace of global warming.

John Kerry hoisted his granddaugther onto his lap in front of a large assembly gathered from more than 150 countries for the signing ceremony. He kissed her on the cheek after marking his signature on behalf of the United States.

By bringing a child, he made every one feel the fact that how necessary this agreement is for the future.

I suppose here in India we will think like zillion number of times before doing such things. When it comes to professional and social dynamics, we prefer to follow the trends and avoid doing something which every body else is not doing. We will probably consider this highly unprofessional act.  

Source link:

Paris climate deal: countries with about half of global emissions to join this year

What do people of other nations do very easily that Indians can't?

What are some mind-blowing facts that sound like ‘BS’, but are actually true?

What are some mind-blowing facts that sound like 'BS', but are actually true? by Chandru

Answer by Chandru:

1.

GPS Coordinate of pyramid of Giza = 29.979245 , 31.134269

Speed of light = 299792458 m/s

We can see so much similarity between them.

Proof: Open Google map, search for pyramid of Giza, zoom it in and click on top of pyramid, check the coordinates; or open Google map, put 29.979245,31.134269 in the search box. It will take you to Pyramid of Giza.

2.

Egyptians have oriented the Pyramid of Giza so precisely that it is pointing north within 5 hundredths of the degree of accuracy .

FYI: Forget about compass, Egyptians even did n’t have knowledge of wheels.

3.

Pyramid of Giza has 8 sides (not 4 sides). It’s all 8 sides are visible only on equinox.

Ariel view of Pyramid of Giza taken on equinox:

4.

In Hypostile room, Temple of Abydos, Egypt Chopper,Submarine and Tank are engraved.

5.

Unit used for measurement during construction of pyramid is known as Cubit.

1 cubit = 0.5236 meter = π –Φ²

6.

If we scale down the diameter of Earth, Venus and Mercury in same ratio, they will fit perfectly in the three main pyramids of Egypt.

7.

One meter top cap is small model of entire pyramid.

FYI: Egyptians didn't have the information about meter.

8.

In pyramid of Giza, the ratio of twice the length of the base to the height is equal to π.

Base of Pyramid of Giza= 440 cubit

Height =280 cubit

2*Base /height = 2*440/280= π

9.

Circumference of outer circle of Giza pyramid – circumference of inner circle is equal to speed of light in distance.

The diameter of the inner circle is:

Pi x 440 = 1382.30076758

We can use the Pythagoras Theorem to get the diameter and circumference of the outer circle:

Pi x SquareRoot(440^2 + 440^2) =1954.86849279

The difference between the two circumferences is thus:

1954.86849279 – 1382.30076758 =572.56772521

To convert that from cubits into meters, multiply it by the length of a cubit:

572.56772521 x 0.52359878 = 299.79576239

Light travels 299.792458 megameters every second.

10.

Visible surface of pyramid/invisible surface(base)= golden number

11.

Easter island lies exactly opposite to Mohenjo-Daro.

Angkor vat lies exactly opposite to Nazca

Distance between Easter Island and Giza=10,000 *golden number

Distance between Angkor and Giza * golden number = Distance between Giza and Nazca

Distance between Giza and Nazca * golden number = Distance between Nazka and Angkor

Distance between Angkor and Nazka = Distance between Mohenjo daro and Easter Island

12.

If we connect Easter island to Giza and extend the line forward, it will circumference the earth and will come back to easter island ( will look like an equator). It will be a circle of 25000 mile. If this circle is 100 km wide (like a strip) then world’s best ancient monument and sites will fall in this strip. Few of them are:

Easter island,

Paracas

Nazca track

Ollantaytambo

Machupicchu

Cuzco

Paratoari’s pyramid

Pyramid of Giza

Petra

Persepolis

Mohenjo daro

Khajuraho

Pyay

Sukhothai

Angkor vat

13.

Pyramid of Giza was built in 20 years. It has 2 million blocks.

A simple calculation will tell that they put each stone in their designated position in 2.30 minutes only.

14.

Egyptians didn’t have the knowledge of wheels and they had constructed the pyramid using only these:

15.

Interesting relationship between volumes of the 1st (Khufu) and the 2nd (Khafre) pyramid:

If volume of the Great Pyramid (Khufu) is equal 1, volume of the Khafre’s pyramid (to the scale) is 0.848. If volume of Earth is equal 1, volume of Venus(to the same scale) is 0.857.

In other words, both volume relationships are different by just 1% (1.01056).

Source:

h ttps://www.youtube.com /watch?v=HiQ8l7Vbgic

Decoding Giza Pyramids – Part 3 – World Mysteries Blog

Phi, Pi and the Great Pyramid of Egypt at Giza – The Golden Ratio: Phi, 1.618

Secrets of the Giza Pyramids – World Mysteries Blog

What are some mind-blowing facts that sound like 'BS', but are actually true?

What are some of the best life tips?

What are some of the best life tips? by @vinsha111

Answer by Vineet Sharma:

• If you want to know whether electricity has gone for whole society or just yours. Turn on your wifi and check for other networks.
• Your Remote is not working and you are having only one battery. You can use that to get the remote working by putting one battery and a bolt of same size that of battery in order to complete the circuit.
• Use two clips and a peice of cardboard and there you have a mobile stand.

• Use your tongue to find the lost end of tape as your tongue is more sensitive than hand.

• In case your iron is not working. Just put hot water in a flat surfaced pan.

• Take two blades, a wire and four small peice of wood or matchsticks. Arrange as shown in picture and you can boil water with it.

• Dry your socks using hair dryer. It'll take a minute or two.

• Wrap your sandwich in an aluminium foil and put an iron over it. You can warm it up and make it tasty.

• Take an aluminium foil wrap it over an iron to give an aluminium foil a shape given in picture and You can cook few things on it.

• If you don't have dustbin or it's already filled then for time being you can wrap the dustbin bag over a stool and put stuffs into it.

• While emptying a bottle full of water, it creates bubble and take time to empty. So before emptying it just hold the bottle upside down and shake it hard and open the cap or remove your hand from opening. It'll empty in one go.
• If you don't like cleaning dishes then just wrap a plastic around it before use and remove it after use.

Source : YouTube

What are some of the best life tips?

What is the best mystery of Indian temples until now?

What is the best mystery of Indian temples until now? by LakshmiNarayanan Venkatesan

Answer by LakshmiNarayanan Venkatesan:

The Linearity of Chidambaram Nataraja Temple, Kanchipuram Ekambareshwar temple & Sri Kalahasthi temple.

Recently one of my colleagues claimed that these 3 temples lie in a straight line. To find out, I marked their longitudes in Google maps & Guess what !

Yes, they lie in the same longitude. i.e, Exactly 79deg 42 min East

So what’s special about these 3 temples ? These are 3 out of the 5 temples that are clubbed together and called as Pancha boota Stalam ( Denoting 5 forms of Shiva – Fire, Water, Earth, Air & Space )

1. Sri Kalahastheeswara – Vayu Lingam – Air
2. Ekambareshwarar – Prithivi Lingam – Earth
3. Thillai Nataraja – Aagaya Lingam – Space

One more interesting observation,

Are there any other temples that lie in a same longitude ? Yes, I found two of them.

1. Virudhagireeshwar Temple, Vriddhachalam
2. Ramanathaswamy Temple, Rameswaram

Both are termed as the Punniya stalam ( Where they dip themselves in a waterbody to wash away their sins )

How did the architects designed the straightness of these temple gopuras that are more than 1000 years old and 500–600 Kms away ?

What technology did they have to mark the longitudes ?

Did they have a mapping system ?

Why didn’t the temples deviate from the alignment, during any natural events like the tectonic plate shifting or the Tsunami ?

What is the significance behind all this ?

Nobody knows..

Edit 1 –

Thank you all for the amazing response. This is just an interesting observation, and an attempt to decode a pattern that existed for more than thousands of years ! This pattern may or may not hold any significance ( until we prove anything 🙂 ).

To clarify on linearity, I’m posting the co-ordinates here :

1. Sri Kalahastheeswara Temple – 13°44′58″N 79°41′54″E
2. Ekambareshwarar Temple – 12°50′51″N 79°42′00″E
3. Thillai Nataraja Temple – 11°23′58″N 79°41′36″E

P.S – Even if it is a coincidence, it is worthy enough to notice right ?

Edit 2 –

Thanks again for the unexpected response ! To clarify a few more answers, here is an addition.

All the three deities (Lingams)were worshiped from around 600AD, which was later enshrined in Temple structures by Chola kings ( Kulothunga Chola I, II ) during 11th & 12th century.

Also I continue to see people claiming coincidence. Even, then it has to fall under third degree of coincidence.

• All are Shiva temples
• All lie in same Longitude
• All are Panchaboota Stalam

I wouldn’t call it a coincidence.

And here are the Missing Co-ordinates :

1. Virudhagireeshwar Temple – 11.30°N 79.20°E
2. Ramanathaswamy Temple – 9.288106°N 79.317282°E

🙂

What is the best mystery of Indian temples until now?

What are some study hacks every student should know?

What are some study hacks every student should know? by @NelaCanovic

Answer by Nela Canovic:

You can try one or all of these 9 study hacks to help you work smarter towards your exams:

ONE. Create a morning habit to give your energy for the day ahead.

You can be on top of your game by following a morning routine so that you accomplish more early, which in turn can motivate you to be even more productive throughout the rest of the day. A routine gives you structure and breaks down your morning hours into smaller chunks of work that are easier to do. I recommend listening to a podcast called Achieve Your Goals with Hal Elrod, the author of a book called The Miracle Morning. If you'd like some more tips on creating a morning routine, read more about it here.

TWO. Feed your brain right.

• Start your day with a balanced breakfast, for example with a combination of protein, fruits, and healthy fats (such as nuts): it can be oatmeal or yogurt with granola, fresh fruit, walnuts and almonds.
• Have an egg! Eggs are a powerful mix of B vitamins (they help nerve cells to burn glucose), antioxidants (they protect neurons against damage), and omega-3 fatty acids (they keep nerve cells functioning at optimal speed).
• Did you know that some excellent brain food includes sardines, beets, spinach, and lentils? Try to incorporate these and other foods into your daily meals to boost your brain power.

THREE. Do your deep work early.

Deep work is what your analytical brain does that requires a lot of concentration to perform the most complex tasks (in the case of studying, these can be reading, comprehension, application, repetition). Some scientists call this time of day the brain’s peak performance time, and it's roughly 2-4 hours after we wake up. So, for example, if you wake up at 6, your peak times are between 8 and 10 a.m. Be sure to block this time off to cover your most important work, and leave other activities such as checking your Facebook and Instagram updates, your emails, and the news for later in the day.

FOUR. Become a time management pro.

When you're ready to start studying, use a timer to divide up your day into manageable increments that will allow your brain to focus in a more targeted and effective way. You can set the timer to 30 or 60 minute blocks, for example. You can also try the Pomodoro technique which consists of 25 minute blocks of time, followed by 5 minute breaks. When you're done with one segment, step away from your desk, and do something completely unrelated to work to give your brain a chance to rest: take a 5 minute walk, stretch your body, grab a cup of coffee or tea.

FIVE. Take a power nap.

To boost your concentration and cognitive abilities, take a nap for about 30 minutes in the afternoon; find a comfortable space (a couch, an armchair, your bed). Block away environmental noise with noise-cancelling headphones. If you prefer, you can listen to music that can help you relax (anything that is instrumental; it can be classical music, chillout, sounds of nature).

SIX. Take a walk.

Performing some form of physical exercise, even if it is targeted and short, improves your brain's cognitive performance, problem solving ability, and even boosts long-term memory. Aim for 30-45 minutes. If your neighborhood or college campus is noisy, take your headphones with you and listen to some relaxing instrumental music.

SEVEN. Use your evening for strategic thinking.

This is typically the time of day when the brain slows down, doesn't go at top speed to adhere to deadlines, so it has space for more creative thinking. Use this time for activities such as:

• Setting study goals for the week
• Strategizing how to optimize your learning (find new learning tools or apps)
• Reviewing your schedule for the next day
• Contemplating the big picture with these questions:
• Where you would like to be once you've completed your exams?
• What are your long term goals?
• What is the career you want for yourself?
• What are the steps you'll need to take to get started on the next phase of your professional development?

EIGHT. Train your brain to be calmer.

So much information to absorb, so many details to remember, and all those tough deadlines to adhere to. Studying is hard! You can help your brain by training it with meditation. This practice can help you deal better with the input of information that could lead to feelings of chaos, overwhelm, and stress.Start with just 10 minutes. Download the Headspace app; it makes meditation easy, fun, and great for beginners.

NINE. Use a nighttime routine to unwind faster and get ready to sleep.

This habit will help you ease away from your studies and signal to your body that it's time to slow down and prepare for rest. You can (a) set a bedtime alarm to go off 30 minutes before going to sleep, (b) stay away from electronics (mainly your computer), (c) stretch your legs with a short walk after dinner for about 20-30 minutes to boost digestion and give your brain some extra oxygen, and (d) do something relaxing before bedtime: read a book, listen to music, or just close your eyes and breathe deeply for 10 counts before you brush your teeth and get ready for bed.

What are some study hacks every student should know?

How can 20-year-olds enhance their intelligence?

How can 20-year-olds enhance their intelligence? by Ramandeep Singh

Answer by Ramandeep Singh:

There are two aspects to enhance your intelligence:

• Daily habits/Lifestyle
• Problem Solving

Let’s look at both the points in a systematic manner.

Daily habits/Lifestyle:

1. Reading and Writing:
I read everyday. It varies from 30 minutes to 3 hours. And I feel I have become way lot smarter (at least I like to think this way).
Currently, I am reading 2 books, "Topgun On Wall Street" and "Made In America – Walmart Story".
I buy more books than I can actually finish. It has always been this way.

I make sure that I write everyday. I write a blog: Life is our oyster

I write about Music Theory, Life, Wisdom, Computer Science, Mathematics, Humor, My Travel experiences, Anything and everything that life is making me experience.Nothing too fancy, but it will make you think.

2. Online courses:
Currently, I am doing Machine Learning and Linear Algebra. More than anything, courses for self learning enables you to see the bigger picture of subject.
I register for more courses than I can actually complete.

​3. Exercise:
There is much more to fitness than getting that 16 inches bicep or 6 packs.
Fitness isn't for shape. It's a lifestyle that I follow everyday.

​Eating right is also crucial in being fit. I eat completely healthy food for 6 days in a week and Sunday is always a cheating day for me.

I workout for 5 days in a week. No excuses.
I work on Calisthenics, Cardio respiratory fitness, Circuit training, Drop exercises, Core, Cross training.
And this feeling of being fit is something that gives me immense confidence throughout my day.

4. Music:
I have been into music for past 16 years. And I am 23 years old. I try to practice almost everyday. I believe that listening to technical music (read Advaita, Agnee, Muse) is the most important part of mental training of a musician.

I am an independent musician and a part of various music projects. I play Tabla, Drums, Cajón, Conga, Djembe.
I have had formal training at Rockschool.

You guessed it right. That's me.

​In 2012, I had the privilege to play on percussion with the world class musician Tal Kravitz at Rendezvous 2012, IIT Delhi.

5. Sports:
I play everyday.

​Stop giving excuses of you being super busy. Nobody gives a shit to your so called "JOB". That's just a part of your life. Don't make work your life.
Learn how to learn.
Learn how to live.
Learn how to grow.
Learn how to improve everyday by 0.01%.

Problem solving:

Problem solving is a skill that does not come easily to anybody. Worst part being, there is no such formal proof of a problem solving methodology that works in most of the problems. I like to classify problem solving not much as a skill, but as an art.

• Astronomers face an embarrassing conundrum: they don't know what 95% of the universe is made of.
• Mathematicians face an enormous world with so much to explore.
• Computer Scientists face the issues with the computing power and questions similar to what’s actually computable in the world.
• Social Scientists face with questions that determine our government and our policies.
• Psychologists face with questions about behaviour and mind, embracing all aspects of conscious and unconscious experience as well as thought.

Just like a person cannot draw well when he/she starts on a canvas, similar is the case with problem solving.

A great discovery solves a great problem but there is a grain of discovery in the solution of any problem. Have you ever encountered a situation when you look at a solution to a problem and think, “Yes, the solution seems to work, it appears to be correct; but how is it possible to invent such a solution?”. To this day, I have encountered this question in my head so many times. This was the motivation to write this answer and explain what I understand about the art of problem solving.

George Pólya, the famous mathematician and author of a world renowned book “How to Solve It” has worked extensively in heuristic aspect of Mathematics. Heuristic aspect of Mathematics deal with the study of methods of solution. This sort of study in not in fashion nowadays but has a long past and perhaps, some future.

The book systematically describes the methods of problem solving.

How to Solve It suggests the following steps when solving a mathematical problem:

1. First, you have to understand the problem.
2. After understanding, then make a plan.
3. Carry out the plan.
4. Look back on your work. How could it be better?

If this technique fails, Pólya advises:

"If you can't solve a problem, then there is an easier problem you can solve: find it." Or: "If you cannot solve the proposed problem, try to solve first some related problem. Could you imagine a more accessible related problem?"

• Understand the problem:
  Teachers have a big role to play here. Any negligence on their part leads to an unsuccessful attempt at the process of learning.

  “Understand the problem" is often neglected as being obvious and is not even mentioned in many mathematics classes”. I think this makes a lot of difference.
  
  Given a problem, following questions should be asked:

• What are you asked to find or show?
• Can you restate the problem in your own words?
• Can you think of a picture or a diagram that might help you understand the problem?
• Is there enough information to enable you to find a solution?
• Do you understand all the words used in stating the problem?
• Do you need to ask a question to get the answer?

  This is not an exhaustive list and questions can very, depending upon what domain you are dealing with.
  The teacher is to select the question with the appropriate level of difficulty for each student to ascertain if each student understands at their own level, moving up or down the list to prompt each student, until each one can respond with something constructive.

• Devise a plan:
  Planning to solve a problem has a huge learning curve. This is past problem solving experience counts to an extent.
  Pólya mentions that there are many reasonable ways to solve problems. The skill at choosing an appropriate strategy is best learned by solving many problems. You will find choosing a strategy increasingly easy.

  A partial list of strategies is included:

• Guess and check
• Make an orderly list
• Eliminate possibilities
• Use symmetry
• Consider special cases
• Use direct reasoning
• Solve an equation

Also suggested:

• Look for a pattern
• Draw a picture
• Solve a simpler problem
• Use a model
• Work backward
• Use a formula
• Be creative
• Use your head/noggin
• Carry out the plan:
  Persist with the plan that you have chosen. If it continues not to work, discard it and choose another. Don't be misled; this is how mathematics is done, even by professionals. Know when to discard and not to push unnecessarily.
• Review/extend:
  Pólya mentions that much can be gained by taking the time to reflect and look back at what you have done, what worked and what didn't. Doing this will enable you to predict what strategy to use to solve future problems, if these relate to the original problem. This experience and insights with solving problems helps in devising a plan (step 2).

Problem with most of the teachers is that they aren’t aware of such heuristic approach of research in the field of Education and Mathematics. They just know how to teach content (in case they do) and not much attention is given to student’s learning process.

The world needs us to care for problems in tremendous number of domains.
Go bears. Let’s make a history.

How can 20-year-olds enhance their intelligence?

What are 20 harsh life lessons everyone should learn in their 20s?

What are 20 harsh life lessons everyone should learn in their 20s? by @lukominskiy

Answer by Max Lukominskyi:

1. Life Has Already Begun. There is no interlude. Nor is there trial version of life. Your every decision matters.
2. Your Online Friends Are Fake Friends. Unfortunately, yes. Most of them do not care about you and will not come in your hour of need.
3. If You Fall In Love, Be Ready To Get Your Heart Broken. It is tough and it hurts.
4. Studying Did Not Finish After Prom Party. Knowledge is crucial. If you are not willing to be left behind, keep studying.
5. Members Of Your Family Are The Most Important People In Your Life. They are the only ones who care about you. Treat them well and appreciate them respectively.
6. Your Weaknesses Do Not Matter. Learn to accept this. The only thing that matters is your strengths. Improve them.
7. Everything Worth Doing Take Years. Do not expect to attain your goals too fast. Probably it will take much longer than you imagine.
8. All The Opportunities For Growth Are Beyond Your Comfort Zone. Develop a habit to leave it. Find your discomfort zone. Enter it.
9. Broken Relationships Are Not Worth Staying In. Do not waste your time on things you cannot fix anymore. Let them go and move ahead.
10. World Is Full Of Injustice. There are plenty of unjust things you are likely to face within your life. Be ready!
11. Luck Comes To Those Who Work Hard. Good things do not come to those who wait. Persistence and hard work are the only prerequisites for luck.
12. There Is No Perfect Moment To Start. If you want to start doing something, act now. Do not wait for better moment. It will never come.
13. You Cannot Be Everywhere And Have Everything. Learn to make right choices and commit to things that matter most.
14. Every Person In Your Life Should Be Appreciated. Do not take people for granted.
15. Experience And Emotions Are Your Best Investments. The traditional measures of success — fancy cars and houses —  are no longer  relevant. Emotions, memories, experience, knowledge. This is what matters.
16. Later Often Means Never. Do not postpone anything. Live now!
17. Success Equals Perseverance. Do not give up. Stay dedicated to your dreams. Chasing them is difficult. Nonetheless, it is worth the struggle.
18. Regular Workouts Are Crucial. Take care of your health and body. Exercise regularly and make sure you are in a good shape.
19. Your Failures Do Not Matter. Only wins count. Therefore do not be afraid to fail.
20. Nobody Will Help You. You gotta help yourself.

Feel free to visit Perfect Impulse, where I share handpicked thoughts on self-improvement, productivity and life

What are 20 harsh life lessons everyone should learn in their 20s?

What are the five most important things for a man to learn in life?

What are the five most important things for a man to learn in life? by @chimbrew

Answer by Andrei Cimbru:

I will be turning 25 soon.

Five years ago I've made a decision that I will surpass the bad condition I was in back then and that I will work hard to improve myself and my mindset as much as possible.

I believe maturity is a subjective thing and it's based on the emotions and challenges you go through life. I've met 40-year-olds who were acting like 18-year-olds and 18-year-olds who enrolled in the army and at 22 developed such great self-discipline that others can only dream of.

Based on these thoughts, what you need to focus on the most is internal growth. Don't go adding unnecessary things around you, instead develop inner toughness.

---

Some of the helpful lesson I learned in my journey towards growth are:

1. Stop complaining. Seriously! It's such a big waste of your daily energy, which is limited by the way. Why use it all up on complaining how much the situation in which you are sucks. Whether you don't like your degree, your city, your job, your boss or any other condition you are in, complaining will do exactly zero in improving your current state. Life doesn't owe you anything and we should never feel entitled to take it for granted. Furthermore if you complain out loud the people around you are going to get sick of it. You are gonna become the guy that bums everyone out and they will start avoiding you. Start doing something about the things that bother you. And if you are afraid of change, embrace it. Change is the only constant we have in this world. Either you lead the change or you get left behind. Follow Tim Ferriss's 21-Day No-Complaint Experiment and you will see that practicing this habit consistently will help you see life differently.

2. The girl that is sitting alone at the bar for 20 minutes. She wants you to go talk with her. Even if she hasn't made eye contact with you. She is out alone on a Friday night because she hopes in meeting an interesting guy. I feel that today there is a trend among young men that is wrong. In a social media driven world, guys believe that in order to be more successful with women they need to be an overly metro-sexual man that cares too much about his looks rather than his personality. Take care of your grooming but don't obsess with your looks. Go out there, talk with people. Smile and say hello to a cute girl in a supermarket. Start random conversations. No girls fantasizes about meeting the dream guy in a club while half drunk. Maybe he sparks a conversation with her in the metro on a random Wednesday and the rest is history. Be an interesting guy, stop caring about looking manly. Act, develop inner confidence and charisma. It will be scary, but that's the point.

3. Work out. I cannot stress enough how important this is for several reasons.

• It teaches you discipline. I had moments when I set goals for myself but always failed in being consistent because I didn't see the results. Then when I started running marathons and later doing power-lifting I learned that I will not see results very soon. You have to fall in love with the process itself and detach from the outcome. I used to say that people who practice sports are just mindless pieces of muscle, but once you start practicing psychical activities you learn how much hard work is behind it and you gain so much respect for people who are active. They are actually some of the smartest people I know.
• It becomes a point of reference. Every time I was going through hard times, I would practice mental strength the same way I would practice psychical strength. Muscles grow by basically hurting them. See every challenge as an opportunity to grow and learn no matter how difficult it is. You are not what happens to you but you are how you react to it.
• Endorphins. The natural way of relieving stress and surviving days when you feel a bit under the weather.

4. THINK. Sounds obvious, right? You would be surprised how many people don't practice this actively. Most people tend to react more to their surroundings. They get lost in the nitty-gritty and don't actual control what they should focus on. A lot of people will tell you that in your 20's you need to do everything. Experiment with this and that. In a ADD (attention deficit disorder) dominated world where we are hit constantly with notifications and impulses everywhere, this can lead you in a spiral that amounts to nothing in the end. I suggest putting value on THINKING first, then DOING. The people that tell you to do stuff are the people that want to take advantage of your skills, so they can do the thinking instead and you can do the work for them. 400.000 years ago none of this existed. It was created by someone's mind gradually. Practice writing 10 ideas per day and go for long walks in the park every Sunday. Become present. Grab control. Take perspective on it all.

5. Manage your Input/Output ratio. I used to hate reading. I think I only read one proper book until I was 20. During school I would always read the online short versions or watch the movies of the books I was supposed to read in literature class. The books in the program just didn't click with me. Then after finishing school I still had a huge crave for knowledge so I started researching topics that I liked and read the most recommended books. And this is how I fell in love with reading and it's something I strive to do daily for at least one hour. Now I always carry my small kindle with me in my jacket. Every time I have 10 minutes I take it out and read an extra page. Now I lost count at around 200 books approximately and my only worry is that I don't have enough time to read everything I know will improve me. But there's a catch. Reading is input. In order to actually grow as an individual you also have to create a set of actions as output. Don't just read and feel excited that you are becoming so smart. For that you need to put in practice what you read: share your "aha" moment from the book with a friend, write a review, start a project. Don't move on to the next read until you put in practice one lesson from your current one.

You can't create great stuff without learning, but also learning without creating stuff is redundant.

These are just some of the lessons I was lucky enough to experiment so far. I only hope the next 5 years will be even more challenging.

---

I experiment and do lots of troubleshooting regarding some questions I ponder on.

Here I share them with you. Follow me on Quora for more.

If you connected with my writing subscribe here for my private email list.

What are the five most important things for a man to learn in life?

How can I make myself better each day?

How can I make myself better each day? by @lukominskiy

Answer by Max Lukominskyi:

1. Become More Observant. Notice everything that surrounds you. The world is full of examples, ideas, words, wisdom, mistakes and experiences. Pay attention to details and use them to your own benefit.
2. Collect Ideas. Ideas and thoughts tend to evaporate from your mind too fast. Try to capture them before it is too late. Ideally, write down or sketch every single one.
3. Start Writing. The biggest value of a good writing skill is that it cultivates a discipline. First of all, the discipline of thinking. Your thoughts will cease to be random and chaotic. They will gradually become systematized and structured instead.
4. Develop A Habit To Act. Constant thinking will not take you far from the place you are now. Actions will. Stop procrastinating and start acting. Define your goals and do the things that matters every single day.
5. Read. Read a lot. Reading is probably the best investment of time ever. Devote at least 30 minutes per day to reading. Ideally, have a book always with you. Then you won`t waste any minute purposelessly.
6. Use Wikipedia. It is a great source of interesting and meaningless information.  Choose the topic you like and read one article per day just in order to improve your knowledge and learn interesting facts.
7. Expand Your Comfort Zone. There is nothing new in your comfort zone. All the opportunities for growth are beyond it. Therefore, find your discomfort zone. Enter it!

How can I make myself better each day?