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> Writing the address on the envelope was awkward, as I haven’t used a pen in several years; it took a few attempts and some wasted envelopes... Wow -- I mean,
by gwd 1y ago
> Writing the address on the envelope was awkward, as I haven’t used a pen in several years; it took a few attempts and some wasted envelopes...
Wow -- I mean, sure, I don't use a pen that often, but I'm sure I hand-write something at least once a month...
- dharmab 1y agoI'm at the point where the only things I handwrite are gift labels and holiday cards. Maybe an occasional doctor's office form, but those are increasingly digital.
- int_19h 1y agoI can't even remember the last time I've used a pen for anything other than writing a check.
- cormorant 1y agoWell, there's my minimum of once per month :)
- maccard 1y agoI've never written a check in my life.
- dharmab 1y agoHow do you pay for things above a few thousand dollars? I guess if you don't ever buy a pricey car or own a home you wouldn't need it.
- gwd 1y agoNot the person you're replying to, but the bank payment system in Europe is waaaay better than the US; nearly all four- and low-five-digit sums in the last 20 years I've paid for with bank transfer.
- Gnuke 1y agoYou paid for your home with cheques?
- Symbiote 1y agoElectronic transfer through online banking, or a debit card (may well be followed with a call from the bank to verify, though it's years since I've done this). Visa's debit card limit on Denmark seems to be 100,000 DKK, roughly 13,000€. There's no limit with the national system, Dankort.
- maccard 1y agoCredit Card, Debit Card, or Bank Transfer. Faster payments [0] is pretty much instant. Some banks have lower limits, and CHAPS[1] is same day and unlimited. I used faster payments for buying a car, and for paying a house deposit. My bank transferred my mortgage via CHAPS. [0] https://www.starlingbank.com/resources/banking/guide-to-faster-payments/ https://www.starlingbank.com/resources/banking/guide-to-fast... [1] https://www.hsbc.co.uk/current-accounts/what-is-a-chaps-payment/ https://www.hsbc.co.uk/current-accounts/what-is-a-chaps-paym...
- yieldcrv 1y agowire transfer, or walk into the bank and have them create a cashier's check and a normal check is the same as an ACH transfer, so I will do the ACH transfer or lawyer's escrow and every other larger transfer has been cryptocurrency in my life, its been over a decade of that unlimited amount, zero scrutiny, 24/7/365 option (I've tried various other country's and international system transfers, and the convenience is completely over-embellished, and limited to small amounts at best. and yes, I'm talking about instant SEPA in European banks. A lot of people don't have balances in crypto currency so it would just be more inconvenient for them to get into that system) but the only time I'm personally using checks are because a new employer's HR system wants me to write VOID on a physical one, and I've opted to photoshopping a template with my account number and routing number, because checks are the same as an ACH transfer, and they could have just asked me to copy and paste those numbers into a input field
- schlauerfox 1y agoThere was a time that printed checks had to use special laser toner called MICR Toner that was magnetic so the magneto readers could machine read the check bottoms routing and account numbers, but that went away when the Fed just ran it all as ACH/ electronically and optically scanned checks around the time mobile deposit and well after OCR became a thing. Last I checked the rule was still present in the statues.
- dbrgn 1y agoMany people in Switzerland love to buy used cars with cash, even if they cost a few thousands. (But we can also just scan the QR code of the recipient's bank account with the e-banking app and initiate a transfer that way.)
- int_19h 1y agoThis is very much an American thing. And it's only a thing because our banks don't offer a truly universal and no-fee equivalent of easily transferring money between accounts across bank boundaries.
- lolinder 1y agoI can't remember the last time I wrote a check, but I use pens pretty regularly.
- jrmg 1y agoYou don’t even write down temporary notes? Or doodle geometry when coding UI?
- dharmab 1y agoI use a text editor for notes. I do have a drawing tablet for digital art but that's not really the same as a pen or pencil.
- int_19h 1y agoYep, exactly so. For notes especially I find the digital version preferable because it is automatically archived, searchable, and readily accessible across all my devices.
- 01HNNWZ0MV43FF 1y agoNot even a whiteboard marker? I'm in the US so I use permanent marker to write my lawyers phone number on my arm before protests
- int_19h 1y agoWhiteboard brainstorming is an interesting scenario that I haven't considered, but even then I'd have to say no because I've been fully remote for a while now.
- bregma 1y agoThat would only work if the phone system in El Salvador is operating.
- Alex-Programs 1y agoAs a Brit, the concept of "My lawyer" is slightly unfamiliar. The average Brit doesn't "have a lawyer"; they would only find a lawyer if they had a specific need, eg being accused of a crime or wanting to write a contract etc. And yet as far as I can tell, most middle class Americans seem to refer to "their lawyer". Do you pay a monthly fee? Are they a criminal defence lawyer, or something broader? How often do you talk to them? How do you find them?
- seabass-labrax 1y agoNot an American but have been involved in lots of US legal things for a charity. Generally "their lawyer" refers to a lawyer (solicitor in British usage) who is 'on retainer', which means that the client either pays a monthly fee to secure the lawyer's availability, or has a deposit with the lawyer which will be drawn from if legal assistance is needed. Funnily enough, Americans do not use the term solicitor; that's reserved for lawyers working for the government!
- richardfontana 1y ago> Funnily enough, Americans do not use the term solicitor; that's reserved for lawyers working for the government! It is certainly a rare term in American English. I associate it with the probably now-archaic "NO SOLICITORS" signs, which used to be commonly used in an effort to ward off door-to-door salesmen and such. The specialized usage you are referring to is the use in titles of certain important government lawyers (I'm only aware of this in the federal government). The most famous is the Solicitor General, which is an appointed official in the Department of Justice whose job is mainly to argue on behalf of the government before the US Supreme Court.
- gwd 1y agoI probably write a check every 5 years, and each time I need to ask someone how to do it, because the checks are slightly different compared to the country I grew up in.
- daedrdev 1y agoThere will soon be many people who never learn how to write, only type
- xaitv 1y agoThink the last time I used a pen is about 8-9 years ago when I had to sign something to buy my home. Notes and stuff I just write on my phone or computer and I don't see what else I'd use a pen for.
- massysett 1y agoWow, I use a pen nearly every day. Sometimes I deliberately get a pen or pencil and paper rather than a phone. I was doing some home improvements in my attic, and I would often need to jot down a measurement so I could cut wood etc. I did this once or twice on my phone and realized it's much easier to do this with a pencil and small notepad. In what is perhaps the most ironic blend of high and low tech, I wrote my own software to build grocery lists, which I then print and use a pen to cross items off as I shop. This is by far the most efficient vs trying to faff about with some mobile solution.
- alabastervlog 1y agoApple Reminders has native grocery lists now. The collaboration feature (a household can keep just one shared grocery list) and auto-categorizing by store section are serious time and frustration savers. No "oh shit, I left the list at home", no "I could go to the grocery store while I'm out, if we need anything... but the list's at home...", no manually organizing the list, no grocery-list-by-text. It's so nice, saves far more time than any faff it introduces (I'd agree that without the collaboration and auto-categorizing, grocery lists on phones would be more trouble than they're worth) (I know other apps have also done it, but having it on a built-in is really handy and it works well)
- SpaceNoodled 1y agoI prefer an app for grocery lists since it can be managed with a single hand while shopping - no need to stop in the middle of an aisle to pull out a pencil and cross something off, nor to print anything out before heading to the store, for that matter. Plus, I won't have to re-sync the list with what remain on the physical list at the end of the trip.
- mcgrath_sh 1y agoGenuinely curious, I don't write anything long by hand, but do you not jot down disposable information with frequency, or date food, or anything like that? I date food we put in the fridge/freezer. I jot down something like a phone number if I am redirected. I have to give my pet medication occasionally and I use a post-it to track so the household can know. Like I said, I'm not writing anything even as long as a card, but I use a pen multiple times a week, and essentially daily. I know a lot of people use their phones for this stuff (and I do too), and maybe I'm an old person now for not using my phone for all of that.
- dharmab 1y agoI use a text file in my phone for notes. I don't have roommates, but if I did we'd probably use a whiteboard for tracking errands and schedules.
- diggan 1y ago> I date food we put in the fridge/freezer What date are you putting on the food? Every packaging here in Spain (and Europe I assume) has both the production date and "best before" dates printed on them from the factory, and stuff that doesn't have packaging you know if they're bad by looking/smelling/tasting.
- dharmab 1y agoThis is handy if you're doing things like separating a package into portions for your fridge for near term use and freezer for long term storage. Such as the large packages from Costco/Sam's Club.
- spiffytech 1y agoWhen I open milk, I write the date on the cap to help keep track of how long it'll remain good.
- wongarsu 1y agoMy method is that I assume it's gone bad when it tastes sour.
- mytailorisrich 1y agoHe's also obviously not used to write/type letters... The whole thing is quite awful. Schools used to teach this a minimum but they no longer do. It was also standard to learn that for job hunting but, again, I don't think many people apply for jobs by post nowadays although it can still be useful to know how to write a formal cover letter.
- dharmab 1y agoThese days most candidates use AI generated cover letters.
- SpaceNoodled 1y agoGood thing I got ahead of the curve by never reading them
- sph 1y agoMy hand writing got rusty and awkward until I read that writing something by hand is shown to strengthen one's memory and recollection. It definitely seems to be the case for me and has made me much more organised. Now I journal on a paper notebook, take daily notes on a whiteboard and I'm rediscovering index cards for long term storage, but I wish real life had a search function. If I had an automated scanning + OCR + convert to Org system, I would never use a text editor for notes ever again.
- pasc1878 1y agoTry using a tablet with hand written notes. There are programs (or even applications that replace the popup keyboard ) that will convert your writing into computer text. I think that gives the improved retention plus easy filing of the result and if your writing is like mine the ability to actually read what you wrote a year before.
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- brnt 1y agoWow wow wow, look at mr bestseller over here!
- johannes1234321 1y agoI recently was in an awkward situation when ordering my new passport. Most times I got to sign some papers I have some signature which is a few waves, not forming many letters. In the passport office the clerk told me they can't recognize any enough letters in there, so I had to do multiple attempts till they were happy ... now my passport got a signature I won't be able to replicate ever. (I do some handwriting for notes taking, but that's some writing based on block letters, not script as in a signature)
- Suppafly 1y ago>now my passport got a signature I won't be able to replicate ever I'm not sure I could ever prove I am who I say I am using my signature. My wife signs my name most of the time when it's necessary for a check or a health form for the kids or whatever. Whenever I go to vote, I try to sneak a look at their copy of the form to see how I signed it when I registered. I think my credit union has one 'on file' for me, but I'm sure it's nothing like how I actually sign my name and is from ~25 years ago.
- int_19h 1y agoThis is a very strange requirement, to be honest. E.g. what about foreigners whose native script is not the same, so their (pre-existing) signature is unparseable to that clerk anyway? FWIW I have a signature that is barely recognizable as my two initials, and I have never had it rejected on such grounds in the five different countries (using two different scripts) I've had to sign documents using it.
- Suppafly 1y ago>but I'm sure I hand-write something at least once a month.. I'm sure I do too, but I couldn't actually tell you what I used it for. Probably to cross items off a shopping list or sign my name on something. Actually we got a new car and I needed to sign the form at the DMV to get license plates, so I guess that was it.
- sudobash1 1y agoThis thread is more interesting to me than the article itself. I am the complete opposite. I always have a pen in my pocket along with a really small (2"x3") notebook, and I absolutely use it all the time. Personally, I find pen and a memo pad much handier than a phone. There is no unlocking, searching, or loading. And I can write much faster than tap a little screen keyboard. Even more importantly, on my memo pad there are no notifications to completely sidetrack my lizard brain. But aside from the practical, it is also just such a nice change of pace to use analog technologies when I can. I use my computer and write software all day. It's good to get a break sometimes.
- ryukoposting 1y agoI'm not sure if I go one day without writing something. For my blog, I can usually go straight to typing, but for my bigger projects I start by writing out any ideas, research, etc. I find that writing stuff helps me recall it later, even if I don't actually read the notes. It's especially helpful for big blobs of interconnected ideas.