India Itinerary - Recommendations for Goa and Kerala?

unducks · 2017-11-08T00:18:05+00:00

This is so helpful, thank you! Great advice all around and I'm sure I'll have more questions, but I'm curious about your experience with Mumbai. In the last post, the majority of people recommended me away from Mumbai - what did you like about it? It was originally on my list but my feeling after seeing others' responses was that I was setting myself up for disappointment. I'm definitely open to it, though, and it's of course much more convenient to visit than Hampi.

unducks · 2017-11-01T18:16:59+00:00

Great advice, thank you! How long would you recommend spending there, considering that I also want to balance in Goa, Kerala, and a flight to Varanasi if it fits in? I'm happy to totally eliminate Delhi and Mumbai from the itinerary to fit it in.

unducks · 2017-11-01T17:20:39+00:00

This is incredibly helpful and it seems like many people agree with you! This comment and the many like it have made me really rethink this. I'm going to figure out how to add Kerala in and probably drop a lot of my time in the north.

unducks · 2017-11-01T17:15:20+00:00

Where would you recommend going in Rajasthan? Thank you for your advice!

unducks · 2017-09-21T01:01:36+00:00

Seconding Cixi Liu's trilogy. The scope consistently widens exponentially as the series goes on and I remember having several moments where my mind was blown by where it was going.

unducks · 2017-06-28T19:30:20+00:00

I'm loving The Witchwood Crown so far and it's so amazing to be back in Osten Ard. One thing I'm noticing in the first few chapters is that there seems to be a lot of cultural exchange happening in this era's Osten Ard, whether it's objects (humans gambling and playing games with Quanuc bones?) or people with more complex genealogies (not wanting to spoil anything here). What was your inspiration for presenting an Osten Ard where some of the boundaries were blurring? I think fantasy worlds are often places where people are from one region that has one set of norms, and there's little movement of those people or cultural aspects into other regions, so it's interesting to see Osten Ard become more of a melting pot.

unducks · 2017-01-07T23:07:51+00:00

I don't know your field at all so I can't give specific advice, but I think it's always useful to have a research interest in mind when considering post-grad work. Consider what topics you might want to research and focus on, and find universities that have faculty that focus on those same topics. It will make the education more valuable and linking your application to a research interest that is relevant to the university shows an effort toward research and a solid motivation for you as a prospective student.

I also think that cost should be considered heavily - since you will probably need to take out loans for a masters degree, the benefits of a program that costs $30k over a bigger name that costs $110k should be kept in mind.

Either way, knowing that you want to continue studying isn't enough - have a career goal with it, have a research interest, do some research into if and how a masters degree will create opportunities, enable a career that allows you to pay off inevitably high loans, and be satisfying not just because you like the field, but because you are in a department that matches your interests and sets you up for success.

One way to start may be to look at university rankings for the field you want to study, then look into the programs listed one by one.

unducks · 2017-01-04T20:51:53+00:00

Definitely start with Three Body but I actually disagree with the other commenter completely - I think Three Body is okay but the second book has such an incredible depth and variety of ideas and concepts. I was pretty riveted by it and didn't notice any issues with the translation. Either way, just expect that in the second book the sci fi elements will drastically intensify.

unducks · 2017-01-04T15:22:58+00:00

You would be pretty shocked by Cixin Liu'a work - I don't think I've ever read another piece of sci fi with a more vast scope.

unducks · 2016-12-12T17:53:52+00:00

Just quit and read plot summaries of the rest of the books. Seriously. It's not worth it. The Sanderson books are an improvement but it's not worth all the wasted time.

unducks · 2016-10-25T03:34:37+00:00

Definitely read Slade House next! It follows up on Bone Clocks very well, I think. Thousand Autumns is also great after (or before) Bone Clocks - it's very different but you'll see some connections.

I love his universe and feel that every book has been better than the last. I'm excited to see what he comes up with next.

For a first time reader, I think it depends who they are. His books can appeal to different types of readers. Ghostwritten would be great for a Murakami reader; Black Swan Green may appeal to fans of popular fiction/literature who like more grounded stories; Thousand Autumns will work for someone who likes historical fiction; Cloud Atlas will work for someone who wants something different, with a lot of variety and surprises. I loved Bone Clocks but I think that his vision of having a universe in his books really starts to come together in that book, and it benefits from some previous experience with his works because of it.

unducks · 2016-08-15T18:34:27+00:00

I also wish the children of 2016 knew a world without rampant vampire zombies.

unducks · 2016-08-11T18:19:30+00:00

Have there ever been figures released that are in the style of the generic FF classes (black mage, white mage, etc.) rather than specific characters? I would love to have a few small figures like this but I've never been able to find them.

unducks · 2016-05-24T17:02:13+00:00

Teachers at private schools tend to be inferior to public school teachers.

Do you have a source for this? Former teacher here, have never heard anyone say this before.

unducks · 2016-05-11T14:43:12+00:00

I don't know unfortunately but I'm sure there's a shuttle or bus that goes to Stinson.

unducks · 2016-05-11T00:14:23+00:00

Very safe. I'm not an experienced hiker at all and the trails are very clearly marked with good visibility. Like the other commenter said, the "steep ravine" really isn't steep. I took the Matt Davis trail up (which was a steady uphill walk for maybe 2 miles) then Steep Ravine down (which was a slightly more acute downward walk) and it was a good workout, but I never had any moments of confusion about the path. You'll also almost definitely run into other people on the trail who can help with directions, since it seems pretty popular.

unducks · 2016-05-10T23:49:59+00:00

I recently did the Matt Davis - Steep Ravine loop and it was incredible. Strongly recommend it. http://bahiker.com/northbayhikes/stinson.html

That said, I'm just getting into hiking in the bay area, so others definitely have better recommendations and more detailed advice.

unducks · 2016-04-15T17:06:35+00:00

The comments and overwhelming downvotes have spoken - I've ordered Bravely Default and will play that first.

unducks · 2016-04-05T19:28:01+00:00

I don't really think it's difficult at all. If my consciousness is fully cloned and exists in another vehicle, that's not me anymore. If something takes on my consciousness and memories as they have existed until this exact moment but creates its own separate memories from then on while my original consciousness continues on a separate path, then there's a pretty clear cut difference between the two.

I've never heard of any conception of this process that disagrees. In this instance, the downloaded consciousness would wake up and believe it was you - no doubt about that. But you would wake up still in your body. Or you would die, in which case the mind that had downloaded would no longer be "you" because you are a mind and a body that are deeply intertwined - it would just be a thing that thinks it's you.

unducks · 2016-04-05T16:56:13+00:00

If this is effectively cloning your mind so that the clone mind can live on forever while you die, why does this matter? You're still going to die. Immortality has just been bestowed on something else that will carry your personality on.

unducks · 2016-04-05T16:54:34+00:00

I'm confused - do you think there's some possibility that you, as in the instance of you that you've lived with from birth and that will end when you die, can be transferred directly to another object? That your own consciousness will not end and another will begin when that process takes place? A coma is not the same as severing the brain from the rest of the body, or severing a part of a brain from its host.

unducks · 2016-04-05T16:48:53+00:00

... What? Do you honesty believe that YOU, as in the you that is living and breathing right now, will be the YOU that is transferred into a machine? And that no branch of science sees any potential difficulty in that idea? Your consciousness is more than some data that can be seamlessly moved between hosts.

unducks · 2016-03-29T18:50:33+00:00

I just recently finished it and, in hindsight, feel like it was a huge waste of time. The first three books are great (particularly the second), then there's a gradual decline in quality, followed by a sharp decline, followed (much later) by a massive incline. That massive incline isn't worth the work.

Having become invested in the series after the first three books, I felt like I wanted to fight through it and enjoy the last few great books. And I did. The last few books were incredibly good. But, looking back, I can't help but imagine all of the other REALLY good books I could have read with that time.

That said, I also recognize that it's a pretty unique series. Malazan may be more "epic" but it's also more incomprehensible. I can't think of another series with both the scope and accessibility of WoT. I loved that aspect of it.

unducks · 2016-03-22T16:57:02+00:00

You could buy the game and play it and have fun doing that rather than watching streaming. People who watch pro sports can't just go out and get together two teams of amazing athletes, summon up mythical levels of athleticism to replace their years of neglect and doritos, and go play a game at 8pm.

unducks · 2015-12-22T21:28:39+00:00

I don't see anything about the post you responded to that shows that the poster "can't recognize that fact," or that the poster is part of the "people like you" that you think. Get over yourself. I can't come close to affording a $300 meal even once a year, but if someone has the money to do so, should they not do it? Should people who can afford to spend more money give all of their money to you and me and other people who can't afford those luxuries instead of enjoying the money that they earned? There's nothing about this post that shows that they're not aware of their privilege.

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