# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/141 "2024-09-03T08:13:57Z")
I keep a tube of trolamine-based burn cream in the fridge _next_ to the butter. I don’t know if it does anything, but it’s very soothing. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/142 "2024-09-03T09:32:20Z")
Does it melt the same on warm toast? ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/143 "2024-09-03T11:43:20Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > And the most well-meaning efforts at charity have run into paradoxical perverse incentives, such as driving the few food producers in famine areas out of business, or empowering warlords who can monopolize the distribution process. just like sending your old clothes (via charity) to africa pretty much killed the whole garment-producing-industry on the entire continent… yep, fighting poverty is extremely complex … ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/144 "2024-09-03T11:47:09Z")
shall we dive into “obsolete dietry / weight control advice”? … that seems to change every few years … from 5 small portions per day, to 1 meal per day … and anything in between … carbs are good/carbs are bad, but proteine is good … seems like the fashion industry that need to invent different things periodically to keep in business ---
**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 3, 2024, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/145 "2024-09-03T14:48:48Z")
When our ancient ancestors did have meat, they ate game, too. It was local, and possibly less fatty (so eaters of game have told me). I am sure many did die of poisoning from mushrooms and various berries, etc. The cavepeople had it rough, for this reason as for many others and it amazes me how humanity has survived. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/146 "2024-09-03T15:06:15Z")
Going back to the actual purpose of the thread … On substantially every 120v power cord supplied with appliances, electronics, lamps, and even plain extension cords there is a warning label with a bunch of cautions. Sometimes attached to the packaging and sometimes attached to the cord itself. On every one of those labels I’ve examined, one of the cautions amounts to “Do not use if the cord is frayed”. Where “frayed” is the magic operative word of the sentence. The only sorts of power cords that _can_ fray are those with a woven fabric outer covering. Which were last commonly sold in the USA in the early 1960s, so now 60 years ago. Post ~1963 power cords with a flexible plastic outer sheathing can be cut, burned, abraded, nicked, melted, stretched, etc. But they cannot possibly be “frayed”. So: Advice that was once sound that is still being offered today despite being totally obsoleted by progress in the design of the thing the advice refers to. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/147 "2024-09-03T15:09:45Z")
Frayed not. ---
**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 3, 2024, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/148 "2024-09-03T15:12:17Z")
You misspelled knot. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/149 "2024-09-03T15:36:17Z")
Homophone jokes are _very_ hard to deliver well in a written medium. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/150 "2024-09-03T15:49:24Z")
So a string walks into a bar and the bartender says, “I’m sorry, we don’t serve strings here.” The string walks back outside, rolls around in the street, and then twists itself so many times that it gets dizzy. Finally the string staggers back inside. The bartender says, “Hey, aren’t you the same string that just left?” And the string replies, “No, I’m a frayed knot.” ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/151 "2024-09-03T15:52:16Z")
… so the bartender points it in the direction of the “jokes” thread. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/152 "2024-09-04T22:22:38Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > In engine braking, where is the heat deposited? It’s got to be somewhere. Inspired by the engine braking discussion in this thread, I started a new thread to keep from totally hijacking things in this thread: > [@Engine braking](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engine-braking/1006788): > > Inspired by a discussion on engine braking in this thread: While heat transfer is an inevitable part of engine braking, it’s possible to envision a hypothetical engine with no heat transfer at all that still provides engine braking. Consider an ordinary gasoline four-stroke engine. In the intake tract, there’s a movable throttle plate: open it wide, and the engine produces maximum torque, close it down to almost nothing and the engine breathes in just enough air (and fuel) to overcome fric… I’m copy-pasting from that post the part that’s relevant to this thread, i.e. the advice (don’t use engine braking) that’s obsolete because of more knowledge _and_ technology changes. # ======================================= # ======================================= As far as temps go, well, for gasoline or diesel, it’s not running any hotter than it is when it’s idling, because it’s doing pretty much the same thing as far as squeezing/expanding the air in the cylinders. In fact, for the case of the diesel using a compression-release brake, temps are actually very cool during the expansion stroke. Likewise, the loads on the machinery aren’t particularly large, unless you’re spinning the engine at ludicrous speeds. Is engine braking hard on the gears in your transmission/gearbox? Not particularly. The modest **de** celeration of engine braking is no harder on the gears than **ac** celerating at the same rate. The faces of gear teeth are extremely hard and will probably be the last things to fail. More to the point, the “front” face of each gear tooth is what racks up the wear as you drive 100,000 miles in the forward direction; the “rear” faces of the teeth, the faces that get loaded during engine braking, will only see a tiny fraction of the miles that the “front” faces do. Is engine braking hard on the clutch(es) in your transmission/gearbox? If you’re a skilled manual transmission enthusiast, then when you downshift, you can rev-match the engine before you let the clutch out, resulting in minimal clutch wear. For automatic transmissions before the advent of electronic throttle control, downshifting meant that clutch bands inside the transmission had to briefly slip to drag the engine up to speed during a downshift, and yes, that meant wear. For at least some late-model cars, that’s a thing of the past: when you request a downshift, the computers that are actually managing your drivetrain for you will blip the throttle to rev match, resulting in virtually zero wear on the clutch bands in the automatic transmission (or clutch plates in your dual-clutch transmission). ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2024, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/153 "2024-09-05T00:11:43Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > The only sorts of power cords that _can_ fray are those with a woven fabric outer covering. Which were last commonly sold in the USA in the early 1960s, so now 60 years ago. I don’t know how common they are, but I bought a Honeywell powerstrip a few months ago that had a cord with woven fabric cover. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2024, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/154 "2024-09-05T00:26:57Z")
> [@F.U.Shakespeare](#): > > I don’t know how common they are, but I bought a Honeywell powerstrip a few months ago that had a cord with woven fabric cover. The fabric ones are all the rage now. > [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > the computers that are actually managing your drivetrain for you will blip the throttle to rev match, resulting in virtually zero wear on the clutch bands in the automatic transmission (or clutch plates in your dual-clutch transmission). My current car with a traditional manual also blips to rev match when downshifting. It’s a bummer because I put in 30+ years of getting good at the heel-toe braking and now I don’t get to use it at all. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2024, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/155 "2024-09-05T12:50:45Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > > [@F.U.Shakespeare](#): > > > > I don’t know how common they are, but I bought a Honeywell powerstrip a few months ago that had a cord with woven fabric cover. > > The fabric ones are all the rage now. Not doubting either of you, but color me somewhere between amazed and flabbergasted. WTF??? Has the entire world gone mad? ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2024, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/156 "2024-09-05T13:11:03Z")
Are we sure that modern fabric cords are actually fabric, and not fabric-looking plastic, or fabric over plastic? ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2024, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/157 "2024-09-05T13:21:40Z")
They’re definitely not just cloth fabric over electrical wires. There are both types - some kind of plastic braid and cloth braid covering plastic. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2024, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/158 "2024-09-05T14:39:04Z")
All the cool (read: kitschy and expensive) housewares places out here have some variation on this for sale. The fabric and outlet box can be color coordinated to your decor. > **[Extō Smart Chip USB Collection](https://conwaygoods.com/collections/exto-smart-chip-usb-collection)** > > Every Extō Smart USB is ~2.5lbs of fire resistant cast aluminum and stainless steel shell powder coated a variety of colors connected to PVC-free 14-awg wire covered with ornamental 100% USA cotton-braiding. Extō Smart USB power cords use IC smart... Come to think of it, the last several usb cords of various flavors have all come with braided covers. They are much more supple and durable than the lowest-common-denominator plastic ones I’ve been buying. > **[Braided USB-C Cable](https://www.anker.com/collections/braided-usb-c-cable)** > > Embrace Anker’s Braided USB C Cables, the durable & dependable connection solution. With double-braided designs and universal compatibility, Anker is worth ---
**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 5, 2024, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/159 "2024-09-05T19:23:14Z")
USB cords don’t carry the kind of loads that would make a cotton covering hazardous. For heavier currents, maybe fiberglass fabric? ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2024, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548/160 "2024-09-05T19:28:58Z")
> [@Ellecram](#): > > During those times I would shift into a lower gear when descending some of the icy hills in the area. I will manually downshift in my automatic when going down some of the mountains here in Colorado even on dry pavement. There is a reason they measure your rotor temperature and make you pull over if necessary for a mandatory break part way down Pikes Peak. I once had my brakes go away on me on a curvy mountain road and thank god I reacted immediately by pulling my ebrake (OK, it was pressing the parking brake but I’m a child of the 70s so in an emergency it is “pulling an ebrake”) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obsolete-advice-for-things-that-still-exist/1006548.md?page=9)