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Fidget Spinners: Why Being Interesting Can Do More for You Than Being Useful

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Re: Fidget Spinners: Why Being Interesting Can Do More for You Than Being Useful

#11

Post by Retr0spectrum »

lunaru wrote: post #9
blhack wrote: post #7

I HIGHLY recommend that anybody who has family or friends who are interested in these things (kids i mean) just take a few minutes and build one. They're super cheap, and super easy. Go to your friendly local makerspace if you don't have the tools to do it yourself.

Do you have instructions for this that you've used with success?

Step 1: Drill a hole in the centre-of-mass of any object/material.

Step 2: Insert a bearing of the correct size, aiming for an interference-fit. If the hole was too big, apply glue.

Re: Fidget Spinners: Why Being Interesting Can Do More for You Than Being Useful

#12

Post by mturmon »

emef wrote: post #2

Anybody tried a fidget spinner? My wife has adhd and likes the idea but we haven't ordered one. Are these interesting for 5 minutes and then shelved? or do they have some lasting appeal?

My 6th grader tells me they have jumped the shark at her school already.

Re: Fidget Spinners: Why Being Interesting Can Do More for You Than Being Useful

#14

Post by Analemma_ »

emef wrote: post #2

Anybody tried a fidget spinner? My wife has adhd and likes the idea but we haven't ordered one. Are these interesting for 5 minutes and then shelved? or do they have some lasting appeal?

I've had one in my office for several weeks now and haven't gotten tired of it yet. It does seem to be close to the Platonic ideal of "fiddly desk things while my code compiles" where the appeal might not wear off.

Re: Fidget Spinners: Why Being Interesting Can Do More for You Than Being Useful

#16

Post by quietplatypus »

Fidget spinners are genuinely useful though---arguably even more useful than the other items on the list, for their ADHD/anxiety-reducing properties plus portability.

The only way you can do noticeably better is direct, hands-free brain stimulation. The fidget cube is also such an object, but it is MUCH more complex and hence vulnerable to be put down due to a competing distraction.

Re: Fidget Spinners: Why Being Interesting Can Do More for You Than Being Useful

#18

Post by erik-g »

mturmon wrote: post #12
emef wrote: post #2

Anybody tried a fidget spinner? My wife has adhd and likes the idea but we haven't ordered one. Are these interesting for 5 minutes and then shelved? or do they have some lasting appeal?

My 6th grader tells me they have jumped the shark at her school already.

They exploded in to popularity at my office. And if my coworkers are all about the spinners they are def no longer cool.

Re: Fidget Spinners: Why Being Interesting Can Do More for You Than Being Useful

#19

Post by Consultant32452 »

afpx wrote: post #15

Who's the person who invented the fidget spinner? I hope he/she made some money on this at least.

They didn't really. It was invented a while back but got no traction so they didn't bother renewing the patent.

Re: Fidget Spinners: Why Being Interesting Can Do More for You Than Being Useful

#20

Post by vsloo »

afpx wrote: post #15

Who's the person who invented the fidget spinner? I hope he/she made some money on this at least.

The article links to an NPR page about the re-inventor of the spinner we know of right now: http://www.npr.org/2017/05/04/526931943/fidget-spinner-emerg...
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