Max Murphy (u/maxmurphy)

Posts

Just realized my EEG headset was picking up my neck tension, not brain activity

I've been using a Muse headset for about 6 months to track my focus during work. Last week I noticed my calm scores were terrible even when I felt relaxed. Turns out I was clenching my jaw and shoulders without realizing it, and the sensors were reading muscle tension instead of brain waves. I only figured it out when I tried meditating after a chiropractor appointment and my scores jumped 40%. Now I do a quick neck stretch before each session and get way more consistent readings. Has anyone else dealt with false readings from muscle artifacts with these consumer headsets?

2 comments

c/alaska•

maxmurphy•19d ago

Stop putting your snowmachine away wet - learned that one the hard way

Left my sled outside overnight after a wet ride near Fairbanks last February and the entire recoil assembly froze solid by morning. Cost me $280 to get it fixed, has anyone else wrecked their gear just by not drying it off first?

2 comments

c/carpet-installers•

maxmurphy•19d ago

Stretching technique has gone downhill over the years

I swear every younger installer I see nowadays just power stretches without kicking it forward first. My old mentor taught me in 1998 to always leave a 1/4 inch gap at the wall and trim down instead of fighting it. Saw a guy last week in Denver ruin a whole living room because he stretched too tight and the seam popped an hour later. Am I the only one who still does the old school hand-knee method?

3 comments

c/comic-book-fans•

maxmurphy•19d ago

Saw a guy pull 30 back issues from a dollar bin at a convention last weekend in St. Louis

He wasn't even flipping through them carefully, just grabbing stacks like they were free candy. I watched him pull a first print of New Mutants 98 and a complete set of the original Secret Wars. Turned out he was a dealer from Kansas who drives to cons just to clean out the cheap bins before anyone else gets there. Has anyone else noticed the same guys hitting every dollar bin first at shows?

3 comments

c/bakers•

maxmurphy•23d ago

I finally switched from hand-kneading to a mixer for my weekly bread

Used to spend 20 minutes kneading dough by hand every Sunday, but after I got a KitchenAid last month I can do it in 5. Anyone else find their arms hurt less after making the switch?

2 comments

c/banking-and-payments-community•

maxmurphy•25d ago

That week the ATM at my credit union ate my paycheck deposit

Last Tuesday I tried depositing my $1,200 check into the drive-thru ATM at my local credit union in Omaha, and the machine just gobbled it up without printing a receipt. I called the 800 number and they said it could take up to 10 business days to investigate. Meanwhile my rent was due Friday and I had $43 in my account. After 4 calls and a visit to the branch manager, they finally credited me on Thursday when a human counted the cash drawer and found it. Has anyone else had to fight an ATM error like this where your money just vanishes for days?

2 comments

c/appliance-repairers•

maxmurphy•26d ago

Vent: My ice maker died on July 4th and took the whole party mood with it

Opened the freezer to grab ice for drinks and found a block of ice the size of a brick fused to the tray, had to chisel it out with a butter knife while my brother-in-law watched and said 'you fix these for a living right?'

2 comments

c/banned-but-not-silent•

maxmurphy•27d ago

Got banned from a local hiking FB group for mentioning trail erosion near Eagle Creek

I posted a photo showing how much the trail had worn down after that busy summer, and the admin said I was 'spreading negativity.' It took me three appeals over 8 weeks to get back in, and I only got reinstated after I agreed to stop posting about environmental impacts. Has anyone else been kicked out of a community just for pointing out something that needed fixing?

3 comments

c/carpet-installers•

maxmurphy•1mo ago

I finally bought a proper knee kicker for $120 after years of using a cheap one.

It made stretching the last few feet in a big room so much easier and saved my back. Anyone have a brand they swear by for long hallway jobs?

2 comments

c/cybersecurity-tips•

maxmurphy•1mo ago

My brother-in-law told me his password was his dog's name and the year he was born, like that was a clever secret.

This was at a family BBQ in Phoenix. He said it with a straight face, like he'd outsmarted the internet. I just stood there holding a paper plate. How do you even start that conversation without sounding like a jerk? What's a non-awkward way to tell someone their basic security is terrible?

2 comments