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Comment by ufmace | Hacker News Reader

Hadn't read this in a while - this made me think of similar applications of the same idea. I remember when I was shooting IDPA competitions, I made myself physically touch the chamber every time I cleared a firearm to ensure there was no ammunition there. If you're tired or distracted, it's too easy to just do a quick visual glance and maybe miss something. Physically touching it forces you to slow down and pay attention.

Techniques along this pattern seem like a good idea for anything that people do that has serious consequences for any screwups. Fortunately, current dayjob has plenty of procedure for production deployments. I've tried to come up with similar things when working for smaller teams with less procedure. When you're distracted, panicked, or in a rush is the highest risk for screw-ups, and so the most important time to slow down, double-check everything and make sure you get it right.

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Walk out a door, slap all my pockets: keys, phone, wallet.

Eeee macarena - ay!

Strangely enough this is a very gendered thing, to the point where multiple women have pointed it out to me as the 'male 3-tap', and there isn't an equivalent 'purse shake' or likewise.

No, they have the "where's my keys?"-rummaging-thru-purse. :-)

I do this as well. I wonder if anyone else has made this mistake. The habit of the 3 tap has become so subconscious to me that if I have to remember another object, like tickets to a show or something I'm bringing to someone, I will then do the 3 tap and forget my phone.

Yeah, same here. In fact, I do this very often and as soon as I get on or off a bus. Don't know if I started this as a conscious thing or not, but now it's completely automatic.

Once I slapped my pockets after leaving a bus and felt a missing wallet at the same time the bus took off. That was a horrible feeling, like getting shaken out of a dream or something, I became hyper aware of the present. Until I realized I for once put the wallet in my breast pocket since it was crowded :)

My boyfriend has a more amusing (and slightly inappropriate) version of this, but oddly enough doesn't mention keys or phone in his version.

Does it involve spectacles and testicles?

Junk checking is important; gotta make sure the bits didn't teleport away.

Me: CRAP WHERE IS MY PHONE?

Also me: Honey, hold this. < hands phone to wife > Continues to rummage through all pockets looking for my phone.

I've absolutely done the following:

Walk out of office door. Lock office door. Immediately panic that I've just locked my keys in the office. Unlock door. Search a surprisingly long time for said keys. Sigh disappointely when I realize what just happened.

Yeah, but have you ever taken a final test, finish it early, go to the front desk, return to proof read it, place the paper in your back pack and just walk out, without submitting your test?

I'm thankful the driver's side of my VW van doesn't allow locking the door without closing it first. Unfortunately, the sliding door and passenger's side allow locking while open, so I'm always worried about locking my keys in when locking them even though I have 2 sets of spares.

Me: Where are my sunglasses?

(Rummages through all vehicles, drawers, closets, trash, dirty clothes, and attic storage.)

(Starts digging up the yard and opening up the walls.)

(Finally looks up.)

Me: Oh

I always wonder if in those situations where you find yourself rechecking it is related to this:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-walking-throu...

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