I threw this up on Metafilter too, but why not here?
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@mhoye chip clips instead of bothering to try and 'ziplock' shut all the bags that have zippers now. I notoriously fail at zipping them. Now, I just fold clip and go.
Oh those f'ing "ziplock" things. I especially hate them on frozen fruit bags & whatnot. Were somewhat useable back when they used quality plastic on those, but nowadays—I just bypass the "proper" opening & use a clip to close it.
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@mhoye
1. A daily pill case, which sounds stupid because they're already so ubiquitous, but I tried for years to make a pill reminder app on my phone be a thing, and there's no contest. Spend $4 on the daily pill container. Do not try to use technology.2. The BIG eyeglasses cleaning cloths. The tiny ones they give you at the optometrist suck. Get the dinner-plate sized ones and never accidentally touch your lenses ever again.
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@Roundtrip @arclight @mhoye @jimfl
I date •everything•. I've also finally figured out a useful indexing system for my bullet-journals. Instead of page numbers (because repeats when the file gets too big & have to start a new one) the "page reference" is just the date-time.
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I threw this up on Metafilter too, but why not here? Lazyweb, a question:
On a whim, I've added zipper pulls to a bunch of my clothes and coats. It's such a small, inexpensive thing but it's an improvement I notice dozens of times a day, especially wearing winter gloves.
So I'm thinking about aggregating marginal gains now, and wondering what other options like this I have. What is the _smallest_ thing - in terms of size, cost, effort, whatever - that has made your life better in some way?
@mhoye
Kitchen shears to cut up herbs, green onion. Less motor control needed by aging handsSmall bins for fridge shelves. Better space use +easily pull them out to a counter thus saving my bending back
Scrap paper slips 2cm x4cm. I make freezer food containers. I write type+date on one end then slide the blank end under the cover edge. No sticky tape. Readable in a stack. Compostable. I provide frozen soups to some with memory issues they love this. They keep the tabs of their favs.
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I threw this up on Metafilter too, but why not here? Lazyweb, a question:
On a whim, I've added zipper pulls to a bunch of my clothes and coats. It's such a small, inexpensive thing but it's an improvement I notice dozens of times a day, especially wearing winter gloves.
So I'm thinking about aggregating marginal gains now, and wondering what other options like this I have. What is the _smallest_ thing - in terms of size, cost, effort, whatever - that has made your life better in some way?
@mhoye keep a dedicated hand broom next to the dinner table, to deal with crumbs and flour. Especially if you bake a lot.
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Get many, many boxes of tissues and then any time you find yourself getting up to find a tissue, leave a box there for next time.
Leave a full (6-roll) pack of toilet paper in the bathroom and replenish when it gets to 2 or less.
Maintain a pool of good rechargeable batteries, a charger, 'charged' and 'empty' bins, and put them in a high-traffic area so that you'll notice when the charger is done and put in the next batch.
Oh, this reminds me of my general policy wrt consumables: always have two in the cabinet. That way, when you empty the current one, you have the next in line to go to, & one for margin in case the store is out when you shop next.
Also, at least as important: the •minute• you empty [thing], it goes on the grocery list. "I'll do that in a minute/when I finish/when I come back" is a recipe for forgetting & running out.
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@suetanvil @mhoye Extending the "many rolls of toilet paper", I counter my procrastination + easily distractedness by buying most products in sets of 2+ (vitamins, shampoo, deodorant, foods, etc). Switching to the backup starts the clock early enough that I will ACTUALLY buy replacements just before the second runs out. Easier than me noticing/remembering "when I'm low"
More storage space, but also more peace of mind and fewer frustrated moments, ultimately the same(ish) price.
It me, but also: the process of finishing the current & bringing out the next includes putting the item on the grocery list. No pause, no distraction.
Knock on wood, it's been a good long while since I've run out of anything.
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I threw this up on Metafilter too, but why not here? Lazyweb, a question:
On a whim, I've added zipper pulls to a bunch of my clothes and coats. It's such a small, inexpensive thing but it's an improvement I notice dozens of times a day, especially wearing winter gloves.
So I'm thinking about aggregating marginal gains now, and wondering what other options like this I have. What is the _smallest_ thing - in terms of size, cost, effort, whatever - that has made your life better in some way?
@mhoye (1) always carrying a small tape measure on my keychain (2) a small toolset so I don’t have to go to the attic just to get a screwdriver (3) using an egg slicer to cut mushrooms (4) always-on bike lights
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@mhoye@cosocial.ca charging my phone (alarm) on the other side of the room
makes me get up at the right time way more often -
@londondreamtime@mastodonapp.uk @mhoye@cosocial.ca downside: alarm
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Kinda depends, I have a loop I have used for about a decade. The coating is cracked and darker, but still there. They are also fairly cheap, I think I paid $2 for a pair of them at a hardware store.
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@mhoye (1) always carrying a small tape measure on my keychain (2) a small toolset so I don’t have to go to the attic just to get a screwdriver (3) using an egg slicer to cut mushrooms (4) always-on bike lights
@sheean the ikea paper ruler folded up in the wallet is a classic
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1. I keep an Olfa utility knife everywhere I need one so I can quickly open and break down boxes or get into stubborn clamshell packages without ruining scissors. I use the same blade on everything and keep a box of replacements.
2. Same as 1 but scissors
3. I've been using the same pack of microfibre cloths for years. I use them for cleaning glasses, lenses, computer screens, and etc. Wash gentle cycle, tumble dry low, no fabric softener.
@michaelcoyote @mhoye Twist on 1.: we have like 10 peeler knives, so you never have to wait for the dishwasher or stress about reusing. Peel all the fruit and potatoes, open all the boxes. Cheapest ones are fine.
2.: yeah scissors everywhere: kitchen, bathroom, office, laundry room. -
@mhoye a coffee scoop to use with laundry detergent. which is the correct size for the amount I usually use. It's nice having something I don't have to worry about breaking, like I did with the flimsy plastic thing beforehand.
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@mhoye Carabiner clips (could double up as zipper pulls)
Reusable velcro strips (I travel with a lot of cables...)
And yes, binder clips (they even keep filled glass slide trays secure for transport)Something slightly larger - net curtains to keep the bugs outside open windows without faffing with window mesh
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Keeping a pen and small paper notepad always nearby to scribble down anything that pops to mind, so I can trust my notes and keep my mind clear.
On a more digital note, making my downloads folder self-destruct did wonders to keeping my files clean and organized:
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@Roundtrip @arclight @mhoye @jimfl
I date •everything•. I've also finally figured out a useful indexing system for my bullet-journals. Instead of page numbers (because repeats when the file gets too big & have to start a new one) the "page reference" is just the date-time.
@cavyherd @arclight @mhoye @jimfl
Yes! I use date-page as the index for hand written journal pages.
I keep three series of spiral bound paper journals with blue (work), red (personal), black (nightstand) colors, and tags I write in [square bracelets].
This lets me use hand written ‘slow links’ to any written journal page: [red, 1Mar23, p3]. It’s very handy for linking paper journal pages and slow linking to a paper page from email, a message, a spreadsheet, etc.
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I threw this up on Metafilter too, but why not here? Lazyweb, a question:
On a whim, I've added zipper pulls to a bunch of my clothes and coats. It's such a small, inexpensive thing but it's an improvement I notice dozens of times a day, especially wearing winter gloves.
So I'm thinking about aggregating marginal gains now, and wondering what other options like this I have. What is the _smallest_ thing - in terms of size, cost, effort, whatever - that has made your life better in some way?
@mhoye Bought a bunch of cheap key tags with labels for the drawer-with-spare-keys. Not useful often, but when you semi-urgently need your spare bike key from the pile (we’re Dutch) it’s great.
It’s probably a Dad Thing that this makes me happy. -
Gli ultimi otto messaggi ricevuti dalla Federazione
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@mathewi or a marketing stint
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@mray Encryption is being explored by a FEP
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Ma #TeleMonteCarlo e i suoi #giochi interattivi in #TV ?
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@katzenberger Fair enough, I'm not arguing against that. It's just that encryption isn't easy and will take a long time. I'm using this as a 'research foil' to understand why people use Signal vs encrypted Mastodon PMs.
I totally get that people just want safety baked into everything, I'm not against that in any way. But it is very hard to do well.
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@scottjenson Don't really need encryption just for the DM edge-case. I only need to know where/for who exactly my message will pop up automatically, though.
Suggesting "encryption" exists in mastodon, how can one make sure it is interoperable with ActivityPub AND nobody gets it wrong and falsely assumes encryption is omnipresent, when it is absolutely not.
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@mapache Yes, I know! ;-) I'm not saying no I'm exploring when (as encryption will take longer than UX improvements
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@scottjenson My take (which seems to fly in the face of the zeitgeist) is that Mastodon is not meant foremost as a private messaging app. It is at its core, an *open, social* microposting platform. There are apps that are radically better suited for private and safe comms, and I am a huge proponent of letting things be true to themselves. When you try to shoehorn stuff into a system not intended to do that stuff, it ends poorly.
So, sure, DMs out of the timeline, but no Signal-like hardening.
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@scottjenson I think, given today's climate, encryption should be a priority over UX changes. My thought is not whether microblogging DMs should be encrypted or not, but simply if *any* kind of messaging exists that is not public, on any service, it should be encrypted. It's the sad world we live in now where services can't be trusted. Non-public messaging that isn't encrypted shouldn't exist. Should microblogging services be Signal? Not at all. But DMs already exist, so now it has to be dealt with. Simply telling users "it's not for private discussions" isn't enough.
