Modern decor may be straining people's brains • Hacker News Board

Re: Modern decor may be straining people's brains

#271

Post by dpark » Mon, Jul 13, 2026, 7:00 AM UTC

aetherspawn wrote: post #263

dpark wrote: post #237

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And what about this? Luke 6:34–35 - And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. I hear a lot of…

If you lend without expecting repayment, it’s charity. Here he encourages people to lend money to people who cannot pay them back (ie to poor people to clear their debt) and he will personally pay you back. Luke 14:12-14, Matt 25:34-46; the latter explains someone’s obligation to help someone in dire need. The law against charging interest was under Moses’ law so it was abolished along with the rest when Jesus died.…

Indeed. Lending without expecting any repayment would not be lending. It would be giving. This could be interpreted as a call to generosity. Plain reading seems to rule out interest though. (The more nuanced reading seems to rule out lending at all.)

There are plenty of other examples of modern Christians picking and choosing though. Starting with ignoring the above call to charity (if we read it that way). There are many calls to give freely, yet most modern Christian’s are content with pretty minor giving overall. Or we could talk about how “turn the other cheek” aligns with the distinct non-pacifism that permeates modern Christianity. Or we could talk about taking oaths, divorce, head coverings by women in church, embrace of community property. Etc.

Christian scholars regularly debate how to interpret portions of the Bible. I’m not sure what they are doing if it’s clear and easy to adhere to.

Re: Modern decor may be straining people's brains

#272

Post by watwut » Mon, Jul 13, 2026, 10:40 AM UTC

ericmay wrote: post #238

watwut wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The masses wear colorful t-shirts with selections of cool pictures and variety of decorated cloth. If anything, suit is boring minimalist choice, every man looks exactly like the man next to him. The leftist ideology in women leads to colorful hair styles, even more variety of clothing cause they integrate in unusual styles.

> If anything, suit is boring minimalist choice, every man looks exactly like the man next to him. It's less about the suit itself - I don't mean to imply everyone should wear the same thing. It's about the perception around it and the moaning one does when it comes to trying to present yourself in society. There's a "I don't need to impress anyone" attitude, which I'm certainly sympathetic to, but I think it is head…

People wear stuff to impress others without wearing suits. Suits are not even impressive looking as everyone looks the same. People feel uncomfortable and out of place in them for a host of reasons, but "I don't want to be impressive" is a rare one.

I really do not associate suits with anything you wrote here - they dont make you impressive, they dont show personalization or care about how you look like, they are just a thing you put on in rare social situation and then you feel hot. An average metal guy with a big hairstyle is putting a lot more effort into looking impressive then someone who just wears the suit.

> It's like when you talk to a pickleball player and you ask them if they play tennis. The typical answer is "no" "that's so hard" "too much running" - it's the undercurrent of not trying and not having high standards that I take issue with. (Nothing against pickleball, truly)

Is that an actual thing pickleball players and fans say or something you projected on them, because they don't play the proper tennis? Why the need to turn casual sport and exercise into a test of will and standards?

I just dont get this example either. Why is it wrong to pick a sport you can play with friends right away, have fun and then stick to it?

Re: Modern decor may be straining people's brains

#273

Post by neop1x » Mon, Jul 13, 2026, 10:47 AM UTC

bob1029 wrote: post #75

The biggest revelation I've had regarding interior design is to stop using overhead lights. Anyone who has ever worked in the games industry will tell you that lighting is the most important element of what makes a scene look a certain way. The crazy thing about lamps is you can put them anywhere. They only use a constant amount of power regardless of scene complexity. Lighting in my GPU is definitely more expensive.…

Lightning is VERY important. What I like is cove lightning - led strips near ceiling, reflected from the white ceiling. And it is also good to have multiple lightning sources - dimer and slightly warmer to use towards the end of day (sunset) and red (or at least warm) for the night out near floor (like a a fireplace at night). Helps maintain natural circadian rhythms and easier sleep.

Re: Modern decor may be straining people's brains

#274

Post by ericmay » Mon, Jul 13, 2026, 1:44 PM UTC

watwut wrote: post #272

ericmay wrote: post #238

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If anything, suit is boring minimalist choice, every man looks exactly like the man next to him. It's less about the suit itself - I don't mean to imply everyone should wear the same thing. It's about the perception around it and the moaning one does when it comes to trying to present yourself in society. There's a "I don't need to impress anyone" attitude, which I'm certainly sympathetic to, but I think it is head…

People wear stuff to impress others without wearing suits. Suits are not even impressive looking as everyone looks the same. People feel uncomfortable and out of place in them for a host of reasons, but "I don't want to be impressive" is a rare one. I really do not associate suits with anything you wrote here - they dont make you impressive, they dont show personalization or care about how you look like, they are jus…

> Suits are not even impressive looking as everyone looks the same.

You're focusing too much on the suit itself and that's causing you to miss the point.

The suit is just traditional western social attire born from military uniforms. If our traditional attire was the metal guy with big hairstyle, I'd just use that here instead. The point is trying (which of course as a death metal lover I would think the metal guy with the big hairstyle is cool) and that's what so many seem to have given up on. Wearing PJs to Wal-Mart is the decline, not the cool metal haircut.

> Is that an actual thing pickleball players and fans say or something you projected on them, because they don't play the proper tennis? Why the need to turn casual sport and exercise into a test of will and standards?

Yes, it is actual things I hear from pickleball players and my friends who play. Again though you missed the point. I think it's great that folks have fun playing pickleball or any other sport. It's not any worse or better than tennis or any other sport. The problem is the mentality from folks I've talked to. "Tennis is too hard" "Too much running". It's self-limiting, and it's an aversion to doing hard things.

That's a civilizational and social challenge we must root out.

Re: Modern decor may be straining people's brains

#275

Post by mghackerlady » Mon, Jul 13, 2026, 2:01 PM UTC

obscurette wrote: post #31

michaelchisari wrote: post #5

If you've ever been in an home owned for generations, filled with books and knickknacks and heirlooms and family photos, despite the clutter it all feels comforting in a way that modern decor doesn't. The article doesn't touch much on why modern decor emerged as it did. It's a market response where everyone needs to (or feels the need to) pick up and move at a moment's notice. Companies are either expanding or like t…

I had a discussion regarding this some time ago with my grandchild who has an ADHD diagnosis. She has troubles being in noisy (especially visually) environments, yet she finds my home (relatively large home full of books, music always playing etc) comforting. She explained that all this stuff in my home is interesting for her and speaks with her - "It's you and grandma, it's full of stories". But the very modern and…

I have ADHD as well, and this hit the nail on the head. I eventually learned that if I stay in a single environment long enough, it starts to feel less noisy. For example, since I was in my schools alternative program for most of my HS career, I was pretty much in the same classroom every day for ~4 years. Eventually, the stories came to me

Re: Modern decor may be straining people's brains

#276

Post by mghackerlady » Mon, Jul 13, 2026, 2:02 PM UTC

theoreticalmal wrote: post #234

kmfrk wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The acoustics of homes with clean walls and floors can also be absolutely miserable. Some small dining rooms amplify all the worst noises and make it terrible to be in, drains your mental battery like few other things.

I’m so glad to see someone else who thinks this. Barren walls, vinyl flooring, 5k Kelvin lights, and scented candles everywhere. It’s like the most miserable consumerist environment imaginable.

A good scented candle can really help make a room feel better. Scent in general does that, though. Incense or a fireplace could also work

Re: Modern decor may be straining people's brains

#277

Post by mghackerlady » Mon, Jul 13, 2026, 2:03 PM UTC

wafflemaker wrote: post #224

austin-cheney wrote: post #213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not sure what you are asking for.

My wife is working in preschool and wanted to have some examples to discuss with her. I know plenty of those for overrepresentation of AuDHD spectrum in IT (especially males), but don't know any for schools. Especially since women are often not that obvious.

Anecdotal, but my cousin has ADHD (not the same, but there seems to be significant overlap) and is working on becoming an elementary school teacher

Re: Modern decor may be straining people's brains

#278

Post by mghackerlady » Mon, Jul 13, 2026, 2:05 PM UTC

appreciatorBus wrote: post #139

analog31 wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here's the story that made sense to me: In the pre industrial age, visible ornamentation was symbolic of a craftsman's skill and attention to detail, when you couldn't inspect the invisible aspects of a product. For instance a violin has an ornately carved scroll, and features such as the "bees sting," whereas you can't take it apart to see if the neck mortise is precisely fitted. It is one of the few pre-industrial-…

With all due respect, if you bought a house during a frothy market, and you use words like “mid-century modern, you are 100% part of the elite class, even if you don’t consider yourself rich. Maybe you are part of the top 10% instead of the top 1%, but that top 10% or 20% is exactly the class I was referring to.

they could be a fellow prole with an eye for design. We exist :)

Re: Modern decor may be straining people's brains

#279

Post by mghackerlady » Mon, Jul 13, 2026, 2:07 PM UTC

appreciatorBus wrote: post #174

tayo42 wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Keeping your house clean and neat is elite? I guess I'm elite lol finally.now what do I do about those bills?

TBF most ppl reading/posting on HN are part of the elite. Elite doesn't imply "more money than I know what to do with" it simply means being closer to the upper end the of income and/or wealth distribution, or failing that, being part of some cultural generation that gives you more influence than the average bear, i.e. journalist, university prof etc. The cutoff for being in the 20% of household income in the US is $…

I (, at least for my sanity, want to) believe the average HN user isn't working for a FAANG. It seems most are either hobbyists or work at a startup in some way

Re: Modern decor may be straining people's brains

#280

Post by mghackerlady » Mon, Jul 13, 2026, 2:09 PM UTC

ffaccount2 wrote: post #265

elf25 wrote: post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Rich is a mindset. My kitchen has three spatulas. One i bought when i moved out, mom’s and grandma’s. I don’t NEED three but can’t afford to throw two away. Rich see two extra and toss two because it’s just a damn spatula and they KNOW that if they ever need two, they can afford to run out and buy one. Now expand that thought process to everything you own. Declutter becomes easier.

I don't get it. Why did you buy a third spatula, if you consider it a significant expense (i.e you can't replace ones you have if they break), and you already have two.

Perhaps they didn't have the other two already. From the phrasing, it seems they bought one when they moved out of their parents house and received/inherited the others