Conversation

Andy Matuschak
@andy_matuschak
What are the biggest challenges you experience when engaging with informational texts? How do those challenges vary across texts, contexts, purposes? (Being intentionally vague here to cast a wide net—humor me?)
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Win Wang
@Winium
For general stuff: introduction of key concepts are sometimes skimmed or even skipped, to get to the "meat". For textbooks: Wow they are scary to even start because it's a textbook! For papers: 2-column style actually causes me anxiety attacks. 1-column is fine though...
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Win Wang
@Winium
I've also noticed how papers will often have unnecessary words, sometimes simple sometimes SAT vocab. I'm not sure how it came to pass that authors must *sound erudite* (<insert irony here>) instead of getting to the point. Though maybe I'll have to read more papers...
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Win Wang
@Winium
Replying to
@andy_matuschak
I'm not actually sure. Imposter Syndrome? I have read them before. I remember the worst time was forcing myself to read one in an empty engineering hall (needed to present on it). It was a pretty easy-to-digest paper. I was drenched in sweat after I finished it.
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