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Modern Minimalism

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Re: Modern Minimalism

#71

Post by k-mcgrady »

This is just doing shit so you can call yourself something. I didn't have a bed or pillow for 3 months. It was uncomfortable and although I got used to it I woke up with neck/back pain every morning. It's a stupid thing to do on purpose.

As for not using soap - please start again. I don't want to be shaking your hand after you've been to the bathroom. And how about in hospitals? Do you make an exception to wash your hands with the provided soap before entering a ward?

Also, getting rid of soap, socks, and a bed does not give you more time.

Re: Modern Minimalism

#72

Post by manmal »

bjourne wrote: post #58
manmal wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Threads like this one seem to be a good starting point: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=68552

Although I must say, advice like this:

  if your goal was to go product free (as in chemical free) you can always try Water Only but instead of baking soda you can try doing the egg 'shampoo'. You take one egg, one tea spoon of honey and one tea spoon of extra vigrin olive oil; mix that up very well as in whip it and then add few drops of lemon or lime juice. (if you have dark hair I would suggest heating up the oil with honey in the microwave for 30 seconds. Just make sure it cools off before you add it to the egg).
is not exactly my cup of tea :)

Re: Modern Minimalism

#73

Post by k-mcgrady »

kfk wrote: post #64
kal00ma wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

Hey, great why don't you email me? Do you have experience with kayaking? We are planning to go kayaking in the Guadalquivir in May if you are interested. Otherwise, I can share with you our itineraries (with locks) for the Danube (Passau-Bratisalva) and the Vistula (Cracow-Gdansk). To your question. The routes we look are river only, meaning, we pick a river and we just keep going. Locks usually are not an issue, you…

The site you've linked to is throwing up a security warning in Chrome.

Re: Modern Minimalism

#74

Post by goo »

theboywho wrote: post #25

It'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…

I think the concept of "e-minimalism" is great.

I think it is useful to recognize that "stuff" is a system, and as a user, the system of "stuff" requires some maintenance, is at risk of failure (by theft, loss or damage), though despite the drawbacks does provide benefits that make life better. My water filter makes water taste better; my sweet chair is very comfortable. My car drives me to the beach to surf regularly. Some stuff requires greater scrutiny -- the high maintenance demanded by the car in terms of time and money indicates that I would be wise to carefully consider if the benefits outweigh the costs.

Technology systems can be measured similarly -- do the costs (time, money, cognitive load, opportunity cost, presently and in the future), outweigh the benefits. Making that measurement is difficult, and our minds are not exactly rational actors when it comes to deciding to adopt technology -- we are easily swayed by social factors, and it is hard to measure the future cognitive load and opportunity cost of a technology system. Being an "e-minimalist" could be a useful heuristic.

Since benefits of "stuff" and systems can vary subjectively, I think minimalism (as a philosophy or hobby) is a subset of a larger identity question from the individual -- "what is my relationship to the systems at play in my life?" Attempting to optimize that relationship usually leads to more happiness than ignoring the question.

For some people, minimalism for "stuff" is a solid optimization. E-minimalism makes lots of sense, too.

Re: Modern Minimalism

#75

Post by DrinkWater »

parasight wrote: post #51
DrinkWater wrote: post #38

"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.

i was worried more about "one" (1) pair. But now that you mentioned it, this whole matter becomes really disgusting.

Re: Modern Minimalism

#76

Post by k-mcgrady »

ygra wrote: post #56
spectrum wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Would that not go against his claim that this all saves him time. Cooking a meal at home would be much less time consuming than having to go to a restaurant and sit doing nothing while they cook your food for every meal.

Re: Modern Minimalism

#77

Post by kfk »

k-mcgrady wrote: post #73
kfk wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hey, great why don't you email me? Do you have experience with kayaking? We are planning to go kayaking in the Guadalquivir in May if you are interested. Otherwise, I can share with you our itineraries (with locks) for the Danube (Passau-Bratisalva) and the Vistula (Cracow-Gdansk). To your question. The routes we look are river only, meaning, we pick a river and we just keep going. Locks usually are not an issue, you…

The site you've linked to is throwing up a security warning in Chrome.

Solved

Re: Modern Minimalism

#80

Post by autonomy77 »

bnegreve wrote: post #7

> I have an 11-inch Macbook Air and an iPhone 5. No other devices. For some reason, I knew this was going to pop up somewhere in the list. Smartphones are arguably one of the biggest gadget of the century. And they can be used to watch TV, movies, read news, books, as GPS, as game device and so on. So why iPhone and no soap?

Another rent-a-cliche is the inevitable Moleskine notebook. You sometimes even get to find out what make of bag they use too, like it could possibly matter. It's egotism and childishness combined, IMHO. For "minimalists" they really seem to care about brands :)
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