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Things you're allowed to do (2020)

milan.cvitkovic.net

201–210 of 228 posts

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

#201
post #166
post #122

> Repair your stuff, or get it repaired - Clothes I know some people bark about the non-technical stuff on HN, but a post about darning changed my life. When I get a hole in my jeans these days I will actually fix them rather than just buy a new pair. It’s frankly saved me thousands of dollars and is pretty relaxing and satisfying to do. Took some digging, it’s apparently not up anymore https://web.archive.org/web/20…

I had some wool (mostly) socks that I love and are 95% in great condition, but the other 5% was holes/near holes in several key spots. I finally got around to trying darning, and I succeeded, and it's incredibly satisfying to look at and wear those socks. It makes me happy that I managed to turn them from trash into something that'll last another couple of years, and every time I look at them I'm reminded of that. I…

Doing such things with one's hands is also an example of "touch grass."

It's good for one's mental health.

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

#202
post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Depends on your jurisdiction. Sometimes hiring someone without verifying their right to work is a crime. (Or without registering with the tax authorities, or social security, or ensuring they have adequate breaks, or or or... paying someone to work for you is often something that involves quite a lot of responsibility, since the law often doesn't really contemplate private individuals doing it outside of the super-ri…

> is a crime A legal wrong, generally, as in most cases it's not under criminal law.

In the UK it's criminal if you "have reasonable cause to believe" that there were issues with their immigration status. I don't know about other countries.

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

#203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you mean? If my problem is that I have a big mole or skin tag on my body, or my nose looks weird, then surgery absolutely solves my problem.

If the mole or skin tag is detrimental to your health, or if you nose's pathway is giving you trouble breathing, then yes, I'm in favour of an operation. If it is just for cosmetics you are not doing yourself a service. Most of the time people do it because they have a low self esteem.

What’s wrong with making cosmetic changes solely to improve low self esteem?

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

#204
post #84

- not brush your teeth if you’re in a hurry - hire a car - not eat regular meals - wander around aimlessly - walk up and down the same street many times - own more than one of something people normally only have one of - buy stuff in bulk

> hire a car

Oh, I just realized instant cargo is possible. Call a taxi and tell them to bring this thing to location X.

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

#205
post #162

Why is this list not common sense? Do people get born and randomly be like, "but it must be THIS way"?

I can't believe I scrolled this far down before seeing a comment like yours. I'm not saying I've done everything in the list, but have done many of those things without thinking twice. And the rest of them, I likely would not think twice about either. Do people really feel like they can't do these things for some reason?

“People” are highly social primates who look to each other for examples of what is ok or not ok to do. Some of those primates - usually adolescents - haven’t learned to do that, and as a result do random things. A small percentage of those unusual things turn out to be useful, which is great.

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

#206
Better yet, things you are NOT allowed to do

For example, people hate realists. About the only taboo left today, besides the supernatural, is being a Debbie Downer

Anyone who isn’t toxically optimistic is considered to be violent and dangerous today

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

#207
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…

Counter argument: it sounds exhausting to have a friend constantly want to make you their insurer.

And it's not like it's hard to get travel or event insurance from actual providers. You can even get multi-trip monthly or yearly travel insurance.

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

#208
post #84

- not brush your teeth if you’re in a hurry - hire a car - not eat regular meals - wander around aimlessly - walk up and down the same street many times - own more than one of something people normally only have one of - buy stuff in bulk

> hire a car Oh, I just realized instant cargo is possible. Call a taxi and tell them to bring this thing to location X.

I spent some time in India on a business trip and this kind of thing is extremely common there, to the point that it's a whole category in food/grocery delivery apps.

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

#209

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah good intentions do often backfire (road to hell...), and this is one of the ways. Shaming folks for stuff they do normally when alternative is simply stop seeing parents and grandparents (for us this is currently way more carbon than all vacations combined). People simply shut off and go on to have a life, there is only so much existential dread you can pour on civilization before it becomes next norm, facts be…

> I couldn't care less about current carbon footprint just like I don't care about another non-urgent bottom 500 priority stuff. That’s the thing: these narcissists on LinkedIn don’t care about their “carbon footprint” either. It’s all virtue signaling performance act targeting the Very Concerned people who eat these platitudes up. That’s what makes these statements so irritating.

I certainly do care about my carbon footprint and travel by train / bike when I can. I do take the plane when I need to and of course am not telling people to stop visiting family. I was asking to at least consider carbon footprint when making leisure world travel decisions. The ton of CO2 you release on a london-new York is 100% yours.

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

#210

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.

I'm sure there are innocuous ways of implementing this advice, but I think it also leads to a lot of degeneracy. I understand many people prioritize success and that this is probably a common part of business. But that doesn't make the principle "it's ok unless there's a formal reason saying it's not ok" any less awful.

It's not advice, it's how the law works. The law forbids or regulates things, the law doesn't give permission. Luckily for you (and any of us), the law forbids a whole lot of things. But still, the starting point is: one can do things unless they are forbidden, not the other way around.
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