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Things you're allowed to do (2020)

milan.cvitkovic.net

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Re: Things you're allowed to do (2020)

#111

Post by _dain_ »

rob74 wrote: post #70
dudul wrote: post #10

I'm probably a weirdo, but the "write in books" is a massive no no for me. I can't imagine writing in a book (unless it's a total turd, but I assume we're talking about good, insightful books). I do take notes, but always on separate sheets that I keep in the book. Just no way I'll write on the book itself.

Interesting, I thought people would get more worked up over the "park illegally and let yourself think of the fine as a parking fee", especially with the "don’t break rules that matter" addition - there is usually a good reason why parking is illegal, and following only "rules that matter" is a slippery slope. So what if you are blocking a lane of traffic, it's just for a few minutes? Or that bike lane, no one ever u…

Yes, adding to the list:

- blocking a sightline that pedestrians need to safely cross the road

- blocking a dropped curb that wheelchair/pram users need in order to mount and dismount the curb

- parking on the pavement so that wheelchair/pram users can't fit between the car and the wall, forcing them to go around on the street and putting them at greater risk

- damaging/cracking the surface because it is designed for foot traffic, not heavy vehicle loads

- intruding into a bus lane or bus stop, thereby causing delay for public transport passengers

If you only ever drive places, you tend not to think about the consequences of bad parking, because you don't suffer them yourself. But I don't drive, so I notice this antisocial ruining of the public commons all the time. Motorists are not good judges of which rules "really matter".

Re: Things you're allowed to do (2020)

#112

Post by kqr »

ivanche wrote: post #85
kqr wrote: post #83

A big one for me is just a plain - Ask questions. You get so much information, so many services and favours, and access to so many things if you are willing to put yourself in a potentially uncomfortable position of asking. I thought that when I ask questions that make me uncomfortable I would regret most of them, but it turns out I only regret like one out of every 30 uncomfortable questions I ask. I strive to ask m…

No sane person should take the counter side of such bets.

Why not, if they're positive EV?

Re: Things you're allowed to do (2020)

#113

Post by hnbad »

A lot of these should come with the caveat that they are not an option for most people. Heck, most of these either involve spending money or outright paying someone (anywhere from three to six figures) to do something for you. The more affordable versions of "hire someone" boil down to offloading work to a lower income country or finding someone willing to do your work for less.

> Treat fines like payments

While true, this is literally "if the punishment is a fine, it's only illegal for poor people".

> Be a nomad

Having spoken with true nomads (i.e. not expats just remote work-cationing in one popular location like Thailand) this is actually exceptionally complicated and expensive, especially if you don't want to pay double taxes. And of course you still need to be able to get a visa for each country in the first place. If you have the requisite money however you can effectively bypass most taxes this way though as long as you don't settle down.

Re: Things you're allowed to do (2020)

#114

Post by paradite »

slyall wrote: post #56

I don't see this on the list but "Do things by yourself" is one I'd add. Lots of people seem to have a thing against Going to the Movies, Eating at a restaurant or attending an event/concert/museum without a friend/partner. Trust me it's not unusual and everybody is not staring at you.

For me it's mostly vibe and ambiance issue with the restaurants. "Fast food" restaurants that serve your meal quickly are usually friendly to single person.

Maybe a community curated list of places that are friendly to solo diners would be helpful? I have a few that I visit often.

Re: Things you're allowed to do (2020)

#115

Post by hnbad »

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #105
rambambram wrote: post #90

Sometimes people get confused by the law and think: "I have to ask permission", or "does the law allow me to do this?" You are allowed to do anything, until the law forbids it or stuff is regulated in a certain way. Looking at it from this point of view, the world immediately opens up for you.

Or alternatively: it's only a crime if you get caught. A really big and normalized one is tax evasion in the form of paying for items or services in cash without administration. Most if not all people you can hire for jobs around the house - gardeners, cleaners, handimen, plumbers, construction, painting, etc - will take cash instead of going on record. The challenge there is that this takes trust, because you take a…

A good lawyer will rarely outright tell you something is a crime or not. An accountant may tell you not to do something because it's illegal. A lawyer will instead focus on how good a case could be made against you and what the tradeoff would look like.

Re: Things you're allowed to do (2020)

#116

Post by astura »

kqr wrote: post #83

A big one for me is just a plain - Ask questions. You get so much information, so many services and favours, and access to so many things if you are willing to put yourself in a potentially uncomfortable position of asking. I thought that when I ask questions that make me uncomfortable I would regret most of them, but it turns out I only regret like one out of every 30 uncomfortable questions I ask. I strive to ask m…

I really wouldn't want to be friends with someone who always asked a bunch of inane questions everywhere we went and constantly wanted to use me as their insurance company.

But I guess there might exist someone somewhere that enjoys being around this sort of behavior??

Re: Things you're allowed to do (2020)

#117

Post by shmde »

makapuf wrote: post #101
saiya-jin wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Travel. Exotic, remote, cca unspoiled even if poor places. Don't have exact plan, just return ticket and ideas/knowledge. If you are alone, people strike conversations more easily, you get much much more from these interactions than just pretty beach or mountain pictures. Vacations you will keep thinking about till your last breath, even if its sometimes more difficult during them. South east Asia or South America ar…

Definitely travel, just be responsible of your Carbon impact please.

I have a connection on LinkedIn who works in a leadership position in Microsoft who had recently written a post about why she doesn't send "thank you" email because she wants to save the world by reducing their carbon footprint by reducing the number of emails sent. I am a liberal at heart but I really wanted to comment "Shut up, please shut up, I am begging you to shut up." I want to say the same to you.

Re: Things you're allowed to do (2020)

#118

Post by astura »

neilv wrote: post #69

> Negotiate for better terms in your job offer [...] Propose a longer vesting schedule to demonstrate commitment Has that worked out for anyone?

No, this doesn't work - vesting schedules are standard and non-negotiable everywhere except companies with only a couple of employees.

I'm mean, sure, you can propose it, but nobody's going to actually take you up on your proposal.

Re: Things you're allowed to do (2020)

#119

Post by astura »

strken wrote: post #41

On the subject of nannies vs daycare, does the US have an equivalent of family-based daycare?[0] When I was a young kid, my brother and I spent six hours a week in family daycare, and it was much better than the big centres. I don't remember hearing Americans talking about that style of childcare, and was wondering if it exists over there, because it's a good compromise between a nanny and a massive childcare centre.…

Yes, it exists and it's common.

Re: Things you're allowed to do (2020)

#120

Post by rambambram »

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #105
rambambram wrote: post #90

Sometimes people get confused by the law and think: "I have to ask permission", or "does the law allow me to do this?" You are allowed to do anything, until the law forbids it or stuff is regulated in a certain way. Looking at it from this point of view, the world immediately opens up for you.

Or alternatively: it's only a crime if you get caught. A really big and normalized one is tax evasion in the form of paying for items or services in cash without administration. Most if not all people you can hire for jobs around the house - gardeners, cleaners, handimen, plumbers, construction, painting, etc - will take cash instead of going on record. The challenge there is that this takes trust, because you take a…

The beauty is that one does not even have to break the law to get a wider perspective this way. Getting caught or not getting caught for a crime is another thing all together.
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