This entry is part of 6 in the series Random Linkage“The 20-Second Rule What stops you from making the changes you know you should? Shawn[Shawn Achor: ショーン・エイカー 「幸福と成功の意外な関係」 | TED Talk] goo.gl/jsBhxX says it’s “activation energy.” You know, like the activation energy it takes to initially get your butt off the couch and to the…
Mental Tools
Lessons Learned from a Life of Japanese: Language Lust and the True Meaning of Prioritization
by khatzumoto
This entry is part of 4 in the series Language And Society“The greatest results in life are usually attained by simple means and the exercise of ordinary qualities. These may for the most part be summed in these two: common-sense and perseverance.” [Emphasis Added] Owen Feltham The longer I have Japanese in my life, the…
The Magic of the Dial: The Parts of the AJATT Learning Philosophy That DON’T Apply to the Rest of Life (And What To Do About It…Them)
by khatzumoto
It always struck me as the height of hubris for someone to refer to their own ideas, methods and techniques as a “philosophy”. Such is a title best bestowed upon one by others. But I am an intensely hubristic man. An arrogant, arrogant man. So, yeah, that’s what’s up. Also, what’s the difference between a…
Why Every Reason Other People Have Ever Given You for Learning a Language is Wrong
by khatzumoto
We (English speakers especially) are often exhorted to learn “more”/”other”/”foreign” languages. (In truth, all languages are “foreign” to us, but that’s another story). I’ve said it before, but I’ll said it again because it’s worth saying: this is bad advice. Let’s unpack this. It’s bad but it’s also good. It’s bad because the reasons given…
Momentum Over Position: How the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle Can Help You Learn Faster
by khatzumoto
This entry is part 1 of 14 in the series Intermediate AngstPlay the language-learning game long enough, and you will often hear (or read, as the case may be) people explaining — in great detail — what their level of ability in a given language is, what they can and cannot do. They may even…
How To Legally Murder Someone (It’ll Make Sense)
by khatzumoto
Believe it or not, I’m a pacifist. I really, literally am. I can’t even handle proper violence in movies (stylized ballet-type stuff like “The Matrix” is fine but “Sin City” and anything like that is far too much for me). Violence is physically, psychologically and morally abhorrent to me. And from a practical standpoint, I…