What do you swear by?

BromSwolligans@lemmy.world to Asklemmy@lemmy.ml – 412 points –

Brand, thing, behavior, method, advice, mantra, etc.

I swear by Blackwing pencils.

Also, the 'two minute rule', which has really improved my life: "if it takes two minutes or less to do, just do it now; if it takes longer, schedule it." I've got untreated attention issues and it's very easy for me to notice something needing done, and overlook or procrastinate it because it seems inconvenient in the moment. Having a totally painless rule that forces me to acknowledge that thing I should pick up, that trash bag I should change, etc, or, to at least put on my calendar anything I mustn't forget in the long run has been great for me.

270

uBlock Origin forever and always. I've recently reinstalled Windows within the last 30 days and thus have a fresh installation of my browser and uBlock Origin – I have already blocked 609,521 ads, wild.

https://ublockorigin.com/ (Platform links at the bottom)

Make sure you use it with Firefox. It works better.

Plus it's good to support the only other major browser rendering engine maker that isn't Google or Apple. Especially important with Google trying to shove "web DRM" down our troats recently.

I fucking love ublock origin. It really pains me that I cannot use it on my ipad.

Try using Safari and an extension called “AdGuard”

It’s not the exact same, but it’s better than nothing.

Is Firefox not available for iPad? Cuz if it is you can install Ublock Origin on Firefox Mobile, too

Apple has some insane policy where every browser on their mobile devices (iPhone and iPad) must run Safari's Webkit browser engine. So even though desktop and Android Firefox runs Quantum (including Mac OS), it's actually running Safari Webkit on iOS devices. The Safari Webkit engine doesn't have the option of running add-ons, much like your Safari browser.

Feel a little violated? I would feel that way, too. It's just one of the many fabulous ways Apple decides which angles of freedom you're allowed to have. If you don't want this, vote with your wallet on your next device. Money is the only motivating factor for Apple, it seems like.

I wonder how browsers like Orion work on IOS. You can install FF extensions like uBO and Privacy Badger on Orion.

Oh wow I had no idea! That's crazy! If only our legislators could recognize monopolies in tech like that. The inability to install your own desired browser without Apple seems like they have a monopoly on iOS browsers...

Thank you so much for bringing Orion to my attention! I have installed a few Firefox extensions to test it out. 👌

Yeah i might buy an android tablet if my ipad breaks.

While I agree that forcing an engine is really terrible, as a browser dev you do get the ability to do things with the web view. So in theory your browser could support addons. I think. Also isn't the EU kinda talking about this? Or am I misremembering

Amen. I occasionally use other people's phones or laptops and browsing the internet without an adblocker is an abysmal experience. I was surprised to see how many ads YouTube is pushing now. It's a shame they aren't accepting any donations.

I remember hearings about this few years back when AdBlock started getting shady. Haven't looked back

uBlock Origin forever and always.

Haha, most important program on my computer. My browser is a uBO support system.

600K in a month sounds about right. I have an install that's above 13 million, which is a little over 1 year of daily usage.

I also insta-install it when I see an ad and then remove it if it's not my device. The modern internet is shockingly bad without adblocking.

Learn to be curious. Don’t know that word, define it. Never heard of that person. Wikipedia. Ever wonder how a combustion engine works. Look it up. I grew up when I had to write things down and go the library. We live in an age of wonder with unlimited knowledge at your fingertips. There is no excuse for ignorance today. You’re just being indolent. Learn to be curious 🧐

Also. Admit when you are wrong and apologize.

There is no excuse for ignorance today. Your just being indolent

Fucksake 😂

Autocorrect. I should’ve added not to be pedantic because you’re insecure about your intelligence.

Edit: That was mean. I’m sorry.

I say a variation of this to my kids almost every week. It boggles the mind how, with such an easy access to all the information in the world, they don’t know something and just shrug it off instead of searching for information (90% of times a simple google search would do). I imagine myself at their age with such resources at my disposal: I’d have been a much happier (and knowledgeable) kid!

Yes, yes. This is me. I also love a quote adjacent to curiousity.

Be curious, not judgemental - From Ted Lasso, originally by Walt Whitman

2 more...

Respect is given

Disrespect is earned

"Respect is earned" - dickhead who expects to be respected by everyone else by default

I think that most of the people that say "respect is earned" just think of what respect means. Respect can either mean treating someone as your equal or treating someone as your superior.

I kind of think of it as politeness and humanity are given first, and then respect (or disrespect) is then earned.

Similar idea, but like you said it depends how you define respect.

I think being polite is one way to show respect to other people, but there are many others.

I agreed, it could be considered that. You can also be polite to people that you don't respect. It's semantics or personal context at some point.

I got a lifetime ban from Reddit for an answer like that

2 more...

Don't ever, for any reason, do anything to anyone for any reason ever, no matter what, no matter where, or who, or who you are with, or where you are going, or where you've been... ever, for any reason whatsoever...

Do you have any context? We all do things for other people all the time almost every day. At least that’s how I see it.

Obligatory "get a bidet" answer

"You are under no obligation to be the same person you were 5 minutes ago" - Alan Watts

This one is a bit hard-won for me. You see I used to be an asshole. It was my brand. I thought "it's just in my nature".

Fortunately, I was also a student of religion (mostly because I was a militant atheist. Know your enemy and all that). Studying Buddhism, I began to observe the nature of self. I found enough distance from it to see its transient nature.

I realized being an asshole was a choice and I could just as easily choose otherwise. Soon I began to discover this was true of most character traits.

I'm not saying you don't have consistent patterns of behavior. I'll hopefully always be curious and analytical. But for the most part, the way you conduct yourself and where you focus your attention is a choice.

So, if you're not happy with who you are maybe don't be so attached to the idea of 'who you are". And if that seems hard, observe what you pay your attention to and try to find the distance between observation and behavior. In that gap lies the choice you make, consciously or not, to be "you".

No offense, brother, but this is a great example of my swear-by.

Don't write a "wall of text." Even if a reader is interested, it's hard to read the whole thing.

Separate your wall into smaller sections, use bullet points (esp at work) if it helps.

Use small sentences. Forget what they told you about keeping similar ideas in one paragraph. You're not Salinger, and no one is expecting you to be.

This is a digital age, and our job as not-salinger is to convey information.

  • No offense taken

  • These are salient points

  • I edited my post

  • I hope it's easier to digest now

  • Thank you for the constructive criticism

The philosophy of Bill S Preston, Esquire, and Ted “Theodore” Logan:

“Be excellent to each other”

It’s really not that difficult to do the right thing, be an upstanding citizen, and contribute to a decent society.

Try leave everyone and everything better than you find it.

A few years ago I read a post about self improvement where someone wrote about the concept of no-zero-days to form habits. It basically means you just need to do something meaningful every day to make it count, even if it's something very small. Read one page in a book - no zero day, do 10k steps - no zero day..

Of all the things I read and tried in the past to change my behavior, get more active, learn new things etc, this by far worked the best for me and basically changed my life.

Right now I have 18 different habits I'm tracking on my phone. Things like reading, learning Spanish, doing chores, solving a puzzle on lichess, taking a cold shower, learning something about world affairs/history, taking care of my finances, meditating etc..

I don't need to do all of them, one is enough. But because they require so little effort I quickly started to do more and developed habits I don't need to force myself to do.

Now I have a 1500+ day streak on Duolingo and do 2-5 minutes of Spanish lessons every day. For more than 4 freaking years. This eventually ended up in visiting a language school in Spain last summer. One of my best vacations ever.

I read almost daily and found interest in new genres. I get enough exercise at least a few times a week. I educated myself about finances and now I don't live paycheck to paycheck, paid off my debt and started to save something.

I later read about this concept in the book Atomic Habits and found variations of it in songs like Little Acorns by the White Stripes. In the end it's about breaking things up into small, easy pieces so you don't get overwhelmed or give up before you even start.

If anyone asks me what I swear by it's this. It's like magic.

Little Acorns! That was my first exposure to this concept. Could you tell me a little more about your experience starting out, and what sort of systems you use to help? Or point me in the direction of a post for further reading (would you recommend Atomic Habits?)? I'm overdue for a big change in my life and I've been thinking about how to approach things as someone terrible at following through, so this has me interested. I'm not quite sure where to start though.

I think the reason why it worked so well for me from the beginning is because I really focused on the no-zero aspect. Make that your goal. You say you are ready for a big change. Break that up into the tiniest pieces. Be like the squirrel. If you haven't already, make today a no-zero. If reading is something you want your future self doing regularly, grab a book and read one page. Done. If you want to be more educated look something up on wikipedia that you heard on the news but have no concept of (today for me that was austerity). Done. I guess that's the secret. 0.01 is not zero. It's not the big change you have in mind but it's easy and doable. And over time these things become part of your identity. In a few weeks you are someone who reads regularly. Or someone who eats healthy stuff regularly. It's not something you dream about it's already who you are, no matter how much it is. Start with a few tiny things so you have different options to make it a no-zero and make sure to check at least one of them every day. Extend that pool of habits over time if you find new areas you want to improve on.

It was also very helpful for me (at least for some habits) to not focus on certain actions but be a little more open. The 18 things I'm tracking in the app right now are represented by emojis. The house emoji means I do something in the household. Making my bed, doing the laundry, whatever. The credit card emoji means it's about my finances. Putting some money to the side, investing in an ETF, reading something about budgeting.. it gives me more options to check off that item and extends my habits over time.

And I think it's important to be kind to yourself. I have a few things I aim for but don't check off a lot. Like writing a journal. I don't feel bad about it. I can come back to it later when other things have become more automatic. I still improve in other areas and that's fine.

What I quickly stopped doing is tracking the 'negative habits' I see regularly in these apps. Like not watching netflix, not smoking, not eating junk food. In my opinion it's way better to focus on the positives and more importantly it's much easier. If I take a cold shower in the morning or do my Spanish lesson then that's done. I'm already at no-zero and can focus on other things which is very rewarding.

Yes, I can recommend the book. It goes more into detail about how habits are formed and about tactics how you can make it easier to develop them.

But don't wait for the book. Do the 0.01 today. One acorn at a time. Be like the squirrel.

Thank you. I really appreciate you taking the time to go into detail for me.

It’s not something you dream about it’s already who you are, no matter how much it is.

I like this a lot. I'll be getting that book - but today's my first official no-zero day. Thanks again, wish me luck in gathering these acorns.

You can boost it a bit by tracking a few things that made you happy that day.

4 more...

When it comes to food: Try everything once. You never know if you like it if you never try it.

I’m not talking get a whole plate of the food, but just try a small bite.

I had an ex who wouldn't try anything, it was infuriating. I asked him once whether he liked a vegetable, he said no, I asked how it had been cooked when he had it as maybe he'd like it if it was done a different way, and he said he'd never tried it. The only vegetable he'd eat was broccoli. He got upset when I said he had the eating habits of a toddler but I stand by that.

Great advice, pre judging something is only hurting you. I don't get people who refuse to try, what really are you gaining? What is a few seconds to try something new vs a lifetime of missing out on your new favorite food? If you don't like it then drink a bit to wash the flavor out and move on!

My mother is especially bad at this. If it's not in a Midwest form she won't eat it. We went to an amazing dim sum place with her, we ordered dumplings, buns, vegetables, cuts of meat, everything. She ordered specifically chicken and noodle soup and only ate that, refusing to try anything else. I really pity her for not being able to even try anything.

I would add to this: if there's a food you don't like after trying it, still try it again if you end up somewhere famous for it.

Don't skimp on anything that separates you from the ground: shoes, tires, mattress, etc. Your body will thank you later

That's a great heuristic! I had to learn all of those individually and in part painfully.

I read a story on Reddit one time that some of you probably remember.

"Today you. Tomorrow me."

I think about that often and try to be a generally helpful and kind person to anyone in need. I guess that's a mantra that I swear by.

Kinda bonkers that people need the expectation of something good happening to them in order to do something good for someone else

1 more...
1 more...
  1. Uniqlos, one of the best bang for buck clothing items and uses great-quality material.
  2. Buy the cheapest tool if you plan to use it for the first time. If it breaks and you still need it, buy the best you can afford.

For me Uniqlo has taken a turn for the worse. Clothing I bought from them years ago is still in great condition. Things I’ve bought in the last year are falling apart and feel cheaper.

Until recently I loved Uniqlo. The price has gone up, the quality has gone down. I wont be buying anything from Uniqlo in the near future.

Wonder if I would notice this the next time I look for one when I run the material through my fingers.

They’ve been failing the “crumple test” for a few years now. The fabric holds a ton of wrinkles after bunching it in your hand.

Seconding Uniqlo - it's also got the bonus of being sort of "effortlessly fashionable" (especially if you're a woman) which is great if you're the sort of person who gets super anxious over social interactions but at the same time have no sense of what looks good.

Style-wise, they look like the same generic clothes that you can get anywhere. If you don't know what looks good, these aren't going to help you.

Don't buy cheap daily use items.

Shoes Mattress Car TV Computer

That doesn't mean buy the most expensive thing. if you rely on this thing to get you through the day, get yourself something of quality. Do your research. Often times, buying the more expensive thing now, can be cheaper in the long run.

Secondly: Use mental health professionals. Go to a therapist, psychologist, or anyone else trained to help people mentally. For years I advocated for my employees to seek help. I built work schedules around their appointments. I could tell that it help or productivity as a team. I did this for years. Finally, this year, I went to see a therapist myself. I've been having depression problems for a while but I never took my own advice. Now, just 4 months later I'm doing way better. Not perfect, but I can tell I've made very good progress.

I disagree about the TV. Unless you are flush with cash a $300 LCD TV is perfectly good in 2023, you won’t lose any life satisfaction from not having the new $3000 OLED TV.

Most of the time there’s a cap after which there are diminishing returns. A $700 phone will probably last you a good 3-4 years, compared to a shitty year or two with a $300 one. However, a $1500 phone isn’t gonna be that much better and won’t last that much longer to be worth it.

Counterpoint: Folding a $700 phone in half breaks it, while doing that to a $1800 Galaxy Z Fold 4 is expected use 😄

I disagree with your disagreement. There is an EXTREMELY noticeable difference between a quality OLED and a $300 LED, and it brings me much joy.

If you can live with an LCD TV then more power to you. Personally, they bother me to no end. Considering how much I use my TV I don’t want to deal with hours of annoyance over the terrible picture quality every day.

I sold computers for a major big box retailer for a while, and always tried to sell honestly. So many many stupid people.

"I know you are eyeing that 250 dollar Toshiba, but I really recommend this one for 50 dollars more that has a much better processor and ram"

"Stop trying to upsell us, we're taking this one"

Bud I wasn't trying to upsell you. I'm saying the Toshiba is hot garbage and you'll be back in a week complaining its slow. I know you don't want to spend too much, which is why I memorized each computer we have, and I'm telling you take this i5 over that Celeron.

To be fair, for so long those positions were commissioned cut throat positions that consumers just instinctively assume they are being scammed when a sales person approaches them.

I am surprised they didn't also reply, I suppose you want me to buy that additional 2 year warranty too? (Which would have been funny if you retorted "you will need one for that Toshiba!")

Yup, exactly right, which is why I tried to be very honest with people. I wasn't commissioned, I really just wanted them to get the best product for their use, but most took that as me trying to scam them.

And funny about the warranty lol, because yup we had to hock that too, but I chose which people I pitched what to. "Aw no you aint giving me no accident protecting warranty". "Lady you just told me how your demonspawn kid ruined your last laptop, maybe it's not such a bad idea to get one of these warranties".

but dude comes in who obviously knows computers? Nah I don't need to pitch a warranty to him

No-one ever lay on their death bed wishing they'd done more ironing.

On the whole (unless it's necessary for a professional environment) it's a waste of time. I iron nothing, and got rid of my ironing board because it was just getting in the way. I've kept my iron just in case, but last time it was used was about 5 years ago when a friend was staying who needed to iron a shirt for a funeral.

I've found that a hand-held steamer (use distilled water) gets me by for those few cases where the wrinkles just have to be addressed.

Why distilled?

Distilled water has no dissolved solids, so when its turned into steam it leaves nothing behind. If you use regular tap water you’ll be eventually left with crusty calcium buildup on the nozzle of the device.

Fair question.

Some devices, like hand steamers or Kurigs have thin internal tubing for all this super hot water that goes through them. That makes them prone to clogging from mineral deposits, and they're basically impossible to clean manually. Vinegar can help with buildup, but then you have to deal with the vinegar smell.

So just use distilled water instead, as if it were a CPAP.

Non-distilled water will eventually corrode the steamer.

I just hang stuff up in the bathroom and spray with my plant mister, usually does the job.

I'd rather wear creases than iron apart from shirts. That crease releaser is rather decent while being in the shower too. Smells good as well.

Comparison is the thief of happiness.

I've found that by just focusing on what I have/can do and being content, I am generally very happy.

I agree completely. The original quote is, “Comparison is the thief of joy." ~ Theodore Roosevelt

Never piss off the people who make your food, cut your hair, or work on your teeth.

Adding to this, consider a second opinion on any dental work. One quoted me for a big job, but because of circumstances, I ended up going to a different dentist and they didn't see anything wrong with my mouth. Been a number of years since and there's been no problems without any work being done.

Sugaring.

I'll never understand why people continue to wax when sugar is an option. Wax is heated up to an extreme degree, which is why people can get burned. It sticks to your skin and rips off the top layer, which is why infections are common amd why its so goddamn painful. Wax requires multiple single-use paper strips, which is waistful.

Sugar never gets that hot so you'll never get burned. It only sticks to your hair, not your skin, so infection risk is much lower and it's not nearly as painful. No paper strips required, and only one glob of sugar is used.

Overall, all around, sugaring is far superior to waxing.

I just learned about this. Does this work well for men? The material I see online is all focused on women.

I struggle a lot with body hair and mostly rely on hair removal creams because everything else has too many annoying drawbacks. Would he nice to have a more long-lasting option that doesn't hurt my skin (and until I save enough to get laser removal)

Yes! If there's an option to do so in your area, definitely give it a try! I don't think you'll ever go back to using those creams.

Zipper cases. These are thin pillowcases that close with a zipper. You then put the normal pillowcase over the zippercase.

Why? Because it extends the life of your pillow. A normal pillowcase can slide while sleeping, etc... which can cause your face, hair, head, body, and all the oil it produces to get on the pillow itself. With the zippercase, you have a second line of defense to keep the pillow fresh.

Sure, you can clean the pillow, or run it through a gentle cycle in the wash, but it is way better to just avoid that. Let the double layer of protection do most of the work and absorb that body oil.

Change case 1 or 2 times weekly, change/wash zippercase weekly. Your pillow will stay fresh and clean and much more pleasant for longer, for a minimal amount of added work of putting that second case on.

Anyway I hope you are sold.

And to add on to this - curly-haired people, put a silky case on your pillow. It will not snag your hair nearly as badly as a non-silky one does, which means less frizz when you get up in the morning.

Zipper cases. These are thin pillowcases that close with a zipper.

For people googling, I've always seen them sold as pillow protectors.

The journey is the destination.

I have a problem with rushing through things. This has helped me slow down and appreciate what I'm doing. I'm not doing something so I can enjoy it after it's done, I'm doing it to enjoy what I'm doing.

Any wisdom to share about how to be successful slowing down in this way? I'm a major rusher through. I even got a tattoo to remind me to slow down. But I often forget.

It's not easy.

When I feel myself rushing I try to think about why I'm in a rush and what I'll actually gain. Like maybe rushing through a task will let me play a video game or something, but what does that do? Let's me relax? Why not relax now and try to enjoy what I'm doing, or at least avoid having to do it twice.

You got a "Leeroy Jenkins" tattoo?

Random list but I am told I am a unpaid ambassador for:

  • Vitamix
  • Zero inbox for work
  • Stoic mindfulness / negative visualizations / Momento Mori
  • Birkenstocks , even if they went a bit downhill
  • Star Trek
  • Chimes peanut butter ginger candy
  • Tea…in general
  • Merino wool socks
  • Lemmy

Brew your own coffee. I used to drink instant coffee (think nescafe but with lots of sugar) or just buy from coffesshops. Now I just buy the beans I love, grind some and make it the way I want (how strong or milky etc). I no longer have acid reflux from goddamn instant coffee powder and stay fit since I don't put any sugar in it. Also saves some money from buying in coffeeshop everyday.

I have a buddy that puts hundreds of dollars into the fanciest coffee machines he can buy. He buys bags of beans from all over the world.

I have a $20 grinder, a $11 coffee pot from Kroger purchased in 2013, and while I do buy nice bags of coffee several times a a year, my typical bag is store brand who bean for $7 and I'll splurge on a nice $15 bag from time to time.

I can't tell the difference in taste when I am at his place. However, instant coffee is disgusting and I cannot sip it without a shit load of creamer to dilute the awfulness.

The problem with the 2 minute rule is when it recurses.

Or when you have like 59 things that take under two minutes, so you have to spend hours doing them anyway. So you just don't do them because you don't want to have to spend hours on chores on your one day off.

Isn't this the point though? Like, if you spot that (let's concretize) the trash is starting to overflow, you can either take it out right now which will take you 2 minutes and (hopefully) barely interrupt your day, or you can add it to your list of things to do. And so you get that list of 59 things by ignoring the 2-minute rule, not by applying it.

I have attention issues to and I can spend an entire day bouncing between two minute distractions. A list with three things that need to get done that day is what works for me. Sounds short, you can always do extras after, but having that list makes sure at least three things get done.

Also, iron skillets.

CeraVe unscented lotion punches way above it's class. Cheap enough to use as body lotion, good enough to use as face lotion. Apparently even the unimaginably rich Bryan Johnson, who does nothing but take care of his body and spends thousands a month on it, still uses this drugstore lotion because there really isn't much better at any price.

Would recommend. I stopped using it because it never played nicely with my sunscreen, but if you're looking for an inexpensive face moisturizer, CeraVe's moisturizing lotion is really good.

  1. Don't mess with people
  2. Don't mess with people's stuff
  3. Don't poke the bear

Mantra:

  • A former coach used to say to us, "If you cut corners in practice, you'll cut corners in games. If you cut corners in games, you'll cut corners in life." It's a good reminder to do things right whenever and wherever you can. Every action you take is training your brain!

Product-wise:

  • I swear by Dorset Cereals' muesli lmao. It is such a small thing but I absolutely love all the flavours and recommend them to everyone I know. If I were a different sort of person, I'd be approaching them for a brand deal, what with all the word-of-mouth advertising I do for them 😂

  • I also swear by my Blundstones. They're great for walking, they always keep my feet dry in my very moist city, and they have lasted me really well so far.

You cannot pay people or companies to care. Do/Build it yourself whenever possible. And use this rule to fake unnecessarily expensive things like furniture or clothing. In most cases your worst service will still be better than hiring someone or buying a product from a company.

Compeed Blister Plasters. They are the best and excellent to have on hand after a long walk or breaking in new boots. No other brand or non-name brand comes even close.

For a moment I was wondering whether the "two minute rule" was a lower hygiene standard for the acceptable time in which you can eat things after dropping them on the floor.

The only thing I've found in life that I find super helpful or swear by is using dated lists to organise what needs doing in my life.

2 minute rule. Is anything that you can do in 2 minute. Do it.

Its meant for you to complete tasks you may otherwise have no interest in doing or low in your priorities.

The dated lists I find helpful as well - I've been doing this daily for the past few months just to keep track of work tasks and personal tasks that I really shouldn't forget about.

Pilot G2 pens. Not expensive and write well, use them at work and not be too upset if s customer walks off with one.

SAS shoes. Made in Texas, hella comfortable. You can’t buy them online, you have to go to a shoe store and get properly fitted. They also fit the saying about not skimping on things that come between you and the ground.

Does anyone have a good alternative to the G2 pens? They’re great pens, but the ink is so thick and wet that it smears too easily and frequently for me. I’ve been on the hunt for something nearly as good.

I'm a fan of the Schmidt p9000 fine. It's a g2 size refill. I'm a nurse and my facility still has paper charts for certain day to day things, so I write quite a bit. Definitely recommend a try. They're around $2.50 each.

Pentel Energel with the metal clip (the plastic version breaks too easily), with my second favorite Uni-ball signo 207.

Maybe get a smaller point, like extra fine instead of fine. I think .5 is the finest point they make.

They also have a 0.38mm but the point is so sharp that it can easily tear pages. Definitely reduces the wetness factor though!

1 more...
1 more...

Why are there so many writing utensil suggestions in this thread? I haven't written anything down physically in years, I don't even know why you'd need a pencil or paper anymore.

Three is a certain quality to writing things down. It is a nice break from screens, makes you contemplate and elaborate on your thoughts. It works that way for me.

because I can write something down, right now, without trying to boot up a device, find an app, open a word processor, or anything.

and it stays, exactly as is. interuptions dont risk losing it. power outages wont make it disappear. dead batteries wont render it inaccessable. Software update wont render it corrupt.

Musicians need pencils and erasers to work with sheet music. The music itself is printed, but you still need to write down fingering, dynamics markings, tempo markings, highlight ideas/themes/passages, etc...

Also, writing things down physically has become almost painful for me. I do have atrocious handwriting, which probably contributes to this feeling.

Have you tried fountain pens?

Yes. I too like to ruin not one but four pages at a time with my terrible handwriting

What do you mean?

I have terrible handwriting. In top of that problem, I sometimes use too much pressure. And I tend to leave the pen on the paper while I think of what I'm going to write. With a fountain pen, too much pressure means more ink released, which leaves ugly blotches that readily soaks through a few pages.

So not only is the first page ruined by my initially ugly handwriting, the succeeding pages are further ruined with the blotches of ink that soaked through.

Ah, thank you for clarifying. If it helps at all, fountain pens can write with minimal pressure (although getting out of the habit of using a lot of pressure is hard to break [I personally blame shitty ballpoint pens + the intense pressure of standardized tests in the state of New Jersey for why I wrote way too hard for so much of my life]). As far as bleed thru goes, there are different brands and types of paper that help mitigate this too. Even if you're not using fountain pens, I would recommend trying different paper for more comfortable hand writing tasks.

Also, I'm sorry if it comes across as proselytizing. I just really like my current writing tools, and I spent a long time of my life hating my handwriting (and hating writing by hand because of how I'd cramp up). Because of that, I just want to share my experience with other methods

Writing and drawing aren't lost arts, yet ;)

There's strong evidence, by the by, that writing things down by hand works different parts of your brain than typing does. This can be great for somebody like me, with untreated attention issues, as writing things down by hand can help me remember them better. It takes longer to do, so your mind is on it longer, and particularly when I'm journaling, it seems to help me parse through what feels like a jumble of chaotic, circular thoughts by laying them down one word, one letter at a time on paper.

And since I write pretty much everyday, whether it's notes at work, the occasional journal entry, or little notes for later in a nice Moleskine pocket notebook, I'd like that experience to be as nice as possible, in the same way a typist might invest in a mechanical keyboard (with just the right feeling and sound for their tastes) or anybody who can afford to will invest in a quality mattress, etc.

If you ever do give handwriting a shot, or if you get into art someday, you might check out some of the pencil and pen recommendations in the responses to this post. They can be a real treat when compared against, like, a standard no. 2 pencil you got in a box of 50 for $2.

Otterbox phone cases are legit.

If you cook, invest in good knives and keep them sharp.

Aye!

I bought some stupid expensive Japanese cooking knives and a grinding stone and I am never ever going back to the cheap stuff.

Not of you have a foldable, they aren't. Otterbox cases used to be good, but they can't seem to figure out proper hinge protection like the other case manufacturers have. So they just leave the hinge exposed.

Already broke one foldable when my phone landed directly on the unprotected hinge and shattered the inner screen. Thankfully the phone was insured, but I'll never buy another Otterbox again. The $20 generic case I purchased is built much better and actually protects the entire phone, hinge and all.

Good to know, I don't have any experience with the folding phones.

Folding phones are just status symbols for people who like to buy expensive trash.

Much like anything with an apple logo.

It's actually very useful. I can bring a tablet everywhere I go without having to charge and carry two separate devices. And it fits in my pocket!

A foldable is worth it for restaurant menus alone. Videos are so much better too.

Folding phones are trash and not a Metric to decide the status of Otterbein as a whole.

Fountain pens, good inks, and good paper.

The cost difference is so small, and the output is significantly better than anything I've ever written with a ballpoint.

Not to mention the enjoyment around the rituals and processes that go with.

It's also better for your hands if you do a lot of writing! You're not constantly applying pressure like you are with a ballpoint so your hands don't get as tired

Jailbreaking my iPhone because stock iOS is boring and there are so many QOL features I’m used to, I can’t imagine using iOS without them

What are some of your favourites?

Activator - I use this to automatically enable LPM when a charger is connected or when I leave my house, holding Vol Up for Next Song/Vol Down for Prev. Song, Hold Vol Up & Down to Pause, Hold top-right of Status Bar for a custom App Drawer from any App

CCSupport - I mainly use this for putting something that should already be in the Control Center toggles, a damn location button!!

AppStore++ - Let’s you downgrade any app to any version you wish & block app updates

BetterCCXI - Make the CC Music Module display the Now Playing song/video Album Cover/Art without holding it down

ChromaHomebarX - Customize homebar color to your liking or do a RGB animation at what ever speed you prefer

Facebook/Messenger/Instagram/Twitter No Ads - Self Explanatory, and allows downloading pics/videos

DLEasy - Downloading of pics/video from even more apps

EvilScheme - A more powerful Default Apps picker

MYbloXX - A more powerful Ad Blocker than any App Store equivalent bc Apple doesn’t allow hosts file editing on stock iOS

Rose - Haptic Feedback on not just Keyboard, but almost anywhere of your choosing. For example, when I change songs or the volume I get haptic feedback.

Shortmoji - Replace prediction bar with sliding emoji drawer or Cut/Copy/Paste/etc functions or add either between the Emoji & Dictation buttons. Can even customize keyboard color or make it an animated RGB keyboard

This is just a few I can remember off the top, but there’s a whole lot more. A lot of iOS “features” originate in the Jailbreak scene. Screen recording functionality/code was in iOS 8 by Apple, but wasn’t introduced/enabled until iOS 11. JB Tweaks to do that existed before then.

I feel like jailbreaking is often a real chore. The ongoing game of cat and mouse, you know. Is it easy enough to do these days, and do untethered? I haven't really taken great advantage of jailbreaking since like, iPhone 4. But your comment makes it sound like a practical necessity!

Those days are long gone, I’m afraid. It’s not as simple as patching an IPSW like it used to be. The jailbreak scene has been pushed to the edge of a cliff by Apple with each update, especially after iOS 10. iPhone 8/8+/X and lower are jailbreakable for life due to an unpatchable bootrom exploit (checkm8), but it doesn’t mean much now that those devices won’t get iOS 17. Recently, Apple added another security measure (cryptex1) to make it near impossible to downgrade. It’s pure luck these days if/when a jailbreak gets released & for what iOS version. Oh and it’s been so long since the last untethered jailbreak, I can’t remember the name of the last one. All of them are Semi-Untethered (sideload an app with the exploit, but you would have to resign it every 7 days in case your phone reboots unless you own an Apple Dev Account)

Wow, thank you for the comprehensive reply! I think you can do the Low Power Mode automation with Shortcuts, but none of the rest.

The holding vol up/down is cool, as are the no ads apps.

You’ve given me something to ponder, maybe on an old phone. Cheers!

I can't imagine using iOS...

With Apple making jailbreaks harder to achieve by beefing up security in 16 (there’s progress on a potential <= 16.5 JB) & even 17, I can’t imagine using iOS for much longer either lol

My very first smartphone was a hand me down iPhone 3G. I ended up modding the piss out of it with jailbreak stuff. Eventually used a friend's Android phone, which I hadn't really interacted with at that point and realized I had essentially turned my iPhone into an Android. My next phone was an Android and all of them have been since. If you're the type of person who likes (and gets value out of) doing tweaking, you probably should just get an Android. Many of the things you listed are doable with apps downloaded straight from the Google Play store.

I’ve been keeping my eye on the Galaxy line of phones, my last Android phone was a rooted S6. The fact that nearly-every iPhone out there is the same (OS-wise) makes it that much more valuable to me vs switching, since most Androids have easy root capabilities/customization so it’s overlooked. Going out in public and watching confused eyes watch my phone because it looks & acts different from what they’re used to is the beauty and value of it, from my perspective. Not to mention the resale market for iPhones on a jailbreakable version.

3 more...

Damn. I left ios after iPhone 4 or 5, one of the reasons was that jail breaking was becoming nearly impossible and Android felt kind of like it was already jailbroken. I assumed it was a dead art by now. Is it still easy to do or a constant game of complex catchup?

Not as easy as it once was. Security was beefed up with every iteration after iOS 10, in the hardware (post-iPhone X) and the software. 10 was the last good time of jailbreaking ease, where a jailbreak.me type of exploit was released. It’s pure luck now. Most talented developers have either left the scene due to ungrateful people, sadly, or joined Apple’s Bounty program. You can’t tell what version a brand-new boxed iPhone is on because Apple obfuscated the serial numbers. iOS 15 introduced SSV (Sealed System Volume) meaning no touching root, forcing a halt which was eventually solved with “rootless” jailbreaks. They made it harder to downgrade to a jailbreakable version due to SEP (Secure Enclave Processor), and Blobs are useless now because of cryptex1, introduced in iOS 16. This means no downgrades to unsigned firmwares at all except within patch versions (like 16.3 and 16.3.1). iOS 17 could be even worse, time will tell.

3 more...

Throw away something I haven't touched in the past 2 years. It's helped me declutter my home.

I paint gaming miniatures, and the only varnish I will use is Testors brand. One pass with high gloss because it's more protective, one pass with "dullcote" because it gives it a matte and neutral finish.

Every other product I've tried has turned out cloudy, frosted, not the finish I want, or even cracked. So at some point I stopped attempting to find an alternative and just only use Testors.

See, they only sell it at one craft store in my area and it's in a locked case so you have to get an employee and there's only like two in the whole store. And it's expensive. So I don't like that hassle, wanted to find something easier to get, but nothing was ever even acceptable. So, it's Testors Dullcote only.

Dr Bronner's liquid castile soap

Alba botanica maximum lotion (I got very dry skin)

Rotring, Staedtler, Pentel for writing utensils

Lenovo Thinkpads

ThinkPads are great. I'm going for a Framework for my next laptop, though.

Yeah, but newer ThinkPads aren't as good. That's why I would go for a Framework as well.

I'm still using my P50. What's up with the newer models?

Far less replaceable and repairable. As for the older models, they can only be upgraded to an extent. That means running any modern software or gaming is basically impossible.

If you booze often, B1 vitamin will make you feel like a relatively normal human. You will still piss out your ass, but strength and endurance gains are still achievable. The only thing holding back this functional alcoholic is sleep. Booze destroys my sleep so I should prob quit, it's aging me.

My motto: if you do what you did, you get what you got.

It mostly serves to remind me (and my public, voluntarily or otherwise) that if you are unhappy with something and want it to change for the better, you'll have to change parameters (i.e. your approach) or you will just get the same result.

Sugar alternatives like allulose and monkfruit have been making my life so much better recently. A little more pricey than sugar, but so much better for you and allows me to keep enjoying a sweet cup of tea in the morning without any of the downsides

Good shoes and a good mattress. Those things can really have a profound impact on quality of life.

I discovered the mythical and magical power of a great mattress. One day I'll be able to afford one, once I grow a spare kidney.

Usually right next to the thing that caused me to cuss.

Zebra F-301 Pink Barrel / Black Ink 0.7mm

I had been using the regular F-301 pen since my early twenties. A year ago, I found a seller on Amazon that was selling the pink barrel / black ink F-301’s for what works out to be $2.10 a piece. My pens tend to go missing from time to time at work, so I bought a bunch.

Worth it.

People are assholes, who greedily eat up kindness and never, ever return it, no matter how much you need it in the moment.

They'll trauma dump on you, and not even listen to a word of your problems.

They'll beg you to help them push their dead car half a mile home, and guffah hard and say they arent your slave if you ask them to pick something up when they'll already on their way to your place.. something important for the favor you're doing for them.

They demand respect, but the second you expect it in turn you are worthless trash.

Its not a matter of if they hurt you, its simply a matter of when.

This made me surprisingly sad to read and I hope you will find people who are not like this in your future.

I don't think I have anyone like that in my life. Not because they don't exist, but because I choose who I wish to spend my time with.

I firmly believe we should all strive to be the change we wish to see in this world, and I also believe it rubs of on others. Don't be a afraid to cut cancer out of your life my friend. It hurts while you cut, but it's better for you in the long run.

Tyler's Glamorous Wash. I used to buy the cheapest detergent I could find, and laundry was just a means to an end. Now I look forward to laundry because it freshens up my whole home for a week.

I see your blackwings and I raise you my mechanical contestant - the uniball kuru toga. The rotating lead gimmick actually works pretty well and the elite has just such a nice weight to it because the barrel is this nice knurled metal thing (I think the advance upgrade is also metal, but I don't have that one to compare)

Speaking of uniball, while I'm normally a fountain pen adherent, my go to non-fountain pen is the uniball eye. Such a surprisingly nice pen for the price, and while it's not exactly the same, because it's a liquid ink roller ball it's still much nicer to write with because you don't have to apply pressure to make it write.

Oh I've been curious about mechanical pencils with rotating lead! The rotation mechanism activates whenever you lift the tip up off the page right? Do you think it would still benefit folks who mostly write in cursive?

It behaves closer to a regular mechanical pencil for cursive, but there is some difference. Ngl I use mine for maths and numbers and diagrammes so I don't run into that issue a lot

They're neat (I've only tried Uni's), though imho I prefer the manual control of a regular mech/pencil when writing in cursive, because then I can choose when to rotate the lead (ie by rotating the entire pencils).

If you're used to writing with pencils you don't even think about it anymore. It's as natural as dotting an i.

I have got a laundry list of quotes made by me. Let me put up some:

  • You have to dream even before you start doing something

  • Overbearing parenting is child abuse

  • Do you want a lovely, smart, well-achieved, conversationally witty wife or not? If yes, first of all, go work on yourself

  • The world's not a fair place. So what are you going to do about it?

  • Everything is learnable

Not writing "Mr.", "Mrs.", or "Ms." in documents. Waste of ink, typing time, and reading time.

"what do you want from the store?" "I'm in the mood for chocolate, I'll take some M&"

shit i think i need to update the regex again

Underwater Hockey. Actually an amazing sport and I am so glad I found it.

If someone can't explain how something works, they either don't know how it works out don't want you to know how it works.

Things can be complicated and have nuance, but there should be a general basic theory.

The thing is, sometimes you just can't find the right words to explain it in a simple way. It happens to me all the time.

I usually forgive not knowing the right vocabulary as long as it is close enough.

Finding vocabulary at all can be a challenge in and of itself. If I get too lost for words I sometimes can't find any - it's not that I don't know how things work, I don't know how to say it.

I tend to explain stuff to myself to figure out if I think I got it. Sometimes I try explaining stuff on reddit and hope anyone corrects me if I'm wrong. Works great imho.

The water cooler. You?

I have a water cooler at home that does hot and cold water too. Best home purchase ever.

No no, you misunderstand me. I prefer to stand by the water cooler and swear. :)

As far a clothing goes, FIGS Supersoft underscrubs. Having worn plain black T-shirts my whole life and working in healthcare it’s nice being able to wear clothes that make me feel comfortable and kind of not at work, if that makes any sense. Really soft and don’t seem to lose colour! New Balance 574 have always served me well!

Kind of expensive (and apparently shilled by people on TikTok and Instagram), but I've been loving the Fabletics brand. Their payment format is super weird, but they gave like 70% off everything the first time I signed up, so I got a bunch of stuff for cheap and cancelled.

It's all really comfortable and really well-made.

  1. Seasonic PSU-s.
  2. Locally roasted coffee that hasn't sat in some dusty warehouse and on shop shelf for 3 years.
  3. Sun Tzu's Art of War.

Indo me migoreng noodles blue pack on peanut butter toast. It's so good and easy to eat.

On a light note, I'm a slut for Bethesda, atleast I skipped Fallout 76 but I'm gonna preorder Starfield. I was 11 when Skyrim came out and it's very near and dear to me and I love some aspects of Fallout 4. ESO was also not bad and I play Elder Scrolls Legends. I'm seeing this through to the end bois ✌️.

On a serious note, I swear by never drinking alone or without someone I trust as much as my partner. Nothing bad happened to me but I have several negative experiences with drinking in my family. And technically my dad died riding a motorcycle drunk, but I don't think being sober would have saved him from that specific incident.

I just never ever want to be anything close to an alcoholic. I feel like I would get addicted if it was more convenient and didn't taste bad. Fear of addiction is also why I'm wary of gambling.

Is Legends still worth playing? I stopped after they announced there were going to be no new updates. Seems like with no new cards being added it's only a matter of time before the most consistent/best/unbeatable deck comes is devised.

I've been enjoying it, there's still consistent players and a good variety of decks I've fought.

Though you will learn to groan when you see an Oblivion Gate, Midnight Burial, or Paarthurnax.

My personal gripe is that there are so many ways to destroy/silence creatures and not many full proof counters. I'll have several turns of placing something down, it gets destroyed, repeat.

But I always play ranked and at the moment have an equipment based deck, and a deck built around creatures that deal damage. Hardly meta but with each I win about half the time and slowly climb the ranks.

Appreciate the feedback. Maybe I'll pick it up again. I managed to grind my way to Legend rank before giving up.

Etnies shoes. I will die with a pair of them on my feet. They're the only ones that are comfortable, wear out in more than a few months, look generic enough to pair them with most of my clothes and are reasonably priced.

Putting new tasks down to get to them later at work when I see something I had not planned on doing. Just make a ticket and throw it in the backlog. It is amazing how those little 5 minute things can eat into the work you said you were going to be doing now.

Also, "the Scotty principle ". Basically always say something will take longer than it will.

https://tinyhydra.com/the-scotty-principle/

Zoflora cleaning products. All the ones like Fabulosa etc are just poor imitations. Zoflora have the best scents and cleaning power.

That, and a scrub daddy with the power paste. I can clean anything with those products.

Ditto on the Two-Minute Rule. Getting stuff out of my head in general.

Vent (and especially swear!) to reduce physical pain, but absolutely not to reduce psychic/emotional pain. Venting just makes you hold onto psychic pain longer.

Sodastream. And not the electronic ones.

Oil of Olay has an in-shower body lotion/body conditioner that works better than any regular lotion I have ever used. And I've tried them all. You shower normally, rinse, and what I do is turn off the shower and just use my hands to swipe water off myself so I can get better coverage with the lotion. Then I start from my head and work my way down with the lotion. (Doing it this way saves on product too). When I'm done, turn the water back on and rinse off. The stuff is magical. I have to be careful of things I put on my skin due to some sensitivity issues, and I have zero problems with this. It's stupid expensive and nearly impossible to find in stores anymore so I have to get it online, but it's worth it. After a week of not using it, my skin is a flakey, itchy mess.

They have a version with lavendar and retinol in it now as well, but I haven't tried that one. I just use the regular one.

I thought this was going down the Patrick Bateman route in the middle.