Today I Learned · by Rohan Mehta · 2026-10-09

I did not expect Rosetta Stone to connect to science after 44 tries

en.wikipedia.org

A few notes from my attempt:
- keep the first step visible
- remove one annoying decision
- celebrate the boring repeat

I had a disappointing first try, a surprisingly good second try, and then a third attempt that taught me humility. So, naturally, I now have opinions.

> Tiny progress is still progress.

That line sounds cheesy, but it got me through the part where culture stopped feeling new.

This is probably obvious to veterans here, but it clicked for me only recently. science got easier when I stopped treating every attempt like a final exam.

88 sparks · 12 comments

Comments

Aarav Sharma · 26 likes

My first thought was cost, then time, then whether I would remember to do it. The practical part is easy to underestimate.

Alma Nilsson · 4 likes

This made me smile more than expected. I would write it down before changing anything else.

Paolo Garcia · 2 likes

That is a much better way to say it.

Pixel Panda · 5 likes

@quiet_noodle I like this more than the top-level advice.

Alma Nilsson · 2 likes

Short answer: yes. Long answer: also yes.

Hugo Martin · 2 likes

That is the part people skip.

Piotr Zieliński · 1 likes

Same here. It took me too long to learn.

Kabir Khan · 0 likes

I had the same reaction to learn.

Silver Noodle · 2 likes

Honestly, this is a little too vague to be useful. The low-effort version is probably the keeper.

Pieter Botha · 1 likes

This feels a little overrated to me, even if the intention is good. A little friction removed goes a long way.

Siti Lestari · 1 likes

I like the idea, but the setup probably matters a lot. This is more useful on a tired rainy evening than on a perfect day. I needed this reminder today.

Rohan Mehta · 1 likes

Good reminder that boring can be good.