Procedural Knowledge Gaps, part 2

With Alicorn's permission, I'm resurrecting this thread.

I am beginning to suspect that it is surprisingly common for intelligent, competent adults to somehow make it through the world for a few decades while missing some ordinary skill, like mailing a physical letter, folding a fitted sheet, depositing a check, or reading a bus schedule. Since these tasks are often presented atomically - or, worse, embedded implicitly into other instructions - and it is often possible to get around the need for them, this ignorance is not self-correcting. One can Google "how to deposit a check" and similar phrases, but the sorts of instructions that crop up are often misleading, rely on entangled and potentially similarly-deficient knowledge to be understandable, or are not so much instructions as they are tips and tricks and warnings for people who already know the basic procedure. Asking other people is more effective because they can respond to requests for clarification (and physically pointing at stuff is useful too), but embarrassing, since lacking these skills as an adult is stigmatized. (They are rarely even considered skills by people who have had them for a while.)

This seems like a bad situation. And - if I am correct and gaps like these are common - then it is something of a collective action problem to handle gap-filling without undue social drama. Supposedly, we're good at collective action problems, us rationalists, right? So I propose a thread for the purpose here, with the stipulation that all replies to gap announcements are to be constructive attempts at conveying the relevant procedural knowledge. No asking "how did you manage to be X years old without knowing that?" - if the gap-haver wishes to volunteer the information, that is fine, but asking is to be considered poor form.

I'll start off with one of my own: What kinds of exercise can I do at home (I do have 5- and 20-pound weights), and what are good ways to get motivation to do so regularly?

With Alicorn's permission, I'm resurrecting this thread.

I am beginning to suspect that it is surprisingly common for intelligent, competent adults to somehow make it through the world for a few decades while missing some ordinary skill, like mailing a physical letter, folding a fitted sheet, depositing a check, or reading a bus schedule. Since these tasks are often presented atomically - or, worse, embedded implicitly into other instructions - and it is often possible to get around the need for them, this ignorance is not self-correcting. One can Google "how to deposit a check" and similar phrases, but the sorts of instructions that crop up are often misleading, rely on entangled and potentially similarly-deficient knowledge to be understandable, or are not so much instructions as they are tips and tricks and warnings for people who already know the basic procedure. Asking other people is more effective because they can respond to requests for clarification (and physically pointing at stuff is useful too), but embarrassing, since lacking these skills as an adult is stigmatized. (They are rarely even considered skills by people who have had them for a while.)

This seems like a bad situation. And - if I am correct and gaps like these are common - then it is something of a collective action problem to handle gap-filling without undue social drama. Supposedly, we're good at collective action problems, us rationalists, right? So I propose a thread for the purpose here, with the stipulation that all replies to gap announcements are to be constructive attempts at conveying the relevant procedural knowledge. No asking "how did you manage to be X years old without knowing that?" - if the gap-haver wishes to volunteer the information, that is fine, but asking is to be considered poor form.

I'll start off with one of my own: What kinds of exercise can I do at home (I do have 5- and 20-pound weights), and what are good ways to get motivation to do so regularly?

How does one buy groceries?

The methods my parents used were very mysterious to me, and usually built a collection of edibles that were either filling or tasty or both. I don't understand how they were choosing, but I know it wasn't following any sort of plan other than their own tastes or simplicity of preparation, or cheapness. I'm not too into my food, so I was useless when asked what I would like. I also extremely dislike being in grocery stores or meandering in any store at all, so if I was sent out for groceries I would request a list that I could blindly follow. I would also be back in record time.

Are there certain groceries that it's okay for me to buy online and have shipped to me? Can I at least research online to cross-compare, to avoid having to sit around and make up my mind in-store, or should I expect certain in-store details that are unmentioned on any website? For research, should I use whatever chain (Walmart, Target, Kroger's, Sam's Club, Food City, Big Lots, Dollar General) websites there are, or is there a website that compares across chains for me? I suppose it doesn't have to be as wide of a search as the list of stores I just mentioned.

I do obviously have an interest in cheapness. But I also have an interest in doing as well as I can. I eat nearly no deserts, unless they are offered to me. Edit: Also, desserts. I've never eaten an entire desert before!

There's only about one privately owned grocery store in this town, so I was wanting to visit it after I could compare from the chain stores. It's especially easy to do so because it's usually completely empty of other customers.

Also, the overwhelming number of brands. ...I don't like that. But I don't know how to break it down. I look up "Plain unsweetened yogurt" and I get... that. Confuses the floop out of me.

I don't know what else to ask about, save for serving sizes, food pyramids or whatever, coupons (wasn't there a big post about coupons on Less Wrong?), and volume of purchases, that is, how much I can buy and therefore expand the time between having to shop anew. Edit: In the same vein, preservation. Canned foods, dried, whatever.

Some supermarket chains offer home delivery services. You most likely still have to know what you want to buy, but at least you won't have to enter the store itself.

Do you pay attention to what kinds of food you like more than others? Also, how much effort do you typically put into your meals/food preparation?

4Alicorn13y

This problem sounds like it could be most effectively addressed by having someone go shopping with you and narrate what they're doing. Where do you live?

17

Procedural Knowledge Gaps, part 2

17

17

17

Procedural Knowledge Gaps, part 2

17

17