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obscure obsessions

rangrz said:
economy of effort and design simplicity and optimization...I like things that are not going to excess difficulty to do something, and that make the most of their design features.

for example, some car commerical here (I forget which, one of the US makers) is advertising a 355 horsepower twin turbo engine in an suv/cross over that has at least a 6cyc if not an 8.

WTF!?! you need a complex twin turbo to pull a figure like 355 from a large 6 or small 8? was the engineering team baked? if it was a small inline 4, I can see it. but i think it was pointless, expensive, overly complex way to make their product. I hate that kind of shit. Its just more stuff to be maintained and break for no actual reason. like a physical incarnation of windows vista.

i obsess over having things make the maximum effect of the resources and work put into them.
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agreeed. i'm ruthlessly fascinated with efficiency. i think writer antoine de st-exupéry said it best when he said: 'perfection is achieved not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.' hence my desire to build an engine that can surpass 100% volumetric efficiency without forced induction. it's also the reason my computer is overclocked to the maximum reliable speed... as well as my PSP... and my MP3 player has similar improvements.

i just can't leave anything be. if there's a guiness world record for voiding the most warranties in the least amount of time, i would be a contender because i can't resist taking things apart at the first opportunity. i would say it's more than an obsession for me, it's more than an addiction too, it's a full-fledged way of life.
 
I might have to make multiple posts as I can only think of one and I know I have a lot.

Handwriting. When taking notes, writing a letter, etc., the pen has to be the same color the entire time (even if it's notes from class over 3 days), and the handwriting has to be the same. No all caps and then regular writing. No cursive and then regular writing. It has to be the same. The letters have to look the way I want them to look, or else I write the whole thing over. Like if I have a to do list with 20 things to do and I don't like the way the letter a looks on the 20th thing to do, I'll write the entire list over. There is no erasing, because the imprint from writing is still there.
 
miniature or trial-size containers like hotel shampoo or conditioner. my dad once gave me samples of jelly in tiny jars complete with metal lids. i love them. i like to open my kitchen drawer sometimes and look at them and think of the things i'd like to put inside them.
 
Small pocket knives, multitools & swiss army knices, and compact 'innovative' screwdriver or other tool sets.

It's kind of frustrating because all these do-everything gadgets are much more fragile than their single purpose counterparts & if a single fixture on something breaks the whole form of the object is ruined, but I love them anyways.
 
unique or high quality knives.

I'm digging my WWII forward observer knife. high quality steel, elegant blade, and an optic tube in the handle for spotting/adjust fire.(not the best idea really, but cool)

I also love an old school, re-usable scalpel I have. the weight and fine quality make the signle use instruments seem fail.
 
That knife sounds incredible, do you have a pic of the optic tube thing? Hope you have some diamond hones to keep that baby face shave sharp.
 
rangrz: I kinda liked your black one that you let me use that time when you were fixing the truck. I had the hots fort hat thing.LOL. Stupid I know, there are better knives I am sure, but that baby felt nice in my hands.

My obsessions: writing on things and fidgeting with things. Checking the time all the time (OCD? lol). My 2 worst ones are the time and the fidgeting. I am also obsessed with tattoo's, taking pictures on my cam and writing (explaining my point).

Blah I got boring obsessions. I used to like cutting using a knife similar to the one I meantioned like rangrz, i stole it off my brother when i was 10 i think, and I used to love cutting designs into my arm. I was weird and fucked up then, yes i know LOL

Oh I also like to collect bullets.... I dunno why. lol.
 
prayersfor.rain said:
Handwriting. When taking notes, writing a letter, etc., the pen has to be the same color the entire time (even if it's notes from class over 3 days), and the handwriting has to be the same. No all caps and then regular writing. No cursive and then regular writing. It has to be the same. The letters have to look the way I want them to look, or else I write the whole thing over. Like if I have a to do list with 20 things to do and I don't like the way the letter a looks on the 20th thing to do, I'll write the entire list over. There is no erasing, because the imprint from writing is still there.
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i am the SAME EXACT way! wowowow

but my obsession would be really soft buttons, like on remote controls or soft jelly cases on cell phones. i could play with both of those things for hours!
 
my mess. I have to have everything messy, but organized in my own manner. If people touch it or pick my stuff up and move it I have a mental breakdown.
 
i really really like chuck taylors. i wish i had some in every color. they are so versatile and go with pretty much any outfit.

i also keep all my crown royal bags. i use them for a lot of shit, stash bags, marker bags, makeup bag, etc. i love 'em and purple is my fave color.

i like anything made of glass. whether its a handblown glass sculpture, a pipe, a bottle, etc. i love glass artwork, and even though i dont have a ton of it in my possession i love to look at it and im always drawn to it when i see it.

i dont really collect anything per se, cuz i appreciate the absence of clutter in my area. i dont tend to buy things i dont need or already have one or two of. i love throwing shit away, i get a huge sense of satisfaction from doing that for some reason.
 
wow... two different worlds we live in for you to not know of chuck taylors or crown royal bags. :D

i hate canadian whisky, but i like the crown royal packaging, the bottle AND the bag.

also, the "soft buttons" response reminded me of another thing for me. with remotes, tv remotes, stereo remotes, cameras, or whatever, the battery covers... i have this thing where i'm constantly opening and closing them until they click softly and comfortably. it's hard to explain exactly how i like it to feel, but i want it to be more of a soft click than a new click. if that makes sense.

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Oh, Ryan I understand the 'soft' click you're describing. It's quite a reassuring sound / feeling. :)

The soft button post also reminded me of another of my weird joys.. rubbing my nails, or other peoples' [lucky for me, my so lets me do it to his]. I adore the soft, pearly feel of a nail against the pad of my finger or against my lips. I can happily rub nails for hours and hours, and frequently do! I do it when I'm stressed, when I'm tired, when I'm relaxed.. haha, any chance I get really.
It stemmed from my infancy when my Dad would let me stroke his nails as he read me bedtime stories. Strange habit, no?
 
^ indeed strange! then again, aren't we just creatures of oddities. :)

and i'm glad you know the soft clicking i'm referring to! we can't be the only ones, but it's so hard to describe accurately. :D
 
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