"I have one pair of shorts with built-in underpants." ...what?
I suppose he is talking about some kind of swimming shorts. Those often have built-in tights.
Modern Minimalism
51–60 of 94 posts
Re: Modern Minimalism
#52Wait... is this a parody? Please tell me it's satire. A "minimalist" shouldn't need a fucking smartphone and laptop.
I thought it was pretty obviously satire, but so many people are taking it seriously here; now I'm 98% sure it's satire.
Re: Modern Minimalism
#53paging Moxie Marlinspike ... http://www.thoughtcrime.org/blog/the-worst
Re: Modern Minimalism
#54Every time someone tries to convince me they've found some awesome way to live their life (or do anything) and hints that they've tapped into something undiscovered, or something we'd all be doing if we weren't so blinded or busy being tricked by 'the man', I have to remind myself that we're not all the same.
It needs to be repeated. We're not all the same.
To think that we are the same and make decisions based on that assumption (and use that as a basis for any kind of advice) is at best, foolish, and at most, dangerous.
Here's my ridiculous strawman (which is for entertainment more than argument, like any good strawman):
I don't need a wheelchair. The average person doesn't need a wheelchair. So let's do away with wheelchairs!
Look, sure, I've got a lot of stuff that I don't need and shouldn't need. Upon accepting this truth I didn't dump all my shit and try to fit my life into a backpack. I'm married, which brings with it a whole bunch of compromises. This post, and many like it, reek of someone who doesn't have to make a lot of compromises. I'm sure it works for him. It may not work for you.
Wear sunscreen.
Re: Modern Minimalism
#55Wow, people here are obviously much more attached to their lifestyles than this guy, considering the amount of hate he received in just a few minutes. I mean, he was relatively non-judgemental about the whole thing, and people here respond almost like being attacked personally.
Re: Modern Minimalism
#56Out of interest: Where do you stay? Do you rent a flat/house? If so: How do keep it clean? What do you eat? Are you out-sourcing your food production? I am asking because, the smartphone discussion aside, i find it questionable to speak of minimalism if you just trade most of reproductive labor for money. I guess most of (single, childless) readers of HN could just live in an hotel suite without owning anything besid…
I am sure this guy is still living with his parents judging by the stuff he owns. If you live on your own you NEED things like a refrigerator, a stove, pots and pans, cleaning supplies, kitchen knife, lamps, a table, chairs, the list can go on and on.
Not if you can afford eating out for every meal.
Re: Modern Minimalism
#57Meh. I am in the process of buying a foldable kayak. I plan to kayak in Patagonia in 2015 and I crossed Poland, Austria and Slovakia with a canoe the last 2 years. Point is: my kayak won't fit in a bag. Then what? I should buy and iPhone and spend my time on fb? He doesn't even have an ebook, does he read? I do consider myself a minimalist, but in the way I embrace only the minimum to live a full life, not just for t…
I'm very interested in doing a long distance river trip in Europe. Can I ask which route you took through those countries? Was dealing with locks an issue or did you just carry your canoe past them?
Re: Modern Minimalism
#58As someone who has a pretty simple life (my most valuable possession would probably be ~100kgs of books, stacked in 2 fairly small boxes), I'd love to know a couple of practical details in your life (if it isn't too snooping, that is)! The question will be fairly personal, because pretty much most other stuffs won't be essential. Do you take a bath daily? How do you brush your teeth? You seems pretty young, and thing…
I noticed myself that if I wash daily, I would not need shower gel. I use it nonetheless, but I could go days without soap (or the perfume contained). EXCEPT if I drink coffee - that makes my sweat somewhat smelly (you probably won't notice it though, only I do) :) Toothpaste: There are people who get cavities while using toothpaste 3x a day, while I haven't gotten any cavities in the last few years although I have l…
> Shampoo: Some people report that omitting shampoo works well, but there's a nasty transition period of a few weeks in which you might look like you dipped your head in grease. Reportedly, skalp skin reduces the amount of fat secreted if you stop constantly washing it away.
Who are those people? I'm genuinely interested. I got rashes that are made worse by shampoo.
Re: Modern Minimalism
#59I I I I I I -- wow. You said I 53 times.
That is not modern minimalism. You are a contemporary pseudo-ascetic with narcissistic overtones.
edit - removed the angry and hot-headed language
Re: Modern Minimalism
#60It's funny how people who say they are minimalists start listing the things they don't have in the "physical" life arguing they are not needed. But then, they have an iCloud account, a twitter, facebook, flickr, instagram, reddit, gmail, you name it account. How about a minimalist virtual life too, where all you have is an email account? an e-minimalist? I think a minimalist life should be more about "using" less (an…
That would be Richard Stallman.