Basic concepts that seem to escape the grasp of most people

[darkswordsman17]

The Vikings had it right with their rape, pillage and plunder mentality. Because YOLO.

The Vikings were a lot different (the dudes were super into prettying themselves up, especially their hair) and more progressive than they're given credit for. I'd have to look up what all the reality is but I think they also did not use the horned helms that they're given in caricature.

Actually YOLO is a great example of something that's beyond the grasp of most people. It's been bastardized into idiots using it as an excuse to act like dumbfucks and make bad impulsive decisions, when it's real origins (for the general meaning not the exact YOLO) and actual intent are that because you live only once that you shouldn't jeopardize your long term success on stupid frivolities and rash decisions made for the present.

 

[Ns1]

Another one that I've heard of but never personally run into is people that don't understand how graduated income tax rates work. i.e. they believe there are certain breakpoints where earning another dollar of income will result in reduced earnings because the taxes on their entire gross income will increase.

this is the worst one. OMG I MADE TOO MUCH MONEY AND I'M IN A DIFFERENT TAX BRACKET. I GOT A RAISE AND I'M GONNA MAKE LESS MONEY.

....

 

[Jeff7]

Wring out a sponge or rag after you're done with it, rather than let it fester as a damp haven for anything that wants to grow in it.
I see this plenty at work.

Of course, I also see the toilet paper holder left empty at least twice a week, even with a few new rolls sitting less than 3 feet away. Damn lazy people.
(It gets a bit unsettling when the roll is empty, and someone obviously had just hefted a few nasty items out of the rock tumbler. "Oh damn, paper's out. Screw it, I guess that's good enough." )

I have heard of this too, though I've never seen proof of it. It was the coin flip thing that blew my mind.

Same thing with the lottery: "Keep buying and you'll eventually be due to win." Or that 1-2-3-4-5-6 has a worse chance of winning than 3-4-2-1-5-6. Or that playing the same numbers each week lowers your chance of winning.
Random number generators don't care what you did last week.

this is the worst one. OMG I MADE TOO MUCH MONEY AND I'M IN A DIFFERENT TAX BRACKET. I GOT A RAISE AND I'M GONNA MAKE LESS MONEY.

....

At first, I'd thought "Make the tax rates into an equation and eliminate discrete brackets. That'd eliminate this misconception, as well as some stupid behaviors, like people doing all kinds of mental gymnastics to figure out how to keep $150 from peeking up into the next bracket just because of the psychological aversion to any sense of additional loss."


Then I thought, "Oh...right. Many people don't know how to calculate 6.5% of something if they have a calculator without a percent key, much less how to plug numbers into any kind of nonlinear equation. Never mind."

 

[Nograts]

The Vikings were a lot different (the dudes were super into prettying themselves up, especially their hair) and more progressive than they're given credit for. I'd have to look up what all the reality is but I think they also did not use the horned helms that they're given in caricature.

Actually YOLO is a great example of something that's beyond the grasp of most people. It's been bastardized into idiots using it as an excuse to act like dumbfucks and make bad impulsive decisions, when it's real origins (for the general meaning not the exact YOLO) and actual intent are that because you live only once that you shouldn't jeopardize your long term success on stupid frivolities and rash decisions made for the present.

I like the berserkers. Chugged a mash of home brewed alcohol and a type of magic mushroom that would make them fearless and feel no pain in combat. Tales of men wielding axes and wearing bear heads on top of theirs standing up to fully steel-laden warriors. You could chop one of their arms off and they will still come at you with full ferocity and bloodlust.

That's the kind of guy I want to be. Sissy archer in a kings castle? Naw man, I'm going to storm your beaches at dawn. Berserk your whole kingdom, and then flee with your women and treasure. YOLOooOoOoO! :awe:

 

[dave_the_nerd]

At first, I'd thought "Make the tax rates into an equation and eliminate discrete brackets. That'd eliminate this misconception, as well as some stupid behaviors, like people doing all kinds of mental gymnastics to figure out how to keep $150 from peeking up into the next bracket just because of the psychological aversion to any sense of additional loss."


Then I thought, "Oh...right. Many people don't know how to calculate 6.5% of something if they have a calculator without a percent key, much less how to plug numbers into any kind of nonlinear equation. Never mind."

Also, people don't know how marginal tax rates work. There's no such thing as getting bumped up into another tax bracket and having less take-home.

 

[Ophir]

Correlation does not imply causation. Nothing makes me facepalm more than people who don't get it.

The tax bracket one is good.

My mom will turn the thermostat up to 90F thinking it will make her house warm up faster. Drives me crazy.

Also, people who can't internalize or self-criticize, and don't realize they are the root of their own problems.

 

[Jeff7]

Correlation does not imply causation. Nothing makes me facepalm more than people who don't get it.

The tax bracket one is good.

My mom will turn the thermostat up to 90F thinking it will make her house warm up faster. Drives me crazy.

Also, people who can't internalize or self-criticize, and don't realize they are the root of their own problems.

Hey, that works in my apartment.
Probably not for the reason she thinks it'll work though.


Here, there's a heat vent right next to the thermostat. The far end of the room, which has lousy insulation and a single-pane window, has no vents. There is usually a 5-7°F difference from one end of the room to the other.
Setting it higher ensures that the thermostat doesn't reach the setpoint prematurely. :awe:
Of course, then there's the risk of overshoot.

It sucks having a heating system with such a low PWM frequency.

 

[Printer Bandit]

its a dresscket

duh

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

Monty Hall

 

[SearchMaster]

My mom will turn the thermostat up to 90F thinking it will make her house warm up faster. Drives me crazy.

We have a heat pump, so bumping the thermostat a few degrees will keep the heat pump going. Bumping it up more than that will kick in the aux/strip heat. The heat pump blows in at probably 85-90F, while the aux heat is closer to 110. Which do YOU think will warm the house faster?

 

[NoCreativity]

Decelerating without braking. I see people every day needlessly hit their brakes because they are overtaking the person in front of them. All they need to do is let off the gas and voila, no need to hit the brakes.

4-way stops. Sorry, it's not your turn just because you can make your turn faster than I can make mine. It's also not your turn because you have been waiting longer than me.

If you're not passing anyone on the right, move over.

TL;DR, driving.

 

[IronWing]

People who claim 0 on their W4 to "get a bigger tax return"

It's the closest some people ever get to having a savings account. Of course, some of them also take out "tax-refund advance" loans as well.

 

[Anubis]

People who claim 0 on their W4 to "get a bigger tax return"

I do this but not because of the "bigger tax return" I simply don't care about missing out on the 10$ id profit if I did it a different way. its simply easier to mark it zero and never having to worry about owing the IRS money

 

[NetWareHead]

Decelerating without braking. I see people every day needlessly hit their brakes because they are overtaking the person in front of them. All they need to do is let off the gas and voila, no need to hit the brakes.

4-way stops. Sorry, it's not your turn just because you can make your turn faster than I can make mine. It's also not your turn because you have been waiting longer than me.

If you're not passing anyone on the right, move over.

TL;DR, driving.

Such a petpeeve of mine. I was explaining this concept to a friend and he didnt get it. Then I told him I have almost 130K miles still on the factory showroom brakes and that was his proof the concept works.

I also dont get people who need to pedal to metal accelerate and get to a red light only to slam n the brakes. Meanwhile Im cruising/coasting to a red light only to have it turn green as Im getting there. Whose car do you think will burn less fuel and be subject to less wear and tear? Had a lady in a minivan flip out, wave her hands wildly and lay on the horn because Im coasting towards a red light. Some people really need some sense to be slapped into them.

 

[CZroe]

No gravity in space.

Of course there's gravity in space. If there wasn't the ISS wouldn't circle the Earth, the Earth wouldn't circle the sun, etc.

What people mistakenly call 'no gravity ' is actually free-fall.

This. I actually had a friend who though you'd be weightless in a vacuum.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbJ-y6BWfUc&t=35s

This has got to be one of the worst HISHEs thanks to that same stupid misconception.

 

[sourceninja]

...

 

[WelshBloke]

I like the berserkers. Chugged a mash of home brewed alcohol and a type of magic mushroom that would make them fearless and feel no pain in combat. Tales of men wielding axes and wearing bear heads on top of theirs standing up to fully steel-laden warriors. You could chop one of their arms off and they will still come at you with full ferocity and bloodlust.

That's the kind of guy I want to be. Sissy archer in a kings castle? Naw man, I'm going to storm your beaches at dawn. Berserk your whole kingdom, and then flee with your women and treasure. YOLOooOoOoO! :awe:

One armed, hungover and talking to imaginary friends is no way to go through life.

 

[cbrunny]

If you have your own office, it's ok to fart in it without apology.

 

[blackdogdeek]

Evolution.

 

[cbrunny]

If an airplane was on a runway that was a conveyor belt going to opposite direction of which the plane was trying to take off, would the plane actually be able to lift off the ground and take off?

They did this on Mythbusters. It was pretty cool.

Spoiler: no.

 

[Linflas]

If an airplane was on a runway that was a conveyor belt going to opposite direction of which the plane was trying to take off, would the plane actually be able to lift off the ground and take off?

So you don't understand basic principles of flight and are proud of it?

 

[Tombstone1881]

this is the worst one. OMG I MADE TOO MUCH MONEY AND I'M IN A DIFFERENT TAX BRACKET. I GOT A RAISE AND I'M GONNA MAKE LESS MONEY.

That actually happened to me once on a COLA bump.
It was just enough to take me out of the high end of one bracket into the low end of the next bracket. I think it was only about a $40 loss for the year, but a loss is a loss.

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

Difference between single click and double click.

Fucking double clicking hyper links and single clicking icons. Been using Windows 25 years and still not getting the concept?

 

[pete6032]

So you don't understand basic principles of flight and are proud of it?

No. That is an example of something people fail to grasp. Of course it would take off.

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

That actually happened to me once on a COLA bump.
It was just enough to take me out of the high end of one bracket into the low end of the next bracket. I think it was only about a $40 loss for the year, but a loss is a loss.

That's not how marginal taxes work. Any increase in pay is a net increase. You had something else going on.