That sounds a bit daft, doesn't it? Well, here me out, GAF.
Edit: And read this too:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/oct/05/charlie-brooker-cultural-diet
Due to a number of factors I won't go into, next year (2010) is going to be a very interesting year in my life. I am devoting it to 1) some of life's little pleasures and 2) learning as much as I possibly can (as well as some self-improvement). After busting my ass in recent years, learning exquisite details about some very tiny aspects of life/knowledge, I look back and realise that there are huge gaps in my basic knowledge of things - and, importantly, that they aren't going to get filled unless I do something about it. So, I plan to read and read and read, watch, learn - just be a student of everything, basically! And I'm sure that out there, amongst GAF's broad readership, there lives a few (or many) who wiki-link till late at night (at the expense of sleep/work/whatever) just because so many things out there are so fascinating. Well, those are the people I implore to read on, because you may benefit as much as me.
What I'm looking to do is add some much-needed structure to acquiring all that information, rather than bits and pieces here and there. Wikipedia is great, but it ain't the place to learn straight from. So where do you all fit in? I envision that this may be a thread where we can all post great sources of information, be it books, videos, or other, that will help a lay person learn about some of life's key topics. You know, the stuff where you feel we should all know the basics. Any more direction might be too restrictive, although I am thinking more history/arts/politics than 'how to pick up girls for virgin-GAF', but hell, anything's welcome. For example, I was recently recommended by a friend the World at War BBC documentary series as an excellent lay summary of the events of the second World War (something I know sadly little about, despite its great importance). And, having just seen a little bit so far, this seems to be an excellent depth of information - obviously, I won't magically become an expert, but now I have a much clearer understanding of what went on.
Obviously, this goal is ultimately foolhardy. I mean, I am never going to learn everything (or even a meaningful fraction of everything) in a year. BUT, in the spirit of internet optimism, it's worth a shot, isn't it? As I see it, there is no failing in this pursuit - as long as I am learning, I am happy.
(By the by, things I already know to great detail are biology, chemistry, and medicine - but feel free to post sources for those anyway for other people. And basic cooking help would be awesome actually, even though that isn't what I was really asking for above!)
Edit: And read this too:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/oct/05/charlie-brooker-cultural-diet
Due to a number of factors I won't go into, next year (2010) is going to be a very interesting year in my life. I am devoting it to 1) some of life's little pleasures and 2) learning as much as I possibly can (as well as some self-improvement). After busting my ass in recent years, learning exquisite details about some very tiny aspects of life/knowledge, I look back and realise that there are huge gaps in my basic knowledge of things - and, importantly, that they aren't going to get filled unless I do something about it. So, I plan to read and read and read, watch, learn - just be a student of everything, basically! And I'm sure that out there, amongst GAF's broad readership, there lives a few (or many) who wiki-link till late at night (at the expense of sleep/work/whatever) just because so many things out there are so fascinating. Well, those are the people I implore to read on, because you may benefit as much as me.
What I'm looking to do is add some much-needed structure to acquiring all that information, rather than bits and pieces here and there. Wikipedia is great, but it ain't the place to learn straight from. So where do you all fit in? I envision that this may be a thread where we can all post great sources of information, be it books, videos, or other, that will help a lay person learn about some of life's key topics. You know, the stuff where you feel we should all know the basics. Any more direction might be too restrictive, although I am thinking more history/arts/politics than 'how to pick up girls for virgin-GAF', but hell, anything's welcome. For example, I was recently recommended by a friend the World at War BBC documentary series as an excellent lay summary of the events of the second World War (something I know sadly little about, despite its great importance). And, having just seen a little bit so far, this seems to be an excellent depth of information - obviously, I won't magically become an expert, but now I have a much clearer understanding of what went on.
Obviously, this goal is ultimately foolhardy. I mean, I am never going to learn everything (or even a meaningful fraction of everything) in a year. BUT, in the spirit of internet optimism, it's worth a shot, isn't it? As I see it, there is no failing in this pursuit - as long as I am learning, I am happy.
(By the by, things I already know to great detail are biology, chemistry, and medicine - but feel free to post sources for those anyway for other people. And basic cooking help would be awesome actually, even though that isn't what I was really asking for above!)
