JenniferRM comments on Cheat codes - Less Wrong

36 Post author: sketerpot 01 December 2010 09:19PM

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Comment author: JenniferRM 02 December 2010 10:13:47PM *  0 points [-]

I think the idea of "a quick art" is conceptually almost perfect but I'm not sure about the latin declinations/conjugations and it doesn't sound pleasing to me somehow, as in "That's a neat ars brevis you showed me, thanks!"

Thinking about it more maybe "lifehack" is so close as to be as good as we're going to find? The quibbles I have with it still are:

  • Whereas "a technique" is too generic, "a lifehack" it feels too narrow -- like I wouldn't expect someone to share a solution to a solution to a common failure mode in physics classes if asked for a "lifehack". I think the perfect word would be a parent category for lifehacks :-)

  • Like a trick or a cheatcode, a "hack" also has negative connotations with many people, either as a malicious computer break-in or as a sloppy solution one step up from a kludge. It would be nice to have a word that someone unfamiliar with would be complimented to hear applied to a technique that they have shared.

Comment author: XFrequentist 03 December 2010 02:28:57AM *  0 points [-]

Ars translates to many English words including "Art", but also "Technique", "Skill", and "Cheat".

I agree that it doesn't exactly roll off the tongue.

Ars rapido?

Comment author: jsalvatier 03 December 2010 05:07:37PM 0 points [-]

'ars vitae' translates as "an art of living" according to google translate

Comment author: Anubhav 11 February 2012 09:02:29AM 0 points [-]

'ars vitae' translates as "an art of living" according to google translate

Ugh, no. Just no.

Comment author: wedrifid 11 February 2012 09:22:43AM 6 points [-]

Ugh, no. Just no.

That's your objection to adopting the name arse?