What has your life experience made you picky about?

[Pengwuino]

Today I was at our bookstore grabbing my copy of Goldstein and Jackson for THAT semester of grad school and I decided to pick up some notebooks and paper too. I've come to realize that I've become very picky about paper and pencils! I look back on my undergrad work and I can barely read any of it and the paper is dilapidated and old looking; in other words, useless. It made me realize that in all honesty, I'd pay... $20, at least, for a mechanical pencil and lead combination and at least $20 for a notebook if they could really preserve my work. I hate these notebooks where some pages are stuck together, have faded areas, are easily damaged, seem to erode easily... I honestly feel like googling "deluxe paper" and looking for what I find.

I'm also quite picky about keyboards.

What have YOU become picky with?

 

[Moonbear]

No brand of paper or pencil is going to help you with your handwriting.

I'm not sure what has happened to your notes. I have notes on regular looseleaf paper from classes I TA'd in 1995 that I'm currently using because I have to start teaching some of these topics again after not looking at them for nearly 15 years! There's nothing wrong with the paper or the notes...not even a little yellowed yet.

I think my life experience has made me LESS picky. Things that used to get me worked up and stressed out, I now realize really aren't all that important. I'm pretty sure I've gotten more mellow and calmer.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

What have YOU become picky with?

Defensive living. For me, safety [industrial environments of all sorts having high voltage systems, dangerous chemicals, lots of moving machinery, etc] as well as the potential for law suits, or losing my butt on a bad bid, are omnipresent issues. These concerns, and vigilance about things like having multiple backups of everything computer, are a matter of life and death; both literally and metaphorically.

I did refuse to hang from a bridge by a rope, like the State wanted me to do, while trying to do programming. So even I have my limits.

 

[Kronos5253]

I went through high school taking art classes each year (eventually ending up at AP studio art). I've always been better with black and white (pencil, charcoal, etc), and not so good with color. I've also never liked using art pencils for shading, because I figure if you have good enough control over your pencil you should be able to use an HB and go through all of the ranges. Well, being that I draw mostly with pencil, I've become very picky with which pencils I used to draw/shade with. Believe it or not, the lead in every type of pencil varies greatly, and I've found that American Naturals work the best for me.. Some people think I'm odd for being that picky with what pencils I used to shade.. But through using those pencils, I've been able to shade like this:

Aside from that, I'm really picky about my pasta brands lol

 

[Cyrus]

I hate people that try to BS me. I just told a PhD student today that he needed to put error bars on his data. When he said 'oh you can see the error just by looking at it', my bull-**** detector went off. The answer in that situation is: "oh, what does the error bars show in terms of the data?" Not to make an excuse about not having it. This guys trying to get a PhD, what a pathetic mentality.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Wives. My wife nags the life out of me, spends all my money, makes me do the chores, drives the car from the passenger seat, laughs at me, argues about everything, raises my children all wrong, packs a mean left fist, snores, sleeps on the middle half of the bed, and etc. However, the thought of anyone else doing these things to me upsets my delicate sense of esthetics.

 

[Moonbear]

I hate people that try to BS me. I just told a PhD student today that he needed to put error bars on his data. When he said 'oh you can see the error just by looking at it', my bull-**** detector went off. The answer in that situation is: "oh, what does the error bars show in terms of the data?" Not to make an excuse about not having it. This guys trying to get a PhD, what a pathetic mentality.

Next time, ask him that question during his seminar. I'll bet you'll see error bars on his figures after that once his mentor notices they aren't there, especially if he gives that same answer, and not just that he couldn't figure out how to make the software put them in (which hasn't been a problem since Excel first started doing graphing...the first version that did that, some people took a while to figure out how to do it so were missing the error bars simply because of the software change).

 

[Cyrus]

Next time, ask him that question during his seminar. I'll bet you'll see error bars on his figures after that once his mentor notices they aren't there, especially if he gives that same answer, and not just that he couldn't figure out how to make the software put them in (which hasn't been a problem since Excel first started doing graphing...the first version that did that, some people took a while to figure out how to do it so were missing the error bars simply because of the software change).

It's every time we talk to him. The guy has to be beaten over the head with a damn 2x4 before it sinks in for him to do what we are pointing out. Let's be honest here, I'm a block head. This guy is denser than lead. I really can't stand that mentality in engineers.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Not to give advice where it's not wanted.

Fail. Here is a piece of advice that will stand you the rest of your days. Never get between a husband and wife, especially when they are fighting. They've got a license to fight and you don't.

 

[Chi Meson]

I hate people that try to BS me. I just told a PhD student today that he needed to put error bars on his data. When he said 'oh you can see the error just by looking at it', my bull-**** detector went off. The answer in that situation is: "oh, what does the error bars show in terms of the data?" Not to make an excuse about not having it. This guys trying to get a PhD, what a pathetic mentality.

Gosh, I guess there IS some thing that annoys you, Cyrus. That's quite revealing, you know; makes you seem more human, less robotic, when you show emotion.
:longdeadpanironicsmiley:

I used to be picky about music and I would heft my judgment upon every unsuspecting passerby listening to the "wrong" type of music (i.e., "major label" music).

Now, the only things that I am particularly picky about are:
1--Key Lime Pie
2--Caesar Salad, and
3--TBA

 

[turbo]

Gosh, I guess there IS some thing that annoys you, Cyrus. That's quite revealing, you know; makes you seem more human, less robotic, when you show emotion.

Nothing annoys Cyrus. Are you kidding?
(I am)

 

[Cyrus]

Gosh, I guess there IS some thing that annoys you, Cyrus. That's quite revealing, you know; makes you seem more human, less robotic, when you show emotion.
:longdeadpanironicsmiley:

I used to be picky about music and I would heft my judgment upon every unsuspecting passerby listening to the "wrong" type of music (i.e., "major label" music).

Now, the only things that I am particularly picky about are:
1--Key Lime Pie
2--Caesar Salad, and
3--TBA

Oh god, did I just reference to Star Trek.....yeahhh I did.

 

[BobG]

Now, the only things that I am particularly picky about are:
1--Key Lime Pie
2--Caesar Salad, and
3--TBA

Undefined acronyms. And don't start with that BS, "to be announced". I've been waiting for that definition to be announced for over 30 years, so unless you have a specific date, then it's about time to just drop it!

COB - now there's another good acronym. "Cease of ********". Who are you kidding?! ******** never ceases!

 

[drizzle]

chopping veggies!

I tend to chop them in a way they all look the same size and shape, it took me time to finish whatever meal I cook, the family just give me excuses not to cook for them, and if I had to they start teasing me and say; don’t forget the ruler!

I don’t really remember what causes this [I do believe this is not normal] but I do feel relieved while chopping THAT way

 

[junglebeast]

hmm...

speaker sound quality, and that's about it!

 

[stevo101]

ummm running shoes, matresses, beer, and cannabis, I smoke maybe 3 times a year so I if going to it better be worth it ... and being in Iraq for the second time it makes me really appreciate good food even more than before, so now I am pretty picky about the food I eat, or at least i will be when I get back... I figure life is to short to settle for anything less than the best or at least pretty damn good in these things.

 

[lisab]

ummm running shoes, matresses, beer, and cannabis, I smoke maybe 3 times a year so I if going to it better be worth it ... and being in Iraq for the second time it makes me really appreciate good food even more than before, so now I am pretty picky about the food I eat, or at least i will be when I get back... I figure life is to short to settle for anything less than the best or at least pretty damn good in these things.

OK running shoes...yes! Definitely don't skimp here. I got a bad foot injury that took 2 years to heal, caused by cheap running shoes (and ok, not enough stretching ).

Hope you get home soon stevo, safe and sound.

 

[junglebeast]

actually recent research has shown that expensive running shoes result in more injuries, because the extra support prevents your muscles from developing properly to provide real protection. top running schools have actually gone shoeless now in their training.

 

[WhoWee]

I hate people that try to BS me.

I must agree with Cyrus on this one. I still believe in - "say what you'll do and do what you say", and "treat people the way you want to be treated".

In the past few years, I've noticed people are much too comfortable looking me in the eyes and telling WHOPPERS. I find that very disturbing - especially when employees are the ones telling me lies.

Clients are another story - I anticipate their avoidance of the truth - usually when it comes to paying.

 

[Ian_Brooks]

1. women
2. used car salesmen
3. real estate agents
4. solicitors
5. lawyers
6. financial 'advisors'
7. Super evangelical religious fanatics (i dated one)

in that order

 

[Ian_Brooks]

OK running shoes...yes! Definitely don't skimp here. I got a bad foot injury that took 2 years to heal, caused by cheap running shoes (and ok, not enough stretching ).

Hope you get home soon stevo, safe and sound.

ummm running shoes, matresses, beer, and cannabis, I smoke maybe 3 times a year so I if going to it better be worth it ... and being in Iraq for the second time it makes me really appreciate good food even more than before, so now I am pretty picky about the food I eat, or at least i will be when I get back... I figure life is to short to settle for anything less than the best or at least pretty damn good in these things.

actually recent research has shown that expensive running shoes result in more injuries, because the extra support prevents your muscles from developing properly to provide real protection. top running schools have actually gone shoeless now in their training.

hold on - one should get properly fitted with GOOD shoes. Find a store that will measure pressure points and miss alignments that normal shoes cannot provide. A good pair of shoes will do you a world of good.

I've been heavily involved in athletics since I was 16 and used cheap shoes. 2 years ago I got fitted properly at the athletes foot and I noticed the difference immediately. Its pretty logical really - if we're on our feet for most of our lives, why skimp out on something we're dependent on.

 

[Chi Meson]

Undefined acronyms. And don't start with that BS, "to be announced". I've been waiting for that definition to be announced for over 30 years, so unless you have a specific date, then it's about time to just drop it!

"TBA" stands for [and I have only now come to this understanding]:b
"Trying to Be an Administrator"
Evidently, I am very picky as to what threads should be in "General Discussion" here on PF (That stands for "Physics Forums," Bob).

 

[Moonbear]

Undefined acronyms. And don't start with that BS, "to be announced". I've been waiting for that definition to be announced for over 30 years, so unless you have a specific date, then it's about time to just drop it!

COB - now there's another good acronym. "Cease of ********". Who are you kidding?! ******** never ceases!

The one that gets me laughing every time is when the med students abbreviate "shortness of breath" in their notes as SOB. I keep trying to suggest to them that even if the physicians commonly use that acronym, maybe they should consider changing it slightly to avoid having to explain it when their patient requests a copy of their medical records and wants to know why the med student or their doctor has called them an SOB.

 

[turbo]

I am very picky about running shoes. My wife works for New Balance, which is great, because she gets a 40% discount off the already-low factory store prices. At retail, those shoes are pricey, but well worth it. The trick is that NB makes shoes in multiple widths, so if you are someone who is hard to fit, you might find the perfect pair of athletic shoes in that brand. My feet are 4E, and I have never been able to find another brand of athletic shoes that are as comfortable. They also make some leather walking shoes that are (or were) designed specifically for the US Postal Service. I'm not sure if that affiliation is still current, but I have a couple pairs of those (one in use and one tucked away new in the box).

 

[junglebeast]

hold on - one should get properly fitted with GOOD shoes. Find a store that will measure pressure points and miss alignments that normal shoes cannot provide. A good pair of shoes will do you a world of good.

I've been heavily involved in athletics since I was 16 and used cheap shoes. 2 years ago I got fitted properly at the athletes foot and I noticed the difference immediately. Its pretty logical really - if we're on our feet for most of our lives, why skimp out on something we're dependent on.

Ok, but I was referring to actual research and current wisdom on the subject...your individual anecdotal experiences do not really outweigh the evidence of controlled experiments.

At Stanford University, California, two sales representatives from Nike were watching the athletics team practise. Part of their job was to gather feedback from the company's sponsored runners about which shoes they preferred.

Unfortunately, it was proving difficult that day as the runners all seemed to prefer... nothing.

'But I believe that when my runners train barefoot they run faster and suffer fewer injuries.' [Stanford running coach]

Nike sponsored the Stanford team as they were the best of the very best. Needless to say, the reps were a little disturbed to hear that Lananna felt the best shoes they had to offer them were not as good as no shoes at all.

When I was told this anecdote it came as no surprise. I'd spent years struggling with a variety of running-related injuries, each time trading up to more expensive shoes, which seemed to make no difference. I'd lost count of the amount of money I'd handed over at shops and sports-injury clinics - eventually ending with advice from my doctor to give it up and 'buy a bike'.

And I wasn't on my own. Every year, anywhere from 65 to 80 per cent of all runners suffer an injury. No matter who you are, no matter how much you run, your odds of getting hurt are the same. It doesn't matter if you're male or female, fast or slow, pudgy or taut as a racehorse, your feet are still in the danger zone.

Then there's the secretive Tarahumara tribe, the best long-distance runners in the world. These are a people who live in basic conditions in Mexico, often in caves without running water, and run with only strips of old tyre or leather thongs strapped to the bottom of their feet. They are virtually barefoot.

Dr Daniel Lieberman, professor of biological anthropology at Harvard University, has been studying the growing injury crisis in the developed world for some time and has come to a startling conclusion: 'A lot of foot and knee injuries currently plaguing us are caused by people running with shoes that actually make our feet weak, cause us to over-pronate (ankle rotation) and give us knee problems.

Despite all their marketing suggestions to the contrary, no manufacturer has ever invented a shoe that is any help at all in injury prevention

Dr Marti's research team analysed 4,358 runners in the Bern Grand Prix, a 9.6-mile road race. All the runners filled out an extensive questionnaire that detailed their training habits and footwear for the previous year;... the most common variable among the casualties wasn't training surface, running speed, weekly mileage or 'competitive training motivation'. It wasn't even body weight or a history of previous injury. It was the price of the shoe. Runners in shoes that cost more than $95 were more than twice as likely to get hurt as runners in shoes that cost less than $40.

Follow-up studies found similar results, like the 1991 report in Medicine & Science In Sports & Exercise that found that 'wearers of expensive running shoes that are promoted as having additional features that protect (eg, more cushioning, 'pronation correction') are injured significantly more frequently than runners wearing inexpensive shoes.'

Okay, the article goes on, and has a lot more interesting information...here's the link
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/mos...-Are-expensive-running-shoes-waste-money.html

 

[turbo]

I'm also picky about electric and acoustic guitars - especially tonal qualities in old tube amps. I tweak them mercilessly to try to bring out the best in them. And I was in TBA (albeit briefly). A local hotel/bar got a last minute cancellation from a band they had booked, so we scavenged the best personnel from several local bands and took the gig as a lark. We were all familiar with one another's work and were skilled in improvisation, so though we weren't a "band" we were up to the task. When we got there, the cardboard table placards all said Band TBA, so we found a cardboard poster, wrote "To Be Announced" on the backside with a Magic Marker and propped it up in front of the stage. As the owner paid us, he said that the bar had had its best night ever and he wanted us to become his house band with free storage space, free rehearsal space, etc. My sensitivities to fragrances were getting pretty bad, and I was ready to give up live performance, and getting the line-up would have required us to break up 3 bands. TBA was fun for a night though.

 

[turbo]

Ok, but I was referring to actual research and current wisdom on the subject...your individual anecdotal experiences do not really outweigh the evidence of controlled experiments.

There's nothing anecdotal about the Boston Marathon. Every year, it is won by Africans and they are always wearing shoes.

 

[junglebeast]

There's nothing anecdotal about the Boston Marathon. Every year, it is won by Africans and they are always wearing shoes.

Ok...so? I didn't claim that wearing shoes was bad. I just pointed out that those high tech running shoes are actually worse for injury prevention than a very simple shoe to provide some cushioning and prevent rocks from hurting your foot (and provided 2 peer reviewed sources of evidence, along with a slew of anecdotal evidence). It's the ankle support we're talking about. Showing that some people who win the race wore a shoe does nothing to contradict this.

 

[turbo]

Relevance?

The relevance is that marathon runners are extremely picky about their feet and their shoes. If there were benefits to running marathons barefoot, the top finishers and winners wouldn't always be wearing running shoes. There are a few competitors that run it barefoot, but they're not very competitive.

 

[Kronos5253]

I'm also picky about electric and acoustic guitars - especially tonal qualities in old tube amps. I tweak them mercilessly to try to bring out the best in them.

Omg absolutely, I'm the same way. You kinda have to be, because every guitar sounds different. You can even have 3 of the exact same guitars and you can get 3 different sounds from them, so pickiness I think is a plus in that aspect.

Best sounding guitar I've ever had was an acoustic Elger guitar.. I had never even heard of it before I looked it up. Apparently it's the predecessor to Ibanez