# It's easier than you think! What should we try that assume is too hard? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 8, 2018, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-easier-than-you-think-what-should-we-try-that-assume-is-too-hard/824205 "2018-11-08T18:28:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/59ef9b/32.png) [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorkshire_Pudding)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2018, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-easier-than-you-think-what-should-we-try-that-assume-is-too-hard/824205/41 "2018-11-09T10:40:30Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > It’s just a bit too broad- it’s like saying ‘Cooking is easy!’ Well, yeah, it can be, but not all of it is, as people have pointed out in this thread. > > I reckon most people would guess the world record would be higher than 11 items, and the learning curve is a hell of a lot steeper than it first appears to beginners. > > I have a few friends who are pro jugglers, and they’ve all said they’ve had the reaction of ‘That’s not impressive, juggling’s easy, I learnt to juggle in a weekend’ from people, when they’re performing something that took 10 years to perfect. Fair point: didn’t know there was a widespread “juggling’s easy” viewpoint! In my experience, people think it’s all superhero-grade impossibility. ---
**Author:** ![Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/59ef9b/32.png) [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorkshire_Pudding)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2018, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-easier-than-you-think-what-should-we-try-that-assume-is-too-hard/824205/42 "2018-11-09T10:45:07Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > YOU ARE ME, GET OUT OF MY HOUSE! > > but yes, as far as pizza goes the quality of the bread is the thing, simple toppings should enhance the bread not overwhelm it (and fresh yeast is best ) > > One thing I always recommend people to try is hiring a car on holiday. Swapping to the other side of the road is far, far easier than people assume. If you can drive on the crowded, narrow, fast roads of the UK you can drive anywhere. > > The other thing that amazes me is that, though I live right down in the south-east of England about 15 minutes from the channel crossings, very few of our friends or acquaintances actually take their car to the continent. They worry about the “other side of the road” thing. It honestly takes about 5 minutes to get used to it, maybe less. NO YOU GET OUT! I find driving on the other side of the car more awkward than driving on the other side of the road: my spatial awareness is trained for a vehicle extending away to my left, not my right. Even then though, it doesn’t take long. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2018, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-easier-than-you-think-what-should-we-try-that-assume-is-too-hard/824205/43 "2018-11-09T11:08:24Z")
I had to replace the sump pump in my basement, and didn’t feel like calling a plumber. I went to the hardware store and bought a new pump (lifetime warranty!), 4 ft. or so of replacement pvc pipe and a few rubber connectors that had hose clamps built in. None of that was hard at all. The only thing I missed was the glue used for pvc, the 2 stage stuff, one’s a primer and the other is a glue. My neighbor set me straight on that, he even had it in his garage. I drained the residual water from the old pump setup, hacksawed through the pipe in an arbitrary place that I felt would be easy to reach, and pulled the whole works out of the pit. I took the new pump with freshly glued pcv connected, and hacksawed through the pipe at a place that would make the overall height from the floor to the cut the same as the one I removed from the pit. Put the new one in the pit, connect to the existing piping with one of the rubber/hose clamp connectors. Done. Nowhere near as difficult as I initially feared. ---
**Author:** ![Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/59ef9b/32.png) [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorkshire_Pudding)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2018, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-easier-than-you-think-what-should-we-try-that-assume-is-too-hard/824205/44 "2018-11-09T12:00:13Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > I had to replace the sump pump in my basement, and didn’t feel like calling a plumber. I went to the hardware store and bought a new pump (lifetime warranty!), 4 ft. or so of replacement pvc pipe and a few rubber connectors that had hose clamps built in. None of that was hard at all. The only thing I missed was the glue used for pvc, the 2 stage stuff, one’s a primer and the other is a glue. My neighbor set me straight on that, he even had it in his garage. > I drained the residual water from the old pump setup, hacksawed through the pipe in an arbitrary place that I felt would be easy to reach, and pulled the whole works out of the pit. I took the new pump with freshly glued pcv connected, and hacksawed through the pipe at a place that would make the overall height from the floor to the cut the same as the one I removed from the pit. > Put the new one in the pit, connect to the existing piping with one of the rubber/hose clamp connectors. Done. > Nowhere near as difficult as I initially feared. There must be loads of things like this. Plumbing can be so disastrous when done badly that it seems like it’s best left alone, but with info about which bits are easy, sawing and reconnecting pipes needn’t always be regarded as witchcraft! ---
**Author:** ![SkyRangerRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@SkyRangerRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkyRangerRich)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2018, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-easier-than-you-think-what-should-we-try-that-assume-is-too-hard/824205/45 "2018-11-09T15:11:15Z")
I have my Private Pilot’s Licence and own my own aircraft. People think that private aviation is reserved for the very wealthy. I’m a 36 year old man from Yorkshire with a regular job and a young family. My pilot pals are made up of a pest exterminator, a builder and a car mechanic - all also own aircraft. Learning to fly was remarkably easy, I had a lesson a week and it took about 10 months. My aircraft has two seats, cruises at about 100mph, a range of over 600 miles and cost less than people spend on a decent car. If you’ve ever fancied flying an aeroplane, go for it, it’s remarkable accessible. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2018, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-easier-than-you-think-what-should-we-try-that-assume-is-too-hard/824205/46 "2018-11-09T16:31:51Z")
> [@SkyRangerRich](#): > > If you’ve ever fancied flying an aeroplane, go for it, it’s remarkable accessible. Sure but your username does seem to give off a different message! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/59ef9b/32.png) [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorkshire_Pudding)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2018, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-easier-than-you-think-what-should-we-try-that-assume-is-too-hard/824205/47 "2018-11-09T16:37:55Z")
> [@SkyRangerRich](#): > > I have my Private Pilot’s Licence and own my own aircraft. > > People think that private aviation is reserved for the very wealthy. I’m a 36 year old man from Yorkshire with a regular job and a young family. My pilot pals are made up of a pest exterminator, a builder and a car mechanic - all also own aircraft. > > Learning to fly was remarkably easy, I had a lesson a week and it took about 10 months. > > My aircraft has two seats, cruises at about 100mph, a range of over 600 miles and cost less than people spend on a decent car. > > If you’ve ever fancied flying an aeroplane, go for it, it’s remarkable accessible. Wow. Really? That’s got to be worth a look! I’m an only-ever-so-very-slightly older than you man from Yorkshire with a regular job and a young family. I haven’t got a great deal of excuse… ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2018, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-easier-than-you-think-what-should-we-try-that-assume-is-too-hard/824205/48 "2018-11-09T16:41:02Z")
> [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](#): > > Good one. I had a boss years ago who told me - a total non gambler - the rules of what overround was permitted for UK bookies, and therefore how to spot strangely long odds. More sports knowledge needed of course, but as sports was his thing, he could spot an unlikely looking price on a fairly obscure team/horse buried a long way down the list, made a tidy long-term profit. Could you explain this? It sounds interesting and like it should be impossible. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2018, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-easier-than-you-think-what-should-we-try-that-assume-is-too-hard/824205/49 "2018-11-09T17:10:45Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Juggling. I’m about the most uncoordinated doofus there is, and I learned how to juggle in an afternoon from one of those Klutz books that a college roommate had. It’s not nearly as difficult as people think. I tried the same way, using a learn to juggle book, and practicing against a wall. I still couldn’t do it. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2018, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-easier-than-you-think-what-should-we-try-that-assume-is-too-hard/824205/50 "2018-11-09T18:01:05Z")
> [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](#): > > Actually, I’d contend that the oil is a) optional, b) not needed in huge quantities if opted for and c) need not be particularly good. I do use oil, but I have it on good authority from a Neapolitan chef that I needn’t (and that proper old-school Italian pizza doesn’t feature it). > > The classic method is to use a tin of San Marzano tomatoes and absolutely nothing else. I use cheapo supermarket own-brand tinned tomatoes which are nothing like as flavoursome, and therefore boil them down with (at least) salt, pepper, garlic-infused olive oil, basil and oregano to enhance and intensify flavour. But honestly, keeping it as simple and unadulterated as possible is best if you’ve got the good stuff. For “classic,” I’d substitute “rustic,” which is also good. I can go either way, but I do love me some quality olive oil. I used to have a pizza cookbook that said the tomatoes should be crushed (“smuhsed”) in a pan with butter and salt and pepper. Diff’rent strokes for diff’rent folks. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2018, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-easier-than-you-think-what-should-we-try-that-assume-is-too-hard/824205/51 "2018-11-09T18:21:33Z")
If you’ve ever had the opportunity to attempt riding a unicycle they may look intimidating and feel awkward at first but you can easily learn to ride one in an afternoon. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2018, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-easier-than-you-think-what-should-we-try-that-assume-is-too-hard/824205/52 "2018-11-09T18:54:23Z")
How “classic” can a method be that requires canned tomatoes? Also, [Moderating] Although this thread started with a culinary example, most of the activities being mentioned aren’t particularly artistic. So I’m moving it to IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2018, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-easier-than-you-think-what-should-we-try-that-assume-is-too-hard/824205/53 "2018-11-09T20:06:52Z")
The first time I made jam, I couldn’t believe how easy it was. Yeah, there was a fair amount of prep work and a lot of cleanup afterwards, but it’s not a weird, mysterious, complex job. I was so intimidated at first, but now - \*pfffffft \*- no big deal! OK, lots of dirty dishes to wash up, but still… ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2018, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-easier-than-you-think-what-should-we-try-that-assume-is-too-hard/824205/54 "2018-11-09T21:33:48Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > I tried the same way, using a learn to juggle book, and practicing against a wall. I still couldn’t do it. Start with very light chiffon scarfs. Once you’ve mastered catching, use hacky-sacks or bean-bags (stuff that doesn’t roll when it hits the floor). Once you’ve mastered throwing, move in front of the wall to master throwing vertically. If you’re poorly co-ordinated and have no experience with ball sports, it may take 20 minutes or an hour to handle three balls. (And, as mentioned above, a lifetime to get good at it.) If you aren’t young, you may have difficulty sustaining 20 minutes of exercise, but it would probably be good for you. Like every other form of exercise, it takes less physical effort once your body learns what to do. But more so: most of the effort is bending over to pick up the bean-bags/scarfs off the floor. If your knees are better than your back, you can start learning on your knees. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2018, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-easier-than-you-think-what-should-we-try-that-assume-is-too-hard/824205/55 "2018-11-09T21:57:50Z")
People don’t _say_ making tea in a pot is too complex, but they sure as heck _act_ like it’s too complex. My theory is that they are intimidated by working out how many tea leaves to add to the pot. The really lucky thing is that adding too few or too many scoops of tea rarely results in death or explosions - usually\* you’ll find yourself completely intact and drinking a cup of weakish or strongish tea. I almost exclusively drink pot tea. I do this despite being the laziest person you know because it’s barely any more effort than making tea bag tea, but to me it tastes better, richer, fuller, deeper. Knowing how much tea to add is broadly a matter of experimenting until you like the tea you make. There’s rules of thumb (1 teaspoon per cup and one for the pot) to give you a kicking off point, but there’s no wrong if you’re happy with the end result. - I can only draw on my personal experience, but I would be so bold as to suggest that no matter how poorly you estimate the amount of tea to add to a pot, you are likely to come out with as many attached limbs as you started with. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2018, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-easier-than-you-think-what-should-we-try-that-assume-is-too-hard/824205/56 "2018-11-09T23:04:36Z")
Agreed that juggling, at least the basic three ball cascade, is really fairly easy. And yet people react like you have a superpower. Sleight of hand magic and simple card tricks are fairly easy to learn too. Of course, just like juggling, there are advanced variants that really ARE very difficult. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2018, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-easier-than-you-think-what-should-we-try-that-assume-is-too-hard/824205/57 "2018-11-09T23:06:43Z")
> [@](#): > > make a consistent long-term profit gambling. It’s all just a matter of taking casino and bookmaker offers that have a +EV, playing perfect strategy on table games; apart from poker, which I don’t play, they can all be easily learned; and low overround bets on sports (and the overround can be easily calculated, no sports knowledge needed) Maybe it’s different in the U.K. but I am not aware of any table games where there is a positive expected value. Color me skeptical. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Shine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr_shine/32/464_2.png) [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2018, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-easier-than-you-think-what-should-we-try-that-assume-is-too-hard/824205/58 "2018-11-09T23:16:37Z")
> [@zimaane](#): > > Maybe it’s different in the U.K. but I am not aware of any table games where there is a positive expected value. Color me skeptical. No, all games have a small house edge. But if you combine it with bribes/offers/bonuses and play perfectly they will outweigh the house edge, same with sportsbook offers and overround. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2018, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-easier-than-you-think-what-should-we-try-that-assume-is-too-hard/824205/59 "2018-11-10T01:58:31Z")
My example is cooking a turkey. The closest thing to “difficult” is making the stuffing, mostly because there’s lots of disagreements about what makes a good stuffing. After that, it’s basically put it in the oven and wait. So long as you put it in at the right time for when you plan on having dinner, there’s really nothing else to it. It boggles my mind that people somehow screw this up. The only way I can see it not working is if you either put the oven on at the wrong temperature, or your oven is a piece of crap that can’t hold the right temperature. ---
**Author:** ![SurrenderDorothy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/surrenderdorothy/32/1221_2.png) [@SurrenderDorothy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SurrenderDorothy)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2018, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-easier-than-you-think-what-should-we-try-that-assume-is-too-hard/824205/60 "2018-11-10T01:58:55Z")
Trimming cat nails. Some cats are easier for it than others, but people act like the very suggestion is completely absurd and marvel at me when I plop their cat on my lap and trim the nails in a minute or so. And yes, I know you have a singularly special cat who is literally impossible to trim nails on. For the vast majority of cats, if I can touch it, I can trim its nails. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-easier-than-you-think-what-should-we-try-that-assume-is-too-hard/824205.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-easier-than-you-think-what-should-we-try-that-assume-is-too-hard/824205.md?page=4)