Tag: Mindset

Understanding the Fear of Leaving Appliances On | August 13 2026, 00:51

I recently started wondering, why are we so afraid of leaving the gas or the iron on? I’m afraid too, but I’ve been thinking about why. Because look, nothing happens on its own – the gas would burn for a month, and the iron would heat the air for the same month and use electricity. Until what? The iron theoretically could burn out as its lifespan is exhausted. Then it would just switch off. It cannot explode or burst into open flames – irons are not like that anymore. Gas – what could happen with it? The flame won’t just blow out by itself. Draughts are not typical in our enclosed spaces, but even if they were, it would take a very strong gust of wind to completely extinguish the flame.

Gas burns, producing carbon dioxide and water vapor — that is if combustion is complete. Well, let’s assume it’s not complete, but in the worst case, a small amount of carbon monoxide will accumulate. That’s not good, but remember, we left the gas on at home and went out.

The only scary scenario is if we forgot a pot of soup on the stove, which theoretically could spill over and then there would be methane release and a potential explosion (Interestingly, in Europe many gas stoves are equipped with a thermocouple flame failure device and turn off the gas if there’s no heat (i.e., spillover). That’s not yet common practice here.)

The alarm here is not an irrational failure but a perfectly rational reaction to the risk structure: the probability is low, but the outcome could be catastrophic and irreversible (fire, explosion, risking lives in neighboring apartments). When the expected damage is enormous even with a low probability, it is evolutionarily and culturally advantageous to be overcautious. But technically (ideally) leaving the iron or gas on shouldn’t result in any mishaps for those hours until you remember about them. And we worry not about the iron that’s left on, but about not being able to check whether it was turned off. The brain honestly signals no data and the stakes are high” — and with the cost of checking it taking thirty seconds versus the cost of a mistake costing an apartment, this is a mathematically flawless alarm

Engineering Zen: A Daily Dose of Science and Creativity | June 19 2026, 03:28

Due to numerous requests, I have created a Facebook group and a Telegram channel “Engineering Zen”, where I can write about all kinds of interesting things related to science and engineering every day, and guests can write too. I’ll find it interesting if we gather at least 50 people. Shall we gather? I have a ton of interesting content, enough for a year for sure.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/4344370099148010

I will also write on Telegram if we gather at least 50 members there. The channel is called @engineersdzen.

I will be happy for the shares and likes. If we don’t gather enough people, I will drop this activity with groups and channels, which I’ve been planning to do for ten years anyway 🙂

Peripheral Vision: Unveiling Optical Illusions in News Apps | April 29 2026, 17:56

I’m trying to figure out if it’s just me or do other people experience this too 🙂 if you look anywhere except at the word “Omurbekova”, the line highlighted in red in the second screenshot (which is actually white) is distinctly visible in your peripheral vision. But as soon as you shift your gaze directly to it, the line disappears. That is, it’s only visible peripherally. Share your experiences 🙂

Colorful Climbing: A Fun Indoor Adventure with Masha | April 27 2026, 15:03

Went to the mountains with Masha. Yellow paths over yellow, red over red. The organizers should put a box of candies at the top. Found out that the muscles in my fingers are non-existent, and the rest hurt the next day. Cool experience (not the first time)

Yuki’s Mysterious Bi-Annual Behavior Shifts | April 09 2026, 14:31

Yuki’s “ooooh” mode is activated again (April 7, 2026). It usually lasts a few days in April and October.

Previous occurrences were –

– October 15-20, 2025

– April 11, 2025

– April 1-4, 2024

– February 2, 2023,

– October 27, 2022,

– March 15, 2022

Behavior changes during this period include:

1) He might sing songs for hours on end. For instance, at six in the morning.

2) Suddenly, he likes to go for walks. Usually, he does not. Even though he always has access to the yard, he specifically needs to go on a walk. He might go to the door and knock on it with his paw. Usually, at the word “walk,” he rushes to the third floor.

Now, he looks into your mouth when you’re talking to him. Always seems to be waiting for something, possibly expecting the question of whether he wants to go for a walk. He knocks on the window and the front door with his paw.

And yes, he starts wanting to walk at around six in the morning, and then again soon after returning from a walk.

3) On the walk, he sticks his nose in the grass every five minutes, and it’s hard to pull him away. Usually, this is rare, but now it’s constant.

4) He might sit and watch the sunset for half an hour.

5) Unstable appetite, occasionally. You put meat on top of his food, and he doesn’t even look at it.

Space Exploration: From Pioneering Days to the ISS as a Playground | April 06 2026, 19:59

essentially, a person in space is about these days and about the days 50 years ago. The International Space Station is already kindergarten: in terms of the Earth, it is only slightly higher than airplanes fly.