Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: Something you’ve done your whole life that you realized is wrong?

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

651–660 of 1001 posts

Re: Ask HN: Something you’ve done your whole life that you realized is wrong?

#651

Post by sangnoir »

scotty79 wrote: post #344
rjmill wrote: post #152

When my then-gf/now-wife and I first moved in together, I got really mad at her because she kept "hiding" my stuff when I left it out for more than a day. I couldn't find anything! At some point, I yelled, "It's like you don't even want to see any of my things when I'm not using them!" Then I stopped for a second. For the first time in my life, it made sense. The whole point of putting things away is to hide them! No…

I have no idea why some people have this urge to hide all things. When I hide things I just forget that I have half of them almost immediately. Let alone remembering where I have them.

You need to have a system; so it's not exactly "remembering" where you put things, but deducing where an items ought to be and going there to find it. It's similar to people who put all files on the desktop vs organizing files into a hierarchy of folders.

Re: Ask HN: Something you’ve done your whole life that you realized is wrong?

#652

Post by bobbylarrybobby »

Frost1x wrote: post #132
yamtaddle wrote: post #79

Not using an electric toothbrush. First time I used one it felt like I'd had a proper dental cleaning. An extremely half-assed effort with that kind of brush beats a thorough one with a manual brush. I thought they were a gimmick, but no, they're amazing.

On a similar dental hygiene note, I was told I should brush before having breakfast, coffee etc. It always stood to reason to me that it makes more sense to just eat my first meal and drink, then brush, to keep a cleaner state of my teeth for longer but supposedly according to a few dentists I spoke with, the protection you get from the first brush is more significant than removing those first food particles. Chances…

I've heard that brushing right after eating is really bad for your teeth because just after you eat, the bacteria in your mouth start producing acid that, for lack of a better word, loosens the surface enamel in your teeth, and brushing in that state discards that enamel instead of letting it resettle after the acid washes away.

The solubility of enamel is insanely low so the effect should be minor at most, but still.

Re: Ask HN: Something you’ve done your whole life that you realized is wrong?

#653

Post by JTbane »

Waterluvian wrote: post #376
rjmill wrote: post #152

When my then-gf/now-wife and I first moved in together, I got really mad at her because she kept "hiding" my stuff when I left it out for more than a day. I couldn't find anything! At some point, I yelled, "It's like you don't even want to see any of my things when I'm not using them!" Then I stopped for a second. For the first time in my life, it made sense. The whole point of putting things away is to hide them! No…

My wife and I have a rule, "everything needs to have a home." Because if it doesn't have a home, it becomes clutter, and after enough clutter, it finds a home... usually a sub-optimal one, like a junk drawer. The kids (4 and 5) have adapted to this wonderfully. It really helps them. It makes cleanup a trivial task because everything is known to belong somewhere specific. Related to this: the recognition that everythi…

If I followed this rule I wouldn't own a thing, the perks of living in a small room.

Re: Ask HN: Something you’ve done your whole life that you realized is wrong?

#654

Post by dennis_jeeves1 »

praveen9920 wrote: post #439
giantg2 wrote: post #257

"Something you’ve done your whole life that you realized is wrong?" Worked hard believing it would be rewarded.

I would have missed this because of lack of enough upvotes but.. here’s my perspective. You should work hard but on yourselves not for others. I did working hard for others for a decade and ended up in the same place after. I started working for/on myself, I am happier now if not richer.

Thanks, that does add some nuance to the parent comment.

Re: Ask HN: Something you’ve done your whole life that you realized is wrong?

#655

Post by rompic »

mtlynch wrote: post #33

Staying warm. In the winter, I used to stay warm by turning up the thermostat. Then I discovered (via HN) the Low-Tech Magazine article, "Insulation: first the body, then the home." [0] The article argued that it's much more efficient to focus on heating yourself rather than your whole living space. I invested in high-quality wool clothes that I wear in layers and warm slippers. Now, I keep my home about 5 degrees F…

You need this calculator: https://comfort.cbe.berkeley.edu/?eyJ0YSI6MTgsInRyIjoxOCwidm...

Re: Ask HN: Something you’ve done your whole life that you realized is wrong?

#656

Post by balaji1 »

mtlynch wrote: post #33

Staying warm. In the winter, I used to stay warm by turning up the thermostat. Then I discovered (via HN) the Low-Tech Magazine article, "Insulation: first the body, then the home." [0] The article argued that it's much more efficient to focus on heating yourself rather than your whole living space. I invested in high-quality wool clothes that I wear in layers and warm slippers. Now, I keep my home about 5 degrees F…

austerity

Re: Ask HN: Something you’ve done your whole life that you realized is wrong?

#657

Post by mixmastamyk »

b0sk wrote: post #49
mtlynch wrote: post #33

Staying warm. In the winter, I used to stay warm by turning up the thermostat. Then I discovered (via HN) the Low-Tech Magazine article, "Insulation: first the body, then the home." [0] The article argued that it's much more efficient to focus on heating yourself rather than your whole living space. I invested in high-quality wool clothes that I wear in layers and warm slippers. Now, I keep my home about 5 degrees F…

The issue is it doesn't work for people who tend to sweat easily.

I have a jacket that has zippers under the armpits. :-)

Re: Ask HN: Something you’ve done your whole life that you realized is wrong?

#658

Post by warrenm »

iamwpj wrote: post #127
mtlynch wrote: post #33

Staying warm. In the winter, I used to stay warm by turning up the thermostat. Then I discovered (via HN) the Low-Tech Magazine article, "Insulation: first the body, then the home." [0] The article argued that it's much more efficient to focus on heating yourself rather than your whole living space. I invested in high-quality wool clothes that I wear in layers and warm slippers. Now, I keep my home about 5 degrees F…

I live in the midwest and cold is normal for a chunk of the year, but one thing always worse than cold: wind. After college at some point I splurged on a North Face jacket with the wind protection bit and it was eye popping how much more tolerable being outside became. I always go for a nicer coat/jacket now -- the value brands at the department stores don't always have the right technology. Good outdoor gear is spen…

It's almost like the cultures that have "always" lived in cold areas (nordic people, siberians, inuit, etc) knew what to do ... layer with natural fibers - keeping the "treated" side of the clothing facing the outside world :)

Re: Ask HN: Something you’ve done your whole life that you realized is wrong?

#659

Post by halfnormalform »

yamtaddle wrote: post #479

Oh! Another! Car side mirrors. I spent more than a decade of driving adjusting them wrong. You want them so you don't see cars behind you at all in your side mirrors until they're transitioning off the edge of your center rear-view mirror. This gives you far more coverage of your sides, and every car is still visible in at least one mirror at all times. For me, where I put my seat, this usually means setting them as…

Absolutely! I know what the sides of my car looks like and don't need to see them in the side mirrors. Cars leave the edge of the rearview and immediately show up on the inside edge of the side mirror. I love it, but anyone else who drives my car hates it.

Re: Ask HN: Something you’ve done your whole life that you realized is wrong?

#660

Post by bmn__ »

ROTMetro wrote: post #621

Telling myself that I have no worth. Thinking that lead me to believe the only way to demonstrate my worth is to be superman at work. Being superman allowed me to demonstrate my value each day (corresponds to the 'but what have you done for me lately' mindset of American tech culture), allowed me to get validation that I was not worthless. That drive helped me professionally, which helped me demonstrate my worth as a…

My good man, a therapist is certain to help you overcome this false and harmful belief that continues to destroy your life. Start tomorrow.
Post reply on HN