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Modern Minimalism

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81–90 of 94 posts

Re: Modern Minimalism

#81
post #13

Wait... 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.

It's satirizing the likes of Ev Bogue who actually used to post nonsense like that. I believe Bogue has changed from minimalist snobbery to "pretend to be a techie" snobbery now though. And I think he changed his name too.

Re: Modern Minimalism

#83
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?

No soap radio.

Re: Modern Minimalism

#84
I did the no-soap thing for awhile. I wouldn't recommend it, unless you're looking to live some kind of counter-culture lifestyle and purposefully alienate people in the mainstream who aren't as open-minded as you are.

Once I stopped, cut my hair and dressed more nicely, I noticed everyone around me, even the open-minded folk suddenly being a lot more friendly.

My take-away: don't cut your nose off to spite your face. Soap is one of those things society believes we need and it's not all that harmful, even if it doesn't really help things much. So just use it.

Re: Modern Minimalism

#85
post #21
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tackle those places with what?

Hot water will suffice

It really doesn't. I mean, after awhile you'll get used to bathing without soap and you won't think you'll smell, but you will. Especially if you stop using deodorant as well. If you're an anti-social sort and don't really care what people think about you, then knock yourself out, but if you like people like I like people, do them a favor and get some soap. It's cheap.

Re: Modern Minimalism

#86
post #67
post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah I mean, it's not like the advent of soap and the generalisation of it's use (along general hygiene) revolutionised the world or anything. All those people cleaning their clothes with soap on the river in the 16th century were clearly being lied by corporations who wanted their money.

And there are more than 7 billion people in this world. In japan, sick people wear face mask to minimize the spread of their sickness. We use vaccines to protect us. Humans are not perfect creatures. On a side note: does he at least use soap when he goes to the bathroom, you know, to have a shit?

I only wash my hands in the bathroom if I shit on my hands, and that happens at MOST two or three times a week.

Re: Modern Minimalism

#87
post #67
post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah I mean, it's not like the advent of soap and the generalisation of it's use (along general hygiene) revolutionised the world or anything. All those people cleaning their clothes with soap on the river in the 16th century were clearly being lied by corporations who wanted their money.

And there are more than 7 billion people in this world. In japan, sick people wear face mask to minimize the spread of their sickness. We use vaccines to protect us. Humans are not perfect creatures. On a side note: does he at least use soap when he goes to the bathroom, you know, to have a shit?

... They get vaccines in Japan. I can't tell if your wording was AWFUL or you think people in Japan don't get vaccines.

Re: Modern Minimalism

#88
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?

Hey guys, I'm the OP.

I have an iPhone/Macbook because I'm the technical co-founder of a web startup. I love technology and want to use technology to change the world. I try to stay up-to-date so I can understand what current technology is capable of. I understand that most minimalists don't love technology. That why I called it "modern minimalism" instead of "traditional minimalism".

You guys have a lot of questions and I'd love to answer all of them. I'm thinking about posting a video FAQ about modern minimalism. Would anyone be interested in that? I want to share everything I can with you about my lifestyle, and I'd love any feedback you guys have on how I can improve my lifestyle. I'm also interested in hearing about your lifestyles, as I respect and admire the Hacker News community a lot.

Re: Modern Minimalism

#89

> You don’t need any of those soapy substances. It’s all a big lie perpetrated by people who want your money. If you eat/sleep/exercise properly, you will almost never get sick and your body will never smell bad. You won’t need to overcompensate by wasting money on soapy substances. [citation needed]

Haha you're right. Point taken. I don't have a citation for that one. It's just an opinion I've formed based on my personal experience. I don't know if anything I've said will work for anyone else, but I know that it seems to work for me. In the future, would you suggest I make it more clear that I'm just expressing an opinion when I say stuff like that?

Re: Modern Minimalism

#90
post #17

As 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…

Great questions.

Every morning I wake up, exercise, take a shower, brush my teeth, and floss without shampoo/soap/toothpaste. Soapy substances have never seemed necessary for me.

I consulted my dentist about my decision not to use toothpaste. She said that if it works for me (which it currently is, according to her) then I'm fine.

I'm 99% sure I'm not smelly. Whenever I make a lifestyle choice that causes me to smell bad, my parents inform me of my foul odor. I've found that by keeping my hair short, eating healthy, and showering daily, I can avoid smelling bad. I did go a few days without showering once. I smelled bad after that, so the daily shower seems to play an important role in my smelling ok. I also shave my armpits to reduce the risk of smell even further. When they're clean-shaven, they pretty much don't sweat if I'm not exercising, so they don't produce much of a smell.

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