Ask HN: What Are Your Idiosyncrasies? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: What Are Your Idiosyncrasies?

16 pointscercatrova17 comments

What kinds on interesting things do you do that out most people don't, even among the HN audience?

I've seen examples range from

- building a log cabin and spending under 1k a month

- running all webpages through text only browsers, not using smartphones

- long term traveling for years in end

- living separately from romantic partners, or polyamory

- watching shows, movies at high speed

- bio hacking, lucid dreaming, polyphasic sleep

And more. It can be anything from tech, lifestyle, relationships or other categories.

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- Whenever I cross a road, I always look both sides (even if the road is one-way only). I only cross if: cars are fully stopped and traffic lights are green (if any).

I see countless of people that cross the road without even checking if cars stop. They solely rely on the traffic lights. I'm in western europe.

Intelligence is realizing you only have to look one way to cross a one-way street.

Wisdom is looking both ways anyways.

This was drilled into me as a kid (west EU as well); I always check both ways, even when I already saw the street is empty before. It is just automatic.

I don't like smartphones and I have no mobile apps that I use other than (occasionally) maps and the 2-factor app my work requires, which is really the reason I have a smartphone at all. 99% of my phone usage is just as a phone.

I like old cars because they don't have too much technology in them; I'm clinging to a couple of old Toyotas and hopefully I die before they do.

I don't own a television, I watch very little content on any platform. Youtube I use for instructional videos and music. I block every ad possible on the internet and I can't remember the last time I saw a commercial; the less exposure I have to advertising, the more sensitive I become to it and now commercials disgust me.

Legal nootropics are fun to try. Caffeine, being a very oldskool staple of the nootropic world is my usual go-to. But there's tonnes of (legal) substances to experiment with. Just type in 'Nootropics' on Amazon, pick a product, then read all the ingredients for a who's who of substances you can use. My favorite 'stack' is caffeine 200mg + Theanine, and 5-htp+valerian+melatonin for sleep. Lions Mane mushrooms are also great, and great combined with Choline which you can naturally get from eggs.

Dunno about you guys but IMHO it’s quite hard to identify these traits in oneself :)

- I use a Chrome/FF extension to add custom themes to web pages. Over the past year the app's been incredibly buggy (i.e. the theme gallery doesn't load), so I've taken to making my own. I've made some for W3 Schools, MDN, eBay, HNews, and more.

- At some point when I'm playing tennis, I'll tap my shoes with the tip of my racquet and shift my shorts/pants around, exactly like Link from Ocarina of Time does when he's been idle.

- I enjoy re-reading text conversations from months (and sometimes years) ago.

- I aspire to own an oud and learn how to play it. I started playing the bass guitar last year, so although I'm not unfamiliar with instruments of that type the oud would still be a challenge.

- I collect antique Soviet/USSR wristwatches.

- I find the English Inns at Court fascinating. I've eaten at the Middle Temple once, and their lunch buffet is incredible.

I do/done few of these (lucid dreaming, travelling years on end) but to add to it: mostly have movies/shows/youtube on in the background while programming instead of movies, sleep with mp3s of comedy tv shows on headphones, do not voice-anything with people (restrict comms to text chat or in person). Are some things I have not seen here before.

I oscillate between living in luxury, and spending less than 2k a month in an expensive city (6-12 months at a time)

By choice or necessity? Curious as to the trigger that encourage one over the other.

Mostly choice. I just want luxury and then I am satiated or I decide to quit and live on nothing

Lucid dreaming just ruins everything. Just when you get to the good part, you realize.

That means you haven't practiced controlling the lucid dream. For me I can stay on dreams for quite a while with lucidity.

how do you control heavy heart beating when you realize it is a dream and about do something "undreamy". I had 3 such occasion where I was awake by heavy heart racing :(

It's just excitement / anxiety, it requires more practice and doing it more often. I suggest you look up lucid dream control guides, they can explain it better than I can here.

Check my door is locked about ten times even when I know it's locked

ha, I thought I was weird for doing it. I don't know why I do it (it is not like I have anything expensive in my tiny apartment). I also keep checking if I have switched off gas stove, more than I should.

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