Maybe there isn't a switch that says "content version",but from end user perspective it is a new version. Whether it was a content change, or just a fix for typo in documentation (say) the change being pushed is different than what currently exists.And for the end user the configuration implies that they have a chance to decide whether to accept any new change being pushed or not.

Disagree with the part where you put onus on customer. As has been mentioned in other HN thread [1], this update was pushed ignoring whatever the settings customer had configured. The original mistake of the customer, if any, was they didn't read this in fine print of the contract (if this point about updates was explicitly mentioned in the contract). 1. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41003390

Ah that was me. We don’t accept “content updates” and they are staged.

We got this update pushed right through.

> What recourse any customer can have in in such a case ?

Sue them and use something else.

But as someone already pointed out, the issue was seen on all kinds of windows hosts. Not just the ones running a specific version, specific update etc.

As a contrary example there is Boris Becker

Ignoring management part, one place where I have found breaking down to be helpful is when I have to work on some thing which I am not terribly motivated todo (say it is boring, lethargy, or it looks too daunting). In such cases I have found it useful to break down to smaller tasks and keep completing each of them which in turn generates a momentum to continue, as I have been able to make some progress from a situation where I was essentially in a deadlock (or was lethargic to work on).

Seconded and the book is https://man7.org/tlpi/. One can even reads parts of it digging deep into the area one is trying to understand better.

Thanks

I do read a lot, but I don't completely agree that reading is an active skill all the time. It also depends on what one is reading. When I am reading a fast paced thriller or page turner , it doesn't feel like a very active skill/activity.

The activity in this context isn’t just that you are reading, it’s that you have to interpret what is written into scenes in your imagination. This is also required when listening to books or podcasts. This is partly why they show much of the same benefits from reading are also gained from listening to books and kids being read to by their parents.

What about for people who don't have an imagination? Is there no difference between watching a movie and listening to an audiobook for them?

Everyone has an imagination. Some people have had it beaten out of them or were never taught to pay attention to it or use it, but everyone has one.

This is not true. I and many other people have aphantasia[0], our brains are simply unable to imagine visually the way other people are.

[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphantasia

Fair enough; I shouldn’t have said “everyone” because that’s obviously not true, but only pedantically, for the most part. It’s not insensitive to say “everyone has a nose” and mean “except the very small percentage of people that don’t have noses due to birth defects, trauma, or genetics”.

1-3% of people have aphantasia. That’s not everyone, but it’s close.

Throughout my life, I thought "mind's eye" was a metaphor, and that people didn't actually see images in their heads. When I discovered aphantasia was a thing, and that I had it, I also accepted it was rare. But turns out, about a third of my male friends also have it. Not one female friend has it, though. It's a pity there isn't much research on the subject.

The question remains.

The fact that you control the pace in your page turner example is part of what makes reading active instead of passive. You don't really get that watching a documentary or listening to a lecture or podcast

I think they are just about middling historical fiction, compared to War and Peace or even Ivanhoe or Gore Vidal's novels about American History like Burr.

That's your personal opinion, ain't it. I haven't read the books you mentioned, will give a try. War and Peace is there in my reading list since long.

In 2019 it was gaining traction, as the article shows the volume of transactions were around 1 billion per month in March 2019.

the opportunity to mine all this data by the government for any policy or intervention cannot be underestimated.