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Why some people mow a lawn better than others

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Re: Why some people mow a lawn better than others

#51

Post by dylan604 »

stackghost wrote: post #38
b40d-48b2-979e wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

wat. Causing damage to the grass you're hitting with a (relatively) blunt object in the first place? All you did was waste three times the gas.

>All you did was waste three times the gas. They don't mean do all those cuts each time you mow. You mow the grass in one direction one day, and then a few days later when it needs cut again, you mow a different pattern.

I do this very thing in the fall when all of my neighbor's trees drop their leaves which blow into my yard. I don't bag leaves. I mulch them. To get them down to a respectable looking yard, it can easily take this many passes. I do it all over again in the early spring towards the end of February when the Live Oak trees in my yard finally drop their leaves for the year. According to my watch, I can cover more than 2 miles just taking my mower for a walk on those days.

Re: Why some people mow a lawn better than others

#52

Post by Lammy »

gamerdonkey wrote: post #28
cortesoft wrote: post #3

This is a very different problem than actual efficiency when mowing a lawn or vacuuming a rub. Turning takes more work and time, and you miss a part of the 'square' when you are turning (the arc of the curve is not a straight line). In addition, vacuums especially have an area at the edge of the machine that is not cleaned as well, which is why you want a bit of overlap in your lines. Plus, when mowing a lawn, you of…

This is mentioned in the article when discussing a player that found the optimum route: > Sarah also did something that appeared a bit unnatural. Instead of simply continuing straight a few times, she intuitively and preemptively turned in a snake-like pattern. This highlighted a key difference between real-life mowing and our simplified game, an approach that strong mowers exploited. Sarah, an avid gamer, seemed to…

> Sarah, an avid gamer, seemed to recognize this strategy immediately.

I have also played a lot of ChuChu Rocket!

Re: Why some people mow a lawn better than others

#53

Post by hbn »

paradox460 wrote: post #20
cortesoft wrote: post #3

This is a very different problem than actual efficiency when mowing a lawn or vacuuming a rub. Turning takes more work and time, and you miss a part of the 'square' when you are turning (the arc of the curve is not a straight line). In addition, vacuums especially have an area at the edge of the machine that is not cleaned as well, which is why you want a bit of overlap in your lines. Plus, when mowing a lawn, you of…

Plus mowing a lawn is meditative Copying another comment I made earlier When I was laid off a couple months ago, the first thing I did was go out and mow my lawn. One hour of simple, clean labor, with clear progress, goals, and solitude. It helped me stay out of a bad mental frame, and when I finished I went inside and sent out a few hundred applications Over the next several weeks, I spent a lot of time that wasn't…

I'm not much of a workaholic, I don't really like going outside or getting my hands dirty...

But mowing the lawn is nice. It's like doing a giant coloring page with a big thick marker.

The past couple of years I've lived in a place with no lawn to mow and I miss it.

Re: Why some people mow a lawn better than others

#54

Post by [deleted] »

scottyah wrote: post #14
cortesoft wrote: post #3

This is a very different problem than actual efficiency when mowing a lawn or vacuuming a rub. Turning takes more work and time, and you miss a part of the 'square' when you are turning (the arc of the curve is not a straight line). In addition, vacuums especially have an area at the edge of the machine that is not cleaned as well, which is why you want a bit of overlap in your lines. Plus, when mowing a lawn, you of…

You should see how optimal the poster's first dates are! Meet at a location with premade bottles of Soylent while they ask 15 questions. Done in 30min. Optimized away the cost and time "wasted" at restaurants or mini-golf type activities.

[deleted]

Re: Why some people mow a lawn better than others

#55

Post by gdhkgdhkvff »

sunrunner wrote: post #27
b40d-48b2-979e wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

wat. Causing damage to the grass you're hitting with a (relatively) blunt object in the first place? All you did was waste three times the gas.

> hitting with a (relatively) blunt object in the first place Well there's your problem right there.

Lawn mower blades are meant to be somewhat blunt. Like a butter knife. Too sharp and the blade will chip away on the harder materials.

Re: Why some people mow a lawn better than others

#56

Post by jannyfer »

adregan wrote: post #4

I have a small yard and I'm not optimizing for the fewest moves, I'm optimizing for both the longest continuous lines (because I think they look nicest) and the shortest distance to carry the clippings at the end. I have a different definition of optimal to this game.

Or be like me and just mulch the clippings

(yes it looks uglier that way - and yes I think of mowing the lawn as a chore)

Re: Why some people mow a lawn better than others

#57

Post by edoceo »

sealthedeal wrote: post #41
paradox460 wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Plus mowing a lawn is meditative Copying another comment I made earlier When I was laid off a couple months ago, the first thing I did was go out and mow my lawn. One hour of simple, clean labor, with clear progress, goals, and solitude. It helped me stay out of a bad mental frame, and when I finished I went inside and sent out a few hundred applications Over the next several weeks, I spent a lot of time that wasn't…

There is something beautiful about getting hands dirty with actual dirt/earth. Its such a REAL feeling.

A friend of a friend got sick of tech work. Now she bills out at $70-120/hr doing garden and landscaping work. Not her crew, just her. Solo work on nice houses. Not lawn-mowing, landscaping. Very dirty every day. If I had a job I'd be jealous.

Re: Why some people mow a lawn better than others

#58

Post by WillAdams »

gamerdonkey wrote: post #28
cortesoft wrote: post #3

This is a very different problem than actual efficiency when mowing a lawn or vacuuming a rub. Turning takes more work and time, and you miss a part of the 'square' when you are turning (the arc of the curve is not a straight line). In addition, vacuums especially have an area at the edge of the machine that is not cleaned as well, which is why you want a bit of overlap in your lines. Plus, when mowing a lawn, you of…

This is mentioned in the article when discussing a player that found the optimum route: > Sarah also did something that appeared a bit unnatural. Instead of simply continuing straight a few times, she intuitively and preemptively turned in a snake-like pattern. This highlighted a key difference between real-life mowing and our simplified game, an approach that strong mowers exploited. Sarah, an avid gamer, seemed to…

The thing is, one needs to consider more than efficiency, but the overall health and appearance of the lawn --- as noted on _Magnum PI_, it is necessary to vary the cutting so that the lawn does not develop a "grain" where it lays unevenly.

Re: Why some people mow a lawn better than others

#59

Post by butlike »

cortesoft wrote: post #3

This is a very different problem than actual efficiency when mowing a lawn or vacuuming a rub. Turning takes more work and time, and you miss a part of the 'square' when you are turning (the arc of the curve is not a straight line). In addition, vacuums especially have an area at the edge of the machine that is not cleaned as well, which is why you want a bit of overlap in your lines. Plus, when mowing a lawn, you of…

Why not mow in a spiral then hit the 4 corners last?

Re: Why some people mow a lawn better than others

#60

Post by topspin »

b40d-48b2-979e wrote: post #39
collingreen wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I believe the point is the wheel lines and to vary where the wheels go by changing the pattern each time you mow so you don't, for example, always drive exactly down the fence and cause a rut or mulch buildup or missed area. I dont think it was "don't hurt the grass while you cut it" or "mow it four times in one sitting".

How often are you people mowing your lawn that that's even a concern? It's like this is "surburbs: the problem: the comment section"

We people vary frequency with weather. Lawn tractors are heavy and, due to moisture, ground isn't always hard. On large properties some of the ground stays moist longer due to drainage issues. So yes, after years of indifferent mowing, one can detect where wheels have been moving topsoil.
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