Come to think of it, I've always loved to dig professors' brains during their office hours way back in university and just get inspired by their passion for their subject. And whenever there were particularly interesting speakers at conferences, I would dream of introducing myself and talking to them to soak up their wisdom.
But for all these cases, not only was I reluctant to continue the conversations because I was shy and nervous about it all, but also because I didn't actually know what I wanted to ask them. I had no questions in my head for them. I just knew that they are wise people that I would like to learn from.
For the Ask HN questions, most of them are self-serving in that they are questions I personally am curious about, many of which just spawn naturally as I poke around HN and think about my own endeavors.
But with interviews/podcasts, I would think the focus would be different? There would be some theme, I'm sure, but of what? The subjects they are known for, sure, but that seems a bit narrow?
I don't really have much ideas here, because it's always just been a fantasy, so I never got down to figuring out which questions to ask. Or is it the other way around, that because I couldn't think of questions, I could never bring the thought into reality... (drawing blank)
Does anyone know how interviewers and podcasters decide on their questions? How do they go about inviting the interviewees anyway? I've looked into this before but didn't get anything constructive to work with.
And, beyond interviews and podcasts, are there other ways of tapping into this desire to ask people questions?
PS. Another note here, is that I'm completely lost for words or ideas when I talk to people in person. I only come up with good questions when I've had time alone to churn through it. So this constraints stuff for sure.
If you're particularly interested in computer science stuff, there's a lot of great outlets for piquing your curiosity. When I was in high school, I spent hundreds of hours in IRC chats reading technical discussions and asking prolific users questions about their craft. There's also Matrix, but I have trouble finding good technical servers on there (and don't have time for this stuff much these days anyways). They're both pretty deep rabbit holes, though.
I think the most important thing, though, is keeping things in perspective. Being an effective learner is a lot like zen gardening, carefully partitioning your attention between everything that requires your care, while staying organized and calm doing it. Zen gardeners also don't spend 7+ hours gardening, either; you probably shouldn't put too much of your time into research either. I wasted so much of my youth reading into things I have no use for, and that time is non-refundable. Reading the Quake 2 source code sure gives you a buzz in the moment, but I missed homecoming to do so. And I still don't have a use for the fast inverse square root function.
I'm sure you've got a good head on your shoulders with this stuff, but my advice is simply to remain organized and vigilant. Asking questions is always good, but there are more things to life than just learning. Keep your focus on moving forwards, and seek knowledge tactically.
I really like the podcast idea, though. A lot of the podcasts I listen to are more stories than interviews, so I’d be very interested in a podcast that was more about talking with random people. I absolutely understand the limitations of direct dialogue, though. There’s a pressure there—and, for me, other distractions such as body language—that would make it difficult for me to conduct an in-person interview. Personally, I think I communicate far better over text; I just feel like I have more time/space to consider my response.
And yes, I’ve done interviews that were just a series of emails back and forth. If I were doing an interview now, I’d probably choose either that or Slack/Discord.