Ask HN: Something you’ve done your whole life that you realized is wrong? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Something you’ve done your whole life that you realized is wrong?

#101

Post by toyg » Mon, Jan 30, 2023, 2:39 PM UTC

leet_thow wrote: post #68

Taking a number two without the use of a footstool to get into a more natural squatting position. I look forward to the ritual every morning and usually achieve 'poophoria'.

Hugely underrated tip. Standard toilets are just that, a guesstimated average of the height one might need to poop relatively comfortably. Because it was originally derived from chairs (the first toilets being actual chairs with a hole), with no respect for how human anatomy developed over millions of years, in most cases it's way too high for anyone under 6 feet / 180cm. Someone should run studies on whether this influences the rates of colon cancer.

The most naturally-ergonomic toilet is actually the seatless "turkish" hole. Unfortunately it's often not the easiest to use in a hygienic manner, and it requires a lot of space. I wish someone would invest in evolving that model into something better.

Re: Ask HN: Something you’ve done your whole life that you realized is wrong?

#102

Post by yamtaddle » Mon, Jan 30, 2023, 2:40 PM UTC

dgunay wrote: post #16

I hold spoons kind of "wrong"; basically put your palm facing down, make a fist, and then support the spoon with your thumb. That's how I eat soup when I'm not actively thinking about it. I just control the angle of the spook with my thumb. It's objectively not as flexible as the traditional spoon grip but I can't seem to shake the habit. Gets me strange looks sometimes

Flatware grips and even orientations (tines up vs. tines down on a fork) can vary with culture and is also a bit tied up with class. What you're doing may be "correct" somewhere :-)

Re: Ask HN: Something you’ve done your whole life that you realized is wrong?

#103

Post by xyzelement » Mon, Jan 30, 2023, 2:40 PM UTC

yamtaddle wrote: post #79

Not using an electric toothbrush. First time I used one it felt like I'd had a proper dental cleaning. An extremely half-assed effort with that kind of brush beats a thorough one with a manual brush. I thought they were a gimmick, but no, they're amazing.

Yup! Also the Phillips ones are just based on vibration (as opposed to some rotation in oral-b) which is also much better for your teeth and gums.

Re: Ask HN: Something you’ve done your whole life that you realized is wrong?

#104

Post by automatic6131 » Mon, Jan 30, 2023, 2:40 PM UTC

prometheus76 wrote: post #21

This is for people who lift weights. Do you get calluses along the pads of your hand, just below your fingers? You are probably gripping the bar incorrectly. This also applies to pull-ups/chin-ups grip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OK-S3ZJZxQ . TL;DR: grip the bar across the joint at the bottom of your fingers instead of across the middle of your palm. This doesn't apply to bench pressing (a push), but applies to…

Related note, if you lift enough weight - even with this technique - you'll still get callouses. But this is good nonetheless.

Re: Ask HN: Something you’ve done your whole life that you realized is wrong?

#105

Post by dfxm12 » Mon, Jan 30, 2023, 2:41 PM UTC

mabbo wrote: post #38

mtlynch wrote: post #33

Staying warm. In the winter, I used to stay warm by turning up the thermostat. Then I discovered (via HN) the Low-Tech Magazine article, "Insulation: first the body, then the home." [0] The article argued that it's much more efficient to focus on heating yourself rather than your whole living space. I invested in high-quality wool clothes that I wear in layers and warm slippers. Now, I keep my home about 5 degrees F…

I don't like wearing big layers of clothing. I like being in a very light t-shirt. I'm happy to pay the extra cost to heat the room I'm in with a space heater in the winter time.

it's a big reduction in oil and wood consumption for home heat

I'm happy to pay the extra cost

As an aside, we've got the externalities of climate change all wrong. Oil is a non renewable resource. We can't just give the planet a bunch of money and have it produce more oil for us to burn when we're uncomfortable. This cost is not really borne by you; it'll be borne by future generations.

Re: Ask HN: Something you’ve done your whole life that you realized is wrong?

#106

Post by Trufa » Mon, Jan 30, 2023, 2:41 PM UTC

Eating. I’ve stressed and binged eaten all my life without knowing.

Removed the two, started surfing and 50kg (110 pounds) later I’m happier and more active than I’ve ever been.

Re: Ask HN: Something you’ve done your whole life that you realized is wrong?

#107

Post by maxlamb » Mon, Jan 30, 2023, 2:41 PM UTC

Nesco wrote: post #59

I realised most of my basic health routine was useless to detrimental: - Soap: it disrupt the skin microbiome. Only useful for hand washing and to clean private parts / the bottom. Even then use high quality soap like Marseille soap or Aleppo soap. Note: Also as mentioned in the comments if you avoid soap / deodorant you *will* probably need to shower two times a day even without doing physical activities. Three time…

I would add flossing on a daily basis to the list. In between every single teeth - I missed that part when I was in my 20’s and now have bone loss in my jaw due to gum disease. Also why most old people loose teeth at some point.

Re: Ask HN: Something you’ve done your whole life that you realized is wrong?

#108

Post by pcdoodle » Mon, Jan 30, 2023, 2:42 PM UTC

Elon Musk mentioned the "Elevate the head of your bed by 3"" a few months back. Had an open schedule that day so I said "f-it, let's go look at my lumber out back".

Long story short, I put a 4x4 (3.5" actual) across the head of the box spring and a 2x4" (1.5" actual) across the middle. I have been sleeping a whole lot better even since.

Re: Ask HN: Something you’ve done your whole life that you realized is wrong?

#109

Post by mhandley » Mon, Jan 30, 2023, 2:42 PM UTC

daveslash wrote: post #98

zander312 wrote: post #78

For the past 15 years or so, every night before bedtime I would proclaim “Time to hit the shack!” or “I’m going to hit the shack”. In reality it is a “sack” that you hit, not a “shack”.

For all intensive purposes, they're the same. (I'd been saying "intensive" instead of "intents and" until my mid 20s) *edit: Fixed a spelling mistake. It's still early here... :-p

Um, https://www.grammarly.com/blog/for-all-intents-and-purposes/

Re: Ask HN: Something you’ve done your whole life that you realized is wrong?

#110

Post by lepapillon » Mon, Jan 30, 2023, 2:43 PM UTC

hgomersall wrote: post #13

A common one is the tying of one's shoelaces. It's pretty common to tie the knot in an unbalanced way. https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/grannyknot.htm

I came here to post this one. For about 25 years of my life I was tying my knots the wrong way and I just thought shoelaces just had to be re-tied periodically. I don't remember where I learnt to just tie the loop the other way. Now strain on the laces just serves to tighten the knot.