# Obsolete Advice (For things that still exist) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 1, 2024, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548 "2024-09-01T06:31:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**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:** [September 2, 2024, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/101 "2024-09-02T16:44:03Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > Maybe not routinely but I drive a manual in Minnesota winters and sometimes downshifting is safer than braking on slippery roads. Dumping momentum into your power train can slow you when there just isn’t enough friction with the road to do the job; the automobile equivalent of air brakes. Anything you do to slow down the car is going to be ultimately dependent on friction between the road and the tires. Well, anything safe you can do to slow down, at least: The other alternative is colliding with something. If there’s anything to what you’re saying at all, it’d just be that engine braking is limited in how much deceleration it can provide, and so it doesn’t lock up the wheels (you can get more friction rolling than sliding), but you could still use the regular brakes more gently for the same effect, and that’s what antilock brakes are designed for. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2024, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/102 "2024-09-02T17:00:20Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Anything you do to slow down the car is going to be ultimately dependent on friction between the road and the tires. Ultimately yes, but downshifting really does seem to help “store” some of the momentum to be shed. If nothing else you’re transferring the momentum of your drive wheels’ rotation into your transmission instead of the frame of your car via the brake pads. And critically if you can slow your wheels down across the rolling/sliding transition point you can gain traction more promptly. ETA: after some reflection what may be happening is that downshifting will automatically apply exactly as much resistance against the wheels as the friction with the road will allow; far more efficiently than most people could manually brake. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2024, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/103 "2024-09-02T17:10:51Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > _Not_ under a table. If something of significant size falls, it will squish you as it flattens the table. The best place to be, that is, the place that earthquake survivors are often found, is next to a bulky object, like a couch: if something big falls on you, it will tent against the couch, leaving you the space you need to not die. You’re taking about the “triangle of life”, which has been mostly discredited and isn’t recommended by any authority (like FEMA or the Red Cross). It really only helps in structural collapse, which is rare in modern construction, especially in earthquake-prone areas. Most earthquakes injuries are from falling objects, not structures. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2024, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/104 "2024-09-02T17:13:30Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > Especially obnoxious were the more militant “Save The Earth” types who condemned eating meat as a decadent luxury, when we could feed so many more hungry people on this overcrowded planet if we all lived on beans and rice. In my more trollish moments I’d declare that I would kill and eat their children before giving up meat. Ha ha. But they were and are perfectly correct. The advice isn’t obsolete just because you still don’t want to hear it. I could quote you endless biological proofs if I wasn’t so lazy, but they’ve existed since the 1970’s at least. ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2024, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/105 "2024-09-02T17:19:44Z")
Rubbing whiskey on baby’s gums as a teething treatment. Yes my doctor recommended this in 1983 lol. I had one really old doctor who probably practiced in the 1920s/1930s who told me to get some Toby leaves (catalpa tree), light them up and blow the smoke into my young son’s ears to treat an infection. Oh yeah times were different. Ob-so-lete. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2024, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/106 "2024-09-02T17:21:45Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > _Not_ under a table. If something of significant size falls, it will squish you as it flattens the table. The best place to be, that is, the place that earthquake survivors are often found, is next to a bulky object, like a couch: if something big falls on you, it will tent against the couch, leaving you the space you need to not die. In the Loma Prieta earthquake, deaths were due to being buried in unreinforced masonry, and most all, the collapse of a double decker overpass in Oakland. In the being buried by bricks scenario, being under a table would have been helpful. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2024, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/107 "2024-09-02T17:26:10Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > > [@Lumpy](#): > > > > Especially obnoxious were the more militant “Save The Earth” types who condemned eating meat as a decadent luxury, when we could feed so many more hungry people on this overcrowded planet if we all lived on beans and rice. In my more trollish moments I’d declare that I would kill and eat their children before giving up meat. > > Ha ha. But they were and are perfectly correct. The advice isn’t obsolete just because you still don’t want to hear it. I could quote you endless biological proofs if I wasn’t so lazy, but they’ve existed since the 1970’s at least. While at the pure biological level people could get by (with some difficulty) without meat, that over-simplifies a lot of real world practical considerations. A blanket declaration that this is what everyone should do, regardless of what subject “this” is referring to, is always overconfident. There’s real room for doubt. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2024, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/108 "2024-09-02T18:10:26Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > My mother and grandmother were afraid of using a telephone during a thunderstorm. They still believed the same way about cordless phones. Thurber had a story about a relative who feared that electricity would drip out of sockets and fixtures if nothing was plugged in. [![](https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QYi_puES3TU/VpDl4ocF-eI/AAAAAAAAFPg/znB0P_f0UZc/s1600/electricity-leaking.png) ](https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QYi_puES3TU/VpDl4ocF-eI/AAAAAAAAFPg/znB0P_f0UZc/s1600/electricity-leaking.png) ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2024, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/109 "2024-09-02T18:11:02Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I remember someone saying the exact same thing about incandescent Quite possibly: So safe and cheap to run an electric light compared to whale oil! Don’t worry about putting your children to work after dark. For a really fun historical perspective, look into the amount of labor required to produce one candela of light for an hour. > [@FluffyBob](#): > > the issue with engine braking is the extra stress on the valves > [@Chronos](#): > > In engine braking, where is the heat deposited? As @Pork_Rind says, the heat from compressing air is removed by the cooling system and dumped out the exhaust. From experience, I can tell you that engine braking produces less heat than combustion. First, it seems logical. A normally running engine is also compressing air, but then it adds some fire. I had a car with a thermostat that would stick open, and when I’d drive in the mountains the temperature gauge would drop considerably when engine braking down long hills. A working thermostat would have decreased coolant flow to maintain ideal operating temperature, but the broke thermostat let through the same amount of coolant engine braking down the mountain that was used to cool the engine powering up the mountain. > [@Chronos](#): > > engine braking is limited in how much deceleration it can provide, and so it doesn’t lock up the wheels > [@Lumpy](#): > > downshifting will automatically apply exactly as much resistance against the wheels as the friction with the road will allow The resistance of engine braking can easily overcome the friction between the tires and the road. In a low friction environment, like on ice and snow, this can be just as bad as non-anti-lock brakes. Downshifting in ice can easily cause a skid. Avoiding this requires proper balance of braking, engine speed, and gear selection. The same applies to electric cars and regenerative braking in low traction environments. It can even be a problem on dry pavement. A common mistake for beginning motorcycle riders is chirping the rear tire on downshifts. If the engine speed is not appropriately matched to the wheel speed before releasing the clutch, the wheel will cause the engine RPM to increase. The engine may resist increasing speed with enough force to cause the rear tire to momentarily lose traction, and chirp, before the drivetrain balances out. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2024, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/110 "2024-09-02T18:23:24Z")
> [@SurrenderDorothy](#): > > That FIV positive cats can’t live with FIV negative cats and/or should just be euthanized as soon as they test positive. Years (decades) ago I had a friend who had a FIV positive cat and she adopted several other FIV positive cats to prevent them from being euthanized. ---
**Author:** ![knavette57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knavette57/32/3871_2.png) [@knavette57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knavette57)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2024, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/111 "2024-09-02T18:31:20Z")
I am sure our hunter gatherer ancestors ate many plants. They had to, hunting was not always successful. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2024, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/112 "2024-09-02T18:36:44Z")
> [@Neidhart](#): > > Also, do people still put raw steak on a black eye? I was taught that raw steak doesn’t have any particular healing power - it’s just that the soft, fleshy texture molds more comfortably to the area surrounding the eye than a bag of ice does. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2024, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/113 "2024-09-02T18:41:18Z")
Fans do not lower the temperature in the room. If anything, they raise it. I see people leaving the fan just pointlessly moving air around and think, if you are not sitting it its breeze, you might as well just shut the damn thing off. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2024, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/114 "2024-09-02T18:49:07Z")
First, I wouldn’t trust any research from the 70s unless there was more research later on. Second, plant based food is water-intensive, so areas that are very dry, it’s actually cheaper to eat animal based foods. Also, my view of the matter is that we can still produce enough food to feed the world… but getting that food where it is needed is expensive both in terms of transportation and storage. ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2024, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/115 "2024-09-02T18:50:06Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Fans do not lower the temperature in the room. If anything, they raise it. I see people leaving the fan just pointlessly moving air around and think, if you are not sitting it its breeze, you might as well just shut the damn thing off. I use the fan for the noise not the air movement. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2024, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/116 "2024-09-02T18:51:29Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Fans do not lower the temperature in the room. This is true (with certain caveats, such as that the fan could conceivably indirectly affect the temperature of a room by affecting the airflow near the thermostat). But what’s the “obsolete” part? ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2024, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/117 "2024-09-02T18:53:27Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Fans do not lower the temperature in the room. If anything, they raise it. If I give you my wife’s cell phone number, will you call her and explain that to her? I’ve been trying, without success, to tell her that for almost 40 years. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2024, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/118 "2024-09-02T18:54:52Z")
Meh. Fans equalize the temperature in a room by reducing stratification. I can see leaving them on if you are going into the room periodically. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2024, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/119 "2024-09-02T18:57:59Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > I can see leaving them on if you are going into the room periodically. True, but 24/7 in the kitchen and living rooms? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2024, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/120 "2024-09-02T19:11:34Z")
Well, those are two rooms that people, go into and out of a lot. I agree that it’s probably not the most energy-efficient thing to do, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s pretty minor. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548.md?page=7)